10 Countries in 1 Year | Grow Your Business While Traveling the World
In the past year, I have lived abroad 80% of the time and visited ten countries. Meanwhile, I started my LLC, made international connections, and have been growing my business ever since!
My goal in sharing this is to motivate others who are curious about the feasibility of working and living internationally.
DISCLAIMER: You don’t have to be a millionaire or some high-level executive to do this (I am certainly not either). You simply need a stable internet connection, a product or service you are passionate about, and a minor savings cushion *just in case.*
Through my travels, I have dialed the details of my work setup, transportation methods, and means of meeting other professionals. I will go into those details alone while sparing others for future articles to keep things simple:
- Prioritize Light Travel
“Your enjoyment of travel is inversely proportional to the size of your luggage.”
Kevin Kelly
When it comes to your work setup, traveling light offers several advantages:
- Reduced attention as a potential target.
- Increased mobility and flexibility.
- Savings in terms of cost, time, and potential health issues.
For those who aren’t aspiring bodybuilders, embracing a lighter load not only benefits your well-being but opens the door to spontaneous adventures. Plus, it lets you navigate airlines’ baggage policies hassle-free, avoiding fees and complications.
While a simple laptop can suffice for some, this guide is tailored to designers, analysts, and professionals seeking more hardware “real estate” without sacrificing convenience.
2. Choose the Right Gear
Here’s a breakdown of my gear that has enabled me to work wherever I go:
- 2020 Mac Mini: Equipped with the M1 processing chip, the Mac Mini provides reliability and power. Opting for this over a laptop offers durability and reduces weight, which is especially valuable when on the move.
- Logitech Wireless Keyboard: Durable and practical for on-the-go use, providing a preferable alternative to fragile alternatives.
- iPad Air with Keyboard Case and Apple Pen: For working in cafes or on the move, the iPad Air is a versatile tool. Its lightweight design and compatibility with a keyboard case allow comfortable and productive work from various locations. The iPad Air can even double as a travel-friendly monitor, enhancing your work experience.
*A Note About Portable Monitors vs. Traditional Monitors*
When considering a monitor for your setup, weigh the benefits:
- Portable monitors provide flexibility and ease of transport.
- Traditional monitors excel in connectivity, screen size, resolution, and price.
While portable monitors are convenient, a traditional monitor offers superior resolution and size. If you’re a designer or analyst, these factors might outweigh the portability advantage. Consider buying a second-hand monitor to save costs.
Planes, trains, busses . . . and bikes:
Here are my favorite sites I use to help me plan my routes and find the most cost and time-efficient way of getting places:
Amazing planning travel-planning site that allows you to see accurate approximations on plane, bus, boat, train — you name it — combinations that will save you the most money or time. This site came in handy during a heatwave in Paris when I was looking for the fastest, cheapest way to escape the heat (and ultimately land in Denmark).
2. Skiplagged:
Their slogan says it all:
“Our flights are so cheap, United sued us… but we won.”
This site allows you to access the legs of flights rather than paying for an entire trip.
3. Wikiloc:
This is an excellent app for sharing trails, bike routes, and recording your adventures. I prefer Wikiloc over other trail-sharing apps because of its better user interface and pricing for premium features as well as more posts for bike trails/paths.
A note on bikes:
Some might call me a bike evangelist. They are not wrong. I am not ashamed of the little smirk I might receive from a friend who knows all too well my shpeal: bikes are, hands down, the best travel device out there.
Though I motorbike lust as well, they are far more dangerous and less transportable. Furthermore, with a need for speed great enough to land me under a surgeon’s care, I can only speak for the bicycle and its magical democratic powers. Leave a comment if you’d like more advice on buying, selling, and exchanging bikes abroad.
Otherwise, I’ll spare everyone else on my bike evangelism.
Meeting other professionals:
On the precipice of my travels, I set out to meet other designers, data nerds, and other solo entrepreneurs. There’s been no specific formula; however, I have found the following tools to be useful for consistent success in this area:
Rather than platforms as saturated as Instagram, I often browse and interact with professionals on Behance. Behance is a professional network hosted by Adobe. It allows artists, designers, and technical drafting technicians to create portfolios, interact with other professionals, and conveniently show where they are in the World. Comment to find out more, and stay tuned for my upcoming article, which will elaborate on how to identify population hot spots for your area of interest.
Coworking spaces:
These can be hit or miss. I’ve had experiences where I met dozens of inspired professionals and others where crickets are chirping.
The origin of the distinct difference between my experiences is easily identifiable. In the former (more social, successful rounds of coworking), I had sat tight before investing in a space after hearing from people who were renting desk space. The former was based on online reviews, quick viewings, and fewer personal referrals.
Coworking in office spaces is variably popular depending on what city you are in. Get in touch with locals and take your time to view your options if you’ll stay in a city for a bit.
Facebook groups:
Facebook is a giant crapshoot, but selectively used, you can navigate different group chats according to specific interests. Through FB links, I have found cooking clubs, climbing clubs, dancing meetups, etc. I specifically look for WhatApp groups to join, and if I can’t find off-platform groups, I will not use Facebook. Again, it will depend on your geography when considering the types and frequency of use.
In sum:
No single strategy listed is a straight-fire shot. A combination of these methods, and others, will likely land you in a position where you meet the people who will inspire you in the areas you want to grow in.
