I've been under the tree and on the yacht.

Sports cars, speed boats, off-road vehicles, houses, motorcycles, and various other toys came and went in my past life. I had a good job, a big house with a mortgage, several cars, a fancy watch and money left over. Money flowed so freely and easily, I had trouble finding dumb things to spend it on, like a supercharger on my suburban and I was serious about an airplane at one point.

I had everything I ever wanted and I was doing it all the way we are all taught to do things.

None of it was truly mine, and I was miserable.

So I did the only sensible thing: lost it all and found myself destitute.

What we Learn

There are plenty of benefits to having lots of money. It definitely allows you to do things you can’t do without it. But the standard way of dealing with money in our culture gets twisted if you aren’t paying attention. Just because I had a lot of “stuff” doesn’t mean I could afford it. Don’t make the mistake of wondering how someone can afford that shiny Mercedes rolling past you on the street. In many cases, they can’t.

I made many mistakes that weren’t the most fiscally-sound, and most involved the same problem that so many people face: Debt.

We are taught to go to school, get good grades, so we can get into college, where we get a degree so we can get a good job. Then we get to buy a house, cars and all the other stuff that comes with this form of success. The problem with much of that is the debt.

Student loans, car loans, home mortgage, credit cards to buy all the stuff you need to fill that house with, and on and on. If you’ve made it this far, you’d better be sure you have a good job, because you have a lot of debt payments to make. Start missing those, and you find out who really owns all that stuff. So back to work with you, where you aren’t spending any time enjoying your mountains of stuff.

That stuff can become nothing but a tremendous burden.

A Better Way?

If you poke around on the web enough, you can find any number of people doing things differently. Whether just having a more conservative approach to living with a bit less of the usual stuff we like to collect, to consciously living with as few belongings as possible. Any number of people around the world get rid of their stuff and downsize. Whether for economic, ecological or personal reasons, more people are conscious of their finances and it’s implications lately.

Have we been taught the best way? Are the added complications, stress, and lack of time worth the pursuit of stuff? Do we really have to follow that paradigm to find happiness, or can it be reframed?

I’ve written before about my living without a car, downsizing, and other minimalist ways of living. I don’t have as much stuff as I used to by a long shot, and I love it. My life is much simpler and less stressful. I’m not tied to any spot on earth, and I can go anywhere. I don’t need to come up with X-amount of money every month just to pay for things I already bought.

I am free of debt, and refuse to get back into that form of slavery. If I don’t have the money for something, I don’t buy it. If I can’t pay for it myself, I don’t need to borrow it to do so. In almost every case, I have lived without it so far, I obviously don’t have a true need for whatever it is, anyway.

It’s hard to put a number on the kind of peace that freedom can bring. And I don’t need a supercharger for it, either.

You vs. Debt

Earlier this year, I met up with Adam Baker and his family from Man vs. Debt when they came through town on their RV tour of the U.S. Baker & Courtney found themselves in overwhelming student loan debt early in their marriage, and worked to figure a way out of that trap. I’ve talked with Baker for years as they paid off their debt, traveled to different parts of the world, then did their RV tour, so it was good to finally have a chance to sit down and pick his brain about debt, blogging and other business stuff.

He is releasing a program today called You vs. Debt. If you go check it out, it will be very obvious that he hired a professional video crew and put a ton of work into this (I want to say I saw videos as far back as March?).

He’s been putting up a bunch of samples from the program that should give you an idea if it would be helpful to you, but here are some quick bullet points from Baker:

• YvD is a 6 weeks video-based course with the goal of completely changing people’s relationship and emotions surrounding money and debt.
• 32 individual videos, shot on green screen and edited w/ support text on screen, each video contains a lesson (3-9 minutes), and quote of the day, and a daily challenge (5-30 minutes to complete).
• Videos delivered every day Monday – Friday for 6 straight weeks. Saturday is the accountability survey and Sunday is rest day.
• Each day has a worksheet (30 total) that ties into the lesson and is filled out as part of the member challenge for that specific day.
• Each member will have a public profile they can customize (they’ll be able to view and search other members) and a fully-moderated forums to get help, support, and questions answered.

I haven’t seen the whole program or purchased it, but I have been privy to a bunch of behind the scenes stuff as he’s worked on it this year. Personal finance isn’t really the main focus of this blog, but if you are struggling with a mountain of debt, it will definitely hinder your freedom to live life.

So go check out the free sample stuff to get an idea if it would be useful to you. Baker’s You vs. Debt program would be a lot easier than the way I did things, if your relationship with money is a paradigm you need to shift.

How to Have Everything and Promptly Lose it All is a post from: Live Collar Free

One of the most popular requests I get is “How do you pack for so long with so little?” Much of it is a mindset which doesn’t really jive with today’s American consumerist lifestyle in the first place. That is the biggest hurdle to overcome in many of the things I talk about here.

There are plenty of packing list posts all over the travel and minimalist blogs, but since so many people ask, I figured I’d go ahead and post up my typical packing list for my office and personal needs when on the road. Since I just packed up the office recently to go to the Virgin Islands, I made sure to make a list and take some photos for this post.

