One Of My Best Travel Memories

One of my most memorable destinations is Afghanistan. I visited the Wakhan Valley and Corridor area in 2013. Though it was the last week of May, I was the first tourist of the year that many people had seen. Afghanistan is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen, with its towering mountains that command your attention.

The hospitality of the people was incredible - milky tea and flat bread was always offered to a visitor, and I was given invites to meet people in their homes. A challenging place to visit due to the lack of infrastructure, but my week in Afghanistan changed the way I approached life and it strongly steered me on the path of making a career of working using my laptop. Afghanistan ensured that the chance of having another office based job is very low.

Why It Is Hard For People To Leave Their Lives To Travel

There are two reasons why people don’t travel. The first is lack of money. Travelling is an expensive pursuit - flights, accommodation, visas, meals, local transport - it all costs money. There are ways to reduce expenses and to save more money - but that takes dedication. The second is fear. Many people are fearful of heading to the unknown - I’ve been fearful prior to a few of my trips. Fear is normal when you head somewhere entirely different from your culture and far away from home. The people who overcome this fear more, travel more.  

The biggest challenge to solo travel is the misconception that being alone on the road means that you are lonely. When I spent almost all of 1992 overseas, it was far easier to feel alone - no Social Media, no video calls - I felt truly isolated. Despite this, it was unusual for me to feel lonely - every day was an adventure and there was so much to explore - I didn’t have time to feel lonely. Now, technology allows us to connect with our family and friends back home. Feeling lonely now is harder than it used to be. Another supposed challenge is that solo travel is dangerous. If you trust your instincts and use common sense, travel is no more dangerous than going about your daily routine at home. Remember, just because you go away on a holiday, it doesn’t mean your common sense should be left at home. 

The biggest challenge for me travelling more is money. Travelling is not a cheap pursuit, especially since I want to take more trips with my family and this costs more. I can work from my laptop, so getting time to travel is no problem - I can take extended time away and still work if it is required. I pay for almost all of my travel. The main exception is if I’m invited to speak at a conference or a trade show where my flights and accommodation are covered.

My Advice To Newbie Nomads

If you want to live as a nomad it is essential that you have established work, usually in the form of remote or online work. This provides you with an income on the road, and you need to have this work and income established before you start your journey. You can rely on finding usual jobs away from the online environment on the road, but there are no guarantees this will happen. Your online or remote work is your backup if no other paid opportunities come your way.

Remember that being a nomad is a different travel experience to being on holidays. If your travel on your nomadic journey is at the same pace as a tourist on holidays, you will burn out. Nomadic travel is most sustainable when you stay in one place for longer (at least a month) before heading onto the next destination. If you work remotely with your computer, you should establish a routine in your destination to continue building your business and providing an income. Every time you head to a new destination - you need to research the best price for both your accommodation and your travel to get there. This can be very time consuming and will take away from your ability to build your business and to keep receiving your income. Look at the people who are financially successful at being nomads, and they almost always have a base where they spend a lot of time.

Finally, for the past few years, I almost always avoid the offer to stay at a hotel in exchange for publicity through my media channels. The reason for this is that my hotel room is my sanctuary and it is a time to unwind - especially important after a long day of photography. I find travel much more enjoyable if I pay for my own accommodation, and travel is even more enjoyable if I am welcomed as a tier member of a hotel’s loyalty program, which is why I tend to stay at my preferred hotel group. Travel for me is far less enjoyable if I don’t pay for my room and I am expected to produce a certain amount of content to promote the hotel I’m staying in. This approach in paying for my own accommodation has greatly assisted in reducing the chance of running myself down or burning out during my travel.