NuNomad

Starving for a Jet Lag Remedy

By Ricardo

Jet lag hits me harder than a jalapeño margarita. I don’t mean, simply, restless sleep for a night or two after a long (trans-Pacific) flight, but all encompassing type of jet lag: dizziness, inability to sleep more than four hours for up to six days, nausea, the acute awareness that my mind and body are not in sync—the full-on zombie enchilada. This condition is realized at least a couple of times a year—for about eight years now. So, I’m way weary of this dilemma. When I fly from Los Angeles to the far east, and especially when I travel west to east on my return trip (the mother of all hellish routes—jumping 15 time zones) I know I’ll be out of commission for at least five, maybe six, days. I simply dread it. My curiosity was, therefore, quite peaked when I read a recent on-line article (Starving yourself may fend off jet lag) announcing a Harvard University study about the relationship between one’s internal clock and how it is affected by meals. In a nutshell, it concluded that fasting during long flights may trick one’s body into lessening the impact of jet lag.

Let me state, first of all, that I am not one of those new-age, holistic, “power-cleansing” type of guys. To me fasting means missing a meal. And since the Science study stated that one should fast at least sixteen hours of the flight time from their example set forth (Tokyo to Los Angeles), I had to seriously equate—what I was sure would be a torturous ordeal—with the benefit of not having to suffer five to six days of feeling crappy afterwards. I decided, in the interest of jet lag-relief science, to be the lab rat and test out this so-called remedy.

Last week I flew from Bangkok to Los Angeles. My flight departed at 5PM. At the airport, right before the first leg of my flight (there would be a quick plane change in Taipei), I ate a big meal. This would be my last meal for 18 hours. Additionally, I followed another common remedy which is to not sleep—an option not mentioned in the study, but seem equally logical to me. “Yeah, right”, you are no doubt thinking. “No food and no sleep on a (combined) flight of 15 hours, that’s not possible.” But, I did it. No food at all, just lots of water. And after about five hours of flight, my hunger actually dissipated. It was like my brain was saying “Oh, it’s past dinner time. You must no longer be hungry.” And by the time the plane was about to land, I had also noticed that I was not nearly as tired as I should have been. I was landing in Los Angeles at 8PM and my body was feeling like a person that was (more or less) 8PM tired (granted after an exceptionally hard day) and only a couple of hours late hungry.

That first night in Los Angeles I wolfed down two plates of pasta, had half a glass of red wine and went to bed at about midnight—my normal time. The following morning I woke up at 6AM. I felt rested and not at all loopy. This, however, did not convince me that I’d dodged a bullet. My jet lag usually does not hit me until several days after the flight. But the fact that throughout that first full day back I was, for the most part, clear headed and energetic was promising. I was even able to get quite a bit of work done on the computer.

The second night’s sleep, however, was not as sound. I got in only about 5 hours—but that could have had something to do with going out to a 3rd street tequila bar with my hosts. That second day I was a little more tired than the first day—due to not getting my full eight in, not the tequila—but, still little jet lag was felt and I was still able to work several hours. That night I slept six hours and the following day (day 3), at around 6PM, I felt like taking a serious power-nap. But as I laid there on the sofa of my friend’s home, with my head begging for some nap time, my body was not concurring. I could feel how out of sync the two were. So, I sat up and forced myself to stay awake. An hour later, and after a couple of episodes of Family Guy, I was no longer sleepy. That night I slept for nearly 8 hours. And on the fifth night back, I again slept well. On day four—the day I’m usually impacted the hardest by a trans-Pacific flight—I still felt pretty good, even though I had flown eastward another two time zones that day. That night I slept nearly nine hours and that day I declared myself jet lag free.

Conclusion? The combination of fasting and not sleeping during a long flight makes a big difference. As sensitive as I am to jet lag, it was a relief this time to have gotten past it with relative ease. Yes, there was still some residual jet lag, but only about half (perhaps even less) as severe as in previous years. So, on your next long flight, starve yourself. What do you have to lose?

Nomading Around Costa Rica

by Carmen

As you may know from a couple of posts ago, I recently had the opportunity to do a bit of nomading around Costa Rica. This wasn't a pure nu nomadic adventure as I wasn't able to stay more than a couple of weeks but I was able to scout out a bit of nomadic issues while I traveled/worked around the country.

Our journey began in an outskirt of San Jose, Heredia, moved into the rain forest area near Puerto Viejo, on to Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna, and then ended on the coast near Tamarindo (click town names for pictures). Costa Rica has a thriving tourist business that attracts many environmentalists and nature lovers to its "ecolodge" accommodations where they can marvel at the abundant wildlife and learn about the rain forest. It also beckons to the active traveler who loves to surf, hike, snorkel, bungee jump or you name it. In addition, you will find an active expat community that includes citizens from many countries of Europe as well as the U.S. While all of this means that it could be very easy in Costa Rica to find a comfortable living situation, plug yourself into a satellite television and live a sheltered life surrounded by your western world friends, your golf course and your mojito, it also means that if you want to really know Costa Rica and the Costa Rican people, you will have to seek them out away from the upscale niceties that have been developed for the tourist/expat lifestyle and "live like the Romans (or in this case, Ticos) do".

Getting around Costa Rica is an adventure in itself. It is possible to take short commuter flights between popular areas and major cities such as Liberia, San Jose, Tamarindo and La Fortuna. This may make sense if you really need to move locations quickly. However, you can make your way between many major destinations in a day or half day by car or bus. If you choose to rent a car be sure to rent a 4x4. While the larger "highways" ( I rarely saw any larger than 2 lanes outside the major cities) are paved, most of the remaining roads including major routes between towns are gravel and some are downright large (I'm talking cantaloupe size now) rock roads. Be prepared to place a large deposit (in our case $1500.00 US) for a car to cover any damage your adventure driving might cause. I chose to go with a Costa Rican rental business called Mapache Rental Car because of their lower prices. They delivered the car to me in the rain forest, were prompt, efficient and honest. The car had some difficulties shifting but made the trip without incident and I was relieved to get my deposit back in full, knowing we spent a lot of time kicking up gravel and rocks.

If you choose a place to remain as a nomad and are within a short distance to your daily needs you could get by without a car. You might even consider a bicycle as many of the locals do. Taxis are reasonable and the public bus system is downright luxurious. Before needing our car we chose to take a public bus to do some waterfall viewing. The bus was the same style as other tourist buses, air conditioned with upholstered seats. This was a great comparison experience between tourist living and Tico living. To take a reserved tourist van to our destination (a 45 minute ride) and back would have cost us $75.00 US per person. The same trip on our luxurious public bus - $4.00 US per person. The bus ran on a set schedule and we found it to be on time.

So - what about working? Here's where a bit of the challenge comes in. Costa Rica varies wildly between world class accommodations with all conveniences including free Wifi in your room (such as we found in Heredia at La Contessa Hotel) - to very rugged areas that are still waiting to receive land-line telephone service (the case around Lake Arenal). Do not assume that because a destination is popular, has charming accommodations or an internet presence, that there will be access to internet or even telephone available. In fact, once we left Heredia (near San Jose) we never again had access to a phone in our room let alone internet. Actually - I exaggerate here. One place boasted in room telephones that I was to find out later only called other rooms at the lodge. Many locations seem to keep a phone that will make international calls with a credit or calling card in their main lobby. This is great if you're just trying to check in with family but not so great if, like me, you're needing to meet with clients by phone for hour long calls.

If telephone is vital to your career, I would suggest you consider an unlocked GSM with SIM card for Costa Rica. In fact, mobile phones appeared to be the communicator of choice for many locals. I was amused by our 11 year old horseback riding guide one day who spent a good amount of time talking with friends on his mobile phone while he rode.

You should be able to find telephone and internet service at most of the larger towns and occasionally you may find some in a smaller town. One of my favorites was the German Bakery in Nuevo Arenal (article picture is from there), where you could sit on a charming open air porch, eat pastries and coffee and get some work done online. Don't have your laptop? No problem - they had a computer room in the back of their associated gift shop for $1.00 US per half hour.

