Welcome to the 7th edition of “How to Make Money While Travelling” which features successful nomadic teams and interviews with location independent entrepreneurs.
This week I interviewed Christopher R Dodd, the founder of Chris the Freelancer, a YouTube channel, blog and now podcast following the digital nomad movement.
So, how do you make money while travelling?
Over a year ago when I decided that I want to work remotely, I chose to learn code and become a web developer. I was able to gain work pretty quickly and that career has been the primary way that I have enabled my digital nomad journey.
Currently however, I work with a location-independent entrepreneur to improve his marketing while also working on my project Chris the Freelancer which brings in a small amount of money as well.
What were you doing before "Chris the Freelancer"?
Previously, I was a university student, studying an accounting degree. I had no idea what I was going to do with it. Like a lot of young people, I was pretty lost but of course, I found my solution to travel the world and still earn money.
What are your reasons for becoming location independent?
Wow. There are so many reasons but the biggest I would say is the freedom and flexibility to travel and work in any location I desire.
The community is also a huge factor for me. I find that the other Digital Nomads that I meet share the same interests and values as me which makes it easy to build connections and make new friends. The networking opportunities within that are awesome as well.
Once you achieve location independence, I see moving overseas as somewhat of a no-brainer. Depending on where you decide to head, you can drastically reduce your expenses, decrease your commitment to any one location and take advantage of everything that geo-arbitrage has to offer.
Do you face any challenges while both working and travelling?
For sure. Lack of stability and finding balance are too of the biggest. If you’re freelancing, the amount of work you do can fluctuate at any point. This has been something my girlfriend and I have been struggling with but of course, it’s the nature of the game. We could easily have that stability back home but we would have to sacrifice the flexibility and freedom. It’s a trade-off.
How do you find work while travelling?
I found the opportunity for my current role through digital nomad Facebook groups which are a great resource for anyone, however a lot of work has come through online freelancing platforms like UpWork and PeoplePerHour.
Why do you think businesses should offer more remote working opportunities?
This is the future and businesses need to adapt if they want to grow. As this movement becomes larger, there will be more pressure to allow remote work in order to retain talent so you might as well grow accustomed to it now.
If you were to give advice to someone who wants to quit their desk job, what would it be?
Build skills and network! To me the biggest challenge is finding the work. The travel side is much easier this days, especially if you choose verified digital nomad cities.
If you don’t work in something that can go remote, you have to ask yourself “what’s more important?” Is it the lifestyle or your current job? If that answer is lifestyle than you might have to make the switch. Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there to help you.
What is your favourite quote?
“One day, offices will be a thing of the past”
