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If you’re interested in becoming a digital nomad or taking your business location independent then keep reading.

Since I moved abroad six months ago, I’ve been really fortunate to live the dream: I run my own small business and get to choose the projects I work on; I live in Thailand where there’s plenty of adventure to be had, gorgeous beaches, and the cost of living is low; I put in a lot of time partnering with other cool folks to work on projects that I’m passionate about but that don’t necessarily earn me income.

The way I prioritize work and live my lifestyle has allowed me to see a lot of the world: Paris, London, Spain, Bangkok, Laos, Phuket, Krabi, Cambodia and much more. The way I run my small company has allowed me to conduct business from Silicon Valley, Wyoming, and Missouri, to Canada, France, Australia, and Colombia. And just for fun, I get to take time out to do things like the Coachella music fest in the California desert with friends, and contribute to projects like Dwight Turner’s In Search of Sanuk mission (helping promote humanitarian causes and people who do good), Brooke Ferguson’s Business Backpacker site, and our new Bangkok Tweetups for Charity (bringing interesting expats and locals of all walks of life together).

I’m not telling you this to toot my own horn. Rather, my whole mission is about getting others to realize that anyone can have this lifestyle!

Location independence will become an increasingly mainstream way of life. As the economy continues to fail us, big companies continue to lay off thousands, job security disappears, and the traditional workplace fails to meet individuals’ needs, you will see more and more people choosing to take their careers into their own hands, and opting to leverage technology that allows them to work from where they choose.

You can live and work anywhere—whether you choose to travel and work abroad, work remotely in a small quiet town, or even simply work from home with your family—and you can cultivate more free time to spend on the things you care about, if you take actionable steps to make it happen. (Existing business owners and freelancers, see my article “How to Go Location-Independent” at Business Backpacker.)

I have been writing more frequently about my “location independent” lifestyle, and a growing community has quickly sprung up around the term in recent months. So what is Location Independence? It can mean many things depending on who you ask: the location independent community is made up of all kinds of different people:

• Entrepreneurs who run their businesses remotely via the web
• Location-Independent Professionals (LIPs) who may do freelance work for clients around the globe
• “Digital Nomads” or work-from-home folks who might work remotely but still be employed by a company
• Permanent Travelers (PTs), vagabonders, flashpackers, backpackers, and people who like to take Tim Ferriss-style mini-retirements

The release of Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Workweek in 2007 was likely the first mainstream conversation piece that got people thinking about the world in these terms, but there are many individuals who’ve been doing it since long before Tim Ferriss made the work-anywhere lifestyle cool.

Meet Jonathan and Lea Woodward

Two such folks are Lea and Jonathan Woodward of LocationIndependent.com. The couple left their UK home in early 2007 to set upon a round-the-world lifestyle and work from the road. Lea has a strong background in management consulting, and Jonathan is a talented corporate graphic designer and illustrator, and together they now run Kinetiva, a diversified mobile company which provides career & lifestyle coaching, graphic design services, marketing, technology, and strategy consulting.

In their own words:

“Being location independent is a concept, a lifestyle and a mindset. It’s a life based on freedom, choice and flexibility. We are Location Independent Professionals (LIPs), working from anywhere in the world we choose (with an internet connection).”

Over the past two years, Jonathan and Lea have already spent considerable time living in varied locations like Panama, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Dubai, Thailand and South Africa. Their sites offer extensive resources for people interested in or already living this lifestyle. Notably, they are the authors of X Marks The Spot: The Indispensable Guide To Living & Working From Anywhere You Want, and they provide a range of Little LIP Destination Guides to some popular spots for remote workers in Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, and more. Each guide provides valuable information for LIP types which is often very different the tips a typical tourist needs—internet availability, long-term accommodations, remote office options and so on.

About the Location Independent Blog

Their Location Independent Living blog is one that I’ve been wanting to highlight for quite some time. Lea and Jon share a tremendous amount of valuable insight about managing business remotely, lifestyle design, travel tactics, and finding the right technology to empower your business online.