So - all in all - here are my impressions for nomading Costa Rica. This is an amazing place especially if you appreciate wildlife and natural wonders. You will find everything from beautiful white sand beaches excellent for surfing, to a live volcano, and rainforests with abundant animals and birds. The people are warm and helpful, exuding their love of a laid back lifestyle and a pride for their country. Costa Rica is reasonably safe. While you will want to take normal anti-theft precautions (especially in San Jose) the rest of the country seems quite secure. Prices are slightly cheaper than US but not as low as one might hope for a nomadic destination. Internet access can be an issue depending on what area you are in. My advice if you'd like to try it out for a longer stay: consider getting a car for a period of one or two weeks so that you can be free to travel the country, get a feel for the variation of different destinations and the viability of doing your work in them. Don't plan to do a lot of work during this initial period because connectivity may be difficult at times. Do a lot of talking with the local people about lodging and connectivity possibilities. Here a knowledge of Spanish is helpful. Once you've chosen your nest, say goodbye to the car, unpack your bags and get ready for life the "Pura Vida" way!

How's This for an Office View? Heredia, Costa Rica

Unlike my Nu Nomad partner Ricardo, who nomads continually and has for years, I have not broken away from a home base that completely. For me, nomading has meant developing my coaching business until it is completely mobile and having the freedom to work from wherever I like for as long as I like. However, having 3 children of school age we do stay home for extended periods.

Today, though, I am enjoying my ability to nomad. When my mother in law decided we should all go to Costa Rica I knew I could continue to work so our family was able to double our time with her here as compared to the extended family.

We flew in yesterday to San Jose and have spent our first night in La Condesa Hotel in Heredia (a neighboring area to San Jose. This must be one of the most beautiful locations anyone has ever found to build a hotel and the place that was built is quite grand in a "grand old hotel" way. The picture I'm including is the view from our room. The rooms are 2 floors high with a loft layout so that each room has it's own staircase. The central dining area is open air and the grounds are extensive. There is free wifi in the room which I'm using to write this blog.

This isn't a place most of us could stay for an extended nomading experience because the price isn't cheap, but if you wanted to treat yourself to some luxury for a night or two this is definitely the place to do so.

Heredia is a charming place with many small shops and the hustle-bustle of lots of pedestrian traffic. Many cafes boasted "Internet" on signs so I'm led to believe it would not be difficult to work in this town. You can expect numerous church spires rising from this town that sits at the base of small mountains. We were also treated to the site of many fruit vendors, a lovely town square, and homes from cute little bungalows teeming with flowers to the gated homes of the president's extended family who made their fortune in coffee.

I would definitely encourage anyone to check it out! Today we move on to an eco-lodge in Sarapiqui.

Meet the Nomads - Again! - Catching up with the Atkins Family as they Circle the Globe

By Carmen

We last interviewed the Atkins family in May of 2007 as they were in the preparation stages of an around the world trip by bus while homeschooling their 4 children. At that time, the Atkins were overhauling their vehicle to accomodate their trip. Now they have been on the road for 6 months so we thought we'd get in touch and see how they're doing.

Manny, when we last interviewed you and your family, you were in the process of building out your bus and planning your trip. Now you have been on the road for several months. What countries have you visited so far?

We traveled through France, into Spain back into France, across to Northern Italy. Joe then had work in Monte Carlo, so we stayed in Antibes, and went in to work with him pretty much every day, which was wonderful! Back in to Italy, to Rome and beyond. We took a ferry to Greece, drove up through Bulgaria, into Romania to play a couple of concerts for the charity Growing Care. Back through Bulgaria and into Turkey, we spent Christmas in Istanbul, and New Year in Athens. Crossed back into Italy and came back up to France where we are taking a pause after traveling 15,000Km and being on the road for six months.

If you were advising a NuNomad as to what locations in Europe are most Nomad friendly (ie, low cost of living, widely available internet, quality of life) what would be your top picks?

Sometimes we’ve found the best internet access in the most surprisingly remote places (virtually the whole of Bulgaria seemed to have free wifi! just no shops!) and our favourite Italian campsite, in the forested mountains just outside Deiva Marina, had free and excellent wifi. And yet we struggled to find wifi in some capital cities - which surprised me! We have stayed mainly in campsites; which often offered wifi and always had useful info on public transport into the city etc. The free hot water, ability to plug in to electricity, and use of washing machines made sense for us as a big family. We often stayed overnight in truckstops on the autoroutes, when travelling from place to place, but then we’d seek the security and facilities of a campsite to base ourselves. The city sites tended to cost double the rural sites. Spain was cheaper than Italy and France, and the Spanish really know how to run a city! Greece was cheaper still, but we were there very much out of season. Turkey would probably be my top location - not too expensive, good internet, and the warmest and most generous strangers we ever came across. Istanbul was vibrant, and exciting. You cross from Europe to Asia and back, all within one city! Here’s a link to the blogs while we were in Turkey:http://web.mac.com/harryatkins/WTTW_Blogs/The_Family_Blog/Entries/2007/12/22_-_Turkey.html

Was this your original itinerary or have you changed? If you have changed itinerary what factors caused you to do so?

It was always our intention to have a fluid itinerary and while we were in Spain, we decided we weren’t ready to go into Africa. We thought maybe we’d head for North America, but in our (long) search for crossings for us and the bus, we discovered Grimaldi Freighter Cruises. Their office in Naples have been really helpful, and we were thrilled to find we could cross to Argentina. We were booked to travel in April. In fact this crossing has been cancelled, and we are now booked onto the November crossing.
This delay has coincided with a bit of a financial crisis for us: some money we were relying on has fallen through, and so we need to re-fuel our funds. We’ll sit tight for a few months here in France, live as cheaply as we can; earn as much as we can, and learn French! And hopefully be ready to get on the boat in November.

What caused the decision not to go to Africa?

We found it almost impossible to find a realistic crossing from Egypt to Kenya, which was our original plan; also the political situation in Africa seemed to be more and more unsettled. We decided we weren’t comfortable taking the children into a situation where we would be so vulnerable. It was a big disappointment, but Joe and I felt strongly that it was too early in our trip to be facing those kinds of challenges. Life on the road was going so well, and to be honest was exciting, interesting and challenging enough. I have to say though, that now we’re six months in, and have crossed borders in the dark and snow, I’m really excited about changing continents!

How has it been to be in the bus on the road with a large family? How have you all adapted to the close quarters?

The joy of a big family is that no-one ever gets left out; there’s a constant variety of different combinations. We run a very harmonious team to keep everything ticking over, and the children take as much responsibility for the tidiness and running of the bus as Joe and I. It works really well, and it all runs very smoothly. Being so close has become a way of life now, even sharing our huge top bunk with Arthur, our seven year old, feels completely natural. Going to bed is reminiscent of the end of “The Waltons”!

Looks like you’ve been playing music as a family band along the way. How do you set up your concerts and get an audience?

The music has been a great family focus. it tends to come in bursts. We played some summer concerts, at campsites and for friends; and a big Birthday Party last September. Then we played the two concerts in Romania. They were a real adventure. One was for the children the charity helps; they have so little, and live a hard hard life. It was a real pleasure to bring a live gig to them, we felt so appreciated, and it was very humbling! The other was in a big theatre as more of an awareness-raiser with local dignitaries etc. Here’s the blog link to the Romanian concerts - http://web.mac.com/harryatkins/WTTW_Blogs/The_Family_Blog/Entries/2007/12/7_Politics%2C_Philosophy%2C_Harmonics_-_Romania_2.html
We’re playing a gig in a couple of weeks here in France, a musical evening already organised, so audience gathering is not down to us! but we hope it will lead to a few more. So we’re practising hard at the moment. We’ve made no more than a free supper so far, and it would be great to earn a bit; but playing for pleasure carries less pressure!

What are you learning along the way that you didn’t expect?

