[thegameoflife]

This thread is about 'doing it'. Selling your shit. Packing up and starting new for an undetermined amount of time. I was extremely inspired when I reading BANG about when Roosh did it but I was skeptical. Now comfortably 2 years into a full time job that pays me well, gives me ample vacation etc. I am seriously seriously considering 'doing it'. All dos and don'ts much appreciated.

[Hairyballs]

Don't be a loser and think that you will be able to quit your job, sell everything and just move to a foreign country cuz you'll eventually get broke anyway.

I have a friend who makes $6,500 a month and is living in the Philippines while working from his laptop, not even fulltime. Now that guy is succesful.
He can work anywhere he wants in the world, all he needs is his laptop and internet connection. He doesn't have to worry about anything as he knows he will get his paycheck at the end of the month.

Another guy I know has worked 20+ years in his life and owns a house in his home country he is renting out for $2,000 per month. He is living in between Thailand and the Philippines spending the money he gets every month from renting out his house, doesn't work unless drinking beer is considered working. This guy, is succesful while living abroad, he is stable and he has money coming in no matter where in the world he is, while not even working.

If you just sell all your shit and quit your job without having income, you will be able to travel but probably will be forced to go back to where you started, back to your country. Nothing stable about that, so I wouldn't call it "moving abroad", I would rather call it "a long holiday" or a "discovery trip".

[iknowexactly]

Pareto principle: 20 percent of the planning will get you 80 percent of the results.

For instance, if want to stay off the shores of Murka, home of Whale-ism;
you could get a CELTA English teaching certificate before you go or at your first stop.

There. Now you can get a job when you get "there" as long as it's not a problem spot. ( For instance, EU without the EU citizenship. )

[Hairyballs]

Oh yes I forgot you can teach English if your American or Canadian. Not sure if that's what you'd like to do. It can be long hours and can be boring,but hey, if you like that, up to you.

[Blunt]

I'd recommend figuring out a plan to develop a business or a service that you can do through the internet before you leave. It's probably not the answer you're looking, but once you get to your new country there is a lot of distractions, and before you know it you'll have spent a lot of cash and you'll be wishing that you thought heavy about cash flow.

-Sit down and do a heavy brainstorming session of every skill that you possess and make a note of the ones that you could offer as a service online.

-For the services that you can offer online, plan out how you would develop a front/brand for them including a website, determine who your target market would be, determine who your competitors are and 'emulate' the best features of their websites and business model, determine any licenses or credentials that you need to be competitive/legal in the industry, and get executing

-For a business, again you need to brainstorm and determine several potential niche areas for products that you could sell, and then vet each potential to determine if you are going to be able to get the product at a decent price and if you're going to be able to get the supplier to dropship to your customers or if you'll need to set-up a man to distribute for you while you're abroad

-For employment you need to determine which industries are willing/eager to hire foreigners, what types of credentials/experience they require and either get to work on obtaining the experience or credentials, or figure out how you're going to fake it (which is getting harder to do).

-Determine whether you will be working as a legal employee or under the table.

-Try to find international companies who have a branch in the country you're looking to go then find someone you know that works for one of the companies and get information on how difficult it is to obtain a transfer and/or how long you need to work for the company.

-Try to network with some guys that are working as expats there and ask them for advice on how to get started, just be careful how you come off since they probably get asked for hookups a lot if they are in a popular destination.

You can always go the English teacher route but I would develop a plan to transition from that unless you're real keen on teaching English for low pay.

[Partizan]

(08-29-2012 09:44 AM)Blunt Wrote:  

I'd recommend figuring out a plan to develop a business or a service that you can do through the internet before you leave. It's probably not the answer you're looking, but once you get to your new country there is a lot of distractions, and before you know it you'll have spent a lot of cash and you'll be wishing that you thought heavy about cash flow.

-Sit down and do a heavy brainstorming session of every skill that you possess and make a note of the ones that you could offer as a service online.

-For the services that you can offer online, plan out how you would develop a front/brand for them including a website, determine who your target market would be, determine who your competitors are and 'emulate' the best features of their websites and business model, determine any licenses or credentials that you need to be competitive/legal in the industry, and get executing

-For a business, again you need to brainstorm and determine several potential niche areas for products that you could sell, and then vet each potential to determine if you are going to be able to get the product at a decent price and if you're going to be able to get the supplier to dropship to your customers or if you'll need to set-up a man to distribute for you while you're abroad

-For employment you need to determine which industries are willing/eager to hire foreigners, what types of credentials/experience they require and either get to work on obtaining the experience or credentials, or figure out how you're going to fake it (which is getting harder to do).

-Determine whether you will be working as a legal employee or under the table.

-Try to find international companies who have a branch in the country you're looking to go then find someone you know that works for one of the companies and get information on how difficult it is to obtain a transfer and/or how long you need to work for the company.

