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Four years ago, I was a nobody. I was working an office job I generally despised. Then I started toiling away, working at home, trying to earn a living as a freelancer, but mostly going broke in a city with one of the highest costs-of-living in the States and about the least exciting things to do.

When I decided to create my own footprint on the web, though, things started to change. I started sharing my ideas and my experiences with the world, and soon I had friends around the globe, influential colleagues running innovative businesses, and fantastic mentors who were doing the things I dreamed of.

I really leveraged the the power of web 2.0 to brand myself, build an extensive network, design a business that I can essentially run from anywhere in the world, and now I’m able to travel around the globe and live in Thailand where the cost-of-living is very low, and I’m dangerously close to the white sand beaches. I’m still basically a bum, but I’m a vagabonding bum with an international business, a global web presence, good friends around the world, and an awful lot of fun travel and volunteering experiences under my belt!

Plus, thankfully, it’s awful cheap to live in Thailand.

So Here’s How I Do It

Recently, I attempted to compile all the useful tools I’ve come across since I started this game four years ago, and separate it from all the crap. You can see my whole resource page for living a kickass life here, but today I’d like to share some of the applications, tools, and resources that I use daily and recommend to all my clients and friends. These are all of my best-kept secrets!

Web Presence

• Find a quality web host – I have hosted all of my websites with DreamHost for the last 3 years (use promo code THRILLING30 to get 30 bucks off) but the majority of my blogging buddies and clients prefer BlueHost. They offer great 24/7 phone support and I love working with them too!
• Easily manage your content – WordPress is by far the easiest, most powerful content management system out there. I use it for all of my sites—blogs, business sites, minisites, and it’s even great for photo galleries, portfolios, communities, job listing sites & more.
• Get a great web design – if you don’t have the cash to invest in a proper web designer (a good, original design will often cost $3–$5K) there are TONS of great, inexpensive HTML templates and WordPress themes available from companies like WooThemes and ThemeForest. I have used great designs from both.

Gadgets & Gear

• Pack a tough laptop – If you’re going to be backpacking the world for a few years, getting sand and water in your laptop, you might want to invest in a Toughbook. But I’m an Apple fanboy and all my favorite apps & development tools are on OSX. I’ve found the new 13-inch unibody aluminum Apple MacBook Pro can take a few hard drops and has been great to travel with.
• A global smartphone – Again, I go with my favorite Apple here, and as an online businessman, yes I am an iPhone 3G-carrying member of the tech elite! You’ll need to follow the unlocking instructions here for use on non-AT&T networks, international travel & data access.
• Portable WiFi – The awesome and compact Airport Express will turn almost any ethernet connection around the world into a wifi network.
• Backup your important files – Especially if you carry client work with you as you travel the world, you want to make sure you save secure copies frequently in case your laptop is stolen or damaged. I connect to an external drive and backup my whole system with TimeMachine often, and also use Mozy online backup to automatically upload copies of my most important files to the cloud (runs in the background so I don’t even have to see it or think about it).

Communications

• Cheap calls around the world – call friends & clients around the globe for as little as 3 cents a minute with Skype, or set up your own virtual SkypeIn number that people can dial from their phone back home to reach you on the web (I even use mine to forward to my Thai mobile number).
• One number to rule them all – previously called GrandCentral, Google Voice will give you one phone number to route and forward to any phone; highly customizable. This is also how I maintain a Bay Area, California international line that I can forward to my Skype or my mobile abroad.
• One chat client to rule them all – Adium or Meebo can connect AIM, gTalk, MSN, Yahoo chat, Facebook chat and more.
• Online group video chat – Tinychat offers free chat rooms & audio video conferences online.
• Free teleconference calls – FreePhoneConference.com gives you a free dial-in teleconference number to hold a workshop for dozens of callers.
• Let the world know where you are – Brightkite is a fun location-based social network where you can update your current location from many mobile phones (like the iPhone), geo-tag tag photos, and leave comments that others users in your city can see.

Online Collaboration

• Maintain a public or shared group calendar – Google Calendar gives you an easily-shareable calendar and schedule organizer.
• Easy document collaboration – Google Docs gives you collaborative word documents, spreadsheets, and forms that you can share with others and modify the same document remotely.
• Screen sharing – Adobe ConnectNow is a new, free service that lets you meet live over the web and share your screen with anyone.
• Team project management – There are tons of web-based project management apps like Basecamp, or the free alternative Collabtiv.
• File storage & sharing – Store archives of your large files online and easily send them to your colleagues with Box.net.

