BusinessBackpacker.com

Becoming Famously Yourself & Getting Discovered by Discovery Channel

I remember daydreaming one day about the professional self that I wanted to become.  I was midway through my masters in business and was trying to picture what I would look like as a successful business owner.

I made a picture of myself with straight, highlighted hair.  I wore a suit skirt outfit with a collared shirt and fancy shoes.   I made comments along the side of this image like “long hair” or “get braces”.  In my picture, I had a briefcase and was smiling.

I looked down at my current status and sighed.  I was going to have to go from cargo pants, hoodies and flip flops to a whole ‘nother me.

I was going to have to change a lot…Or Was I???

Well, truth be told, I thought I had to.  I got the suits, the shirts, the briefcase, and went to the salon.  I started my business and went to networking events.  I had my perfect business cards and my first real website.  I got clients, speaking opportunities, and I got Noticed.

But not really in the way that I wanted to be…

Some part of me felt off.  It wasn’t really even something I could place at the time, but it was as though I was trying to be some “better” version of myself; but maybe not the right one.

When I packed my bag for Thailand, I can assure you there were no suites (other than bathing suits), no collared shirts, and my fancy shoes were a pair of Reef flip flops that I got on sale for $7.

While it took awhile, I slowly shed the seriousness of my past-professional-self, and started settling back into me. I started doing the things I used to love but had become a bit too ‘caught up’ to do before.

• I started diving again, climbing more, dancing, having wild nights out, letting myself enjoy a cold beer, and playing pool.
• My highlighted hair grew out and faded into its natural sun-streaked self.  My skin cleared, my mind cleared and my calendar cleared.
• I’ve spent the past 14 months traveling, writing, sunning, and generally enjoying life.

You can imagine my shock when I was contacted by Discovery Channel to be interviewed and featured on their show.  Even as I made arrangements, appointments and scheduled filming dates, I didn’t believe it was really happening.

I was going to be on TV??!!

We spent two days filming.  The first day was rock climbing.  This was a comedy of errors, trying to get ropes up, cameras up, crew members that were afraid of heights on the rock. Meanwhile, the host, Janet, and I were climbing (with one rope and only two people to belay).  We wrapped up climbing and I did my interview on the trail by the rocks that overlook the ocean.

Day two, the whole crew came to my place.  We filmed driving on my motorbike, which was a near disaster.  I haven’t ever had a passenger, and just learning to drive, I wasn’t quite ready for a camera crew to be following alongside in a tuk-tuk that was running me into oncoming traffic whilst filming.  We walked around the beaches, shopped and finished the day out with my birthday party at my friend’s restaurant.

My Old Self…

My old self would’ve been concerned with my hair, or what I would wear.  But for some reason I actually didn’t care at all.  For climbing, I wound my hair up, had an old pair of sweatpants that my friend gave me, and had on a $5 sports bra shirt.

The second day, we needed to pack quickly for the scene, so I wadded up a cheap beach dress and stuffed it into my bag.  That’s what I wore to the party, with a pair of $2 flip flops I bought from 7-11 six months ago.  I had on no makeup, and I simply let my hair down… in more ways than one.

The night was a fantastic success… and I felt a new sense of satisfaction… I could be famously myself.

I think the best part about this entire experience was that I knew every aspect was 100% me.  My biggest takeaways from this experience were:

• You don’t have to try so hard.
• The more you become yourself, the more people will seek you out.
• Trying to portray a perfect image is meaningless and exhausting.  At the end of the day, people want to be around someone who is relaxed, confident, and authentic.
• By leading an authentic life, you can become a true inspiration to everyone.

I’m very grateful for this opportunity and found it incredibly exciting as a Lifestyle Coach to be a guest on a world renowned travel and leisure show.  I’ll let you all know the details of when it is going to air, and hopefully you can check it out!  Thanks for your ongoing props and support!!

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My First Open Forum

Hi Friends!

I’m really excited because I’m realizing my readership has Gone Global! I’m getting comments from all over the U.S. and I’m recently getting more comments from overseas…  Japan, South Africa, England, the Netherlands and Finland.

So, for FUN, I thought it would be great to start an Open Forum to get some of you newer readers, or new to commenting readers talking.  I want this site to be an informative place to connect, so it would be great if you could say hello so others could link to you!

