Thanks to a crazy dream, the ability to believe in myself when nobody else did and eating powdered soup three times a day I am able to live a lifestyle that a lot of people (maybe you) still dream of.
I am fortunate enough to be a location independent nomad.
When my calculation is correct I am already on the road for 487 days. That’s a long time and many things happened between day one and today. I got to know a lot of interesting people, I have broken some hearts, I have shared some wonderful moments and most importantly, I made a lot of valuable experiences.
In the following lines I want to share my insights and my light-bulb moments with you. I want to paint an honest picture of what it means for your relationships and for your life when you decide to hit the road.
Love Has Nothing to Do With Race and Skin Color
I was born and raised in a small town in Germany and the only country I traveled to before my 18th birthday was France. Today I would describe myself as a courageous and adventurous traveler who loves to explore every part of a country and who loves to get to know men and especially women with all kinds of cultural backgrounds.
When I think back to the first time I traveled to another continent I remember a scared and insecure young man. Talking to strangers was not on my agenda and having amazing romantic relationships with women from other countries was outside of my reality.
Today I can proudly say that connection and love has nothing to do with race and skin color.
Love isn’t racist
It has everything to do with similar values, empathy and this indescribable feeling that you feel when you meet a person who is just right for you.
In my case this person has a completely different cultural background than me, but more on that later.
You Can Feel Lonely While Being Surrounded By People
One thing that I was scared of when I embarked on my journey was to end up alone in some foreign country. The idea of just walking up to people and introducing myself to them was alien. I was haunted by the limiting belief that getting to know men as friends and women as lovers was hard work.
Well, I was wrong. Meeting new people on the road is so easy, at least when you have overcome your inhibitions and your approach anxiety. The great thing about traveling alone is that you actually force yourself to overcome those limitations in order to not end up alone. This fact alone is nutrition for your personal development.
I can confidently say that I met more people in those 487 days than in the 20 years that I spent in my home country. But even though I met all those interesting and sometimes like-minded people, I learned a hard lesson that brought me closer to old friends and family.
I learned that feeling lonely has nothing to do with being alone.
especially nowadays…
It might sound weird to you, but you can be alone while being surrounded by people.
That’s a painful discovery that I made in South East Asia. I was surrounded by dozens of backpackers, but the only thing they had in mind was partying and drinking. There was no connection, no deep conversations, no getting to know each other. I felt lonely and it taught me to value old friendships even more.
The Ability to Be Alone is Vital
Are you able to be alone?
Many people aren’t and to be honest, I wasn’t. Whenever I was sitting alone in my room I tried to distract my mind by switching on the TV, watching YouTube videos or walking through the city. The thought of being alone killed me.
What I realized in this process was that the ability to be alone is absolutely vital.
Some men like to enjoy a glass of wine when they are alone. Others need a glass of wine when they are alone. Which one are you?
No matter if you spend all your life in one city or on six different continents, there will be times when you are alone. There will be days when everyone around you is busy and when nobody has time for you.
It is your decision if you want to feel lonely when you are alone or if you want to use this time to think, relax and regenerate.
The Language Barrier is No Real Barrier
Before I started to travel I already dreamed about all the beautiful women that I would meet on the road. I dreamed about dancing Salsa with girls in Colombia and spending romantic evenings on rooftop bars in Thailand.
Whenever I imagined these moments I immediately told myself that it’s impossible to experience those moments without knowing the local language. I thought that meeting women and connecting with them would be impossible without using the right words.
Well, sometimes it was, but most of the time it wasn’t.
Even though I met quite a few beautiful women whose English was not the best, I didn’t always need the right words. Knowing the language makes things easier, but not knowing it doesn’t make it impossible. Sometimes body language, eye contact and mimic can be all that is needed.
Sometimes a smile is enough while words would distract
I discovered that the barriers in our minds are way higher than the barriers that life forces upon us.
