Hello and welcome, my name is Paul, I'm from Somerset in the UK.
I have been travelling on a minuscule budget.
I use Apps and platforms to help me travel to many different places.
You can too, follow along to see what happens next.
How to be a Digital Nomad in your 50s (My Story)
Simply put, you sell your knowledge and experience.
Why isn’t everyone doing it?
Probably because you have put in effort, accept discomfort and do something different to the norm.
I realized I didn't want to work for someone else and risk one day finding out that I was no longer needed and having to look for a new job at an advanced age.
I wanted to work less and enjoy more.
There was only one way this was going to happen.
I had to take charge of my own future.
These are the realizations I had:
1. Accommodation needed to be free or very cheap. So we moved to Cambodia, Where I paid 150$ a month for my apartment.
2. I had to massively reduce my outgoing to the absolute minimum, no direct debits, no subscriptions and no auto renews.
3. If I was working full-time I wouldn't have the time or energy to create something of my own.
4. I was forced to be hyper focussed because I only had two months rent in the bank and some food, I had to “ do or die!”
I toiled to find what we could sell and a friend told me I should try teaching online because I had experience teaching in different schools in different countries and I had qualifications. I asked myself, Online? How? Where? When? Wait, what?
I bought second hand laptop and checked my phone's internet allowance.
I became focussed. I searched and found the top five online teaching sites, I applied to all five and made introduction videos, filled out the About Me sections, added my experience and hit enter, then Googled their hell out of all the free resources I could find.
After a couple of weeks I had some replies, I made the changes needed for my applications and chose the best one. It had great reviews and the freedom to teach what and how I wanted, a good place to start even though the wages would be low to start with. (I was getting used to living on Ramen noodles by now, baked beans are expensive in Asia).
I read all the reviews and tutorials on how to use the site and started my price low (too low) but I did get lots and lots of trial lessons which are unpaid. But soon my calendar was full with paying lessons.
I found quickly that I had a limit, teaching lots of hours and building materials for the students was exhausting. I had to balance work and rest. My prices were still too low, I put them up slowly. Almost one year later I have a work life balance. I teach less during the week and enjoy spending my downtime on my projects.
The next realization was;
1. These low wages will not be sustainable when we return to the UK but I will be able to be location independent.
2. How could I live in a first world country on this salary?
I had 3 options:
option 1: Work in a full-time job for someone else.
option 2: Teach more and increase our prices.
option 3: Build an audience, a community and give value to people. By doing this and offering "Patreon", ''buy me a coffee" or if we sell something (like stickers) then hopefully their charitable nature would allow me to continue to build a passive income which would allow me to focus on what I enjoy.
But Paul? How can you live in the UK on those low wages I hear you ask
In the past Van Life was the answer and I was able to save money and then travel.
My accommodation in the UK needs to be free or very low and in the UK free accommodation is very hard to come by.
Back in January before I left Asia I heard of house sitting on social media and I looked into it (this was whilst I was considering leaving Asia and working out how to live in the UK).
House sitters live in other people's homes while the owners are on holiday and mostly look after their pets and water the plants. It was PURRfect. I could continue working as an online teacher and build an audience.
When I wasn’t on a house/pet sit I would have a small van that I could sleep in and cook a few meals in.
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I joined the app, had lots of video calls with house/pet owners, filled up my calendar for almost the whole year with only a few days here and there, which is when I stayed in the van.
I don't get paid for house/pet sitting. The only bills I have are mobile phones, food and the van running costs.
I am no craftsman and yet I built a bed and a worktop. I also put some insulation in. I have a camping stove and it is small, cosy and best of all it's stealthy.
The plan is to continue to grow a brand, audiences and website to the point where we can have a few weeks off to travel. I am building a community for English learners with tons of resources, tips and ideas all in one place for free.
If you are interested in doing something similar or just want to follow my shenanigans I am on Instagram, YouTube and I have a website.
I would also love to hear about your Mad Adventures.
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