I have a few questions that I’d love your feedback on, feel free to answer one, or all, but please comment away.  You may not feel your voice is heard in other parts of the world, but all of your thoughts count here!!!

Questions…

Where are you from, or where are you living?

What topics would you like to see on this site?

Are there any questions you have about living / working abroad?

Help!  I can’t Name My eBook!

And… I’m VERY EXCITED to ANNOUNCE the release of my first eBook…  BUT I NEED YOUR HELP! I am having a really hard time landing on a Title for the book.  This one last glitch is delaying my release, and maybe you could help me decide? The topics covered are an overview of the consulting I do with my clients.  It shows how you can make personal changes in your attitude and actions related to time, money, behaviors, and structuring your business to live the life of your dreams!  Very fun stuff!

Book title options…..

Here are a few I’ve come up with, let me know what you like , or add a new one of your own!

• Return on Life:  Reclaim Your Business and Your Life!
• Living Your Dream: a guidebook to lifestyle mastery
• Lifestyle Design 101
• Building the Life You’ve Always Dreamed of

I’m really excited to Get People Talking more on this site, so Please Comment on any of the topics above, I’d really like to meet you & learn more about you!

Click below to comment :0)

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Downsizing Your Stuff and Rightsizing Your Life

Most of us know How to Make Things Go; Not How to Let Things Go.

The process of downsizing has more to do with refining our personal character than just giving away or selling our stuff. When you decide it is time to do an overhaul of your belongings and your life, there are various stages that you will go through.  Having gone through this purging process repeatedly, I have now come to identify the process and wanted to share with you some of the major milestones you will find yourself moving past.  This is a process of reforming your identity, moving above and beyond material attachment, breaking social norms, and letting go of old behaviors. I know the process may feel scary, but consider it a cleansing process, you must first get rid of the old in order to let the new come into your life…

Step 1: Detaching Your Personal Identity from Your Personal Belongings

In the Western world, we learn at an early age to identify ourselves with our stuff.  If we are good, we get more stuff.  If we work hard and are successful, we own more stuff than other people.  Those that are unfortunate are the only ones without stuff.

One of my favorite things about traveling to other places in the world is we get to see a different perspective. In Eastern countries, it is commonplace for those seeking enlightenment to give up their worldly possessions.  They give up the “worldly comforts” and Buddhist monks take to the life of ‘one robe and one bowl’.  Their path is revered by all and the monks are highly respected everywhere.

You will not see a case in history where a person set off to find their destiny with all of their stuff.  Giving up and letting go is part of the process that lets the Universe know that you are ready to put your life in its hands. You trust that you will be provided for and anything you need will come your way with precision timing.

Step 2: Overcoming Societal Norms and Expectations

Part of the process of finding ourselves is to renounce societal norms and expectations that other people have put upon us.  You may find that other people in your family have belief systems that they try to put on you; and if you do not comply, you are forced to feel guilty, rejected, or wrong.  It took me years to wean myself out of heavily steeped family traditions that just didn’t feel right to me. It took even longer to detach myself from feeling bad or guilty about my decisions to ‘opt out’.

Being the black sheep is a strange catch twenty-two.  In the beginning, you may be chastised for being different.  But in the end, you may find yourself in a situation where other people are envious of you because they did not have the courage to break out of the box themselves.  This has happened my whole life.  I have always challenged the norm, broken the rules, and created realities that to others seemed impossible.  I’ve been told, “You Can’t Do That” more times then I can count.  But I could, and I did, and I continue to do so, and So Can You!

Just because other people have limited views of what is possible doesn’t mean you have to.  Be bold and daring and create your own rules for the lifestyle you want to live.

When you have set yourself apart from everyone else, you are that much closer to knowing exactly who you really are, and finding out what you really believe in. This is part of the downsizing process!  You have to get rid of old and limiting thoughts and belief systems in order to come to the new, energetic, and passionate lifestyle you want to live.  In the new game, there are no limits—only those that you create for yourself.