My Office is Where I am

I’ve mentioned my backpack before, and how I refer to it as “My Office.” My office is anywhere I am sitting while working. I don’t like looking at the same wall every day, so I very often will be someplace new several times a week, even if just at home. Of course I don’t do work that requires a big setup for graphic or some sort of massive equipment that would be tough to carry around or even move. My laptop is the biggest item I need, and it is actually more machine than I need.

Everything on this page packed & ready.

The pack I have used for a few years now is ”SYNERGY from SwissGear by Wenger Computer Backpack” I bought it one day when I was on the road and needed a better carry bag for my laptop, and it has served me well. It holds a lot of stuff, can be crammed under the seat of most airplanes, and is very comfortable to wear, even fully loaded.

It is not weatherproof in any way, and if you are a constant traveler, this would not likely be the best pack for you to carry around daily. I wouldn’t want to take this on long hikes through a rainforest with it, but it works well in an occasionally carried city environment.

Everything listed below fits into this pack, or worn on my body while traveling.

Electronics

Laptop - It will shock most bloggers to know that I am not using a Mac, but I am on my third Toshiba Laptop now, and have never had major issues with them. I bought my current laptop as a refurbished 2006 model. I have used it pretty much all day every day for work, screwing around on the internet and watching tv and movies for years.

Toshiba Laptop & Accessories

It gets a lot of use, and has yet to have any issues other than the battery wearing out. I have had bad quality and support issues with other brands, and have even spent quite a few years in the hardware industry. I can’t say how good Toshiba service and support is, because I have never had to use it.

Laptop Charger

Laptop Inverter – When I bought my laptop years ago, I was working a lot from my vehicle. I needed to keep the laptop charged as I was using it for mapping as well as my customer databases while on the road. I could not find the generic one that I have, but there are a lot of options for 12v inverters on Amazon. If you work from a car, this is a must.

Headset – I mostly use Skype or Google Voice for what little phone interaction I do, and also use Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate articles and posts when I don’t feel like typing. After a good review of the current version from Sharon Hurley Hall, I installed another copy and have been working on getting familiar with it. I pack the headset that came with it for that dictation and communication.

All electronic gadgets & Gizmos.

Phone - I currently use a Blackberry Pearl, but as I said, I am doing less and less over the phone. I turned off the web access a couple of years ago, and now it is basically only used for friends and family, or in emergencies on the road. I am looking into switching to a prepaid phone just for those cases, as it makes no sense to pay for a service I hardly use.

iPod Touch – My 32GB iPod Touch has been very handy for what I do. I don’t actually play much music, but I listen to a lot of podcasts when out fishing, paddling or doing other things that are away from the computer. A constant reader, I have read dozens of books on it and when I need to get online, it is usually pretty easy to find wi-fi. It’s close to having an iPhone, without the monthly charge, and fits in my pocket, unlike an iPad.

Headphones - for the iPod.

Camera - Canon Powershot point & shoot cameras have been the best I have used so far. I have an SD1000 that they only produced for a short time, but there are many models to choose from. They take great photos, are easily carried in even a shirt pocket, and can even be hacked to do far more than most others, like shooting in RAW.

Camera Charger

Underwater Camera Case – Canon makes a custom underwater housing for my camera and all of their other models. They fit each model perfectly, and are very nice. Unfortunately for me, they are about the same price as the cameras themselves. I was not willing to buy one at such a price.

I bought a DiCAPac Underwater Camera Case, which is basically a very well-sealed bag that fits a variety of smaller cameras. I have access to several cameras that I can use in wet conditions. I have taken it with me paddling, boating, and snorkeling many times over the past 2 years, and it has not leaked at all. I snorkeled 7 different days in the Virgin Islands alone, and it works flawlessly. I occasionally test it with a piece of tissue paper inside and leave it submerged overnight.

Ultimate Charger – This item I previously reviewed on the blog saves me from having to bring 4 other chargers everywhere I go. It replaces both 110v and 12v chargers for my iPod, GPS and phone.

Notebooks - I use paper notebooks to write ideas and plans down. It uses no batteries and I can add to it without booting anything. Sometimes writing out an article on paper is easier for me to process, as well.

Thumb Drives – I have a couple of USB Thumb Drives to back up files, or sometimes to take to an internet cafe  or a printing house. This is rare for me, but I also keep copies of some software handy if I need it (antivirus and web settings). I got most of mine from giveaways, but they are small and handy.

SD Cards – I keep a few SD Cards in case I am taking more photos than usual, and can’t get to my computer to upload them, or I am shooting RAW files, which fill up the cards faster. Like all storage mediums these days, they are getting ridiculously cheap.

Clothing & Personal Items

Fashion is not something that is even remotely important to me. I am more about practical, comfortable and useful than what others think. The less I have, the less I have to wash, store, and otherwise care for.

I have worked on getting my entire wardrobe converted to lightweight, quick-dry items that work for me. I’ll have a separate post about that shortly, but it works best for travel, especially.

Swim Trunks - (Generic brand stuffs into its own pocket and dries quick)

Roll everything to pack easier.

Lounging/Sleep Shorts – Basic cotton gym shorts

2x Convertible Quik-Dry Shorts – The particular brand I have are Reel Legends Marlin Zip-off Pants. They are very lightweight, fairly durable, can look nice enough, and dry very fast. I can wear them in the water, and they’ll be dry enough by the time I’m done with dinner, or hand washed in a sink before bed and they’ll be dry in the morning. I found these both at a thrift store, and they have served me well for the 8 bucks total I paid for both pairs.

