Everything I will need for the next 5 weeks is in this bag
This morning I embarked upon one of the larger journeys of my life – a five week relocation to Europe.
After quitting my job three weeks ago to run my own business, I decided that I would put my location independence to the test. I arrive in London tomorrow morning. My brother lives in London and I will be staying with him until the 27th of October. On the 27th, I’ll be headed to Budapest where I will stay for 17 days, leaving on the 13th of November. After Budapest, I’ll be back in London until the morning of November 18th.
Over the last two weeks I’ve been in Tucson, Los Angeles, and Nogales, Mexico. It’s been a great way for me to test out a few of my location independent practices; namely what tools and equipment I’ll need to bring.
I drove back to my home in Denver on Sunday to prepare for my five week adventure. Having only two days in Denver, I was afforded precious little time to prepare. It was stressful, but I was able to get packed and take care of all other preparations needed before a trip of this magnitude.
One of the most stressful decisions was deciding exactly what to pack. I was finally able to fit everything I would need for the next five weeks into a single bag.
Waking up this morning, there were a million what-ifs going through my head. What if my luggage gets lost, what if my business blows up, what if I don’t have items I need. They may sound trivial, but this is my life!
The most poignant thoughts moving through my head were thoughts of guilt and fear because I’m jumping off the beaten path. I’m not commuting to an office every morning, I’m not staying home and looking for a new job, I’m not staying planted in Denver and running a typical home-based business. The reality is that I’m doing something that couldn’t be done 20 years ago – and maybe not even 10 years ago. I’m going to be running a business from Europe utilizing every technological tool that’s available to me.
There’s a lot of people who don’t understand this. Most everyone I have spoken to thinks that I am going on a five week vacation – who goes somewhere on the other side of the world to work???
Location independence isn’t just the simple act of placing yourself in a location other than “home.” It’s much more: it’s a life philosophy. I think it’s best characterized as truly adopting a philosophy of “wherever I go, there I am.” It doesn’t matter where you are, you will seamlessly continue running your business and living your life.
After checking into my flight without a hitch (this is the first time in nearly two years that I am officially off of the TSA watch list – apparently a lot of terrorists are named Smith), I was able to calm down, take a few breaths, and get excited about the adventure that lies ahead of me.
The upcoming weeks will be the crucible – a win or lose test of whether or not I can make it as a location independent. I’ve planned and planned and mentally prepared. I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a long love affair with location independence!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Dude! This is awesome. Have a fun trip!
Love reading stories like this – makes me even more eager to start vagabonding. Good luck with your location independence.
@David – what’s holding you back?