The globe-trotting consultant
Shannon O Donnell Age: 30 Location: Thailand, Mexico, Portugal (upcoming)
Monthly costs: $1,500 (projected)
Shannon O Donnell is a consultant to small US businesses, but since 2011, this
digital nomad has lived in Chang Mai, Thailand and Mexico, and she s travelled
through Africa.
To keep up with her US clients, O Donnell regularly works evenings to
accommodate time zone changes. While some clients have been concerned that she
s too far away, most are accommodating, she said. She declined to specify her
current income but said that in the past she has lived on $1000 per month,
while also paying off her student loans and some credit card debt.
Working between 25 and 40 hours per week has also allowed O Donnell to pursue a
writing career as she moves around the world. She tells her stories of slow
travel and how to get the most out of destinations through her blog, A Little
Adrift. Building a community of readers has helped O Donnell to establish
herself to small businesses looking for an audience, she said.
One drawback to her nomadic lifestyle? Staying healthy on the road can be
difficult, she said. Her most recent adventure in Africa resulted in a bout of
dysentery.
O Donnell plans a move to Portugal in early 2015, because it is less expensive
than other parts of Europe but has a developed infrastructure, she said. She
hopes to keep expenses under $1,500 per month and maintain a workweek of less
than 40 hours.
I like the idea of an affordable place in Europe that allows me to be immersed
in a different culture, she said.
Semi-retired: The half-day workweek
Diletta Fraizzoli Age: 42 Location: Minorca, Spain Monthly costs: $500
After closing down her jewellery shop in Virona, Italy, Fraizzoli moved to
Minorca, Spain, with her husband Alessandro. The small Spanish island, next to
the larger Palma de Mallorca had always been a vacation destination for the
couple and they owned a summer home there. From the sale of their store, the
couple purchased a 300,000 euros ($382,500) home in the centre of the island
and sold their summer home. With life much calmer, she now considers herself
semi-retired.
You work half the day, but then you still have time for friends and family,
said Fraizzoli s husband.
Fraizzoli, who declined to reveal her income, now manages several websites for
expats who are looking to relocate, and is starting to create websites for
small businesses. She works 35 hours per week.
The island reminds the couple of what Italy was like 30 years ago, and
Fraizzoli often meets friends when walking down the street.
There s less firms, more farms, she said.
Trading Chicago for fitness by the sea
Shelly Labovitz Age: 42 Location: Sayulita, Mexico Monthly costs: $1,500
After graduating from medical school in 2001, Shelly Labovitz realised that she
wasn t ready to practice medicine so she started a personal training business
with her husband Josh. A few years later, she still wasn t enjoying her life in
Chicago.
We were living the American dream, but we didn t get what the pursuit was,
she said.
The couple had already purchased property in Sayulita, a small beach town near
Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, as an investment. Skipping their plans to rent the
house, they moved to Mexico in 2006. Labovitz now teaches group fitness classes
for expats and retirees.
Running a business that caters to expats and retirees who come seasonally often
means her income dries up when most people leave in August and September. To
keep expenses down, the couple lives outside of town, but still overlooking the
ocean. Labovitz purchases clothing when visiting family in Chicago twice per
year, and in her spare time, she volunteers with dogs that need adoption.
Sayulita has become more popular with travellers, which has its plusses and
minuses. On the plus side, there are more clients for Labovitz and a few more
modern supermarkets that also sell American products. But the region has gotten
more expensive. Labovitz, who has since sold her original property, now pays
13,500 pesos ($1,000) for monthly rent, up from just about $600 eight years
ago. Part of the charm, though, is being able to live a simpler life near the
water, she says.
It s a very casual place, you can wear your sundress and your flip flops
anywhere, she said.
Cheap living, connected network
James Clark Age: 42 Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Monthly costs: $1,000
As a self-employed web designer, James Clark decamped to Vietnam two years ago.
Ho Chi Minh City was a place he d visited often during his travels and he liked
the network of other expats that was firmly in place.
There is a great community of online workers running businesses living here,
said Clark who is from Melbourne, Australia. Clark lives in an apartment within
a larger home for $300 per month, including maid service. Throughout the year,
he uses low-cost airlines for short, fun holidays to other Asia-based
destinations including Malaysia and Singapore.
Now a designer of websites and a blogger for Nomadic Notes, Clark works in
cafes with reliable wireless connections throughout the city for several hours
each day. Many of these cafes cater specifically to expats.
Clark pays out of pocket for doctor s visits, but also carries emergency travel
insurance for $550 per year, when travelling outside Vietnam. He now works 40
hours per week, compared to the 60 hours per week he worked when living in
Melbourne. Living on less than $1,000 per month allows him to travel as
frequently as he likes, which means he can spend several months away. In 2014,
he has taken trips to South America and Europe.
What I do now, wasn t possible 15 years ago, he said.
Surfing the wave to paradise
Rupert Hill Age: 36 Location: Nosara, Costa Rica Monthly costs: $1,700
Rupert Hill, a surfing instructor originally from Bristol, England, came to
Nosara to start Surf Simply, a surfing school and luxury resort. He wanted to
move there to pursue his passion full-time something cold European winters
made impossible at home. He had been a surf instructor in Cornwall, England,
during the summer, but found it difficult to make a living during the colder
months.
Nosara has long attracted expat surfing enthusiasts due to its abundant and
year-round steady waves. The Pacific is a far more consistent swell generator
than any other ocean, said Hill. The regularity helps keep his income steady.
Costa Rica is one of the most expensive countries in the region, and basics
such as food, housing and utilities can be costly. For the first couple of
years, it was just rice and veggies for dinner most nights, Hill said. Yet,
as the surfing business expanded to more of a hospitality business and more
instructors have come on board, his budget has increased. Hill now pays 541,450
colones ($1,000) to rent a two-bedroom home, which is walking distance from the
ocean. A health insurance plan with worldwide coverage costs him $100 per month
and dinners out cost $15.
While life is simpler, at times, Hill s hours can be longer than his previous
job in England. The business is expanding and he now teaches coaching courses
throughout the world. Through building Surf Simply he s also found his own
expat community.
We're like a little family and we even vacation together in the off season,
he said.