Step 3: Moving Beyond the “Loudest and Pushiest”

I have now lived in Southeast Asia for six and a half months.  The easiest thing for me to identify here is an American.  They are by far the loudest and pushiest in the room.  Just today, I was in the airport, flying from Krabi to Bangkok and had the pleasure of watching five Americans.  They were in line for their airline tickets and checking their bags (which, BTW were HUGE and they were too heavy to bring back).  Normally, this process would not take long, but the general disposition was that:

1. They were the only people in the building
2. They wanted everything and they wanted it NOW
3. Delaying other people was of no major concern to them
   
4. They communicated by being loud and speaking over everyone else
   

Now, generally I don’t go around bashing Americans, but it has been quite funny to witness these stereotypes away from home.  Because Asian cultures pride themselves on modesty and politeness, our loud and pushy attitude is a stark contrast that sticks out like a sore thumb here.

Having arrived in a more subtle culture, I found myself trying to tone several things down about my personality here.  I grew up with the mindset that if you don’t go after it and push to the front of the line, you are missing out!  If you aren’t in charge then you won’t get what you want out of life!  Having viewed a different lifestyle and culture altogether, I now know and understand some of the subtleties of letting others go first, listening while others speak (not always having to add something to the conversation), and generally allowing things to be how they are rather than trying to dominate it or control every aspect of life.

Are aspects that you learned growing up that could be downsized?  Did you learn that in order to be heard or get what you want in life that you had to be loud and pushy about it?  How is this affecting your success or your opinion of how successful you already are?

Step 4: Letting Things Come to You

If our mindset is constantly, “I need more”, the natural solution is, “I need to go get it”.  The problem with much of our conditioning is that we believe there is a limited supply of everything we want.  We need to go and get it before it is gone.  We need it Now!!!

The endless need for obtaining more creates nearly All of the Stress in our lives.  This dissatisfaction and lack of appreciation keeps you running, overworking, and feeling as though ‘Nothing is Ever Enough’.

In order to obtain happiness and personal freedom, you need to shift your mindset.

Mindset Change: Change your view from ‘getting more’ to appreciating and refining what you already have.  Realize the ceaseless need for more is one that never leads to satisfaction (ever!).

Once you realize that you no longer have to fight for life, you can free up your time and energy to put towards creative endeavors that will benefit yourself and others.  As you learn to share your ideals and information freely, you will attract the attention of those you wish to serve.  They, in turn, will come to you in need of your services and seek out your wisdom.  At this point, you have changed your view from getting to giving, which attracts the right people, circumstances, and opportunities into your life. By refining our character and becoming modest in our desires, we can finally see what is truly important.

Summary

Downsizing is more about creating space for opportunity to appear.  It is about Rightsizing our lives by determining what is most important and making decisions that bring us closer to our goals.  We do that primarily by reducing our material goods and desires, relinquishing expectations that others put upon us, and refining our behaviors.  By trusting that we are on the right path and focusing on giving rather than getting, we learn to let things come to us.  It is in this arena that we discover the highest realm of existence: inner abundance.

‘Goodbye’ said the fox.  ‘Now here is my secret.  It is very simple.  It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly.  What is essential is invisible to the eye.’

-Antoine De Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

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Anywhere is Possible Video

Anywhere Is Possible

Want to Go Global with Your Business?

Wondering what your Life on the Road might look like?

Check out the video to see some clips of the past 6.5 months!

Do you have a Location Independent video?  Share it below!

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How To Run a Location Independent Busines

Many people would love the opportunity to run their business from anywhere in the world. I must admit, I am happy every day that I have this amazing opportunity to operate my business abroad. I spent about two years establishing my business & lifestyle consulting practice and getting my systems in place. I always had the idea in my head to become a location independent professional (LIP) and with some help from Cody McKibben, I was able to go global much sooner than I thought.

I hope that by sharing this article I can help demystify some of the nuances that go along with being Location Independent. What is it really like? What are some of the concerns? What are some of the things I wish I would have known before I got started? And, how can you set your life and your business up to go LIP?

What is it really like to be Location Independent?

While it may be glamorous to fantasize about Location Independence and the freedom that goes with it, it’s also a little bit like living in an alternate reality. The freedom is amazing, and the opportunity to travel and see the world is incredible. As you move towards your new lifestyle, keep in mind that you will be changing not just where you live but how you live, how you do business, and how you conduct your personal relationships.

What are some of the concerns of an LIP?