Maintaining a Relationship Can Be Hard and Beautiful
I have already told you that similar values, empathy and this indescribable feeling that you feel when you meet a person who is just right for you are all you need to establish a strong connection.
I don’t want to reveal too much, but the truth is that I fell for a girl who I met at a time where I had no other intentions than keeping things casual. Well, that didn’t work out the way I wanted, but today I am very happy about it.
In the process of failing in love with a girl who lives on another continent, I learned that long distance relationships can be hard. Seriously, everyone who thinks about getting in such a relationship should prepare himself to suffer from time to time.
Being miles apart from each other and not knowing when you will see your loved one can be one big struggle, but it can also teach you a lot about yourself and the value of a relationship.
Yes, long distance relationships can be difficult to maintain. I learned this the hard way and depending on how much time I spend in my home country I am still learning it. However, the person you are in a relationship with can be worth the struggle.
I don’t say that every relationship is worth the struggle, but I do say that some are.
Maybe you also discover the value of a relationship after being on the road for 487 days.
It’s time to pack your bags…
Hey Guy,
money is definitely not bad, as long as you spend it on experiences.
ya there is a whole lot more to life than money…… money ain’t bad tho lol
it’s totally okay to wait, unless you wait forever.
It is funny to read again this post writen only 9 month ago since now i’m making 3 times more money online…but now i’m thinking it is too risky because i have only one client…so i’m still also working in my day job and will soon invest in real estate to increase my Financial freedom…i’m 25 so i guess it is okay to wait a litle before to start to travel
Thanks for sharing your experience!
you can live on $650 in the Philippines, you just arent going to have a great life doing it
if you really want to go with that low of a budget check out sihanoukville cambodia, can get rooms really cheap there, visa is easy, can even get free room and food working for the bars on the beach
Hey buddy,
your plans sound interesting. I think about writing such an article, but for now you can shoot me an email if you have any questions.
It would be very interesting if you would do an article about the cost of traveling…because at the end of my studies, i would really like to relocate to in a country like the Philipines. I already have enought money to buy a small appartement in France in the order to generate a small income from the rent (probably about 200 euros in net cash flow after all expenses), in addition i have a job which takes me only one hour a day, that i can do from my home with an internet connection and which provide me 400 euros a month (before taxes). With the extra time i was thinking about starting an online business (but i have no idea if it would work). BUT somebody told me that it’s not realistic to live with about 650$ a month in the Philipines, that with this amount of money people are only surviving in very poor condition (to be more specific we were talking about 500$ a month).
Now you are saying you live with less than 1000$, even if you travel a lot in différant countries (and of course most countries are more expensive than the Philipines and traveling itself is much more expansive than staying at one place). So i would be very interested to know how you do that…
I am me and not like the others and definitely not just a pua ,-)
I live on less than $1000 a month.
Hey Tracey,
thanks for the kind words. And yes, it is true. I really adore women.
You, Mr. Harris, are the epitome of a man- Honest, frank, opinionated, open-minded, and respectful to all. It’s obvious from your articles that you adore women as a magnificent product of creation rather than tools to be used for personal fulfillment (my biggest problem with the pua community).
That I could become a portion of what you are would be a most supreme achievement.
Sincerest thanks to you sir.
” I don’t want to reveal too much, but the truth is that I fell for a girl who I met at a time where I had no other intentions than keeping things casual. Well, that didn’t work out the way I wanted, but today I am very happy about it.
In the process of failing in love with a girl who lives on another continent, I learned that long distance relationships can be hard. Seriously, everyone who thinks about getting in such a relationship should prepare himself to suffer from time to time.
Being miles apart from each other and not knowing when you will see your loved one can be one big struggle, but it can also teach you a lot about yourself and the value of a relationship.”
Congratulation 🙂 i always felt that you weren’t like the others “PUAs”.
” I learned this the hard way ”
What do you mean ?
Also could you give us an estimation of the annual budget necessary to live like you did ?