I need to vent.
Everyone all the time asks me how can I afford traveling all the time. I work remotely and have a corporate 10 years long career, I don’t have kids and don’t have a car or an apartment. I speak 2 languages and used to be the most hardworking person ever to make my career. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still from a poor country and I don’t make big money, I travel on budget, but in my country I would be consider above average in terms of money. I’m great in managing money, I provide for myself and am independent for 10 years and I used to live for only $275 a month.
Also as a digital nomad I travel to live in a country, I’m not a tourist that spends much money every day.
How do you deal with it? People tell me all the time that I’ll get broke or that I should work more or that I have a sugar daddy. They ask me if this lifestyle isn’t expensive. Obviously it is, but having kids also is super expensive.
The most funny thing is that I meet people that makes literally 10 TIMES MORE than me and they are jealous and ask me of I could advise them to make more and how much they should make to afford being a digital nomad.
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I don’t have an answer, I just wanted to say that I can empathize, since I had the exact same experience when I talk about my bike touring.
“Hey, I’m cycling a year across Africa, wild camping” (spending ~$10 a day) - Me, on a bike.
“wow, must be nice to be rich, love I could live like that” - grumbling person with more comfort and money than I’d ever have on tour.
damn that bike tour sounds hella cool & inspiring. i gotta really work on moving from thought to action and your post is helping, thanks.
Easiest way: don’t tell them what you do.
Just tell people you’re independently wealthy.
In the end, it’s your life, right? If you want to continue travelling, just do so. If you end up wanting to settle down, do so.
People are gonna talk and be jealous no matter what, the only difference being the degree to which they do that.
Simply try working on your mechanism to “swallow” what they say, you’re probably not going to change their opinion as we as humans have a tendency to tell others what they should do in life.
Live long and prosper!
Weirdly no one has ever asked me about it before. Not joking. I can see why people would be curious.
People don’t understand that travelling is often cheaper than living full time in a HCOL country.
Best solution… give them a short nice answer … If they start questioning your choices then ignore their question and change the topic or stop talking or interacting with them. If they still bother you then cut them off. That’s what I’ve been doing recently. I’ve lost my patience and tolerance for such people. It’s none if their business. I’m childfree and live in other country than my home country. This has made it worse. Started seeing true colours of people now, and how they try to push their opinions and choices on me.
I identify myself as an entrepreneur first and nomad/traveler second. Nobody has ever asked me how I can afford any of it. They know I can afford it
Tell them you’re a software engineer making a good living. That explains all the little questions
“they are so jealous”
I get that from everyone, but it’s just bullshit. Anybody can do it after me, but they don’t even try. They keep grinding 9to5 from home and live their life on insta scrolling.
I get your point. So, what country were you from, what country are you moving to, and why?
My line which is 1/2 true (or better) is that I quit my corporate job and sold my house and all my possessions and am traveling until that money runs out.
It’s great because it could mean anything money-wise, it’s super relatable (who hasn’t imagined doing it), and frames you as not (too) rich or privileged, just crazy.
The truth is that was what I actually did. I just happened to get offered a ton of consulting jobs once former coworkers and colleagues found out I was available. Now I work like 12 hours a week and make the same amount I used to.
I enjoy when people ask me how I’m able to do it because then I can explain to them that I spend less per month being a digital nomad in Latin America than I would ON RENT ALONE back home.
The average person has no idea how to leverage money
They are low-key jealous of you. They are trying to figure out how to do it themselves.