The beginners guide to becoming nomadic

The ups and downs of a young girls efforts to live and work around the world.

[beginnersguide-blog]

Why you should ditch your backpack while "backpacking"

                                           Not everybody will agree with this particular entry, I would like to direct it to the girls like me out there. The ones trying to squeeze their hiking boots and high heels into one backpack and still manage to be minimal. This is just my personal opinion on backpacks, packing light and doing it in style. It is a completely biased point of view and I'm sure other packing tecniques will work better for others. With that said, this is how I travel and why.

    I wouldn't consider myself a "backpacker" simply because I do not believe in backpacks. At least not the big and heavy ones that are often times as big as the person whos back it's on. Why? Backpacks are ridiculous and guess what, NOT more comfortable or easier. I say this from a 3 month experience with a backpack i got before traveling around New Zealand. I loved and still do love my backpack. It is nice, has all the bells and whistles of a nice and comfortable backpack. However it is now somewhere in Auckland because I ditched it on my way home for a more reasonable suitcase. Unless you honestly plan on backpacking through some mountains and streams and absolutely can't bring a suitcase or something similar, DON'T DO IT. A backpack is meant for a week trip down the napali coast on Kauai, not traveling around europe for months at a time.

   I will also bring to point that I may travel differently than you in the sense that I intend to spend half of my trips hiking and bumming around on beaches and the other half going out to clubs in the city. I want all aspects and I'm sure many others do too. Packing light is a big part of the challenges of traveling. I think a lot of the character building that comes from traveling, is due to the shedding of material objects and becoming less reliant on stuff. However after talking with a few girls from Germany, they agreed that sometimes its best to pack a little more than to spend your money on things you wish you would have brought. Which I myself ended up doing and they did as well.

    I am going to pull the "girl card" here and say it is different for girls because it is. Nobody wants to be that girl at the club where everybody else is wearing high heels and dresses and you are in your shorts and flip-flops. I myself have been that girl on more than one occasion, sometimes I don't care. However, as what I would consider to be a fairly "normal" girl in that aspect, it feels good to dress up and look nice every once in awhile.

     You CAN be a minimalist and do it in style. Especially if you are hopping around, you aren't going to see the same people you did last weekend and even if you did. Who cares? Wear that same red top, as long as you change you're undies your good! I should also add that in many places, you can go to a consignment shop and trade or sell your clothes. When you get sick of wearing that same red top, ditch it and buy a new one. I made myself a rule that if I bought something, I had to get rid of something. It helps, a lot.

    Now depending on many different circumstances such as, how long is your trip? Where are you going? How much stuff do you need? How often will you be hopping around? A backpack can be smarter. However I know from experience and after working at a travelers hostel for so long that many times your little backpack turns into your VERY LARGE and heavy backpack. Even if you do originally pack it light. Your backpack will turn into, quite literally, added weight on your shoulders and a burden you now have to carry with you everywhere. You either end up having to ditch a lot of your stuff or adding an entire second bag to your luggage you have to pack around.

     I can't tell you how many times somebody checks in or out of my hostel with a backpack MUCH bigger than them on their back and they complain about how inconvenient and uncomfortable it is. Or how often somebody checks in with a backpack on their back and three other bags in their hands.... why not just have ONE big suitcase??? I believe that a travel backpack has turned too much into fitting the backpacker image and is not really a sufficient or sensible thing to do anymore. Here are some reasons why.

-When you bring a backpack, often times you pack it so full there isn't room left for new things. Which surely you will accumulate.

-They are usually heavy and NOT easy to carry around.

-When you need something out of a backpack, often times you have to unpack ALL of it to find it. Then neatly place everything back in it, just to repeat the process when you realize you forgot a sock.

-You may feel a little silly strolling through some random cities with a suticase behind you but how is a backpack make you look any less conspicious?

- You are not going to want to walk around in hot places or any place for that matter looking for a hostel with 30 pounds on your back.

-packing TOO light makes you spend money on things you otherwise could have just packed to begin with.

       Now I am also not saying don't bring a backpack AT ALL. Backpacks are awesome. You go to southeast asia for a month, pack a suitcase AND a backpack and when you take off to cambodia for a week from thailand, you bring one week worth of stuff in your light backpack and leave the suitcase in storage somewhere.

      Everything totally depends on YOUR personal trip and you as a person, so if you think a backpack is best for you, then by all means, take a backpack. If you are going to backpack nigeria, I'm sure not having proper club attire will not be an issue.

