Pete first caught the ‘travel bug’ at age 16 when he left his home in the north of England to hitchhike from Istanbul down to the west coast of Turkey. Since then, he’s been on the move, making a living while traveling abroad.

What made you choose the nomadic lifestyle? How do you fund your travels?

It was kind of a natural progression for me and enabled me to stay traveling and create a new lifestyle…

Back in the day, there was no Internet so we spent time working in our home countries in order to set off on long journeys, relying on frugality to maximize the vacation time. We did a lot of simple stuff from repairing cars to working manual labor. In 1997, after University, I graduated to teaching undergrads, which was my first online, location-independent job. Now, I work online as a web creative and online business consultant, giving people an insight into their own potential to work independent of location.

Traveling while making a living was a revelation for me and that’s what I’m trying to help others do - offline I am an experiential travel guide.

Which jobs were the most challenging? The most memorable?

Every job is unique and I have done a little of everything. Teaching a 70 year-old senior in Switzerland how to use the Internet with no previous experience was interesting. But, developing a new businesses online and watching people’s ideas become reality is always memorable. Creating the five-day nomad workshop was a wonderful challenge.

What are some advantages and challenges of being a digital nomad?

There are so many reasons that folks want to become DN’s. Freedom always ranks high. But, there is often the need to try something new in an environment where the burn rate is a 5th of that in Europe or North America.

Having the ability to work and live in a more relaxed environment is a big draw for both creative’s and entrepreneurs. The difference in quality of life is huge, but it takes time to find the perfect marriage of business and travel.

Each element of becoming ‘location independent’ has its own set of challenges, from something simple like accepting the limited availability of broadband to generating traffic for a new startup. A consistent revenue stream can be hard to generate but it’s one of the long-term aims that the true nomad will have to overcome — and once they do, the benefits are unimaginable.

It seems as if recently, many people find the need to rush from country to country and culture to culture, chasing stamps on their passports. Travel often becomes about creating longer “have been to” lists rather than experiencing the nuances of living abroad. That’s where the concept of Slow Travel comes into play…

Explain “Slow travel” vs ‘regular’ travel.

A few years back, airports became like bus stops to me and the whole traveling experience became habitual. At some point, you need to realize where you are, and soak it all in instead of jetting from country to country. The ‘slow travel’ movement and concept allows people (especially digital nomads!) to be mindful of who and where they are. Although slow travel is often considered typical of an “older demographic” — the idea is not limited to age. In fact, it is all about appreciating culture and it is a fantastic way of gaining insight.

Slow travel is key for digital nomads and those trying out the location independent lifestyle. At the end of the day, it’s not how many places you can travel to — but it’s the quality of your day-to-day life.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am usually up at 5 am to do some basic Yoga and meditating. Then its coffee and emails before launching into web design and some back end server work. Depending on my day — if I have a client to meet or a traveler to guide — I eat a light breakfast and head off to one of the many fantastic cafes that we have around Chiang Mai. I work there till midday and then head off for some lovely Thai food. After lunch its a bit more Yoga and then a ride out to the mountain or neighboring villages to smell the air and enjoy the simplicity of the Thai culture. I will probably take a notepad with me to brainstorm a few ideas, come home and see if they are of value before watching a movie and turning in early.

What challenges have you overcome?

There are always challenges with getting quality work done and being disciplined with work schedules, as there are so many fantastic things to do in Asia. Finding a way to give back and share the lifestyle with others is a fantastic challenge.

As a traveling pro, Pete has come across and lived in a number of cities. Something he’s noticed is that:

“The speed of change and reduction in bio-diversity along with a high rate of cultural erosion is mind-blowing. Many of the places I have been to no longer exist and the monoculture replacing it shares little of the charm or community support as what has gone before.”

I have been on the road for over 30 years now and natural ecosystems along with certain cultural practices are simply gone. This is due to many factors -but the pursuit of neo-liberal capitalist policies has had a huge impact on these types of environments. For example Ladakh, the small Buddhist kingdom in northern India, is a totally different place since the Leh Manali highway was built. Now, cultural identity, family unit, an increase in crime and negative environmental impacts create huge challenges for cultures that have been unchanged for thousands of years.

What do you think you would be doing if you never took the leap to become a digital nomad?

Honestly, no idea other than showing people around the Himalayas on Enfield motorbikes.

What’s your favorite city to travel to?

There are too many to relate, but I think hitch hiking through Africa was real fun even the crazy parts like living in Johannesburg. There are over a dozen cities that I like and all offer something different. In North America I love Toronto, Europe: York, Africa: Stone town, Asia: Calcutta and the list goes on!

For those of you looking for a change, something different from your 9–5 job, the Slow Traveling Digital Nomad lifestyle could be the perfect solution. If you find yourself bogged down by the mundane tasks of every-day life or feel like it’s time for a change (we feel you!). There are a number of resources out there to help you, arguably make the best decision of your life.

Pete Hillman’s website DigitalNomadWorkshop.com is a great resource and takes you through a quick five-step course. In fact, there are a number of online resources and virtual communities to help make your transition easier.