How I make money while traveling the world

Marina Nicaragua

I know that many people wonder how I actually make money. That is why today I would like to share my story with you, how I decided to go after my dreams and create a life on my own terms.

Since 2015, when I popped up on a surfboard for the first time in France, I was hooked. From then on everything, revolved around the next trip to the ocean.

 

One year later, when I finished my apprenticeship, which I did in an office, all I wanted to do is get back to the ocean.

 

Sitting at a desk 8 hours a day never made sense to me. It seemed like a total waste of my life. The thought of doing a job that didn’t fulfill me and coming home miserable at the end of the day caused me nothing but panic.  I knew that this was not for me and that there must be more in life. And also, these constant questions about what I want to do next and how I want to educate myself went against my grain and I just wanted to leave.

 

So, I just ran away. I packed my bags and went to Costa Rica to work at a surf camp for 3 months. And I thought that I will know what I want to do with my life once I come back. And one thing I knew for sure… I knew that I wanted to get out of there again as soon as possible.

Costa Rica Santa Teresa Banana Beach
COSTA RICA, SANTA TERESA (2016)

But eventually I ran out of money and I had to catch my flight home.

So I went back to Switzerland, worked like a maniac for 4 months in two different jobs at the same time. My mission was to save as much money as possible in a short period of time. The only purpose I saw in my job was to save up as much money as possibly can to be able to travel again. My next trip was always what kept me going. I worked day and night and then left again for 7 months. I travelled back to Central America and visited Bali for the first time (the beginning of my love for this island).

PLAYA HERMOSA, COSTA RICA
BOCAS del toro, panama
GRANADA, NICARAGUA
Bali Beach
SECRET BEACH IN BALI

After that seven months I came back and got a job again. In the beginning I was very happy with it because I need a purpose for the day and contributing something is what brings me joy. But of course my desire for the ocean came back very quickly and I spent all my holidays travelling.

Every time I sat at an airport, sad to fly back home, I thought “What a dream it would be to be able to work from anywhere. Living by the ocean and being able to surf every day”.

Of course I have already heard of digital nomads but I never thought that this is something I could do too. I thought that only web designers and other technical geniuses were fortune enough to do this.

In 2018 I went to Portugal and when the thought of going home caused me so much pain again, I knew something had to change.

SANTA CRUZ, PORTUGAL (2018)

A few weeks later I went to Bali for a short surf trip to escape from the daily routine again. And once again I realized how much I want to live like this every day. Waking up by the ocean, surfing every day, being surrounded by like-minded people and while also having a job that brings me joy and fulfillment.

And it was then that I made the decision to somehow make this possible. No matter what it will take, I will create this life for myself!

Airplane to Bali
QUICK TRIP IN NOVEMBER 2018
SPENT MY DAYS SURFING
Coffee at Peloton Supershop Canggu
AND DID LOTS OF JOURNALING

When I came back, I immediately started with my further education. And I didn’t sign up for just one course, but two.

I attended a course in web design and also did an online marketing degree, as I was already working in marketing at that time anyway. I was so convinced to put my plans into action that I went to school two evenings and one morning every week, in addition to my 41-hour job.

Of course, nobody understood what I was doing here, but that did not stop me from following my dream life.

Fast forward 8 months. I had my diplomas and what now… I soon realized that a piece of paper in my hand does not change much. Nevertheless, I was still wildly determined to make my dream life by the ocean possible. I have already quit my job by that time because I have saved enough money to travel again and to survive for a few months without an income.

However, what always interested me was social media. In my personal life, as well as in school, I was fascinated by these powerful platforms and what they can do for us. And I have always loved to create and edit pictures, cut videos, etc.

And as chance would have it, just before I left, I got wind that social media management is something you can earn money with. And the best part?! You can do it from anywhere in the world! And that’s where it started.

I signed up for a coaching program (which has taught me way more than every kind of school or training ever did) and started my own little business called Beyond Social.

And today this is what I do. I successfully built my own Social Media Management & Consulting Business which allows me to do something I’m passionate about every day. Supporting entrepreneurs on their way to build their business and becoming part of their vision brings me so much fulfilment.

I could spend hours and hours researching strategies, learning about all the different features, editing pictures, copywriting, etc. But I know a lot of people don’t like social media, don’t have the time to do it properly or just have other priorities and don’t think that it is important.

But if you’re a business owner you out on a huge opportunity to market your product or services. By neglecting social media, you do yourself a huge disservice. But I also understand that not everybody wants to deal with this. Maybe they know how important it is, still they don’t have the time or capacity to do it properly.

And this is where I can support them. I help businesses by taking care of their social media accounts. Besides that I also help them with graphic design, newsletter creation and copywriting.

I love what I do, and I enjoy doing this work. It allows me to first of all, wake up excited every day and second, I can work from wherever I want to.

Of course, the whole thing didn’t happen overnight and there were ups and downs. I had doubts, left behind friendships and pushed myself beyond limits. But that is what we must be willing to take in order to bring about change. To create the life of our dreams.

I always knew I didn’t want to sit in an office for 8 hours a day. And I’ve chosen to do something about it.

And I’ve chosen to do something about it.

And I would like to share that with you. I want you to recognise that we are the creators of our own lives and that we can achieve everything if we really want to.

You can make your dream life become reality. You just have to start taking action.

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