    The one inconvenience with a suitcase is going to be the getting from point A to point B with your suitcase. Like say, the airport to your hostel or from one hostel to another. Public buses may not let you on with a suitcase, so you will have to take a shuttle or a cab. This is a small inconvenience for me compared to the inconvenience I experienced with my backpack. Not to mention a few short trips on the city bus with my pack proved to be one of the most uncomfortable and painful rides I've had.

   Packing a suitcase instead doesn't have to mean heavier and bigger, just easier to manuever. Now more importantly bring at least a small backpack as your carry on and put your absolute essentials in it so if you happen to lose your luggage youve got your change of undies and toothbrush. This can also be your small trip pack when you go for that weekend hike or to that festival outside of town. My personal opinion on the best way to pack is just that, a suitcase and small carry on backpack. Also remember if you have a common looking suitcase, try and spice it up a bit with patches and stickers. That way nobody mistakes it for theirs and accidently takes it, it has happened. Oh and of course don't forget to pack your fanny pack/money belt! Seriously. They can come in handy. ;)

  xx,

  Taryn

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Innovative ways to earn money while traveling

　

   Everybody wants to know the "secret" to earning money without having a stable job in one place. Truth is there is no secret, a bit of creativity and time and you can make money while traveling too. You don't need to land some awesome job with a high class company that requires nothing but a computer and internet connection, (although that would be ideal.) Here are a few different ideas I have come up with and all they require is an open mind and yes sometimes a computer.

   More and more people are working from home, companies are eliminating the need to place people in offices and cubicles, when they can perform the duties they need to from any computer, anywhere. We all know of the paid online surveys and come across the those spam emails that tell us we can make "thousands a month working from home!"Well based off a little bit of research I have found a couple that may be worth looking into.

onlycashsurveys.com (surveys)

opinionpost.com (surveys)

matadornetwork.com (travel writing)

freelancer.com (random freelance work)

elance.com (freelance work)

odesk.com (freelance work)

helium.com (freelance work)

    Now I don't mean to tell you that doing these things will make you tons of money. However, when you are traveling places like southeast asia, where a budget of $5 U.S dollars a day is considered average, a little bit goes a long way and traveling in these kinds of places is a perfect oppurtunity to take advantage of being an american (or any other relatively wealthy country.) Doing some small freelance work or taking a few surveys each day can quite possible fund your entire trip, minus airfare. Not to mention freelance work can be fun and always gives you something new and different.  

    Things like this you can literally do anywhere and get money deposited directly into your bank. Where as it may not be able to pay your rent back home, it sure can pay for your accomodation in a hostel somewhere in cambodia for the night. There are always people looking for random work to be done for them online, whether it be big or small. In today's world people know how important online marketing is, familiarize yourself with it and you can get yourself a pretty good little income going. Sometimes it's as simple as writing a short description for a product or building an enitre website for a new business.

    Depending on where you are in the world you can do other things as well that can make you a little more dollas. We've all heard of craigslist, every country has got it's own version. New Zealand has trademe.com and australia with gumtree.com. Check out the local sight in the area you are in for random work, after school tutors for children, yard work, to "escort" services (although not advised). ;)

    Another resourceful yet more ballsy thing to do is, approach random business's that don't have much online advertisement and marketing (do your research first) and ask if they would like to pay you a small fee for a proper facebook page, tripadvisor page, foursquare, etc. and explain to them the importance, if they don't already know. Many people simply don't want to put in the time or effort and just downright do not understand things like this, nor do they want to. Meaning they will be more than happy to fork over a mere $40 to have it taken care of.

    A particular appealing idea for myself that i recently heard of is, teaching english abroad. Many people, including myself until now, don't realize that you don't need to even know the local language to teach english, nor do you need a college degree. Now don't get me wrong, knowing the language will help and after awhile you will need to learn it. I also have a rather strong opinion on the respect of learning the basics of the language of the place you are traveling to but people all over the world want to learn english, (again yay for having advantages! now take advantage!) Enligh teachers are in high demand and landing a job may be much easier than you may think. Check out nomadicmatts book "how to teach english overseas".

    Let's not forget my absolute favorite way to save while traveling, work exchange. You can ask the local hostels wherever you are, if you can work for a few hours a day in exchange for a free bed. Doing this and a bit of online surveying/freelance work and you aren't spending a dime of your savings! If you are more interested in vacationing and don't want to spend time working while abroad, these things can come in handy if funds happen to run low. However a nomad knows that in order to travel endlessly, one must never stop making money. You can't (and sometimes just don't want to) apply for a work visa and go through the hassle of finding a temporary job, every place you go to. Be resourceful and keep an open mind and I'm confident you can make money ANYWHERE. Now go out and take advantage of your wealthy, english speaking self!