3x Underwear – I haven’t tried out any of the lightweight travel brands yet, though I will be looking into those when I need to upgrade.

I didn't pack one of these shirts.

2x Quik-Dry athletic-type shirt – I have about 5 of these total now. Lightweight, wrinkle-free and dry superfast.

3x Quik-Dry Button Shirt – Some are generic, but recently found some Columbia brand shirts that work so well. Keeps sun and bugs off of me for the most part, and I included a semi-formal shirt for dinner and such.

Hat - I packed my boonie hat I’ve used for outdoorsy stuff since 1984, but came back with a new one from Tilley.

Flippy-floppys – Generic and cheap pair to throw on when I need to walk outside.

Vibram Five-Fingers Shoes – I got a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO‘s for my birthday just before heading to the Virgin Islands. I only took these and the flip-flops as footwear. My feet were still getting used to them, and on some of the longer day hikes I did through the mountains, my feet started to ache a bit. But they are all I wear anymore. They are incredibly comfortable, and it does feel like being barefoot, just without worrying about stickers and glass cutting up your feet.

Headlamp – I like to carry a headlamp with me, as it always seems to come in handy.

Everything else!

Towel - After I got back, I finally ordered a Sea to Summit Drylight travel towel. I’m very happy with how small, absorbent and lightweight it is, as well as how quickly it dries. These will be replacing all of my towels from now on.

Wallet - I don’t keep much in a wallet. ID, ATM card, and a couple of other thin items. I am in the water a lot, so I bought these waterproof wallets from Seattle Sports. They are cheap and do everything I need them to do.

Sunglasses
Passport
Toothbrush
Deodorant
Razor - I only use 2 Mach 3 blade cartridges a year, but that’s another post
Chapstick
Small Daypack

How do you pack?

Obviously, my setup may not work for you, and women or people in different climates will have other items they might need. I don’t like to check bags or have more than I can carry all day.

As an example of this setup for me, I was on this last trip for 11 days, and never felt I was lacking anything. In fact, had I never returned home, I still would not feel like I was missing anything. Much of everything else I have is outdoors equipment, like camping and snorkeling gear. There was snorkeling gear at my destination already, so I didn’t need to worry about it.

Try to pay attention to the things you bring with you on trips, how much you use each item, and evaluate whether you could get by if you didn’t bring it with you. Is it worth packing and dragging it around the globe? Or is it just an unnecessary convenience that is more trouble than it’s worth? Let me know how you do it below.

Pack Light for any Trip and Miss Nothing is a post from: Live Collar Free

photo credit: byJoeLodge

The package wasn’t supposed to come for another few weeks. When I saw it was addressed to me, I knew it was finally here. Another piece of the puzzle. A brick removed from the wall blocking my path.

My Passport arrived. I could now go anywhere on the planet without hiding in a suitcase.

The statistics say that only 20% of the 308 million Americans have passports (though it’s going up as high as 30% since you need them to go to Mexico and Canada now). There are many reasons for this. Nomadic Matt wrote a good article on Huffington Post about it a couple of months ago. When he asked what we thought the reasons for this were, my answer was, “I think you covered them pretty well in this article. Institutional fear, arrogance and ignorance if you want a short answer.”

Life in the 300-Mile Circle

I grew up and lived most of my life in a 300-mile circle centered around Los Angeles. I have lived as far north as Fresno, as far west as Vegas, and as far south as Orange County. While I’ve never had the same address for more than 4 years, I didn’t leave that circle for more than quick trips around the U.S. for the first 35 years of my life.

I was one of those Americans who never had a passport. There were always places I wanted to see, but I had never actively pursued overseas trips. I’d been to Baja California a few times, crossing the border on foot. Drove down to Ensenada for a weekend once to spend the single night I’d ever spent in a foreign country in three decades.

For 35 years, I only left the Pacific Time Zone a handful of times. I had always wanted to see more, but something always got in the way. No matter the different scenarios then, the something was always related to fear.

Getting Free of Convention

When I started to free myself of the self-imposed constraints I’d lived with for most of my life, I started getting out more. I stopped watching the news and watching much tv, and the world seemed to start opening up. We can blame the media and culture here (I can hear the scoffing from non-Americans at my use of the term “culture” ), but it really rests with you to get out and do whatever it is that makes you happy.

I moved to another time zone since then and have gotten out more in the past few years than I had ever done before. I still haven’t gone anywhere that required a passport. A past trip to Puerto Rico and the upcoming St. John Island trip don’t need a passport as U.S. Territories, though they are technically different countries. I’m playing catch up on all that time I didn’t get out-of-town to explore what I can.

My answer to Matt’s question got me thinking more about it, and I realized I didn’t want that limitation any longer.

Do you have to travel to live your life?

Being a Digital Nomad is not necessarily about traveling around the world. It is something that can be done, but it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Hopefully you aren’t staying at home out of fear like so many do, but there is more than one way to live life.

In this community, you see every manner of traveler, wanderer and Nomad. But this isn’t just about travel. This is about happy.

