In his book
The Four Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris talks about creating businesses that basically run themselves, and then taking yourself out of the rat race, flitting off to exotic locations and living a cheap but stimulating lifestyle. Is it doable for the average freelancer? Totally, as it turns out - with a little adjustment.
I don't have an online business that runs itself. Sadly, as a service-based professional I have to work for a living. But there's nothing to stop me from working in any location that I choose. So I decided to test out Ferris's theory. My idea: travel to a place that I could live in cheaply enough to make a healthy profit on my work. Enjoy all the benefits of that place, and effectively feel like I'm on holiday all the time, even though I'm earning a decent wage.
I had 18 days to spend before my next big commitment back home. On a whim, I decided to head to Puerto Vallarta on a working holiday. It was the rainy season, meaning that there were discounts galore. I decided on Friday night, booked the ticket, and found a room in a fantastic villa on
Wikitravel the next morning. I booked the villa via a Skype connection in Phoenix, en route to Mexico.
When I got there, I found that the rainy season worked in my favour. There were few people there, and the villa that I had booked was entirely empty. I had an 8000-square foot place to myself, with a pool, for $55 a night. I was treating myself - I could have booked a respectable two-star for $35 a night down the road. I took this picture during a conference call:
I worked in the daytime - and sometimes at night, when I had a UK deadline on. The rest of the time, I went and sampled the Vallarta nightlife, bar hopping and eating at many of its cheap establishments. The street food is amazing.
The great thing about working in an exotic location is the range of activities available. I scuba dived with colourful fish, ziplined, and snorkelled. Even though the place was relatively quiet, I made a collection of new friends among tourists and locals alike, and now have standing invitations to go visit some fabulous people in the US.
There are a couple of tricks to this way of living, though. Firstly, you must make more than you spend. This includes the price of travel, food, accommodation, and other living expenses such as mortgage payments and savings. Do your maths before you go.
Secondly, remember that you're at work, and the holiday atmosphere is a bonus. Sure, you can take a day off to scuba dive if you like - just remember that you'll have to make it up somewhere along the line. I worked from 7am to 5pm sharp most days, and if I took a day off, it would be planned, accounted for, and often made up down the line.
Thirdly, if you find yourself able to pick up work while you're there, so much the better. This depends on your exact line of work, and tax issues. I'm in the middle of selling a story on Puerto Vallarta's hidden food scene to an airline magazine. This also makes it possible for me to write off parts of the trip.
Finally, make sure that you have a proper Internet connection. The villa was perfect for this. I conducted phone meetings via SkypeIn, and kept in touch with people via email. Most clients had no idea where I was. Backpacking in the jungles of Guatamala may present you with more challenges.
This isn't the kind of lifestyle for everyone. Spouses may not be happy with the idea (unless they're the adventuring type too), and kids might stymie your plans, unless they're being home-schooled. But for many, it will be the kind of lifestyle that, well-planned and with the right career, you could live on a full-time basis. I'm going back to Vallarta in November to cover the Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations as a photo essay, and maybe sell the story again. I'll be working on more mundane stuff while I'm there. After that: Cuba? Belize?
Where will you go to work next month?