This site is a must-read for folks who don’t like to follow the traditional rules of work & life. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just getting your start, they have a cool way of splitting up the blog for new readers into two categories:

1. The Not-Yet-In-Business starter guide: for rat race escapees, recent graduates, vagabond travelers, and the recently retired. Start here →
2. The Business Owner’s starter guide: for freelancers, online entrepreneurs, bloggers, and internet marketers. Start here →

Some of my favorite posts from the Location Independent blog:

• How To Put Your Business On Autopilot Whilst You Travel The World As A Digital Nomadic Web Worker
• Is A Nomadic Location Independent Lifestyle Cheaper Than Living In One Place? A 12 Month Breakdown for 2008
• 5 Things That Will Help You Settle In Quickly When You Lead A Nomadic Lifestyle As A Web Worker

A Growing Community for Location Independent Professionals

Lea and Jonathan have consistently made themselves the go-to authorities on the location independent lifestyle and working as a digital nomad, so naturally I wanted to establish a strong relationship with them and partner with them. They’ve been very busy developing resources and communication channels to connect LIPs around the globe and I’m excited to be a part of it! For people who are interested in learning more about location independence, becoming a digital nomad, or promoting this lifestyle, here are three new developments:

1. If you’re already a successful Location Independent Professional and you want to actively help us promote the lifestyle, we’ve organized some “street teams” to spread the word about the LIP lifestyle and promote the LIP community. I’m really excited to have been chosen as an ambassador for the community alongside Cath Duncan, Amy Palko, and Sharon Hurley Hall. I’ll be a Team Leader focusing on Bloggers and Online Entrepreneurs.  You can get in touch with me or ask for an invitation to become a team member of our private Community Outreach Team.
2. If you’re seeking more info about the Location Independent lifestyle or about becoming a Digital Nomad, there is also a free, open forum—the Location Independent Clubhouse—which is quickly becoming a thriving community for LIP discussion. This social network offers members a place to have general discussions, and get the support of like-minded folks who are either already location independent or are also on the journey. (Also make sure you follow the #LIP discussion on Twitter!)
   
3. If you aren’t an LIP yet, but you are serious about developing a business that you can run from anywhere, Lea and Jonathan have recently put together a fantastic course for Building a Location Independent Business. Chris Guillebeau of Art of Nonconformity has officially teamed up with them to promote the course and describes it below:
   

   “Lea calls the study course Location Independent. The course is ideal for anybody who wants to build a real business for themselves which supports and enables the lifestyle of their choice – whether that’s a life of permanent travel, occasional travel, or simply being able to spend more time at home with family.”

   I was one of the first students to enroll in the course early on. I’m only about halfway through the study materials, and I still hope to write up a full review soon, but I love it so far. It’s little bit of an investment, but I wouldn’t promote it if it didn’t provide a tremendous amount of value.

I want to encourage others to pursue freedom—the freedom to live and work anywhere, and to live life beyond borders and limitations, so I highly recommend the Location Independent blog, the free Location Independent community, and their Location Independent Business Course. If you’re interested in becoming a digital nomad or taking your business location independent then also be sure to read my recent guide How to Go Location-Independent.

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UPDATE: I Want to Make You A Rockstar Contest Winner!

I recently clarified my mission to help as many people take their business online, or go location-independent as I can this year. To help people take back control of their careers in this poor economy, I am offering special social media consulting for new clients this month, as well as discounted blog development services for non-profits and do-gooders. And I asked you guys to help me promote my mission by offering a free Introductory Blog & Social Media Consultation to one lucky participant.

Well, the promotion has been a great success! I’ve had more people requesting services than I know how to handle, and I will probably have to bring in an extra web designer/developer to help all these folks establish their personal brands online or promote their organizations.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to help me spread the word about my mission, whether you told your friends, Tweeted about it, or submitted an entry to the competition. Here are the final five blog post entries I got:

• Daniel Hoang: Social Media Consulting
• Julie Christiansen: I Just Entered a Contest – You Can Too
• Matthew: Become a Rockstar
• Britpol: Feeling the Credit Crunch? Become free…
• Curious Jessica: Talented young thing: Cody McKibben

Announcing the Rockstar Winner:

I put all five people’s names into a hat to draw at random, and the winning pick was reader Daniel Hoang—Investor, Lifehacker, Technologist, Analyst, Careerist! Daniel, I’ll be in touch with you via Twitter/email soon and we can arrange a time for your free 1-on-1 consulting call.

I only wish I could help all five of you, but you can feel free to enroll in my free support forums and stay tuned for future tips. Thanks go out to all of you guys!