Mastering the Art of Balancing Work and Travel

Mastering the Art of Balancing Work and Travel

Hi there! Today, I have a guest post from Christine, the owner of Wealthy Way Online. She’s a blogger striving to enhance her online income. Originally from New Zealand, Christine plans to become location-independent, traveling the world while enjoying different currencies and tasting the best desserts globally.

Back in 2010, when I first started traveling, I wasn’t sure how I’d earn money in the long run. My goal was to travel indefinitely, far longer than typical vacations. Short trips of 2-3 weeks usually felt expensive and didn’t allow enough time to truly experience a place. I wanted to embrace long, slow travel.

During these travels, I created a blog called The Wrong Way Home, which eventually started generating some income. Over time, I explored other ways to earn money online and settled on freelancing. This evolved into a focus on advertising, and I built a network of blogs. Now, I make all my money online. After spending 1.5 years at home, I’m about to set off in just over two weeks to become location-independent with my partner.

### HOW WILL I MIX WORK AND TRAVEL?

1. **OUTSOURCE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE**
I currently have two virtual assistants (one part-time and one casual) and employ three writers on an as-needed basis. For my personal blogs, I write the content myself. However, for lifestyle blogs, I outsource the writing to save time. This allows me to enjoy activities like sunbathing on beautiful beaches, watching my partner surf, and snorkeling.

2. **WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER**
About 20% of the work produces 80% of the results, while the remaining 80% of work yields just 20% of the outcomes. Therefore, my goal is to work smarter, not harder. Since my income depends on advertising performance rather than hourly work, I can comfortably manage with 10-15 hours of work per week, leaving plenty of time for fun.

3. **MOVE TOWARDS PASSIVE INCOME**
While I enjoy the work I do, I aim to diversify my income sources and create passive income streams so they aren’t reliant on my active involvement. I have a few ideas in mind but haven’t started any projects yet. This is undoubtedly the best move for me in the long run.

4. **UTILIZE TRANSIT TIME**
Traveling involves a lot of downtime, such as waiting at airports or being on planes, boats, trains, and taxis. I usually buy a local SIM card and tether it to my laptop for internet access on the go. Working in tight spaces can be challenging, but I find it helpful to get ahead so I can explore new locations when I arrive instead of needing to work.

Working online provides the ultimate freedom—location independence. My partner and I plan to move to Panama because of its lower cost of living, stable economy, great weather, excellent surf, and no tax on overseas income.

Are you interested in becoming location-independent, or do you prefer staying in one place and going on holidays? Let me know in the comments below.