Sorry, You Can’t Make a Living Traveling

But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the life you want…

Every time I read an article written by someone who has supposedly quit their 6-figure income job for a life of travel, one of my favorite Steve Martin quotes comes to mind…

“Here’s how to make a million dollars, and never pay taxes. That’s right! A million dollars, and never pay a dime of taxes……Step #1: make a million dollars.”

The advice given on “travel life” blogs across the interweb is just as absurd. They usually begin with the author recounting that swan-dive moment when they told their boss to shove it, and end with the author sipping a tropical drink (presumably from an emptied coconut) whilst posting to their blog or casually managing their investment portfolio.

Call me cynical, but this is pure poppycock. The truth is that these people aren’t making a living traveling, they’re attempting to fund their life of travel (through website hits) by playing to a white-collar fantasy.

To be fair, there are plenty of people that do make a good living in the travel industry. Rick Steves and the ever-peppy Samantha Brown are some great examples. But, make no mistake, all that time smiling in front of the camera starts with blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes. As anyone sitting through a sleazy timeshare presentation will tell you, there’s no such thing as a free vacation.

So what’s the lesson in all of this? Should the 99% just keep staring at a screensaver of the beach and try to hold back the sobbing? I SAY NAY!

There’s a good reason the “make money by traveling” trope resonates so much (and has given rise to so many inane blogs). The modern white-collar lifestyle can be stifling, particularly for people that can visualize a more meaningful life for themselves.

The answer, though, is not abandoning work altogether. A life of perfect luxury, freedom, and location makes for a nice daydream — but doesn’t have much grounding in reality. For me, the real solution is finding the balance between these factors that works for you.

For instance, if your absolute priority is kicking back on the beach, you could find a job renting surfboards (and smoking copious amounts of weed as seems to be the requirement for that gig). There’s no gimmick, you just need to embrace the trade-offs.

If your starting position is “I’ll be filthy stinking rich and…” your options for what comes next will probably be limited. On the other hand, if you begin with something you actually want, you may be able to land where you really want to be.