You don’t have to go live on a beach in Thailand like Cody McKibben, or move to Chile like Ashley Ambirge to live your best life. Not everyone wants to travel constantly out of a backpack like Matt. Not everyone wants to wander in a tiny RV like Cherie & Chris, or even in a luxury bus like Louise & Sean. You don’t have to ever leave your country, or even the small town where you were born if that’s what makes you happy. Hell if you’ve got a Ted Nugent-sized ranch you never have to leave, then more power to you!

But please don’t spend your life in fear.

So am I the only one who has hardly traveled the world here? Tell me if you’ve got things holding you back in the comments.

How to Escape your 300-Mile Circle and See the World is a post from: Live Collar Free

If you follow my updates on Twitter or Facebook, you may have seen me talking about a temp “job” I am taking in March. One of the greatest advantages of working from anywhere as a Digital Nomad is that when strangely rare but fun opportunities come up, you can jump on them more easily than if you have a location-dependent job that you have to show up for every day.

When friends Cherie & Chris over at Tales from Technomadia posted that they needed a cat-sitter for 10 days or so, it was an easy one to jump at. The cat-sitting job is in the U.S. Virgin Islands!

I’ll be spending a couple of weeks with the girlfriend on the island of St. John in March, staying at their temporary winter place. Their Jeep will get us around on the small Caribbean island while they fly over to Texas to give their presentation on this very subject of Technomadism at SXSW. While I’d planned to go to SXSW as well, the opportunity for an almost free trip to a tropical paradise was too good to pass up this year.

Their pictures have been making me crazy (and are shown here on this post), especially now that I have to wait a few more weeks to get there!

I’ll be posting from there, as I’ll be working some of the time we’re there, just as I would be anywhere else with internet access. I’ll pack my usual single backpack that I call my “office” and will of course have plenty for the trip. I’ll post my minimalist packing method when I get a chance, as several of you have asked how I pack so light after my video last week.

Island Life by Technomadia

My new passport should get here before we leave, if we decide to go over to the nearby British Virgin Islands while we’re there. But much of this will be like my previous trips, where I just happen to be working in a different location. But you can be sure I’ll be getting some snorkeling and hiking in during the day! (I live a short walk from white sand beaches, so I already know not to do the laptop at the beach thing)

Rum is something like five bucks for a 55-gallon drum there, but I don’t drink. So I’ll be working in the evenings instead of taking advantage of that island deal.

2011 has started off well so far, with only a month down and already several projects in the works. I’ve done a lot behind the scenes here on the blog as well as working on several other things I want to share with you here too.

The point of this site was to help you sort through the many ways to do this kind of thing yourself. There is a lot of noise out there to sort through, with any number of directions you could go to this online lifestyle thing. Some good ones and some not so good ones.

I won’t teach you any online money stuff that is all over the internet. I will help you sort through the good ones by bringing you the quality products and people who can help you live your life however you want, instead of being tied down in the traditional way most of us start out.

I’ve spread myself thin with a variety of projects lately, and not doing enough to share it here with you between various writing and editing jobs, as well as work on affiliate products (which you can learn to do also using Corbett’s Affiliate Marketing for Beginners like I do. And yes, that is an affiliate link!) Much of the behind the scenes work has been testing things to make the site easier for you to use to get the information you’re looking for. I’ll have a bunch added when it’s all ready-ish to go.

I switched my mailing list over to a new system to be able to give you posts to your email. Spammers should all die, so you won’t get any of that from me. Go sign up over there on the sidebar, and you will get updates on new posts, as well as specials and products not posted here on the site.

I hope you’ll bear with me while I get the kinks worked out. In 2011, I’m going to take this site to the next level, as they say.

Technomadic Adventures in High Gear for 2011 is a post from: Live Collar Free

There is plenty of talk among this community about the term Lifestyle Design. Popularized by Tim Ferriss in his book The Four-Hour Work Week, he talks of a “New Rich” who set up muse businesses and are able to travel for extended lengths of time in what Tim calls mini-retirements. The premise being that you can use the power of the internet, virtual assistants, and various tools to work from anywhere.

Tim’s approach is very specific to how he designed his life, but it is not even remotely the only way to design your life. So I am going to officially jack the term from him.

I have always preferred the term to be more tailored to an individual. My situation is not very similar to Tim’s. It doesn’t mean I can’t do everything he did and does. It means that I am not looking for the same things. Tim’s system is very viable. If it works for you, use it. There are many tips and bits of valuable information than can help you do things more differently than you may have imagined. But you don’t have to copy it exactly.

To me the term means literally to design your own life. It is whatever works best for me. My life is what I want and need to do for me. It is not your life. If what I do works for you, use it. If not, you won’t hurt my feelings. Absorb what is useful, discard the rest.

Designing Work Life

We hear so many people complaining about life in the 9-5 cubicle. They write songs about it, make movies mocking it, and have countless websites complaining about our daily lives. Yet most people strive to have this life they complain about. They hang onto it and defend it with everything in their being, mostly too afraid to dare the great things they know they have in them. They don’t like the rules we’ve all been taught, but rarely question them. Of course we’re specifically taught this dream-squelching way in our education system, but that’s another post altogether.

Though I talk of Lifestyle Designers and Digital Nomads working from anywhere from their laptops on this site, that is not the only way to do things. I’m not going to tell you to quit your job, sell all your stuff, and wander the Earth with nothing but a backpack and a smile. There are plenty of people who do just that, but it may not be for you.