Just how rewarding home-schooling is
I don’t miss England at all!
I never crave time to myself, away from the family.
The Turkish generosity is boundless.
There are more good people in the world than the media would have you believe! (Actually, I did expect that to be the case!)

How is the bus holding up?

She’s in fine form. She’s running better now than she was when we left the UK. We’ve ironed out oil-leaks and air system problems; fixed the radiator and had the heating re-instated. She’s happiest doing the kind of long, steady, regular drives we do, so really she’s in her element! There is a harmony and trust when we’re driving that’s hard to describe. The bumpy roads of Romania took their toll, and we had some quite big structural repairs to take care of in Turkey. But all in all she’s looked after us, and we’ve looked after her and the respect is mutual!

What has been the greatest highlight/positive experience of the trip so far?

There’ve been a few!
Parking on the waters edge at Camping Fusina, and watching the sun go down over Venice took some beating!
Driving through Greece in the crisp winter sun; snow capped mountains to our left, and crystal blue sea on our right...music playing, family singing... deep inner peace!
Christmas day in Istanbul! waking up to stockings in the morning, and a boat trip across the Bosphorus sea in the evening, the city illuminated magnificently in the moonlight.
I can’t even begin to put into words the way this trip and the preparations for it, have bonded us as a family. It has enriched our marriage and deepened all our relationships.

Welcome to the World.

Weekend Nomading the Mae Hong Son Loop

by Ricardo

One of the disciplines of nomading is knowing when to stay put—you know, work—and when to explore. For the past month I’ve been apartment-bound in Bangkok finalizing a couple of complicated web projects, stuff I’d rather do in my familiar environment (not the least of which is enjoy my stash of wine) than in the unknown accommodation to come. Last Thursday morning I finished up; Thursday night I was on a train to the north to begin a motorcycle journey of Thailand’s Northeast provinces known as the Mae Hong Son Loop. That and to re-visit Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination I haven’t been to since 1998.

Ten years ago, unfortunately, I found Chiang Mai not the laid-back baby brother to manic, cosmopolitan, Bangkok, but just a large city with a square of historical sites wrapped within an explosion of unimaginative tourist-oriented business such as western eateries and hotels/guest houses whose main draw was free satellite television. That impression has not changed. But at least now there’s free Wi-Fi in many of the accommodations as well as affordable serviced apartments that have amenities for the nomad (rooms with desk/table space to work from, refrigerator, hot shower and AC). Needless to say, once I saw that my email box had remained empty of “must do” messages, I bolted the hell out of Chiang Mai after only two nights stay. By early Sunday morning I was on the loop in the direction of Mae Hong Son, the picturesque town I’d longed to visit since first visiting Thailand a dozen years ago.”

Orientation: The Loop hosts three (relatively) large towns: Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Pai. Highway 108, taken from Chiang Mai clockwise, will get you to Mae Hong Son. The Loop continues on Highway 1095 past the popular-with-backpackers town of Pai, onto Chiang Mai. All three can easily accommodate the traveling worker for any length of time, meaning that hi-speed (100mbps ADSL) Internet is abundant, nomad-friendly accommodations plentiful, and places to go and see when not behind the computer screen are within reach. Between the three key stops, comprising the 600 kilometer loop, are unspoiled traditional towns, hill tribe communities, and several national parks—with some sort of Internet access available most of the time such as GSM via your mobile phone (in case you just have to get online). Since I was off-the-clock until Tuesday (California’s Monday morning), I knew I had several days to simply travel; so I put my laptop to bed in my backpack.

Preparation: Aside from a set of warmer clothes than I usually sport in Thailand (the North, even in mid-February, can get downright cold), the only requirements were a reliable motorcycle (125cc Honda Dream from Jaguar rentals in Chiang Mai), my Thailand guidebook (most will have a section on The Loop), protection from the sun, a liter of water, and my GSM mobile phone service which permits my mobile phone to serve as a wireless modem for my laptop. And since this article is not intended as a roadmap but as a bit of insight to The Loop, you’ll want to consult your travel guide. (Note: for those who wish to see The Loop on a more intricate level, there are a couple of good maps available in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son bookstores. One of which is the “Map of Mae Hong Son Loop.” One other interesting resource is the Golden Triangle Rider website, although this website appears more for the “Wild Hogs” set.

The Trip: Taking The Loop clock-wise about an hour’s ride (at 60km/hr) you’ll arrive in Chom Thong. It’s a nice-enough little town hosting the impressive Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong. Aside from that, it’s just a place to take a break. It’s also the gateway to the Do Inthanon National Park (dramatic waterfalls, a concrete enclosed hot spring, and panoramic views that one can expect from a mountain top vantage point). However, since I am boycotting Thailand’s absurd Bt400 entrance fee to its key national parks (Fee’s range from Bt100-400. Thai residents pay only Bt20. This park is Bt400), I thought I’d save my $12 for something else. (Note: the current exchange rate is $1 USD to 32 Thai Baht.)

Mae Sariang is where I spent my first night. It’s a charming little town along the beautiful Yuam River. Here there are accommodations ranging from pricy boutique hotels (mostly for affluent Thais who are on holiday) to bed-only guest houses set within traditional teakwood homes. I chose the latter, the Northwest Guest House across the road from the river. The town has a couple of excellent seafood restaurants, and pleasant places along the River to have a beer with your cheap Thai or Western food. (This is the sort of laid-back environment that Pai was known for a dozen years ago.) The people of Mae Sariang are very pleasant (not in a phony way as in Chiang Mai or Pai), personable and appear to be enjoying life. One could easily stay several days here, catching a bus up highway 108 when ready to continue on. That is if they don’t have their own wheels.

Mae La Noi is only 30km away from Mae Sariang, but after stopping for an iced coffee (“café yen”) at the stand next to the big Silver Sala (a sort of wall-less pavilion) and being overwhelmed by the magnificent view of the rice fields below and traditional hill town in the backdrop, I decided to drive down into the valley (known as Ma Yuam Fam Kwaa) and cruise the town’s picturesque streets that lead into hill tribe communities and vast farmlands. I found the location so enchanting that I stayed the night in the area’s only “home stay” which was a new teakwood mansion at the entry point of Ma Yum. The sign in front of the compound is in Thai, but it’s obvious that it’s a place to stay for the night. (For Bt500, I had one of the nicest rooms ever. Amazing views, very comfortable sleep. There are two nice bungalows for Bt300.)

Khun Yuam, an hour’s ride from Mae La Noi, is a popular resting spot for Loopers. Though the town is pretty and hosts a museum on WWII history, there are few attractions other than nature walks. There you’ll find the Baan Farang Guest House. It’s very clean and comfortable as well as a great place to eat. (Rarely do roadside backpacker places do justice to Thai food.) And the operator, Ms. Macci, is an interesting young woman, with much history of the region to share with you.

Traditional villages continue to dot much of highway 108 and you’ll find yourself wanting to stop and take a peek inside some of them. Do that. It will be well worth your time. (Of course, try to be inconspicuous and avoid clicking pictures of locals as if they are statues and not people.) The National Parks also become more abundant as you climb higher north. Mae Surin has one of Thailand’s most spectacular waterfalls, and offers up spectacular views. One can go up to Mae Ko Vafe without the need for the expensive park fee, up to “microwave top”, passing a Hmong village, where there’s a nice viewing area.

Mae Hong Son, Thailand’s northwestern capital and province, is actually a small town. It’s not only a very lovely place to chill out (BTW, in the winter the temperatures can get to freezing) but a location to make as your base for trekking and area visits. It’s also a fine place to stay put and work for a week or two. The food up here may not win awards (though one must try Pra Cra Ho seafood restaurant at the town’s gateway), but the people are interesting, bright, and love to chat. With all of the coffee houses, book readers, mountain bikes and joggers, you’ll think you’re in an Oregon (USA) college town. Jong Kham Lake is the counterpoint of the town and where many of the budget guest houses nudge up to. Most of the cheaper places charge about Bt300 per night (bed only, but great views of the lake), but there are places set back aside and behind Wat Chong Kham that are of great value. Romtai House has teak bungalows around a lovely lotus pond for Bt300-500 per night. Though no Wi-Fi yet, the rooms are big, have furniture, refrigerator, hot shower, AC, and Satellite TV. And just a short walk away, on the lake’s southwest corner, is Baan Tue Lek coffee house. Miss Pook provides free Wi-Fi—as well as great information on what to enjoy within her town. Great location.

