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Lea
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1 month ago
in Is Exotic Travel The New Bootstrapping Technique? - With Lea Woodward on Mixergy, Startup School
Hey Paul - you're right about rental prices...we made a conscious decision to look for places with internet included and also somewhere a bit more upmarket since neither of us very good at "making do"!!!
It is definitely possible to live for a lot less & find accommodation for a lot less than we pay - but we wanted to try & replicate the lifestyle/quality of life we had back in the UK and don't mind paying a bit more for it.
We're still learning as we go though...so you never know - we may discover some kind of luxury villa for a fraction of the price in some remote, exotic paradise that still has wi-fi :)
It is definitely possible to live for a lot less & find accommodation for a lot less than we pay - but we wanted to try & replicate the lifestyle/quality of life we had back in the UK and don't mind paying a bit more for it.
We're still learning as we go though...so you never know - we may discover some kind of luxury villa for a fraction of the price in some remote, exotic paradise that still has wi-fi :)
2 replies
PaulMagee
But if it does have wifi, can it still qualify as an exotic paradise? :)
My vision of the ultimate freedom doesn't require constant
connection, maybe a daily "plug-in", but there's something unhealthy
(and whatever the opposite of Free is) to being tied to a computer
all day. I think staring at a screen in rainy Manchester or sunny
Bali is still staring at a screen.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself :) but I'm trying, I have had a
couple of very productive creative sessions this week, in the park
and in the woods. I took nothing but a legal pad and pen. I had a log
for a desk/chair and a herd of cows in neighbouring field for the
"community feel". I thoroughly recommend it.
BTW. I'm actually simplifying my office right now, inspired by your
"office in a bag" concept.
But I stopped when I heard your comment ping. Guess I've got a long
way to go to that whole breaking free of the machine thing ;)
My vision of the ultimate freedom doesn't require constant
connection, maybe a daily "plug-in", but there's something unhealthy
(and whatever the opposite of Free is) to being tied to a computer
all day. I think staring at a screen in rainy Manchester or sunny
Bali is still staring at a screen.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself :) but I'm trying, I have had a
couple of very productive creative sessions this week, in the park
and in the woods. I took nothing but a legal pad and pen. I had a log
for a desk/chair and a herd of cows in neighbouring field for the
"community feel". I thoroughly recommend it.
BTW. I'm actually simplifying my office right now, inspired by your
"office in a bag" concept.
But I stopped when I heard your comment ping. Guess I've got a long
way to go to that whole breaking free of the machine thing ;)
But it's not for everyone. Lea focuses on teaching people the business development angles and other practical tips they'll need to know, but that's because she's already got the mindset that'll make this sort of lifestyle enjoyable. It's become trendy to be location independent, but it's not for everyone. I think you'll only enjoy the traveling location independent lifestyle if you have a particular mindset:
The mindset:
- "building a fort" and having loads of stuff feels confining to you. You feel liberated by the idea or experience of only having to steward the bare essentials in terms of "stuff". You're happy for "stuff" to come and go/ pass it on (and you don't get attached to "stuff"), and you don't feel the need to express who you are through "stuff" - you can find other ways to be self-expressed. If you didn't have this sort of mindset you'd feel deprived with only 30kg of stuff, and you'd go through agony trying to decide what to take with you and what to get rid of, and you'd feel really sorry for yourself when you see all the "nice stuff" that other people have surrounded themselves with.
- You love change. Some people like change, and they even feel frustrated and confined if they don't have enough change in their lives. Other people find change difficult and find that they enjoy life more when they have routines. I think you need to enjoy change if you're going to enjoy the traveling location independent lifestyle.
- You need to be able to question assumptions: because it's not a "standard" way of living or working, you're going to get some flak about it from people who don't understand or share the same values. You need to be the sort of person who can continue with confidence, even if other people aren't affirming your choices.
- You need to have mental and emotional flexibility and the skills to easily get yourself out of a "funk" or to think creatively and work productively even when your circumstances aren't ideal - otherwise the unpredictable stuff that can happen while you're traveling will really knock you around. At the risk of sounding cliche', you need to be emotionally mature and be able to take responsibility for the way you're feeling and not let other people or circumstances "make" you feel a certain way. For Lea and Jonathan to work together without driving each other crazy shows they obviously have this sort of emotional maturity.
- You need to have a bit of tolerance for uncertainty and not knowing, and even enjoy the challenge of being in less structured environments, and living with shorter-term, flexible goals, and living a lifestyle where you're not trying to control everything. Some people are happier and work better in a structured environment with long-term goals and alot of consistency - they won't be happy as a traveling LIP.
If you can run a location-specific business successfully, I'm sure you'll have the smarts to run a location independent business successfully... if that idea appeals to YOU, and if you have some of these mindsets of a happy LIP. Otherwise it'll just be a chore and you'll wish you stayed at home.