No matter what you want to do, no matter what you think may stand in your way, and especially no matter who tells you that you can’t: You can.

Question the Rules

I’m not a believer in rebelling just to be able to call yourself a rebel. Some rules are good (“don’t play on the freeway” is probably a good one). But do question the rules.

Why are you living the way you live now? What are you afraid of? What is the worst that can happen if you try it? What is the worst that can happen if you don’t? Ask yourself hard questions to get to what you really want.

No matter what you want to do with your life, there is a way to make it happen. People make excuses their whole lives and stay stuck in lives they don’t enjoy. Will it be hard work to make a big change or build the life you want? Probably. If you’re looking for a magic pill or plan to fix all your troubles, make you a brazillion dollars, and make you look like a movie star all while you sit on the couch watching Oprah, then good luck with that.

There is no magic pill. There is no winning the lottery. There are no secret shortcuts. There are no overnight successes. It all takes work. Usually lots of it.

I am not some guru. I can’t do the work for you. Life can be hard. But rarely is it as hard as we make it out to be in our heads. You are going to die someday. Don’t spend your life living in fear. You’re the only one who has to live it, you may as well enjoy it.

The main idea I want you to at least open yourself up to is that though you may not see the entire path laid out beginning to end before you, there are other ways to live. Some may not appeal to you, and that’s okay. I hope you at least look at the ones who grab your attention and you see that there really are no valid excuses for anything.

My upcoming Lifestyle Profiles Series will show you more people doing whatever they want. Some will be living their own Ferrissian Utopia, while others will be living with far more modest means. Some will be travelers going places most people will only ever see in National Geographic, while some will be living happily in their hometown. Some will be working for other companies, but most for their own businesses. People on the road solo, and people with large families doing the same.

The Middle Finger Project

I don’t know if it’s just the holiday season, or circumstantial, but I have got a lot of good books and products lately to review. I have followed Ashley since she started writing, and met up with her this summer when she drove through town.

I mentioned this one back when she did her pre-order sale last month of her new book, and you may have noticed the ad space I put up for it on the right.

I have read and enjoyed the book. It is “designed specifically for beginners interested in learning how, exactly, to become a digital entrepreneur, do soul-shakingly good work that you love, make money, and do it all from a laptop.” She takes someone new to blogging, and walks you step-by-step to setting up your own place to reach people and get your entrepreneurial freak on. The why, the how and the must.

If you’ve been around for a while, you could say she takes a more Gary Vaynerchuk approach to her successful business as opposed to Tim’s muse-and VA style, though I’d bet she drinks far more wine than Gary. Ash is currently in Chile, and I highly recommend you follow her writing over on her blog, whether you buy her book or not!

What the Hell is Lifestyle Design and Why Do I Care? is a post from: Live Collar Free

The purpose of this site is to show possibilities for alternative lifestyles. I have talked a bit before about how I left the typical corporate workforce to start traditional businesses, then transitioned that into a mobile lifestyle which allows me to work wherever I have an internet connection.

One of the lifestyles that has always fascinated me is RV travel. I’ve always known people whose dream it was to see the U.S. at their own pace in their RV once they retired. My grandparents were such an example. He was a business owner in a small town in California. Kind of a big fish in a little pond sort of thing where they still have a street named after him though he died 30 years ago.

Some of my earliest memories were of camping out of my parents’s VW bus they bought brand new when I was on the way. My grandpa had an in-bed camper truck that we used to take short weekend trips in when I could barely talk. My sister & I loved camping in their backyard where they kept that camper truck parked. We were even more excited when he got a newer Class-C RV where we used to almost exclusively “camp” in the yard whenever we stayed there during the summer.

It represented waking up in a new place every day while exploring this vast country of ours, and beyond. All of the things my grandpa always told me about. One of my many dreams is to restore an old Airstream. The classic look just brings back something nostalgic and adventurous for me, like it does so many others.

I remember him regaling me with tales of all the places he was going to go when he retired. He just never got around to retiring before he died.

Life for me has always been very nomadic. I have never held the same address for longer than 4 years: once in grade school, and once as an adult (I’m 40). I’ve explored only small areas of the country, with only quick trips outside it’s borders. I’ve moved a lot, camped quite a bit, lived in my SUV for short periods of time when I felt like it, and always thought about making a move to a mobile RV life.

(Interestingly, about a year ago my dad told me that we lived in a parked Airstream when I was born. I had no idea.)

Most people think of RV life as something like my grandpa thought of it: something for weekend trips, family vacations, or retirement. While there may be plenty of good times to be had limiting it to just those activities, there are a lot of people of all ages living full lives in their RVs all over the world. Whether in full-sized RV’s, converted buses or cargo trucks, towing Airstreams or other trailers, and even stealth camping in vans.

Tales From Technomadia

If you’ve been to this site before, you’ve heard me talk about Chris Dunphy & Cherie Ve Ard. They have been traveling around the U.S. for several years now living in their towed Oliver travel trailer, along with their cat Kiki. They are not old and retired, but they enjoy working and living from wherever they happen to travel to at any given point. They are Digital Nomads who run several businesses from wherever they have internet access.