What to Pack
Of course you know I am going to say to go as light as possible. I have been living abroad for the past six months and all I brought was a backpack and a laptop. The first real step is to downsize your life and your belongings…

Downsize your Stuff
Use Pareto’s Principle to start eliminating everything you don’t need (give yourself at least 3 months to do this). From The 4 Hour Workweek: “What is the 20% of my belongings that I use 80% of the time? Eliminate the other 80% in clothing, magazines, books, and all else. Be ruthless—you can always repurchase things you can’t live without. Which belongings create stress in my life?…” Sell what you don’t need on sites like Craigslist and eBay, and it might help finance your plane ticket outta here!

Internet Connections—Our Lifeline
When you are a working digital nomad, internet is the top priority on the road. Keep in mind when you are traveling in foreign countries, internet connectivity might not be what you are used to. Because internet is the lifeline of most of our businesses, it is really important to sort out where you can work. I would recommend starting your travel journeys at hotels or guesthouses that have wifi or DSL in the room, and then wander the city with your laptop to test the wifi speed at different internet cafes and other places to stay.

Border Runs
One very important facet of Location Independent life in many parts of the world is border runs. Most countries give you a stamp that allows you to stay only for a very limited time, and it will be important for you to learn how long you can stay in each place with different kinds of visas. Do some research to find out about the country you would like to live and find out roughly how much it costs to get your visa and how you can extend it. Remember: visa laws are always changing. (The best resource if you’re interested in spending some time in Thailand is ThaiVisa.com)

Other considerations

• Time Differences: What is the time difference between your clients and your new country? How will this affect your communication?
• Connection Speeds: Is there somewhere you can get high speed internet? Can you do your work without it? Do you want to set up a residence so you can ensure your internet connection?
• Setting a Schedule: How will living abroad change your current routine? What hours are you likely to keep so you can still be available for your clients?
• Know Your Numbers: What is your estimated cost of living? Have you set up your business to have predictive income? What are your plans to grow your business while abroad?

Some things I wish I’d known before I got started

Settling In
One of my biggest epiphanies came a couple of months after becoming Location Independent. Originally, I had planned on spending a few months in each destination bouncing around Asia. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: I don’t ever have to go home. EVER!

While this may seem obvious, it is a very strange realization. It’s like summer vacation that will never end. I realized in that moment that I could spend a year or more in each place that I love. I don’t have to be on a schedule and I don’t necessarily need a return ticket.

With this in mind, I found it is actually far more productive to settle into a location in order to get to know an area and be more productive. This is totally opposite of what I thought originally and it has taken a bit of time to break free of the “traveler mentality” and move more towards living somewhere.

First off, it is cheaper to live somewhere. My friends and colleagues are amazed that I can live very well in Thailand for under $700 USD per month. This covers my bungalow, internet, energy bill, food and entertainment. Consider planning on a longer stay in your destinations. This will help you to feel more settled and establish deeper personal relationships with people you meet.

To Buy or Not to Buy
If you choose to settle into an area the question arises: to buy or not to buy? Do you invest in furnishings? Do you buy furniture, television, sheets, bedding, etc? How long do you want to stay? How settled do you need to feel in order to be productive?

My conclusion was to find something that is furnished, in order to stay a minimalist and still be mobile. You may decide the same, keeping in mind that you are still living the Location Independent Lifestyle and you don’t want to get too bogged down with stuff. I have only purchased the basics: a hot water boiler, tea pot, bowl, fork & spoon. This has been enough for me to have basic provisions for breakfast and snacks and yet keep the possessions down to a minimum.

Personal Relationships
Whether you are traveling or settling into an area, relationships are inevitable. There are some great people you can meet from the backpacker crowds, but the longer you stay, the more locals you get to know. The locals will be a combination of natives and expatriates (a citizen who has left his or her own country to live in another). Once you get in with the locals, your world will become much more entertaining and full. The community that I have found in Ao Nang has been an amazing mix of international friends that I know I will have for life. And I didn’t know a soul before coming here. If you are going it alone, check out this article: Traveling Solo, Going it Alone.

How to set you and your business up to go LIP

There are several steps you will need to accomplish before you convert your lifestyle and business to Location Independence. Check out our comprehensive list of How To Go Location Independent.