Web Development

• Access your server – Open-source Cyberduck FTP client for Mac.
• Edit your code – Powerful, user-friendly editor Smultron, also open-source for Mac.
• Build test websites offline – Run your own local Apache server with MAMP for Mac.
• Test and tweak live websites – Firebug is a Firefox plugin that makes testing your code much easier.
• Test cross-browser compatibility – Finally, Adobe BrowserLab offers a way to do this easily and free (keep this one on the down-low).

e-Commerce & Invoicing

• Easily send & receive money online – PayPal
• Simple online invoicing & bookkeeping – FreshBooks
• Deliver digital products – e-Junkie handles payment & fulfillment for your ebook, audio, or other information products.

Marketing & Promotion

• Start your mailing list – AWeber is the leading provider for customer list management, autoresponders & drip campaigns.
• Smart social bookmarking – Install the Su.pr bookmarklet in your browser toolbar, submit your links and they’ll be automatically sent to Twitter, Facebook & StumbleUpon!
• Build your expert credibility – LinkedIn is the best professional online network, and LinkedIn Answers is the best place to brand yourself, share your expertise with others, and even solicit feedback on your own questions from experienced CEOs and other professionals.
• Give a great presentation – Prezi is guaranteed to be a PowerPoint-killer. Forget slideshows, Prezi gives you a canvas without limits to deliver a dynamic presentation.

Personal Finance

• High-yield online savings accounts – get a better return on your dollar by putting your savings in a Emigrant Direct or ING Direct account.
• Best multinational bank – HSBC Bank has the most locations around the globe of any bank I’ve seen.
• Avoid hefty fees – Charles Schwab could possibly have the best checking account for travelers. Although I haven’t used it, I know they reimburse all ATM transactions and have no international fees.
• Frequent flyer perks card – Are you a frequent flyer? Get 1 mile per dollar spent, plus 12,000 bonus sign-up miles with the Discover Miles card.
• Manage your accounts & budget –  Mint.com is powerful, free personal financial management application.

Travel & Mobile Lifestyle

• Find the best travel deals – Kayak.com compares thousands of airfare and hotel aggregator sites like Orbitz and Travelocity to find the lowest fare.
• Get the cheapest local flights – Find the budget air carriers in your region with WhichBudget.
• Get last-minute airfare deals – You can bid low on last-minute flights from Priceline and check out their Pricebreaker deals.
• Meet locals and find free accomodation – The Couchsurfing Project. Almost anywhere in the world. Awesome.
• Low-cost rentals & sublets – AirBnB lists vacation rentals and apartments for rent in 87 countries.
• Backpack around the world on $25 a day – How to See the World, the free Art of Travel guide, is a great resource to learn more.
• Learn how to become a digital nomad – Read Christine Gilbert’s great series 30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World.
• Go green and get all your mail virtually – EarthClassMail will send all your snail mail to you via email. Great for business backpackers!
• Affordable world travel insurance – World Nomads insurance recommended by Lonely Planet.
• More frequent flyer tips – Grab the Frequent Flyer Master guide from Chris Guillebeau, who’s traveled to 119 countries in a few short years, to learn how to get the most out of your miles and get the advantage over the airlines. He even guarantees one free plane ticket!
• Get your work done wherever you go – Coworking is the hip new way to have an office without a job. If you like being surrounded by other human beings but not distracted from your work, search for coworking spots where your’e traveling.

Lifestyle Design Tools

• Set and budget for your goals – Tim Ferriss’ Ideal Lifestyle Costing method will help you figure out what your ideal lifestyle looks like, set goals for 6 months or a year down the road, and figure out what you have to do and how much it will cost to get there. Use this Dreamlining Worksheet.
• Build a support team – David Walsh is an automation genius who put together SourceControl to show you how to successfully outsource taks and give you a framework for your ambitious projects.
• Automate all your business processes – Take a few tips from Rob Granholm on how to Automate Your Systems. Rob has done a tremendous job breaking down processes, and for extra credit you can even apply this outside of your business.

What are your favorite tools, apps & resources for living a mobile lifestyle and getting work done from anywhere?

Check out my resources page for more useful tools, ebooks & resources for living an incredibly kickass life. BTW the featured photo at the top of the page is me with my buddies Migration Mark, Dwight Turner and Joel Bruner on a vagabonding trip to Laos.

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If you’re a blogger or web professional, you might be interested in my second small business, FreelanceWP, which I’ve just relaunched today. FWP  provides WordPress blog setup services, theme and template installation, and connects blog publishers with skilled WordPress designers, developers & programmers. I’ll be adding more resources there in the coming weeks, but check it out and let me know what you’d like to see there.