They’ve become very well-known in various RV and Location Independent circles here on the internet, and are experts at every aspect of life as a modern Technomad. I met them for a shuttle launch earlier this year, and use their handy State Lines iPhone app whenever I am about to cross into another state. They are always friendly and helpful, despite constantly answering the same questions over and over from people like me who are curious about or want to live their wandering experience.

They were recently selected to present on Technomadism at SXSW Interactive, and have recently settled in to explore the U.S. Virgin Islands for a few months over the winter.

Over the years, they’ve documented all of the various questions and obstacles people throw at them for why they can’t also live this life of freedom. Like with anyone else doing things outside the mainstream way we are taught to live in the default world, they get a lot of praise about their amazing life, almost always followed up with some variation of the “I wish I could do that” excuse.

They wrote an extensive series of posts on their blog about overcoming these obstacles to full-time travel, but they got several requests for a book form. They have now compiled this 15-part series into an ebook. I thought it was going to just be the posts sewn up quickly into a pdf, but it’s a 78-page, 25,000 word book.

They added a ton of stuff to it!

Chris & Cherie don’t use their blog to make a living, but to share information. They make enough money from their software development and consulting businesses to afford their travels. They’re working on some extra travel expenses to get to SXSW, but are generously offering this book for whatever you want to pay.

They’re not putting a price tag on this eBook – it’s offered to you on a ‘Pay-as-You-Wish’ basis. Pay what it’s worth to you. Heck, even download it for free, and come back later and pay what it’s worth to you.

Just change the suggested price of $15 in the shopping cart to whatever you want to contribute.

If you’re looking to live a mobile lifestyle or even just curious, it’s a great resource. I don’t say that because they are friends, because they quote this blog in the book, or because I’m an affiliate for it. It’s just a fantastic resource you should check out, and pay what you think it’s worth to you.

UPDATE 2-3-2011: They’ve added another chapter to the book! If you signed up for updates, you should have already received a notification. The book is still pay-as-you-wish, so you can buy the updated version at the same link.

Check out Answers to the Most Common Excuses to not Travel Full-Time

Don’t Die Waiting for Retirement to Travel the Open Road is a post from: Live Collar Free

photo credit: bradleygee

I haven’t been a fan of the holidays for many years. The usual holiday shopping season, and even birthdays have always annoyed me. I believe we should always be trying to live in gratitude, not just make a big fuss about it for a few weeks a year. I like the spirit of it, but not the consumerist monstrosity it has become.

This is the time of year where everyone frantically tries to find the best deals on things, spends more money than they can afford, and tries to figure out what will pass as acceptable gifts for the people in their lives who they feel obligated to give to.

I am not a complete grinch. This will be my 40th holiday season. I haven’t made a wish list of “stuff” I wanted in a long time. I have always been pretty minimalistic with my possessions, mostly because I didn’t like moving it all, but I have decided on more militant minimalism the past few years. I’ll always have some gadgets like computers and cameras for both work and creating art, but I don’t need a closet full of unused toys like I had as a kid.

Despite this, there are a few people every year who will give me gifts. While I do always appreciate the sentiment, no matter how many times I protest ahead of time, there will be a small pile of items I likely won’t like, want, or need that I will then have to dispose of, donate, store, or otherwise care for. All because of the social conventions of gift-giving we have been programmed with by various companies since birth.

I don’t make it hard:

“What do you want for xmas?”

“Nothing. I have everything I need and then some. Spend your money on yourself or someone else.”

Still, I wind up with another regifted digital picture frame or a chia pet. When the same person gets you the same random and anonymous gift they got you the year before, is it really the spirit of giving?

Those who feel they absolutely must give gifts, should at least do some research. A box of smoked meats and cheeses? You know me well enough that you felt obligated to buy something for me, but didn’t know I was largely vegetarian. A bottle of wine? I don’t drink either, but at least I have no trouble giving this one away. A DVD for a movie you liked? Yes, I enjoy movies, but I just sold the existing DVD collection I never watched on eBay, which is where this will go.

This sounds like I really have no fun in life, but stuff does not make me happy. Your company makes me happy. Call me, send me some sort of message, but this singing fish will not be hung on my wall. Gag gifts can be fun. A friend received a gaudy piece of crystal for their wedding. It was passed around to at least 7 of us as we got married over the years. It’s a tradition.

Must Buy Things

Do some research if you feel you must give gifts. With more people leaving all that is consumerism and either traveling light or minimizing their possessions, it’s best to at least find out what someone would want.

Just Anything - If you have a group of people on your list that you just must get “something” for, you will likely be wrong. If you decide the person “likes golf, so I will get him this Tiger Woods bobblehead,” you’re just throwing money away. The thought should actually be what counts, not the ridiculous trinket. I’m not the only one who feels this way, but social convention dictates that most people pretend to appreciate the gift. They may appreciate the thought, but they’re tossing the ped-egg in the trash as soon as you leave.

Wish Lists - If you are going to buy something, there are many ways to actually get people something they at least want or need. Have them send you a few ideas or send you their Amazon Wish List. They have everything there from books to pretty much everything else sold at any other store. Even if you buy it elsewhere, you can at least know what they want.

Gift card – These are getting to be far more popular these days, and is probably the best bet aside from cash if you are stricken with holiday gift guilt. They are usually very good for the vendors, because they are often never redeemed. Usually because you didn’t bother doing your research. Amazon Gift Cards don’t expire, have no fees and can be selected by brand or for anything they sell. You can also just email a code to someone, print them out or have them mailed a card.