Mae Hong Son is not, however, a party scene. The few bars in town are more quaint then “happening”. (You’ll want to continue on to Pai for that.) There are, however, interesting morning and nights markets here, loads of coffee houses to read a book in, National Parks and nearby traditional villages and hill tribes to explore. Mae Hong Son is slow—but in a good way.

If you leave Mae Hong Son early and travel highway 1095 you can arrive in Pai in time for lunch. You’ll first pass the town of Soppong (known for its cave tours), which is where you’ll begin your decent southward. But do take your time on these hairpin-turn roads, and savor the drive. Along the way you’ll be treated to some of Thailand’s finest nature and views of hill tribe villages. (Because once you’re in Pai, the delicate natural order of the northwest takes a dive.)

In the past decade, Pai has become the darling for backpackers (most of whom only travel with the Southeast Asia on a Shoestring—known as the guide book for the herd). What was once a sleepy little town along the Pai River has become a tourist haunt for the young who are seeking traveler companionships, cheap ganga and convenience over authenticity and inspiration. Having once enjoyed Pai as a place with a soul, it now only breaks my heart. It isn’t Khao San Road yet, but give it another few years.

Once you leave Pai (or pass by it) you’ll see more of the familiar scenery you’d seen while arching over the northern tip: traditional villages, terraced fields, magnificent landscapes. This will continue for about 90 minutes before entering the greater Chiang Mai region.

Trains to and from Chiang Mai to Bangkok are scheduled throughout the day. Get a second class sleeper berth and pass the night away in slumber. Flights are also available all day, with frequent promotional prices.
To see images of the Mae Hong Son Loop, visit the Laptophobo Photo Album.

Meet the Nomads - Greg and Yoko - Nomadesigners in Japan

This week I am proud to introduce you to two beautiful and creative nomads, Greg Moulinet and Yoko Chiba. Owners of Nomadesign, Greg and Yoko are transforming their international lifestyle into a major part of their brand image. As a French/Japanese couple doing business in at least three languages they truly represent a global enterprise. Read on to find out more about who they are and how they live!

What is your business/profession?

Greg: I am a graphic designer specializing in visual identity (logos). I operate 90% online.

Yoko: I operate as a branding director, mediating between our clients and graphic designers, and represent our branding & design company, Nomadesign.jp with Greg. We also call ourselves Nomadesigners. In addition, I specialize in fashion design, so I teach fashion design as well as fashion history in Tokyo as a part-time job.

What training/experience did you receive in order to be able to have this business/profession?

Greg: Coming from 2 art schools, I am suppose to have learned something about aesthetics and technique... but I actually learned nothing of commercial design and I can safely say I taught myself graphic design from a very early age and started to be a professional in this field at 16.

Yoko: I have lived, studied and worked in the fashion design field in Paris, London, Tbilisi (Rep. of Georgia), Nicosia (Cyprus), Rome and Milan for a total of 7 years. So pretty good aesthetic, trend watching & setting and communication senses were there I think, but the technical knowledge of graphic design was passed on by Greg, since we started to work together 8 months ago.

How long have you been doing this?

Greg: 20 years as a designer, 6~7 years as a designer using internet, working/traveling abroad and I can say 5 years making it a lifestyle.

Yoko: I've been living a nomadic lifestyle for 25 years, have been a linguist for 18 years, in fashion for 10 years, a professional designer for 5 years, teaching for 3 years, and in the new field, branding for 8 months. These are most significant aspects and time that it took to become current “me”.

How long were you in your business/profession before you began traveling?

Greg: In my case, just 2 years because I started to travel and work as an artist and designer at age 18. But, as a real nunomad/laptophobo... it took 15 years.

Yoko: I was a student when I started to travel and it took me a while to become fully professional in design. Taking advantage of internet technology, more than just exchanging e-mail with my acquaintances is quite recent, probably about 3 years since I once set up an online shop of my collection.

What interested you in becoming mobile?

Greg: I always lived my adult life working/traveling abroad. As a graphic designer, a computer allowed me to bring my atelier with me... forget letraset, forget airbrushing, forget argentic photographs... When the internet came about, I immediately saw the possibility to set up shop online. Internet meant for me that I could find clients online, provide the work online and be paid online. Before, when I was going to a country, I had to generate contacts, promote myself and gain the trust of clients. With the computer and internet, I suddenly had not only my atelier and portfolio with me but also my client list. Deciding to work and live abroad every 3 months, just seemed entertaining while affording me the possibility of seeing my family and friends in various locations more often.

Yoko: Like Greg, or even longer than he has, I have been mobile most of my life. When I was 9, I started to move around with my family in Japan, stayed a year with an American family in Alabama as a teen, coming back to Japan, moved around Tokyo for a decade while I finished high school and college where I majored in linguistics and cross-cultural communication and started to work in PR and then fashion retail. I was in my mid-20s when I went to Europe to study fashion design, so it is hard to imagine my lifestyle otherwise. But I can say that I always enjoyed having new networks of people, and it is interesting the difference in networks of travelers and non-travelers. Well-travelled people appreciate small encounters, but do not cling on each contact. They simply move on in their life, and very casually and spontaneously, they may come back to the contact somehow somewhere later on. People who don’t travel do not understand this, so they think we disappeared from their lives. To me, nomadic lifestyle is not about how often one travels, but more to do with the mind set for the lifetime. So if nomadic people decide to stay in one place for a few years or even longer, that doesn’t make them quit being nomadic.

Where do you like to travel and for how much of the year?

Greg: I travel mostly between New York, Miami, Paris, Grenoble, Tokyo and Kyoto.
The number of times I travel can be very different each year. Last year it was about 8 times, between all the cities mentioned above. When I was working alone I liked to travel non-stop between hotels. I wrote about it in my last post on working and traveling in Japan. This year, we have not moved much... only 1 month in France and will be traveling next June mostly in the west of Japan for a month. We are trying to settle the nomadesign business and hopefully hire like-minded designers to expand it.

Yoko: I have traveled mostly in European cities, I guess it was coming from my interest in fashion. I was seeking stimulation, excitement that big cities can provide. I have also traveled to Bangkok sometimes, I like their climate, food, genuine people, bright colors. I think I would like their beach even more. I have never been to, but I think I would like Vietnam as well, since I have similar image of it as Thailand. I think we all have cultures that suit us, now I feel more comfortable and drawn to Buddhist or Mediterranean culture. I have traveled less often since I came back to Japan in 2003, and recently, Greg and I started to focus on buying a house. Now, some people might think we decided to be settle in Japan and stop being nomadesigners? It is to the contrary actually. We want to have a secure base and stop paying rent so that we have more financial freedom which allows us to travel whenever and however we want. Actually we look forward to have more than one base abroad in the future, so that we have more reason to travel, and we are “going home” at the same time.

You and Yoko are traveling together now. Was it always like this or did you meet on the road?


Greg: In 2004 I contacted Yoko after seeing her profile online, because she had a similar lifestyle. We had a very good exchange of emails in which we were talking about how we were doing in our business and I was giving her advice on how to settle her studio online. A year later during a trip in Japan we met and figured out we were actually a good match for each other. We decided to test out living together and I took a serviced apt in Tokyo for 3 months. After these 3 months and a trip to New York, Miami and Paris, We then decided to move to a real apt. 3 months later we figure out the nomadesign business and made our lifestyle the brand of our design studio. nomadesign.jp was put online by September 2006. It was also at this time that I looked around to see if other people were doing/thinking the same thing... and found you guys.

Yoko: Greg and I have traveled together for the first time in Dec-Jan to France. When Greg spent 7 long years in Japan, I was mostly in Europe, so it is interesting to think about the time we took to finally travel together, while we traveled most of our adult life individually.

