longtail boat in Railay, Krabi

I am getting a lot of questions lately about my lifestyle and what it’s like to run a location-independent business, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on the lifestyle.

Adrian Koh said in a recent article:

“Whether you call it lifestyle design, life design, work-life balance, or enlightened self-management, the central idea is this: life should be lived consciously and deliberately, and not left to chance.”

Work-life balance and (attempts at) self-management are two of the most important elements of how I live my life. It’s important to me to spend my very limited time here doing things that make a difference and that make me happy, rather than simply sinking all of my time into a job and playing the normal game of “delayed gratification” like a majority of people do (I think they call it “retirement”).

Work-life balance, location independence, and other forms of freedom are a growing trend, but we are still a minority, and there are a lot of misconceptions and challenges that we deal with too.

The Problem of Definition

The first challenge I deal with is that most people will never really understand what it is I do and how I do it. The concept of location independent entrepreneurship isn’t something you can easily explain in a few short minutes at a cocktail party. The lifestyle choices are a huge part of how I define myself, but for most people I meet I’ll simply tell them I’m a web consultant and developer. A lot of folks don’t understand the concept of being “on holiday” at the beach but also simultaneously being on call and putting in a few hours of work each day; or my wacky schedule staying up all hours to work with clients on the other side of the globe. But that’s okay, they don’t need to understand what I do for me to keep doing it!

The Problem of Impermanence

There’s a Buddhist lesson in here somewhere, but when you live a mobile lifestyle you realize how transient so many things can really be: location, friends, routines. It can be difficult to maintain relationships while you’re on the road. If you choose the truly nomadic path of “slow travel”—spending a few months to a year living in different places around the world (or around your country)—you will make a lot of friends, you’ll likely set up a temporary homebase and settle into local routines. You’ll find out how easy it is to build very close friendships with other travelers and expats in a very short time, but you will frequently have to say goodbyes. But if you are lucky, the people you meet on the road will be close friends for life though who you will eventually meet again in other parts of the world.

The Problem of Not Being Omnipresent

All this travel and all these close new friends means you will get wrapped up in things. A lot of opportunities will present themselves to you: opportunities for great travel experiences and fun social occasions, new friends will send work your way and want to partner with you on projects, you’ll meet people who’s stories touch you and you’ll want to help and make a difference in the communities you become a part of, albeit short-lived. There are too many opportunities to take advantage of when you meet people at this rate, and you can’t be everywhere at once. But do your best to stay on top of your own entrepreneurial ventures and travel consciously and you’ll get the chance to do some great things you’d never imagined.

The Huge Upside

Creating a business I can operate from nearly anywhere has given me the freedom to choose where I live, when I work, and it has enabled me to travel and invest time in great relationships while working at the same time. Living this lifestyle teaches you that traveling is easier than you think: with a little resourcefulness, the ability to do a proper Google search, and a little effort at making new friends, you’ll be amazed what sort of great experiences you can have for free or very cheap! You will see some incredible things that will change the way you think about the world.

To share a little taste of what the Location Independent Lifestyle is like with others, I’m going to start posting more videos from my adventures. I won’t bore you with the work side, but you’ll get to see some of the fun people I get to meet, great places I get to visit, and cool projects I get to be a part of. Here are a few videos from recent adventures, but stay tuned for more travel videos, and hopefully some insights into the good projects we’re working on at In Search Of Sanuk.

In late March, I took a brief trip with friends Alysia and Carla to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and then to Siem Reap to see the ancient temple ruins at Angkor Wat. Watch for sunset at the temple, stunning/eerie photos of the ruins, and watch as we get the special opportunity to witness a Buddhist monk ordination ceremony atop the summit of a steep temple:

In April, I flew home to the US to roadtrip with friends Megan, Sam, Nicole and Carmen to Indio, California to attend my third Coachella Valley Music Festival. Come witness this awesome 3-day concert in the California desert and see folks like Paul McCartney, The Killers, M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, Franz Ferdinand, The Crystal Method, Michael Franti, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in concert:

Upon my return here to Thailand, I was fortunate to spend some time with Vanessa in Krabi province. We spent a weekend in beautiful Railay Beach, caught up with Alysia and Brooke, made some great traveler friends (James & Dennis) and took our new little buddy Sahat (who lost his family in the tsunami) on a snorkel trip. Watch for cheap accommodation suggestions, a longtail boat ride-along, incredible poi dancing, and feeding monkeys on the beach:

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