Charity - Donations are the ideal gift for me. We have a few different loans circulating through Kiva now, and they have a very high payback rate (98.99%) so you can keep re-lending. You can end up changing someone else’s life, and helping someone to start a business and provide for their family or village.

A friend gave a goat to a village in my name a couple of years ago. I don’t know if the goat got eaten or is used as a guard goat, but I know these villagers needed the help a lot more than I needed another clock radio.

Gratitude - Spend time with people. Make someone a card. Send them a note to tell them how much you appreciate them in your life. Slow down and don’t get caught up in the madness of the shopping season. The holidays should be about spending time with friends and family and appreciating your lives. Not about how many random people you can scratch off your list in a single trip to a mall.

How to Save Money on Holidays by Giving Even More is a post from: Live Collar Free

This weekend marked the 42nd stop on Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Book Tour in Tampa, Florida. I’ve mentioned this self-funded book tour before, and I hope any of you near the remaining stops are able to get to the event. It was well worth the wait. Several friends around the country told me it was worth going, and Chris has been someone I have followed for several years now, so I was looking forward to it.

If you haven’t followed Chris’s blog, The Art of Nonconformity is his way of inspiring change and action for people to live the life they want to live. He was one of the original inspirations for this blog in many ways. The central message of the book is this:

“You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to. You can do good things for yourself and make the world a better place at the same time. Here’s how to do it.”

The event took place at Inkwood Books, one of the Tampa area’s many small bookstores. Chris was already set up when I got there, with a few people seated. Chris was talking with everyone already in the relaxed atmosphere of the place. He was just as friendly and likeable as he comes across online.

We got rolling when the 30 or so chairs filled up, and a couple dozen people were still standing. Chris spent about 15 minutes telling us a bit about his background, what lead him to embark on this life of Nonconformity, and why he wrote the book. There was a little input from people at times, and he wrapped up that part of the event pretty quickly.

After that, he lead a question and answer session with anyone who had questions, concerns, or other issues they wanted to discuss. The room was filled with great people from various backgrounds and stages of unconventional life. This was a fantastic resource to discovering different fears and concerns different people had about life.

The event was organized here in Florida by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. She told us a bit about her journey and strategy for her food businesses. Disappointingly, she did not cook for us, but I didn’t hold it against her, as there were several different kinds of cupcakes available.

There was a young woman who wanted to travel, but didn’t know how it was possible. Shannon from A Little Adrift was there and able to offer some suggestions for things that she had discovered on her travels around the world.

David Risley started a tech blog as a hobby several years ago. He was very successful with it, and he now also teaches others how to make money blogging over at his other website, DavidRisley.com, where I’ve followed him for years. It was nice to finally meet him, and he was able to offer up some suggestions for people wondering how to get businesses going.

Several artists like Skaja her fiction writer husband Sam there to learn from Chris.

There were students, marketers, photographers, recent University graduates concerned about life with their new tremendous debt loads. There was a parent concerned about how to be Location Independent with children. An older retired woman was just deciding to start a new business. Even a stranger to AONC who didn’t know what Chris was about other than his coin buying travel-hacking story I’d told her, who walked away inspired.

After an hour or so of the Q&A, Chris sat and talked with anyone who wanted to get a book signed, and even those who just wanted to chat but hadn’t bought a book. I waited there listening to his genuine interest in everyone else’s projects and lives as almost everyone in the room sat and chatted with him one on one before the owners had to throw us out so they could go home.

We met up at a local restaurant where about 20 of us met up for dinner afterward, and we continued to learn about our projects and unusual lives. We even had a different Chris there who had joined the circus tell us all about that part of her fascinating life! Several of the people I met will be featured here the coming weeks.

There are only a few states left on the tour now, so I would highly recommend going if you are nearby (remember, there are usually cupcakes! ) The message of the book was clear, with great examples. I will review the book when I finish it. I only made it about halfway through after I got home, but I would already say it’s worth the small cost. All of the proceeds from the book are going to help bring clean water to at least 2 Ethiopian villages too!

Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Book Tour Comes to Tampa is a post from: Live Collar Free

There were keys to the several cars in the driveway. The garage was full of tools, toys, projects, and other stuff that had keys. The house had twice as many bedrooms as there were people living in it and needed several keys. There were boats and motorcycles and other such things that came and went. All of them needed another key.

The houses both my parents grew up in could easily fit inside this house. The property was bigger than I knew what to do with, so I rarely set foot on most of it. I didn’t spend a lot of time there because I was working so much trying to pay for it, but I had a pocket full of keys to remind me of it. They would sometimes wear holes in my pocket from carrying them around.

I had all these things. I diligently chased after the money and “stuff” in search of the happy feelings promised by the advertisements. It was a lot of work to get all that stuff, and I didn’t like the work I did to get it. But I was doing what I thought I was supposed to do. I was after that American Dream.

“He who dies with the most toys wins” has been a popular saying for as long as I can remember. I bought into that for a long time. I had everything I wanted at one point. I never did figure out what I was supposed to win. We need _______, or we aren’t living the good life. I was always taught that this is what you do.

There is always the next thing. It never ends. I wasn’t miserable, but I knew this wasn’t the life I wanted. I hadn’t realized there were many alternatives.