Is there any special equipment or infrastructure you must travel with in order to run your business? (ie laptop, telephony, fax)
If so – what brand/models do you choose and why?

Greg: I have a 17' screen macbook pro, Yoko has a Vaio VGN-FS30b. I have another Vaio I keep as a backup tool... but the screen is dead. I also have 2 portable HD one from Buffalo (150GB.) and the other from Seagate (100GB.). We use a linksys pocket wireless router... very useful to connect in an hotel room or the family/friend apt without making a mess with cables. For telephony I use sipphone with a US number and skype. I also use efax for receiving and sending faxes. I use the Shaun Jackson design laptop luggage, I wear mostly victorinox clothes... I do not use their luggage (expansive and fragile). I have a different mobile phone for each country using pre-paid systems. I have a small garmin GPS to note interesting locations or find my hotel when I am lost... on a geeky note... I am a sound freak, I have the Bose noise cancelling headphone... fantastic in a plane but somehow not so efficient in a TGV. and I also have the amp and speakers of Cambridge Soundworks model twelve... that are suppose to be portable... I do not bring the thing with me all the time... much too heavy... but it is the best sound you can bring with you using the bass box as a suitcase. And to finish up the nomadesigner costume... I have a foldable skateboard and an electric skateboard... the electric skateboard is also too heavy to bring each time, but if I could, it would be a lot of fun to use it for discovering well paved cities.

Yoko: I have the 15” screen Vaio laptop which does its work just fine, both for administrative and design work of our company. I have Nokia 3 band phone which I can use pretty much anywhere in the world. I have rarely used the phone to call abroad, but it’s good to have the option just in case, especially when you are in unfamiliar foreign countries. I communicate with our clients mostly via e-mail, so I have not used Skype with them, but it could be very useful when we are away from our base more often. I am not as much of gadget geek as Greg is, so some wrinkle-free clothes and a few pairs of shoes, really few, especially black leather low-heeled pumps from Anatomica (France), all in computer bag from MH Way, travel toiletry bag and suitcase from Muji (both are Japanese international brand) would be enough for a usual trip.

Are there any services you use while you travel in order to run your business? (ie Skype, supportsoft, online appointment services)

Skype, Sipphone, Gizmo, efax, Adium for telephony and IM
paypal.com, 2co.com, citibank, HSBC for online banking, accounting and payments
Apple Dashboard, Stratfor, google news for travel, conversion, translation and info.
Oanda and Invast for trading and investing.

Are your clients/customers located at your home base or scattered?


Greg: Because we are focusing on establishing our current business in Japan, our customers are mostly Japanese right now. I continue to use my logo design business for some works and clients are worldwide (25 different countries so far) but about 60% are American and 80% fro English speaking countries.

What kind of reaction have you had from your clients/customers about your traveling lifestyle?


Greg: "I would like so much to be able to do the same as you guys"... that's usually the main comment. When I started, I was hiding this fact and designed my company like a respectable brick and mortar US company. But now we decided to put that aspect of our way of living and doing business front and center.

Yoko: I deal mostly with Japanese clients. They somehow find it awesome at a personal level, but soon they become concerned of our professional credibility. So I do not emphasize much of our lifestyle to them, not more than the spirit of active and creative designers. Unfortunately, I get pretty much the same reaction from my Japanese close people, I guess they don’t know how to react to it, the concept, unless it becomes somehow well-recognized as an option. That is actually one of our dreams.


What would you say are the pros/cons of the nunomadic business and lifestyle?

Greg: Pros are everything you can expect from a traveling life.
Cons are only cons if you have not chosen this kind of life. For example... I am not covered by a governmental social security. Solution? I buy an international private insurance that costs me $3000 a year. Expensive? Not really if you consider I do not pay income tax in France representing 60% of my income. Almost every con has a solution or a balance... you have to consider yourself a government of your own to prepare safety nets in terms of health, security, finance and comfort. As for other aspects, yes it has been difficult so far to settle a family, have pets, a garden, my collection of books and keep my belongings in one place.

Yoko: Cons are some inconveniences caused by not having your own base as Greg says. Your professional credibility for your potential clients can be at risk, as well as your old friends or cousins might forget to invite you to their weddings. I think most of the problems can be solved by having at least one good base somewhere in the world you feel comfortable to maintain for long term. Obviously it is easier to have it in your home country, but even if it was not, let it be. You just need to be involved and be patient to let the network grow organically there. Pro is needless to spell out but if I may, FREEDOM!

Do you have any advice for those people wanting to set up their own mobile business?

Greg: Focusing on being more free and self-sustainable would bring someone to naturally choose to travel and discover the world. It has never been easier to do so as right now especially if you are single or a couple. I admire you Carmen to be doing it with all your family.

Yoko: Having courage to take the first action and continue making them would be the key, just as any other process of self encouragement. Don’t get caught up too much in what ifs beforehand, you’ll find most of the answers by just doing it. I think freedom is not about being irresponsible, it is to let yourself enjoy your only life in full, so you would do anything to maintain the right. Who can blame you for wanting it? And I agree with Greg, when you can share the joy with your family, create a community or make a big movement, it would be even more meaningful.

If you are a Nu Nomad or know someone who is and would like to be featured in our Meet the Nomads series, email carmen at nunomad.com or post a comment to this blog entry!

Meet the Nomads - The Atkins Family - Around the World in a Bus with 4 Kids!

About a year ago when I began this blog and was planning our time in Europe with 3 children, I ran into Manny Atkins on a travel forum and have been fascinated by her family ever since. The Atkins family are a departure from our traditional NuNomad profile in that they are not taking their careers with them on the journey. In contrast, the journey has become their career. This family has a truly adventurous heart. They have sold their home, given up their jobs, and devoted themselves to a worldwide journey in a bus with their 4 children. I strongly recommend you visit their web site Welcome to the World and look at the progress of their bus conversion as well as their planned round the world route. And because I like them so much - I'm giving them a plug. The Atkins currently need some help raising funds for fuel along the way. Pitch in and be a part of the adventure!

I understand you have begun a project in which you and your 4 children are converting a bus so that you can travel around the world as a family. Tell me what inspired this idea?

Joe has traveled internationally through his work as a lighting designer for theatre, film and conferences. For years he was the one seeing the world, but unable to share it with the family. A few years ago, Harry (now 12) suggested it was time we all saw the world together…and the dream was set in motion.

How long had you been planning this before you actually took the first steps to make it happen?

For me, I’d say it came as a bit of a thunderbolt decision when we sold our house. For Joe, it has been something he has wanted to do for many years. With four young children,I hit a turning point when Arthur (now 7)hit four. His maturity then made everything seem possible, the years (deliciously happy ones!) of pregnancy, babies, nappies, pushchairs, had come to an end, and I felt that our family, and indeed our marriage, entered a whole new phase. It became easy to go and join Joe for a few days while he was working away, and family holidays became much more adventurous. (We all skied for the first time)

How have you funded your project so far?

Basically we sold our house, cleared our mortgage and all outstanding debts, and the remainder has financed the bus; the build; and the trip. We are on an incredibly tight budget with no safety net, but so far everything has costed out much as we expected it to.
The advantages of needing to do as much of the work on the bus ourselves as we possibly can, have been plentiful. The fact that we know how and where and why everything is where it is will be a huge plus to repairs along the way; but more important by far is the amazing sense of achievement for us and for the children. They really will be living in a home they have built with their own hands.

What kind of backgrounds do the two of you have that have prepared you to do this?

A huge amount of optimism!
Joe has worked all over the world, and is very practical and resourceful. I am fearless in asking for help from anyone, and as a family we tend to try and see the good in all situations however challenging. (Easy to say before the trip!)

Have you always home schooled or is this also new for your family?

No home schooling is new to us. Harry has come out of school already to establish a rhythm of home schooling, and to decide what we want to take in terms of resources. It is working so well; he’s the right kind of self- motivated personality to take it on board. In fact they all have a thirsty love of learning, so I can’t wait to be on the road where traveling will be our lessons.

