What is this Location Independence Stuff?
If you don’t see the video above, watch here.
A lot of you guys might not be familiar with just what location independence is yet. The term is a relatively new one, which I credit to Lea and Jonathan Woodward, who run Kinetiva, a diversified mobile company which provides branding, marketing and strategy consulting. The Woodwards have lived all around the world as they bootstrap their business, and in their words, location independence “is a concept, a lifestyle and a mindset. It’s a life based on freedom, choice and flexibility. We are Location Independent Professionals (LIPs), working from anywhere in the world we choose (with an internet connection).”
Some might be familiar with the term “digital nomad“, “vagabond“, “tech nomad“, or simply “web worker”. And then of course there is Tim Ferriss, who made the concept of “mini-retirements” popular in his book The 4 Hour Workweek. Whatever you call it, there have been a few smart people living this way for quite a while. Steven Roberts, for example, has been working remotely via bicycle, kayak, and ship since 1983! Check out his beautiful new sailboat HQ, the Nomadness.
Location independence is a form of lifestyle design, consciously building a business that one can operate from anywhere in the world to support you in your ideal lifestyle—whatever that means for you. Although the popularity of this lifestyle is seeing some big growth right now, it’s definitely not a mainstream concept. So I wanted to start off our journey with a video introducing myself and my experience with living nomadically, and talking about why you should care about location independent living.
Since taking my business on the road in November 2008, I’ve traveled to Hong Kong, throughout Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
What were my motivations for building a location-independent income stream? And what might motivate others to pursue a location-independent lifestyle?:
To see the world, of course! (2:40): Obviously, a lot of people simply like the ability to travel freely, experience foreign cultures, and expand their worldview. Many people dream of “saving up enough money,” but slow travel is actually much cheaper than you might think. So why follow the deferred life plan and wait until retirement?
Geo-arbitrage (3:05): For any serious business owner or freelancer who’s bootstrapping his own venture, extended travel and living overseas presents some advantages if you can leverage the economics of geo-arbitrage: cultivating the ability to earn in strong currencies while you live somewhere where the cost-of-living is low.
Freedom of location, time, choice (4:30): For many “LIPs”, a big motivating factor is the freedom to choose where you live—some dream destination, permanently traveling, or even simply a remote community where you grew up. Additionally, if the exchange rate is in your favor, it is possible to be more picky about what projects you take on and free up more personal time to spend on non-work activities or projects that don’t earn you income (I work with my friend Dwight on charity fundraising for causes throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia, for example).
Personal growth (6:15): Becoming an expat—living abroad for an extended period of time—will change your paradigm. Being in a new environment will spark your creativity, and getting outside your comfort zone will expand your resourcefulness and self-reliance.
Ask your questions and leave your comments below, here at Viralogy Experts, and I’ll be back to provide more insight in next month’s article.
I also recommend checking out Lea & Jonathan Woodward’s blog LocationIndependent.com. They have been living nomadically since 2007 and wrote the book on it (seriously)! They have created a big buzz around the community in recent months and I’m helping to spread the good word about the lifestyle. Join the Location Independent Club on Ning to talk with other folks interested in becoming location independent and engage with other professionals like me who are actively working location-independent.
Join my travel journey at ThrillingHeroics.com, follow me on Twitter, send me your questions and engage with me. I’m here to help share my experience and help you guys learn more.
Cody, great start! There should be a lot of people considering a nomadic life:
Oh, and you don’t need to go too far to be location independent… according to The Economist there are a lot of local nomads reshaping their own life without travelling overseas.
Cody,
For the most part I am not a fan of video blog posts, but I really enjoyed this one. It was cool to hear about your story and your life as an expat straight from your mouth. I really liked the part where you talked about geo-arbitrage, as that is something I am currently trying to plan my life around. Keep up the good work, and looking forward to talking with you more in the future!
Sean
I never really understood what this hype about location independence was all about. I always thought that living abroad was reserved for studying abroad, or your summer after you graduate. I never realized there were so many good and amazing people living life abroad the way they want to live it.
Congratulations on being a great example for all of us stuck in our cubicle. This is the first time I’ve been introduced to you and your community, so I’m glad I saw a Tweet about this.
Good luck and I hope to join you some day
Great Video Cody!
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I look forward to your interview.
I travel the world looking at hotels. As a child I was LIPpy, as I was a service brat and we never lived in the same place for more than three years. I can tell you there are definate downsides. In no particular oder they are:
1. A lack of any sense of belonging
2. A loss of community, both for self and family
3. Self sufficiency without any interdependance or necessary engagement with others
4. A lack of long term relationships - friends etc. are broken away by travel, relationships damaged without shared experience, alienation happens
I suspect that the paradignm described by the writer comes from having a secure childhood, with roots in one place and a sense of belonging underpinning the travel - a sense that there is always somewhere to go back to. I have chosen to take root, growing the sense of beloonging that was missing from my childhood. I still enjoy travelling and new landscape and experiences but enjoy coming home with an intensity that grows as I get older.
It takes a certain kind of person to be a nomad.
Totally agree with this - I’ve been working completely online and travelling around Spain, India, Thailand, Morocco, and Mexico for the last 3 years, and while many parts of it are fantastic, I really do miss that regular contact with family, old friends, and community. So life on the road isn’t all wonderful (nothing ever is).
Nice job on the video Cody - I too usually don’t like them, but it was very watchable. Hope to see you in Bangkok early next year
Very nice job. I am used to reading text but it is nice to see a high quality video blog post as you have done. Loving this new “experts” portion of Viralogy.com
Hi, Cody,
Nice, inspiring video. A good introduction.
I’ve got a lot of question floating around my head as a result of listening to you and thinking about this topic for a while now. Let me pass on just a few to get started with:
1. I’m 54 yrs. old, but with a heart that is caught up with the vision I see in many Gen Y’ers. Can this work for a old man?
I’m starting to do a lot of writing and am looking to make a move toward free-lancing probably within the next few months.
2. What are the legal issues involved in traveling abroad as an ex-pat? How long are you allowed to stay in the countries you visit? What are the logistics involved in extended stays in the countries you are living in? What are the tax implications you’re having to deal with as an ex-pat? etc.
3. How do you approach the language and cultural issues you face as you travel? How do you find places to stay? How do you approach learning the language? How do you research the culture you are about to visit to learn what to do and what NOT to do? etc.
Well, that should get things started? I’m sure I’ll come up with a load of other questions in the future. I appreciate your willingness to share your expertise and your vision. I wish you all the best and look forward to your answers.
Great post Cody! I love the video format
Agreed! I love it when people start video blogging!