Over the past decade or so, I either lost or gave up most of that. I stopped chasing the money, stopped looking for that next thing that was going to make me happy. Now I find that there is a direct correlation between the number of keys I have and how happy and free I feel.

I have written about my downsizing here before, and I am still getting rid of the clutter in my life. The photo above is me having fun shredding file cabinets full of paperwork I’d been needlessly keeping for years. Boxes of photographs on the desk above me are to be digitized. Most of the books are gone, as are several bags of clothes. I had no idea I had accumulated 50+ t-shirts, but I’m getting those donated too.

I am not quite to the level of  Tammy, Colin, or Karol (yet, anyway ), but I still have some more things I need to pare down. Whether I try to get under 100 things, what can fit in a room, fit in a car, or carry on my back, I will try to find the perfect balance for me.

I don’t have as much stuff now, but I am down to only 2 keys. They aren’t wearing holes in my pockets anymore.

2 Keys to Minimalist Happiness is a post from: Live Collar Free

I wanted to give an update on some of the people previously featured on the site. Some of the things we’ve featured here have changed, and people ask me how some others are doing. While going through previous posts, I thought I’d update you on some of them here.

Lemonade

One of the stories we’ve mentioned several times both here and on the Facebook Page is Erik Proulx’s Lemonade Movie. After a successful run being featured on Hulu, it is still available for sale.

Erik has been hard at work trying to get together funding for the “sequel” of sorts, Lemonade: Detroit. He has made a trailer for the basic premise and is seeking grass roots funding for the project. You can be listed in the credits for sponsoring a frame of the film (or 10,000 – I’m sure he wouldn’t mind).

Adventure Photographer Trevor Clark

Since Trevor did a two-part interview with us, he is still making fantastic pictures, traveling all over the U.S. in his Sportsmobile van.

After spending much of the summer in Alaska, he ended up with a home base in Tahoe to operate from when not on the road in El Guapo. He spends plenty of time there, so it made sense for him to have an operations center to help him take his photography business to the next level.

Crush It!

Gary Vaynerchuk is still going on and on about the Jets, can occasionally be found on Twitter, and has a new book coming out, called “The Thank You Economy” as a follow-up to his best-selling Crush It! I have not read it yet, but I plan on it. I will put up my copy of Crush It! for a contest prize if there are enough people interested who haven’t already read the book. If only one person emails me, you’ll be the winner!

Nine Lives Vintage Wears

Readers will remember the story of Kristi Coyne, who was downsized from her government healthcare job a while back.

She decided to take the opportunity to not spend the rest of her life unhappily working in a field she did not thoroughly enjoy, and decided to open a vintage clothing store in Tacoma. Yes, she decided to kick fear in the nuts, turn away from the field she’d acquired several University Degrees to attain, and open a retail store at the peak of the worst financial climate in American history.

I’m happy to report that Nine Lives Vintage Wears is doing well, and has recently celebrated it’s first anniversary! Go Kristi!

Tales from Technomadia

Everyone knows Cherie and Chris from Tales From Technomadia. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet up with them earlier this year to watch the Space Shuttle Launch. They happened to be out here in Florida with the Oliver Travel Trailer they call home, along with another couple from Our Odyssey. None of us had met in meatspace before that day, but since they were so close, and it was the last scheduled night launch, I had to go!

We had a great time, and they so graciously let us otherwise total strangers use the warmth of their home on that cold February night as we waited for the 5am launch (that got scrubbed).

Being the Technomads that they are, they are always willing to wander and explore, as they work entrely online, and are not tied to any one place. They’ve long thought of trading in their RV for a sailboat at some point, but they recently came upon an opportunity to spend the winter in the U.S. Virgin Islands!

They only arrived on the island of St. John a few days ago as of this writing, but be sure to follow along on their adventures there. They take lots of pictures and are great at reporting the details of what life is like in whatever nomadic situation they live!

Way Below Status Quo Meetup

Over the summer, I met with a few other people I only knew from the online world. They were on a trip around the U.S. to meet people from the blog world. They passed through town and were stopping to meet Andrew Norcross while they were here. I just happened to see a tweet and invited myself out with them.

Colin Wright moved to Thailand shortly after the trip ended, and is working on several businesses from there. I don’t know if his readers have decided where he is going to live next, but it is always fun to watch.

Norcross is still in town and I am pretty sure he has fixed every WordPress site of every person on Twitter.

Ashley Ambirge is having a presale of her new book “Why You Don’t Need a Job: You Need GUTS!” If I was on the ball, I would have told you about it earlier, but there is still a short time to get it at 50% off until tomorrow (Nov 12, 2010).

She just got to Chile a few days ago, so I don’t know what hour she will cut off the discount.

Andi is still doing her 30-day challenges at Instigationology. She is running (mostly) online businesses without the crutch of social media this month. I don’t think she ever sleeps, and has done harder things than that, but it’s fun to watch.

The Future

I’ll be bringing more people to you through the site in the coming weeks. There are so many more people out living and working way outside the default life we are trained to live. I want to share them all with you, so subscribe to the updates through RSS, email, Facebook, or Twitter to be notified when we have new stuff here for you.

“What Happened to Them?” Updates on 6 LiveCollarFree Stories is a post from: Live Collar Free