How are the kids doing with the project?

They are truly a magnificent bunch; I am in awe of their dedication; maturity; and team spirit. We have all worked so hard on this project, right from its early planning nearly two years ago, to the intense build period from last November.

I believe you have plans to communicate with schools during your trip. Tell me about that.

We want to share as much of the experiences we have with as many people as we can. It seemed sensible with the ages of our children to link up with classrooms of compatible ages via email, skype and through the website.

What technology will you use to do this?

We think we will use a BGAN system used by journalists and the military to keep online whenever we need. It seems the most appropriate for our needs, but is fairly expensive, especially in tariff terms, so if anyone has any better suggestions or can put us in touch with anyone who may want to get involved in our project financially, we would be keen to hear!

Do you have any particular brands you are choosing?

The BGAN terminal we have been looking into is made by a company called Thrane and Thrane

So far, what have been your biggest challenges?

We had a period of time just before and after Christmas when the workshop which we had been kindly lent the use of by a friend started letting in so much rain water that we spent days trying to secure huge tarpaulins over the roof, only to have them blown off again in the gales and storms that just kept on coming! The workshop was about 45 minutes drive away, so whenever it blew here we were just imagining the damage there! Very stressful! In the end when the leaking roof took the power out, we knew we had to move. We were then unbelievably lucky, as our neighbour offered us the use of the field behind both our houses. We have been able to use our own workshop, and we’ve had nothing but sunshine for weeks now… very different experience!

How about your biggest success?

There have been a few big success moments… but nothing can quite top turning on the power, and running water through the system…and everything working! We felt triumphant!

You’ve done a beautiful job with your bus conversion. Still – this will be pretty tight quarters for 6 people. Do you have any thoughts on how you might get private time while you’re on the road?

I think Joe’s design of the bus has meant there will be places to call our own, and I think that will prove valuable. The ‘pods’ will be little sanctuaries for the kids, and having their own workstations will work well too. We are buying a big bell tent for shady outside living when space allows, and I imagine we will be living outside a lot of the time.

In planning your trip, what have you found to be a good source of information for acquiring road maps for different countries?

I haven’t yet detailed the route by roads, it is an imminent stage of planning, any useful suggestions?
I have, however, just bought the Camperstop 2007 guide to all the motorhome stopovers through Europe which I think will be invaluable. I bought it through Vicarious Books

Do you have any re-fueling concerns as you travel? How many kilometers/miles per gallon does the bus get? How much fuel does it hold?

The 2 tanks hold just over 200 litres of fuel each, and we hope that that will take us about 1,500 miles. (Of course that is an informed guess at the moment, we will have a much more accurate idea in a few months.) My theory is that coaches go everywhere in every country we will be traveling through, and that re-fueling will not be too much of an issue. We have just set up an easy sponsorship opportunity for people or businesses who want to support us: SPONSOR A TANK OF FUEL!
And join our Hall of Fame! £200 just about fills one of our tanks here in the UK, so far the campaign has proved successful in our eternal search for funding.

Do you plan to sleep in the bus 100% of the trip? If so – any safety concerns?

We will make ourselves as secure as we can, and then trust our instincts and try to make sure we don’t take unnecessary risks. We certainly plan to be with the bus whenever it is possible, and really hope to be able to travel with it when it has to moved as freight across the sea.

Do you have any advice for others who might like to drive around the globe?

Watch the website, and learn from our mistakes and triumphs! I’ll have to answer that one properly when we’re on the road!

Meet the Nomads - Seth and Tyler Kayaking the Americas with BioFuel

This week I'm excited to introduce you to Seth and Tyler - two kayakers who mixed their love of the sport wit h their love for the environment. If you wanted to kayak waters from Alaska to Argentina but didn't want to pollute the world in the process, what could you do? Seth and Tyler figured it out. By rigging a used Japanese fire engine to run on biofuel they were able to drive 16,000 miles through both continents enjoying kayaking along the way. Not only that, but they created the Oil and Water Project in the process. As part of this project Seth and Tyler educated communities along their journey about biofuels and possible energy uses for local waste products. Read on to see how they brought this idea into reality and got it funded

Tell us a bit about your project.
Oil and Water Project was the first project conducted by the Biofuels Education Coalition. The idea was to drive from the North Point of Alaska to the South point of Argentina utilizing oils from plants and animals that exist on the side of the road. Following the endless summer from the mountains to rivers to ocean, we made use of our kayaks, surfboards and skateboards. On our way through we did presentations to public and youth on the benefits of Alternative Energy.

How did you receive the inspiration to do this?
I´ve traveled a lot in my life, and the inspiration came from the pristine wilderness and free flowing rivers I´ve encountered and the need to help protect them for future generations. I´ve also witnessed some of the poorest cultures in the world and realized that educated people living in the first world have a responsibility to do something more. If we don´t who will?

What type of knowledge/preparation do you have to have in order to get started on something like this?
Well, invent a car that can run on any type of oil and build it, learn spanish, become a mechanic, write curriculums, distribute them. Oh yeah...get the funding.

How did you fund this project?
We made a high school science fair style poster that illustrated all the facets of our journey and took it around to a tradeshow for the outdoor industry and did presentaions to about 20 potential sponsors. 4 were smart enough to get on board. KAVU, Keen, Clifbar and MSR. Check out their stuff on line.

When did you begin? What was the length of preparation? Length of your journey?
We conceived the idea in November of 2004 to drive from Alaska to Argentina, first learned about Biofuels in June of 2005. After over a year of getting ready, we set off from Dead Horse, Alaska on July 1, 2006 for a 9 month journey of the Americas.

Where did your journey take you?
USA, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina.

Of all the places you passed through, which would you say were the most accomodating to your efforts? Were there any that were not?
Everyone we encountered were accomodating to the effort. We were showing them how to take waste from restaurants and make it into money. For farmers we taught them how take the plants grown in their farm and make it into fuel to run their tractors. Energy independence is on everyones mind these days, and when two people came through in a crazy truck teaching people how to do that it was just a snowball.

Now that you’ve completed this journey, we hear you have plans to go across the U.S. on algae. What new challenges might this pose?
Well, again no one has done this. Like the Alaska to Argentina trip....we used many fuels that had never before been tested. Doing a long trip using Algae for fuel will definitely help the scientists that are sitting around studying it get some new info on it. The challenges we will pose will definitely be, as always in getting the funding.

Is there any special equipment or infrastructure you must travel with in order to run your project? (ie laptop, telephony, fax) We have a sattellite phone sponsored by Global Star, a laptop etc to update our website, but we don´t use any special technology.

If so – what brand/models do you choose and why?
I use a Macintosh computer.

Are there any services you use while you travel in order to run your business? (ie Skype, supportsoft, online appointment services, wifi
access) We use the internet.....sometimes dial-up.

What kind of reaction have you had from others about your traveling lifestyle?
A lot of jealousy.

What would you say are the pros/cons of the nunomadic business and lifestyle?
It takes a certain character to pull it off. The world is at your fingertips through all the wonderful people you will meet, mutual connections you will make and life altering situations you will encounter.
I can´t imagine doing this kind of thing and having a family.....even a girl friends have been super difficult to maintain so for some, that would be a major con.

Do you have any advice for those people wanting to set up their own mobile business?
Make sure you have a sweet rig.

Are you a Nu Nomad or do you know someone who is? We'd love to interview you! Contact Carmen by emailing info at nunomad.com or by inserting a comment in this blog.

Meet the Nomads - Simon LePine - Mountain Climber/Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

This week we meet with Simon LePine, a mountain climber/insurance agent/rescue worker/entrepreneur. Yes, he does it all! Simon lives an extraordinary nomadic lifestyle combining his love for outdoor adventure with his career. He has graciously offered lots of advice and tips below on how he makes it happen.