[beginnersguide-blog]

have love, will travel

                                           I came to a rather painful conclusion a few days ago, that as a young girl attempting to travel the world, Hawaii probably isn't the best place to try and save money. I was feeling slightly discouraged and frustrated, when I was reminded of how spoiled I truly am. 

   It is EASY to save money, I don't care where you are. I am frugal when it comes to spending money on clothes and drinks at the bar. However, I will admit that I am really not that careful when it comes to saving in that area. Where you are going to save your most money though is with the big stuff. Simplify your life and you will be amazed with how much money you end up saving.

    If you don't need a car, which usually you don't. Don't have one! Save that money you would otherwise be spending on gas and insurance and maybe even a car payment. Bikes are awesome. No gas, no insurance, you stay in shape and they are fun. No excuses, I rode a bike in the snow in Washington all the time and still enjoyed it. Or take a bus, if your work is too far away to bike or walk to. Buses can provide endless amounts of entertainment.

   Don't find an apartment or house that is only $300 less a month than your income. Is a nice apartment REALLY worth it?? Looking for a place can be a real pain but hold out for something good and you will find it, I promise. Everytime i am in the market for a new place I don't settle for anything other than what I am willing to pay. Wait to find somewhere utilities are included, the rent is $150 cheaper, whatever you need to do. Maybe even share your room to cut your expenses in half. It can be hard to find somebody you can tolerate sharing a room with but be reasonable and one will come along.

   Get a new cell phone plan. People pay seriously ridiculous prices a month for a stupid cell phone. Is having unlimited access to facebook and instagram really worth that extra $50???

     Make your coffee at home. Whatever your expensive habit is, try and come up with a way to cut back on it. Stop paying $5 a day to starbucks for a coffee, when you can spend LESS THAN $5 a week by making it at home. It is okay to have that one thing you make a priority but be careful about convincing yourself things are priorities to justify your spending.

  I recently started a new job at a travelers hostel. I meet people from all around the world, coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. Not only does it remind me of how lucky I am to be living in such a desirable place, but how easy I actually have it compared to most. Sure a lot of our guests are most likely on student loans or burning up whats left of their trust funds but their are a select few who are truly inspiring. I've spoken with multiple people who come from places where saving money is nearly impossible but with a little bit of faith and sheer determination, they are chasing their dreams and seeing the world. 

   One in particular really put me in my place recently. A young girl (just a few months older than me I believe), from a little town in Mexico came to check in. She spoke very little English and after a couple hours after checking in she came down to the desk, with a picture in hand. She showed me the picture, which was of her and some older male and asked if I had possibly seen him anywhere. I hadn't of course and she proceeded to try and explain to me that for the last 2 years she had been saving money to come to Hawaii to find her brother, who left home years earlier. I was humbled to say the least, here I am thinking about how I don't have enough money to blow on clothes and alcohol, while living in paradise. This girl has worked her ass off, just to find her long lost brother. 

    My materialism and superficial side has slowly faded over time. I still care far more than I should, about things that are completely useless but it's getting better. I plan on traveling to manly third world places in the near future, where I will helping some of the most poverty stricken people in the world. I decided that if I want to continue living in never-land (Hawaii) and continue to pursue my dreams of traveling, I would be needing to make some serious adjustments and sacrifices. One of them is giving up some surf time and working more than 40 hours a week. Seems like a lot but is surprisingly easy, especially when the sun stays out for so long and you love your job. Another big adjustment is giving up the privacy of having my own room. I wasn't too comfortable with the idea at first but found somebody who I can see myself tolerating enough to share my personal space with and by doing so can save far more money. With anything worth doing or having, comes sacrifices and hard work. 

   It won't be easy but it feels good to be working so hard for something I want so badly and it will feel even better when I have a ton of money to buy some plane tickets. I just have to continue to remind myself of what the goal in mind is and keep a good attitude. Not hard considering my circumstances. :) I just want anybody who is interested in traveling and doesn't have "proper funding" to know that it does take A LOT of hard work but its completely worth every second. Manifest the shit out of those travel plans in your head and make it happen.

Have love, will travel. 

xx,

Taryn

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Taryn - I am now an official follower of my very first blog!! Thanks to you I will finally understand this "blogging" thing and so far it is very cool. You are an inspiration to all the home bodies (which I am at heart). You are so brave and strong and I can't wait to see what happens in your life. And although I have not been too many places - so far Hawaii is my absolute favorite!! Your mom must be so proud. Stay safe! Love Glenda

Aww well thank you :) The blogging world is a bit confusing at first but you'll get the hang of it. You are always welcome to come visit me in Hawaii! 

