2015-01-14 13:56:46
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.