What is your business/profession?
I actually have four professions. They are:
• High Camp Gear - Chief of Operations
• Lions Bay Search and Rescue - Communications Officer (Volunteer)
• Guiding - In training to be a mountain guide
• Insurance Broker

High Camp:
High Camp is the business I enjoy the most, allows me to travel the most, and the one I try to spend the most of my energy on so I will gloss over the other professions. I will say that out of all those professions, I work 15-20 hours a day, 7 days a week so I have to travel while working or I would never have the opportunity. High Camp is a business I started 5 years ago manufacturing and distributing outdoor clothing and equipment. I have set the business up in such a way that we have no employees but many contractors. This way I can travel and work from anywhere without the hassle of having to be in the office or managing employees. It also allows my contractors to work when and where they want. In my company rather than setting a required amount of work or number of hours I set deadlines for work completed and it doesn't matter how we get to the deadline.

Lions Bay SAR:
My home base is in Lions Bay, B.C., when I'm around home I'm more than happy to volunteer when needed. The team overall participates in 20-50 technical mountain rescues every year.

Guiding:
I have been training for 10 years now to be a mountain guide certified by the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) and this is actually what I went to school for. 7-10 years is the normal amount of time it takes to be ready for certification and I feel I'm ready but it's been put it on hold while I get High Camp up and running.

What training/experience did you receive in order to be able to have this business/profession?
The training and experience for High Camp, Lions Bay SAR, and Guiding is essentially one and the same. I started skiing around the time I learnt to walk and got into some pretty serious skiing by the age of 10. All that time I needed something to do in the summer so I started rock climbing and that expanded into mountaineering and technical ice climbing. With that experience I started training to be a guide and joined Lions Bay SAR. I then went to the University College of the Cariboo (now called Thompson Rivers University) and took the Adventure Guide Program. While I was at school I had to take business courses designed specifically for outdoor professionals such as business management, marketing, and accounting. In the business course I had to write a business plan and that was the birth of High Camp.

How long have you been doing this?
This is sort of mentioned in all the other questions. I have been skiing my entire life, climbing for 11 years, mountaineering and ice climbing for 6 years, rescuing people for 6 years, and running High Camp for 5 years.

How long were you in your business/profession before you began traveling?
The travel really came before the profession. When I was training to be a guide and going to school it was required that we travel a lot and gain real world experience. The travel has always been the priority and I have developed jobs around that. I've found I really can't go for more than a week or two without going and challenging myself in the outdoors.

What interested you in becoming mobile?
The primary reason I mix work, play, and travel is because I work more than 8 hours a day so a structured office environment really doesn't suite me. Combine that with a passion for the outdoors and you're pretty much forced to live the nomad lifestyle if you ever want to enjoy yourself and accomplish anything. Also, by having a flexible schedule I can work on the bad weather days (such as today) and play on the good weather days.

Where do you like to travel?
One of my favorite places to travel is the West Coast of North America. It's amazing how much terrain is here if you're willing to leave the beaten path. It also helps to be able to work while traveling in the mountains and come out of the mountains for a day or two for meetings if necessary. For my bigger trips I love to travel in New Zealand, Europe, South America, and anywhere mountainous.

How much of the year do you travel?
The amount of time I spend traveling varies significantly based on the commitments I have at home. In years past I have traveled for 8-9 months total while other years it's only 2-3 months total. Lately it's only been 3-4 months but I'm hoping that will increase very soon as High Camp starts to produce more revenue and run itself. My girlfriend is in India right now climbing and the plan was for me to go and meet up with her but commitments won't allow it. For now we're planning big trips to the Himalayas and Aconcagua in South America.

Do you travel alone/with a partner/with children?
For the most part I travel with a climbing partner although I have been known to solo certain routes. Lately I have been traveling with my girlfriend a lot because she enjoys climbing and skiing just as much as me. I would definitely recommend traveling with a partner to start, two heads are better than one.

Is there any special equipment or infrastructure you must travel with in order to run your business? (ie laptop, telephony, fax)
I definitely couldn't live without my Acer tablet PC. Tablets are great because they allow you to work in places were typing isn't an option.
Also, my Treo cell phone is essential because it tells me were to go and what to do.
I have a Skype phone and that's great for long distance calls and longer calls. It's nice that Skype goes anywhere your laptop does and it’s pay as you go. With the Treo it's possible to have phone calls forwarded to your Skype account so when I'm at the computer working I just ignore my cell phone and wait for Skype to ring.

Are there any services you use while you travel in order to run your business?
• Zoho for online office suite: (www.zoho.com)
o Creator
o Writer
o Chat
o Sheet
o Virtual Office
• Goowy
o Email
o To-do list
o RSS feeds
o Podcasts
• Yahoo
o Yahoo syncs with my Treo so it's nice to have a web based backup.
o It's also nice to set up a group calendar for all your business associates to schedule meetings.

Are your clients/customers located at your home base or scattered?
The retailers that buy from High Camp are currently all located in BC and all of my insurance clients are based in Vancouver.

What kind of reaction have you had from your clients/customers about your traveling lifestyle?
All of my clients appreciate my lifestyle and it's actually a selling feature. Everyone in the outdoor industry appreciates it if you can hold your meetings on the ski hill, in the mountains, or on rock cliffs. At the same time the insurance clients always ask what mountain I just climbed or I'm about to climb. I get the impression that people enjoy dealing with a personality and they like to be able to reach me 24/7.

What would you say are the pros/cons of the nunomadic business and lifestyle?
I would say the pros are:
• Freedom
• Enjoy your work environment
• Less potential for burnout (if it's done right)
• Accomplish more/More effective time use
• Life experience
• Business experience
• Networking
• Often a lower cost of living

The cons are:
• If it's not done right you will burn out sooner and work much harder
• You have to be extremely adaptable and think on your feet
• Some people require a home to go to every night
• Things change on a daily basis which doesn't work for some people
• You have to be self motivated

Do you have any advice for those people wanting to set up their own mobile business?
Preparation:
I would say, as I have read somewhere else on nunomad.com, prepare ahead of time and take a few small trips first. If you go directly from a 9-5 office job to a nomad lifestyle it will be a shock to your system and you probably will not adapt quickly enough. On the small trips note any problems you have and find a solution on the spot or at home, don't let the little things build up because they will make bigger trips unpleasant.

Companion:
I would always recommend traveling with a companion. Aside from the obvious security and safety it preserves your sanity, gives you a sounding board, and will help you find solutions to problems you come across along the way. This companion must be someone you can travel with and not create conflict or stress. Alternatively you can arrange to meet different friends or business associates along the way.

Permission:
If you work for someone else you will have to either show them you are capable of working remotely or you will have to negotiate that when you're first hired. To be honest if a mediocre employee came to me and asked to work from home I wouldn't let them because I wouldn't have confidence they were going to work hard and/or not make mistakes. If you're already living the nomad lifestyle when you're hired that's great, just be up front and let your employer know where you go and what you do. If you're going to ask your boss to let you leave you probably should work hard for at least a year to prove you have a strong work ethic that will continue while out of the office. It may help to negotiate less time in the office in exchange for getting a raise.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my thoughts.

P.S. The picture I have included was taken in the Interior of British Columbia. It was a 10 day "business meeting" with an associate while attempting to set up new routes on an unclimbed rock face. We were also product testing, the shirt I'm wearing is a sample of The Shirt, which we designed and manufactured.

If you are a Nu Nomad or know someone who is and would like to be interviewed for our Meet the Nomads series, please send a comment to the blog or email us at info at nunomad.com!

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Meet the Nomads - Mike - Web Publisher Loving Thailand

This week's interview is with Mike, an experienced Australian website publisher who has made Asia his home for over 10 years. He is currently living on Ko Chang in Thailand. Mike gives a ton of information and great advice for those of you wondering, "how the heck can people do this?" If you'd like to gain more from Mike's knowledge base about web publishing, I recommend you peruse his blog, Retire Young and Wealthy

What is your business/profession?

I always find this question difficult to answer! If had to apply a label to what I do I would describe myself as a ‘Website Publisher’. I basically build websites, which in turn I sell advertising on - not unlike what a magazine publisher does, but on the internet

What training/experience did you receive in order to be able to have this business/profession?