[agapipera]

[beginnersguide-blog]

5 Simple yet potentially frustrating things you should remember when traveling

1. You would be surprised how many people don't realize this but when traveling out of the country, YOU NEED A PASSPORT. This is your license to travel the world. So go get one, now.

2. Most other countries are not going to have the same plug ins. Luckily power adapters are to be found in just about any airport but try and get yours beforehand so you don't have to stress about it when your phone dies, your in a foreign country and have no way of charging it. 

3. Call your bank before leaving! They will shut off your card if they see suspicious activity outside of the country so just let them know where you are going and for how long. Also get in touch with your cell phone provider and health insurance if need be.

4. Make a copy of your passport and leave it with a trustworthy friend or family member. This is in case you lose your passport while you are away and need to replace it. 

5. Plan out your first day. Your intention may be to have a spontaneous unplanned trip where you go with the flow but always plan your first day. You will more than likely be overwhelmed and maybe even exhausted, so book a hostel ahead of time for at least your first night and go from there.

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Road trip Wellington to Auckland. This picture was taken somewhere in between, there wasn't a store, gas station or anything for miles.

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This is in my courtyard!

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Cinco De Mayo moonlight photo shoot. 

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This was Mothers day, we went to a private little cove with a few friends off of north shore and had a BBQ. Such a good day.

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One of my favorite hikes

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sending some presents to my far away friends! <3

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Taryn! I seen the word 'Nomadic' on Facebook so I had to click on it. I got a coachsurfer/ing account a while back, so I was wondering if you could tell me more about it. I was a bit skeptical at first but the more I think about it, the more exciting it sounds. Thank you :) -Desni

Couchsurfing is awesome! I usually try and add anybody i plan on surfing with or hosting on facebook. That way you know a little more about them and know they aren't a weirdo. Hosting people can be a really great way to meet new friends and learn more about other places but it can also be not so good haha. I had one surfer who was very disrespectful and kinda crazy. As far as surfing yourself goes though, just do your research on your hosts and communicate with them. I'm sure it will be a positive experience. It was a little nerve racking for me when going to meet my new hosts each time but it always turned out just fine. :)

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A few of my favorites from recent travels.

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Networking

   Couchsurfing.org is one of the most popular and world renowned websites there is when it comes to traveling. Not only was I able to meet multiple friends while I was travelling but I have also had the pleasure of hosting some awesome couchurfers from all over the world. It is a very trustworthy website with some truly incredible members. Of course some skepticism is always good to have when talking to strangers overseas but I have yet to have a bad experience, or even hear of one.

    Another positive thing about couchsurfing versus staying in a hotel/hostel is the money you can save. Hostels are always a great way to meet other travellers and new friends who want to go out and have fun. However it racks up fast and a week in even a hostel can do damaging things to your savings. Depending on where you are I suppose. Regardless if you stay with a host through couchsurfing.org or not is up to you, but I strongly suggest checking it out and at the least meeting up with somebody to hang out. Many locals would be more than happy to lead you to some cool spots and show you a good time.

    Another network that is extremely popular is wwoof.org. WWOOF stands for world wide oppurtunities on organic farms. Although I have heard a lot of contraversy on if this is correct or not. Either way it is a network where you can work on farms in exchange for free room and board. Meals aren't always included but most of the time they are. It seems to be a very educational and enlightening way to travel.

   The downside to working on one of the farms is many of them would like you to stay for a good length of time. Usually 1, 3 or even 6 months. The problem with this is that many farms are located away from everything, so where as you may be seeing a beautiful and hidden piece of the country or place you are in, you may not get the opportunity to see much else. Another thing I found to be a problem is that you are not getting paid. The work isn't much and is generally easy but you won't be able to save any money in the months you are staying. Some farms don't mind interns staying for short periods of time though.

    I myself have not done any wwoofing or workaway stays for those reasons, but I did spend a lot of time getting to know the websites and contacting people through them. It can be time consuming and sometimes confusing and difficult but overall I found them to be very positive and helpful. Whether or not they will work for you, all depends on what kind of experience you are looking to get out of your travels. I plan to do some work exchanges in my future travels.

    One other very helpful website. travelhacking.org. I have talked to a few people about the website and done a little research on it but I have yet to become a member myself. Which I am going to do soon, hopefully. The website explains it pretty well but its basically a way of cheating the system and gaining airmile points and such without actually flying. My friend is a member and says he has already begun to see the points. Check out the website to learn more. It comes off as a website for people with more money than time, it may be good though. I will let you know once I try it out.

    I also have been checking out incredibleindia.com and indiamike.com. For anybody who is planning any adventures in india. I try and read any travel magazines I come across. Most of them are for people who are travelling very luxuriously (in hotels and with rental cars) but you can find some really good sites and references sometimes.