If you need help, we are happy to move you along and get you global. Some things to keep in mind business wise are:

• Transitioning your clients online and meeting via webcam
• Creating monthly packages with automated billing
• Building online communities and increasing your market
• Having content rich blogs that explain “How To’s” to your niche market (see Notes From Chris Guillebeau’s 279 DAYS TO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS)
• And building information products to increase your readership and income

It is my hope that this article has inspired you to follow your passion and get your gears turning on how to go global. Please contact us if you have any questions or need any support in the process!!

Read other posts from the Location Independent Group Writing Project

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Breaking Out of The Pack

“I see a common gene among immigrants and entrepreneurs who strike out from the pack to pursue their dreams. I admire people who are willing to bet everything on a belief. Some of these risk takers, whether immigrants or entrepreneurs, have a profound impact on what happens in the world. They place bets on the future, often against fantastic odds. I see heroism in that.”

-Randy Komisar, The Monk and the Riddle

There comes a time in everyone’s life that one begins to contemplate, “Is this working for me?” When you realize that the answer is consistently ‘No,’ you have a choice to make. You can continue to live the same life knowing that what you are doing is no longer satisfying your needs, or you can evolve. Change is the only constant, and having lived a life of rapid and constant change, it is the only place I bet my chips.

This past year has been one of serious contemplation and new revelations. I had many personal changes in my life that forced me to consider what I was doing, and more importantly, for whom. When it came down to it, I realized that the position where I was in my life made complete sense as a lineal point on a graph. X happened which led to Y and so on, leaving me at the end of a successive group of points. What I struggled with, however, was were the points plotted in the direction toward where I really want to be in my LIFE and was I really content with my current reality?

There is a theory that I learned in my business studies called “ground zero analysis” and it goes something like this: if you were to know everything you know now and wipe everything clean—what would you do? What would you keep doing, what would you scrap, and what’s next? This is the place I found myself in my personal life, as well as my business life—and it was time to look at reevaluating what I wanted and how to best move forward.

In short, I recently was in a long-term relationship, owned a home, and had a ten-year plan in my head my business, Growing Places Consulting. After my relationship ended, I moved into a temporary rental situation with two wonderful friends in Lincoln, California. I immediately regained my sense of self by doing what I love best: travel. But every time I came back, the looming question was there on the landing strip: Why do I live in Lincoln, California? My work is focused on helping others design the lifestyle of their dreams and ultimately live and work on their own terms anywhere in the world—was I doing this for myself?

On Halloween, I found myself in one of my favorite coffee shops in the Mission district of San Francisco, Ralphz Coffee. I was waiting for my friends to get into town to coordinate the evening of dressing up and going to parties. To kill the time, I was finishing the book Eat, Pray, Love for the second time. If you haven’t read it, you should, but it explains the true life tale of Elizabeth Gilbert and her journey around the world to self discovery. I turned past the epilogue to a blank page at the end of the book and wrote at the top: ‘What if I just left in December?‘ The question half shocked me but I proceeded to make a short list of items that would need to be taken care of if I were to head out on a journey of my own. Surprisingly, the list was not that long at all. I called a friend to proclaim that it was finally time for me to get the Fuck Out Of Dodge.

Historically, I have never fit into society’s mold—or working the typical 9-to-5. Starting a business was more of a means of survival than anything else and I was realizing that I had followed my plan and worked it enough to take my own advice and start living my ideal lifestyle. If I had the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, why on God’s earth would I choose a small retirement community tucked in the suburbs of Sacramento? I knew it in my heart that it was time to break free of the pack and live the life I’d always imagined.

I instantly experienced the duality of bliss and terror. I knew if I were to pull it off that I was going to need to dramatically change my lifestyle. I was going to need to do my “ground zero analysis” and only keep what was working—and look at putting a plan in place for the rest. Breaking out of the pack comes with a laundry list of conflicting emotions and I was repeatedly forced to ask myself a myriad of questions related to my own sanity. Namely, when everyone else is playing the game and doing just fine, why can’t I just fit in and do the same?

“I didn’t seem to fit anybody’s profile. It was troublesome to me that I couldn’t find a match; I had expected to settle into a career like everyone else.”

-Randy Komisar, The Monk and the Riddle

So why couldn’t I just fit in and settle like everyone else? When it comes down to it the truth is: I’m not like everyone else. I am a rule breaker and a system buster. I assimilate mass amounts of information only to find the most direct route and get back to living. I based my business on this model of passive income and lifestyle exit strategy and now I was at the point of facing my own circumstance and making a radical decision.