I completed a degree in Computer Science at university, but only started working in IT later in my career. It has helped me a little in my business in providing background knowledge, but you definitely do not need to be a technologist to do what I am currently doing. I worked on one of my former employer’s corporate Intranet, which helped give me some basic web development skills and in turn sparked my interest in creating my own website.

More than technological skills, you need to be a skilled marketer to be successful on the internet. Most of what I have learned is from reading and participating in webmaster forums like www.webmasterworld.com

How long have you been doing this?

I have been working on my internet business part-time for two years and just quit my full-time job in December 2006 to travel and work on my business full-time.

How long were you in your business/profession before you began traveling?

I developed my business part-time while working in a non-related job for a US company in Japan (I am from Australia). Tokyo, where I was living at the time is a very expensive city to live in so I had to work a regular job while I was developing my business.

I quit my job in December 2006. Then I moved back to Australia. I was fortunate that I was able to stay with my family, to save money and spend time consolidating and updating all of the projects I was currently working on. In March this year I bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand and have spent the past month traveling around northern Thailand and a few weeks on the beautiful island of Koh Chang, where I am now writing this.

I had lived in Japan for 10 years in total and spend one year in China in 1998, so I have spent most of my adult life overseas.

What interested you in becoming mobile?

I knew I always wanted to run my own business. I have always known that few people ever became rich from working in a job. I had a number of ideas, but like many people I never carried them out. I was never really prepared to risk my money in a new venture. I wanted to find a business which I could develop in my spare time, so if I was able to achieve some success, it would then be easier to quit my full-time job.

I was living in Japan and even though I loved living there, I didn’t want to have a business that tied me to the country. Ideally I wanted to be able to spend time both in Japan and Australia. For nearly a year I made a bit of money selling Japanese antiques on Ebay. The business was going well, but I found the business model unsustainable as it was very labor intensive and a very difficult business to automate.

One of my other ideas was to sell real-estate in Australia to Japanese. I partnered with a real estate agent in Australia and developed a Japanese website.

I had a few enquiries, but I wondered how many Japanese were going to trust me spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house, if I didn’t even have a proper office in Japan. It was also hard to try and meet potential clients as I was working full-time.

At the same time I was buying properties of my own and started my own financial blog: Retire Young and Wealthy I joined the Google Adsense program and started various other websites. One of my main sites is a travel guide to Tokyo: Tokyo Essentials I started making money from affiliate programs just by placing some code on my websites.

This is where it clicked for me. I could create websites, which I could then make money selling by advertising and selling products and services through affiliate programs. I could sell products which I did not have to buy or distribute. I directed any problems, which are generally very few, back to the affiliate company. I would wake up in the morning to find that I had made sales while I was sleeping.

I have always loved traveling, but I could only go once or twice a year during my vacation. With the business I was developing, I realized I could work anywhere I wanted to as long as I had a computer and an internet connection.

In a way it has made more sense to travel in countries with a lower cost of living, as my income does not change as to where I am actually living.

Where do you like to travel?

I have been in Thailand for nearly a month now. I can go to an air-conditioned restaurant and for the price of a coffee (or a beer) and utilize their free wi-fi internet for as long as I want. The water for swimming is beautiful and warm and you can find plenty of cheap places to stay.

It used to be possible to stay a month and leave to a neighboring country to get your visa renewed. Unfortunately at least for Thailand, this is getting more difficult. I am planning to travel to Cambodia and then on to Vietnam.

I like the warmer climates of the tropics. South East Asia is an ideal place to spend time if you are making money from outside of the region. Banking and communications function well enough now to run an internet based business. Living costs are low, so you can spend your time in the region enjoying what it has to offer while you develop your business.

Of course, if I can grow my income I want to travel to Europe and beyond.

How much of the year do you travel?

I come from Melbourne, Australia. The summers are nice but the winters are pretty cold and miserable. I haven’t decided yet how much of the time I will spend traveling, but I hope to travel at least for the next six months to a year.

The beauty with what I am currently doing is that I don’t need to spend any length of time in a particular place.

Do you travel alone/with a partner/with children?

I am traveling alone at the moment. If you were traveling a partner, I think you would need to both be doing something similar. Sometimes you need to spend a bit of time at your computer. It could be difficult to work, if your partner is out enjoying themselves.

Is there any special equipment or infrastructure you must travel with in order to run your business?
I have a pretty compact laptop. Wireless capability is essential. I also have a digital camera, video camera, USB memory stick and an external hard disk for storing data.

I have an iPod mini which is a great device for traveling on long bus trips. I listen to a lot of podcasts, which I download listen to later on. I listen to podcasts related to my business, so I can be learning new things while walking along the beach or traveling on a bus or plane.

I have Skypeinstalled on my laptop, but only use it for personal use. I do all of my business communication via email.

After getting work related calls at all hours of the day while I was working, I haven’t had a mobile phone since I quit my last job. I might get one in the future, but l am currently enjoying living without one.

If so – what brand/models do you choose and why?

I bought all of my kit while I was living in Japan. I don’t use any particular brands. I have a Fujitsu FMV Biblo LOOX T75L/T which is a great little computer (this is a model sold in Japan, for a U.S. version, try the Fujitsu Lifebook P-2040) . A laptop is also good source of entertainment, whether you are waiting in an airport lounge or staying somewhere with no television.

Are there any services you use while you travel in order to run your business?
I use Google’s gmail for email. I rarely delete my messages and still have only used a fraction of the storage. My sites run on Dreamhost.

I have a number of applications like Firefox installed on my USB memory stick, so I can go into an internet café and have all of my bookmarks accessible. You can download a number of useful applications for your thumb drive from portableapps.com. I use Filezilla for FTPing my files, but there are plenty of good programs available.

Most of my sites run on the open source CMS Joomla and blogs on Wordpress. NVU is useful for creating basic sites. GIMP is an open source picture editor, I use. I use Google’s calendar service for creating reminders to myself.

Are your clients/customers located at your home base or scattered?

The companies I work with are mostly in the US and Japan. Since most of the advertising systems run automatically I rarely hear from them and them from me.

What kind of reaction have you had from your clients/customers about your traveling lifestyle?

The few advertisers I have in Japan, actually said to me “you could run your business from anywhere”. Perhaps they were surprised when I did actually move, but since I am creating value for their businesses and I can respond to their queries by email, there generally is no problem.

What would you say are the pros/cons of the nunomadic business and lifestyle?

Positivies:

- Freedom to live and work where you want
- Work when you want
- No commutes
- More time for relaxation as you are free from having to do many of the usual daily chores
- More inspiration for your work
- New life experiences
- Opportunity to meet new people

Negatives:

- You need to keep yourself disciplined and motivated
- Sometimes difficult to stay abreast of technology changes
- Need to keep track of visa regulations in various countries
- Could experience problems if you have trouble with your equipment
- The feeling of living out of suitcase all of the time.

Do you have any advice for those people wanting to set up their own mobile business?

- Spend a lot of time on your preparation. You need to develop a new mindset if you have never lived overseas before.
- Flexibility - conditions on the road can change at any time.
- Have multiple sources of income. If you are having trouble with one source of income, you will still have money to continue traveling.
- Have a couple of different bank accounts and credit/ATM cards.
- Be very security conscience when working in internet cafes.
- Get the appropriate travel insurance for both yourself and your equipment.
- Have at least one person who can help to open your (snail) mail.
- If you have an internet website, set the domain renewal to automatic or pay for 10 years in advance.
- Have several backups of all of the work you do, both online and offline.
- Be honest with your customers/clients that you are traveling and sometimes your email response will be slow. If your clients require you to be there all of the time, you might need to consider changing your business if you would like it to be mobile.
- If you have never lived abroad take a few short trips before you go for a long haul. It is a good way to prepare both yourself mentally and your equipment.
Have fun and enjoy yourself, don’t waste time thinking about work/your business all of the time