A lifestyle of permanent travel – or even just traveling more – is something many people dream of. But what if you have ambitious professional goals and want to climb the career ladder? Can you still be a ‘traveler’?
[ Note: This post is brought to you by our friends at BrazenCareerist.com.]
I BELIEVE you can have it all. There’s no reason to give up on your goal of becoming CEO of your own company just because you want to travel. The way to do it is to become location independent.
Location independence is a concept and lifestyle my husband and I stumbled upon after leaving the rat race ourselves a few years ago.
In our quest to find that one special corner of the world where we wanted to settle down, we created portable careers – businesses which can be run from anywhere in the world via an internet connection.
So far, having traveled to and living in places like Panama, Buenos Aires, Grenada, Toronto, South Africa, Dubai and Thailand, we’ve not yet found that place, but instead we’ve found and been presented with more professional and career opportunities than ever before. A few examples of how this has worked and the opportunities we’ve had so far:
- Working with a portfolio of international clients for our web/graphic design business (from Australia, Dubai, the US, the UK, Italy, South Africa and more)
- Working on a 6-month contract working for a consulting start-up in South Africa, leading a project to improve the distribution of HIV drugs
- Being able to build and connect with a community of like-minded peers online
- National UK, Chinese & Brazilian press exposure about our Location Independent project
As a fellow travel enthusiast, I know work and career may be the last thing on your mind; perhaps you see it purely as a means to an end – a way to generate the cash you need to fund your travels.
But if you are keen to pursue a successful career without having to curb your enthusiasm for travel, how can you do this too?
The answer is all about knowing how to actively manage your personal brand, your career and your professional network, no matter where you are in the world. With the advent of the social web, it’s never been easier … here are a few things you might want to consider:
If you’d like to pursue a location independent career, it may take you some time to get there. There is no better time than the present however, to start building a professional network that will better enable this kind of lifestyle. While LinkedIn is often seen as the “professional” social network, it’s more suited to simply displaying your network, not proactively building it.
Brazen Careerist is a new kind of network, based on a vibrant and active community – it’s a network which is specifically designed to help you actively build new connections through sharing ideas and helping members of your network find success.
- If you are going to take extended breaks from your career or drop off the grid for a while, then managing your personal brand becomes even more important. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – all the usual suspects – make up part of your personal brand and can be one of the first places savvy employers look.
Photo: Giorgio Montersino
I certainly use these tools to check out people we’re thinking of working with or hiring. One of the stand-out features of Brazen Careerist, is that when potential employers view your profile, they’ll see that you’re more than just your resume.
Their ideas-based feed is an interactive log of your great ideas, inspirations and passions, all in one place. Organized and neat – just what employers are looking for.
Think very carefully about how you use social web tools while traveling. Those twitpics of you falling about drunk at a beach party in India may amuse your friends but might not look so good to a prospective employer checking you out online. Another option is to turn these tools to your advantage – join networks and communities like LinkedIn and Brazen Careerist which focus on your professional side – and which can be used to demonstrate the skills, experiences and the knowledge you’ve been picking up on the road.
- If you’re looking for a job which gives you the opportunity for extensive travel (travel journalist, global sales rep, international recruiter etc.) consider how your personal brand and travel experience can be used to give you the edge over another candidate. How will you demonstrate this? Where will you find these sorts of opportunities?
- Network, network, network. It’s the mantra of the social web! I am pretty sure that it’s the last thing you’ll be thinking about while gallivanting around the Galapagos but if you’re also trying to keep one eye on your career, it’s all too true. If you’re smart about it however, it doesn’t have to be as arduous or boring as it sounds and if you’re on Twitter or Facebook then the good news is that you’re already doing it!
Being able to conduct conversations, share ideas and stories and build relationships whenever you want, wherever you want puts you ahead of the game when it comes to looking for a new job.
Seek out tools that enable you to do this, no matter where you are in the world. Brazen Careerist is ideal for this – think of it like a 24-7 networking social. You can stop in and join the conversation when you have some free time, but it’s not going to hold back on-the-go travelers. In fact, you can sync Brazen Careerist up to your Twitter account and your blog. It almost (but not quite) does the networking for you.
Career management and travel do not have to be mutually exclusive – they can even be mutually beneficial if you leverage the right resources. To get started, why not join our Location Independent group on Brazen Careerist and grow your professional network amongst like-minded people.
Community Connection
For more info. go to brazencareerist.com, and please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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15 Comments... join the discussion!
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I think we could all benefit from a little location independence!!!
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Great idea and great article. I just signed up but was dissapointed that there is not a big following in Australia yet. Hopefully in time there will be. Love the concept though and the links to your twitter and linkedin account are an ingenius idea! I joined the location independent group as that is a dream I hope to have achieved in the next 4 years.
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@Damon – we do have quite a few people from Australia in our community. Get in touch with me if you’d like me to connect you.
@Julie – A meet-up between Mali and Mariel? Now that would be cool! We’ve not quite launched the Location Independent Parents site yet – due to launch in a couple of weeks
You should definitely check out Brazen Careerist – it’s a great professional network which has a very different vibe from LinkedIn.
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Lea-
Really stoked to see you here on Matador! And I’m looking forward to checking out Brazen Careerist, as well as Location Independent Kids, which Andy Hayes said you launched recently. Hopefully one day Mali and Mariel can meet up!
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Oops– previous post was from me (Julie).
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thanks for this. this post helps me to fulfill my long term plan to become a location independent professional. im stuck in a cubicle now, but im just using this job posting as a means to an end
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Thanks Nico! You’re totally right…the #1 reason more people don’t do the location independent thing is because they think they can’t. Admittedly, there are some very real reasons why some people can’t but most people could with the right mindset and actions. There’s quite a lot of support out there (just check out the Location Independent site for starters!) for people who’d like to create this lifestyle, so you’re definitely not alone if it’s something one chooses to do.
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Great post,Lea.
I’m also in total agreement with using social media as a tool to develop your network. Twitter, Linked In, Facebook and blogging — in particular — have helped me develop not only work contacts but expat support, friendships. I’m always amazed at what happens when you put yourself out there.
Funny, too, I didn’t realize how much our paths have overlapped. South Africa. Buenos Aires and Panama. Perhaps one day we’ll actually meet.
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Hi Lea – I just spent some time on Location Independent and loved it! Loved the wiki on living expenses in the resources area, and the interviews that illustrate how people get started. I’ll plan to spend a lot more time with you there, and will also do a write-up for my own blog, http://www.ShoreDiveLife.com – it’s a perfect reasource for us. Thanks again!
Nancy
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@Nancy – thanks! Glad you like the site and welcome to our community
Let me know when you’ve done a write-up on your site…be happy to tweet it etc.
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@Leigh – funny how we seem to have almost crossed paths with so many people! That’s one reason we’re now going to organise LIP (Location Independent People) meet-ups wherever we are….you don’t happen to be in Thailand in January by any chance do you?!?
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This is a great article, im still in high school and all that i want is a career that allows me to travel and help people, any ideas or suggestions on how to get started??
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Hi Bailey – glad you enjoyed the article.
I have a couple of suggestions for how/where to get started:
- Submit a question to our coaches at http://locationindependentprofessionals.com/ask-the-coach/; the posts they write are excellent at helping people in our community get started.
- Spend some time browsing and networking on the Brazen Careerist site for ideas and people to chat with; it’s a great networking resource for young, switched on professionals so might give you an idea of the wide range of possibilities out there.
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this is great…laptop warriors ahoy!
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