At the same time, an idea had been brewing in my head. I was starting to attract more appropriate clients in my business. I was identifying common threads and toying with this idea of a niche market: business owners that love adventure and travel. These people are already motivated to make change, take risks, and bust their butts for freedom’s sake. I had pitched a couple of questions to people I know that meet the profile and the market for BusinessBackpacker.com was beginning to take shape. I am a huge advocate for people following their personal dream and funding start-ups or branches of their original business that are more reflective of who they are and taking those ideas to a global market. The more I talked about the idea, the more it seemed to become a reality.

Then came the stark realization that if I wasn’t living the lifestyle of a vagabond entrepreneur, who would listen to me? I needed to come up with two things: the technology to make it all happen from abroad, and a destination. Looking back just a few weeks ago—I didn’t have any of these answers. But everything instantly materialized and the right people came into my life at the right time. One such person I met at a blog party—Cody McKibben. After discussing a bunch of similarities in our approach and audience, we decided to team up and bring the world BusinessBackpacker.com. He specializes in the technology needed to ‘go global’ and I brought the business consulting side to the table…and so the joint venture adventure began.

One short month after asking myself ‘What if I just left in December?’ I’m sitting here in a studio apartment in Bangkok, Thailand, writing this. I left the States on December 30th and arrived just in time to celebrate the New Year with a BANG! The purpose of writing this post is to inspire you to go for your goals—no matter how outrageous they seem—and to trust your gut. The right people, resources, and finances will figure themselves out if you just take the first steps. It takes courage to break out of the pack and downsize your life to a backpack. But it all comes down to one simple question: How far are you willing to go to get your life back??

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How to Go Location-Independent

Many of you have asked us, “What does it take to Go Global?” Well, to develop your business and expand your reach to a global audience can take a lot of time and hard work, but if you’re already in a place where you can work from anywhere, if you’ve negotiated a few months off for a “mini-retirement,” or if you’re lucky enough to have the expendable income, then simply getting on the road is a lot easier to do. After having done it ourselves—we’ve compiled a short list of just 18 items that will get you living the location-independent lifestyle in a matter of months. We owe a lot on this list to Timothy Ferriss‘ advice in The 4 Hour Workweek, but we’ve also tested and learned a lot from experience, and we’ve tried to bring it all together on one page for you. Hope you enjoy:

Going Global Countdown

1. Do the research on your destination. Check out the current political affairs in the region and find out where the nearest US Embassy is in case of complications. You might also register your travel dates with the State Department in case of emergency or political turmoil. Check the Centers for Disease Control to determine if immunizations are required for your country of choice and get your hands on a copy of your immunization record (sometimes required at foreign customs).
2. Make sure you have at least 6 months left on your valid passport or else renew your passport with the State Department. Apply for a visa for the duration of your stay in your target country and any other countries you may be traveling through for more than a layover.
3. Downsize your stuff. Use Pareto Principle to start eliminating everything you don’t need (give yourself 3 months for this). From The 4 Hour Workweek: “What is the 20% of my belongings that I use 80% of the time? Eliminate the other 80% in clothing, magazines, books, and all else. Be ruthless—you can always repurchase things you can’t live without. Which belongings create stress in my life?…” Sell what you don’t need on sites like Craigslist and eBay, and it might help finance your plane ticket outta here!
4. Look at adding extended overseas travel coverage to your existing health insurance plan, or else opt for an international plan and nix your current insurance when you leave (check out World Nomads). If you’ll be gone for a significant time, visit your doctor, dentist, eye doctor & so on and make sure to get prescriptions for the duration of your stay.
5. Purchase your ticket, starting with a search on Kayak.com or Priceline. You’ll typically get the best rates when you book more than 3 months in advance, OR wait for the last 2 weeks before your departure. Look for a flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday (also typically the cheapest days of the week to fly) and then search up to 3 days in either direction to find the lowest price. Always get the flight insurance in case your plans change last minute. If you plan on traveling for a year, also consider a round-the-world (RTW) ticket.
6. Automate your finances. Contact organizations that bill you regularly and let them know you’ll be abroad and need to set up automatic payments. Otherwise set up online banking and auto bill-pay to send scheduled payments (at least $15-20 more than you anticipate to cover the unexpected) to your vendors, utilities, or credit card companies, etc. Cancel paper statements and have your banks & credit cards start sending you online statements to your email inbox.
7. At least 2 months in advance, give a trusted family member and/or your CPA power-of-attorney to sign important documents like tax filings and checks for you in your absence (sometimes they won’t accept a fax signature).
8. Have the post office forward your mail to a trusted friend or assistant who can sort through the junk and scan/summarize the important mail for you. Or set up EarthClassMail or another mail forwarding service (see more good tips from Rolph Potts).
9. Now is the time to take a technology dry run. If you need to be on the phone a lot, set up a free Skype account to make voice calls to other computer users around the world, and purchase SkypeOut credit to place direct calls to any cell phone or hard line around the globe for just 3 cents per minute (most locations). If you need remote access to your computer, try out GoToMyPC. Otherwise, consider setting up a portable office on your USB thumb drive that you can pop into any computer at the local internet café.
10. Prepare your financial accounts. Depending on the nature of your work, you might want to set up a PayPal account if you don’t already have one, to accept payments from around the globe via credit card or direct bank transfer. If people still send you paper checks, it’s convenient to have an account with a large bank like Bank of America, with branches near the person assisting you with deposits. For international travel, most vagabonds recommend a reliable international bank like HSBC (which has locations in most major international cities around the globe).
11. Consider hiring a virtual personal assistant (VA) if you don’t already have one. TimeSvr is a low-cost provider we use for many simple tasks during the month, such as phone calls, making reservations, quick travel searches, small research projects and article summaries. Also try AskSunday, Brickwork India, GetFriday, etc.
12. Scan your passport, visas, identification, health insurance & credit/debit cards into a computer. Carry a few copies in separate bags with you and leave a few copies with a trusted family member. Email the scanned files to yourself so that you can access them from abroad if you lose the hard copies. If you plan on moving from country-to-country, it’s a wise idea to bring several photocopies of your passport and several 2×4 passport photos for your visa applications on the road.
13. Downgrade to the cheapest cell phone plan or kill it altogether. Change your voicemail greeting to direct people to your email or Skype account. For instance, “Thanks for your call. I’m currently overseas on extended business travel. Please do not leave a voicemail message as I will not have access to check it while I am gone. If your message important, please contact me by email at ___@___.com. Thanks for your cooperation.” Then set up an email autoresponder to indicate your response could take several days (whatever your desired frequency) due to international travel.
14. If you really feel the need to be reachable, then consider a quad-band or GSM-compatible cell phone with an international calling plan (most of these plans are horrible though). Alternatively, purchase a SkypeIn number so that your clients/family can dial a traditional phone # that will call your Skype account or forward to your foreign cell phone. (Also look at Vonage and GrandCentral.)
15. Reserve a low cost hostel for your first few days abroad. For free accommodations check out GlobalFreeloaders or Couchsurfing. Hostel staff, fellow backpackers, and locals will be a helpful source of information for the best places to stay. Once you are in-country, check out the local Craigslist listings or do a Google search for apartments for rent (this is by far the most fun and cost-effective way to stay abroad). Additionally, Hospitality Club is a great site that lists locals who are willing to show you around, and Home Exchange is useful for those who want to swap homes with someone abroad for a few months!
16. One week out, Tim Ferriss recommends setting a self-imposed schedule “for routine batched tasks such as email, online banking, etc. to eliminate excuses for senseless pseudo-work procrasterbating. I suggest Monday mornings for checking email and online banking. The first & third Mondays of the month can be used for checking credit cards and making other online payments such as affiliates.”
17. Rent out or sell your home, or else end your apartment lease. If you don’t sell your car, follow Tim’s advice: “Put remaining automobiles into storage or a friend’s garage. Put fuel stabilizer in the gas tanks, disconnect the negative leads from batteries to prevent drain, and put the vehicles on jack stands to prevent tire and shock damage. Cancel all auto insurance except for theft coverage.”
18. Put all the rest of your stuff you didn’t eliminate into storage. Pack a single backpack or carry-on bag and move in temporarily with family or friends for the last few days before departure. To pack light, it’s best to set aside a small “settling-in fund”—maybe $300 to purchase clothes and necessities at your destination. Here is Tim’s great pack-list from the 4 Hour Workweek blog.

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