Or, making a baller income abroad ð°ð· 𧥠ðº ð  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Vomit, $7K Whoppers & The Adult Nomad Or, making a baller income abroad ð° With Ash Ambirge â â Recently, I found out I was a complete asshat. I know. Seems like I would have known, right? I DID NOT KNOW. I walked into the bedroom with literally no blood in my body to make C guess what weâd spent $7,182.34 on last year as nomads. He guessed wine. I laughed in his face (and then vomited - thatâs probably more ð). Because, NOPE. You know what we spent $7,182.34 on last year???? International. Transaction. Fees. ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð±ð± Every time I was swiping my TD Bank card while abroad, which is almost always, I was getting charged $15, $8, $4, $2, $0.70. LOOK. AT. THIS. HORRIFIC. IMAGE. â â â (Iâve been using [YNAB]() to track my personal spending, and [Bench](=) to track my business spendingâboth of which I highly, highly recommendâ¦and you can see why. ð Time to make some changes!) Cue: mad moves to finally get a [Revolut]() card. While I havenât tested it yet, it DOES seem very cool and they advertise 100% free ATM withdrawals across their global network, and let you switch into the local currency to pay without all the nauseating transaction feesâwhich is kinda wild. I also opened a [Wise]( account. They bill themselves as âthe most international debit card in the world,â and say theyâre 8x cheaper than a standard bank for travelers, nomads, and people working from anywhere. â[This math]( on their website looks promising! â¬ï¸ â â â Iâll be testing both out this year, because $7,182.34 is a SIN. And I donât even believe in sins. The good news, however, is that Iâm proud of this life Iâve builtâthe ability to live and work from anywhere, and not have to subsist on cottage cheese or count my pennies to the T. The truth is, I admittedly didnât notice that $7K had slipped through my creepy little fingers (and surely has been the case every year for the past 13 years of nomading, which is $91,000 ð¥´), and while that is absolutely irresponsible as hell, it does speak to my ability to earn a responsible adult living from anywhere in the world. More than responsible: solid. The term âdigital nomadâ implies that Iâm a broke backpacker roaming around in a pair of fungus-filled sandals, but thatâs not the reality Iâve engineered. (Usually. ð Sandals + humidity is tricky!) Iâm a 38-year-old writer who travels extensively for long periods of time and still has retirement accounts, wealth-building accounts, property investments, $700/month top-of-the-line health insurance (Iâm American, thatâs unfortunately a thing), a penchant for boutique hotels, income to donate to worthy causes, income to donate to Sephora (GAHHHHH), and a life & online business thatâs entirely remote. Iâm on a plane more than Iâm not, I enjoy fine wine with dinner, and yes, I DO think I'll try to squeeze my ass into that silk skirt from Selfridge's. AND IT IS A JOY. Joy being the operative word here. At this stage in humanity, we should ALL have the ability to travel freely without sacrificing our income. In fact, thanks to technology, we should actually be able to do so and increase â¬ï¸ our earning power. The internet has given us so much opportunity, but you donât pursue what you donât know about, right??? Most people donât know what they can do yet. Most people have no idea what the options actually are. (And no, you donât have to be an Instagram star. I am faaaar from it. ð) This is my fight. I want to fight for the advancement of a nomadic lifestyle among all ages as part of helping the human population find their awe again. WE HAVE LOST OUR AWE. How many days do you wake up, kinda dreading it? How many days are you just like, âugh, this shitwheel again.â There is so much more for us to do, see, experience, and marvel at besides the screen. Research consistently shows that frequent travel has a massive positive effect on life satisfaction. New & diverse experiences can expand thinking. A sense of awe can help reconnect us to what matters. An all-new world invites questions, ideas, and engagement. And travel not only helps us explore our outer landscape, but our inner landscape, too. Itâs a necessary part of the modern human experience. And yet, if youâre in an open-office floor plan in Minneapolis, you are not entering a cathedral in France to gasp. Outdated career modelsâincluding current âremote workâ modelsâhave made it impossible to have any real control over your time, your work, or your life.
â - The 9-5 is dreadfully broken (weâve known this for a long time)
â
- Remote jobs still expect you to stay seated for 8 hours a dayâsometimes with your camera on or Slack activeâduring standard business hoursâ¦or more
â
- Most "remote" jobs donât actually permit travel because doing so sets up out-of-state and out-of-country tax obligations, which in reality makes them "work from your house" jobs <âThis is a major problem, essentially stripping professionals of one of the most significant benefits of remote work in the first place
â
- And, for those who have already traded the traditional work model for a freelance model, the realization quickly occurs that, unless you know how to properly engineer your business and sell your ideas, youâll be trading time for dollars from a dark room all day instead of hiking a trail in the sunshine in Portugal. â
Iâm on a mission to dismantle outdated work models that no longer work for modern living & introduce you to a new one: one in which your work and professional contributions are decentralized from a central authorityâin this case, an employer; one in which youâre able to earn independently no matter where you are in the world; one in which your time is detached from your value; one in which you have leverage and control over what you earn, where you earn it, and how you spend your days. Because now, thereâs a new way of earning. Most people rule it out, though, because most people are under the impression that in order to earn a ârealâ living, you need to be in one place. But, thatâs hangover thinking from the 1900s. ðµð» If you do it right, you shouldnât have to be in any one place. Not with the tools we have today. Not with the options that are actually on the table, if only you know where to look. This is a column about that. Teaching you where to look. (And hopefully preventing you from making $7,000 asshat mistakes like me.) Until next time, which will probably be as soon as I get back on the computer, excitable little jezabel that I am, Asshhhhhhhh â ASH AMBIRGE is the CEO of [SELFISH FOREVER](: Digital Nomading for Adultsâ¢ï¸ & the author of [THE MIDDLE FINGER PROJECT]() (Penguin Random House), the book you read when you can't take one more powerpoint from Kathy in HR. She's taught thousands of people how to live & work from anywhere in the world, yet still spells "commitment" with two t's...every...single...t-time. â â Digital Nomading for Adultsâ¢ï¸
ð ð· 𧥠ðº ð¡ â Any features in this email were hand-selected by a rare 16th-century bird. She is a picky bitch.
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