Follow the Best Income Stream to Your Adventure Abroad

Summary

The web content provides guidance and resources for individuals seeking to create income streams that allow them to live abroad, emphasizing the shift from traditional careers to remote and diverse work opportunities.

Abstract

The article discusses the changing landscape of careers in the 21st century, moving away from the traditional single, steady job model to a more flexible and diverse range of income streams. It offers tips from the book "Let’s Leave the Country! A Guide to Your Family Year Abroad" by Jacqueline Jannotta, highlighting the importance of developing computer skills for remote work and considering multiple income sources. The piece suggests exploring podcasts like "Side Hustle School" for inspiration and looking into digital nomad visas offered by various countries. It also shares personal experiences of managing remote work and savings to fund a year abroad, encouraging readers to find their unique path to an international adventure.

Opinions

The author believes that technology has expanded the possibilities for earning an income while living overseas.
There is an emphasis on the value of being adaptable and open-minded when seeking remote work or additional income streams.
The article suggests that traditional one-job careers are no longer the only path and encourages readers to explore alternative options.
It is implied that reading or following resources like Chris Guillebeau’s "Side Hustle" can provide valuable ideas and motivation.
The author advocates for researching digital nomad visas as a means to legally work remotely in other countries.
Personal anecdotes from the author and examples of others who have successfully worked abroad serve to inspire and inform readers.
The author maintains that each person's journey to living abroad will be unique and that their book and series of posts offer a starting point for planning such an adventure.

Tips from my book “Let’s Leave the Country! A Guide to Your Family Year Abroad”

Photo by ArtHouse Studio from Pexels via Canva.com

In the 20th century, having a “traditional career” meant you got a single, steady job and maybe switched it up a few times in your life for another single, steady job before receiving your pension or accessing your 401k. Careers like that still exist, but growing numbers of people have left that era behind, particularly in the past few years.

The burgeoning options outside of a “traditional career” is good news for anyone who wants to plan extended time in another country and still have an income. Because unless you fall under a small minority of folks who have some kind of passive income in place, chances are you’ll want to explore ways to earn money while you’re abroad. Legally, of course. And that’s not easy to do as a foreigner.

But thanks to technology, plenty of possibilities are out there for creating work or income streams from afar. It’s a matter of digging around with an open mind for what that might look like for you, as these “Save It for Someday” tips from my book suggest:

Think about skills you might develop so you’re able to work remotely if need be. Whether you plan to shape-shift your job or find a different type of online work while you’re overseas, you’ll want to be confident in your computer skills.

and

Explore ways to build an additional income stream. Don’t assume the traditional one-job career is the only way. If others are able to manage a second or third income stream, why not you? Read or follow Chris Guillebeau’s Side Hustle (book and podcast) for ideas and inspiration.

Since I wrote my book, several more podcasts have sprouted up since Chris Guillebeau’s Side Hustle School. (In your podcast app, search “side hustle” or “income streams” to find them.) Perhaps something will spark for you. And who knows? It might take you down an interesting path whether or not you end up going abroad.

For readers on Medium who are hoping to experience life in another country, seek out people who have found a way to manage this. Search the “Digital Nomads” topic and others with similar wording. You’ll discover people like Tiani Travels and Lily Lum, who offer stories and tips on how they’re able to travel while earning money.

For those inclined to work remotely for another company or set up their own enterprise, it’s worth some time exploring which countries offer a “digital nomad visa.” That growing list will get the wheels turning when you’re ready to consider the next steps.

As I’ve mentioned in other articles in this series, we managed to do our year in Genoa, Italy through a combination of remote work with clients back in the US, and saving ahead of time to compensate for lack of regular income. (This was before digital nomad visas were a thing.)

My mantra has always been There are as many ways to do a year abroad as there are people who want to do it. (That goes for any length of time, not only a single year.) And because each adventure is unique, there is no book, article or blog post that can tell you exactly what you need to do. But if an adventure abroad is in your future, I hope these posts offer a bit of inspiration!

And I write about other stuff too:-)

P S. If you run out of free Medium articles, I invite you to subscribe through my link, which helps support writers like me. (Plus Medium offers an endless supply of refreshing, ad-free content:-)