-Try to network with some guys that are working as expats there and ask them for advice on how to get started, just be careful how you come off since they probably get asked for hookups a lot if they are in a popular destination.

You can always go the English teacher route but I would develop a plan to transition from that unless you're real keen on teaching English for low pay.

I plan on taking a year out from work to teach English in provincial Russia. I have applied to do the 140 hour TEFL course. I have time to plan and save.

[redneckpunk]

What's the goal of going abroad?

Realize that 99% of people that go abroad will leave and return home at some time. This doesn't mean that they failed. But you have to consider what skills you will have gained while you were abroad. Are they marketable?

Just knowing Spanish or Mandarin or whatever does not guarantee you jack shit when you return home. A Mexican or Chinese person in the US can speak it better so language isn't enough.

Can you do your job in that country? if yes, then more years of experience and working abroad and learning the language could be marketable.

Teaching is great way to get your foot in the door, learn how the locals work, study, live and from there decide which direction to go.

Waaaay too many people assume if I speak language X i'll be set when I come back...usually doesn't work out like that. Language plus a skill or just a skill trumps just the language when you return.

If you have a good job with good vacation in a not very good economy....is throwing it away for something else worth the risk? That is what you have to decide.

I lived abroad for about 7 years, glad I did it, but you always need a plan B, and C in case it doesn't work out or something happens and you have to return.

You need a better reason than I read it in a book and it seems cool before you go. For me I had a burning desire to experience something else and was willing to "throw it all away" to see what was out there, no turning back, crash or burn, roll the dice.

Then I did hundreds of hours of research, saved money and then pulled the trigger.

The ones who just show up on nothing but "the grass is greener" thoughts, zero research, and no real goal are usually the first to leave.

[scotian]

Solid advice from Redneckpunk. Game of Life, having met you, I know that you can work in your field abroad, no problem, you could have nice expat lifestyle somewhere really cool.

I'm actually thinking of going that route, working abroad, I don't want to give up career development in order to enjoy extended travel, as an expat, you get to combine both.

[Sherman]

I left the US five years ago. First I went to the Netherlands and than Mexico. First, you have to find some way to make money. I actually got a job in the Netherlands off of Monster.com. I would scan the UK ads, because they were all in English, and included jobs for countries in Europe. The Netherlands is a small country and if you have a specialty in something they lack, they may hire you. One caveat - the economy in Europe really sucks now so this window may be closed for a while. Although the European economy is bad, you could start scanning websites in Brazil and maybe China, to figure out what is available.

I also went to Bangkok for a month and got my CELTA certificate to teach English. This certificate will get you the best English language job and is even becoming a requirement in some countries. I haven't used it yet, but it could at least get me a work and residence permit. Once you have your finances figures out than research the hell out of the country and go there. Also, consider your personality - if you have a low frustration tolerance, moving to a new country may not be the best option.

[username]

Interesting Sherman, do you have a job now in Mexico? If so, what do you do?

[Spike]

(08-29-2012 12:13 AM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

Don't be a loser and think that you will be able to quit your job, sell everything and just move to a foreign country cuz you'll eventually get broke anyway.

I have a friend who makes $6,500 a month and is living in the Philippines while working from his laptop, not even fulltime. Now that guy is succesful.
He can work anywhere he wants in the world, all he needs is his laptop and internet connection. He doesn't have to worry about anything as he knows he will get his paycheck at the end of the month.

Another guy I know has worked 20+ years in his life and owns a house in his home country he is renting out for $2,000 per month. He is living in between Thailand and the Philippines spending the money he gets every month from renting out his house, doesn't work unless drinking beer is considered working. This guy, is succesful while living abroad, he is stable and he has money coming in no matter where in the world he is, while not even working.

If you just sell all your shit and quit your job without having income, you will be able to travel but probably will be forced to go back to where you started, back to your country. Nothing stable about that, so I wouldn't call it "moving abroad", I would rather call it "a long holiday" or a "discovery trip".

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

[lotharius]

One thing is to consider whether you could do your job from overseas. Let's say you're a sales manager making $60k a year, you spend much of your day making phone calls. What's to stop you making these calls from Bangkok with your Skype account?. 60k a year in NY and you are Joe Average. 60 a year in Bangkok, you are Jesus Christ.

[Hairyballs]

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

(08-29-2012 12:13 AM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

Don't be a loser and think that you will be able to quit your job, sell everything and just move to a foreign country cuz you'll eventually get broke anyway.

I have a friend who makes $6,500 a month and is living in the Philippines while working from his laptop, not even fulltime. Now that guy is succesful.
He can work anywhere he wants in the world, all he needs is his laptop and internet connection. He doesn't have to worry about anything as he knows he will get his paycheck at the end of the month.

Another guy I know has worked 20+ years in his life and owns a house in his home country he is renting out for $2,000 per month. He is living in between Thailand and the Philippines spending the money he gets every month from renting out his house, doesn't work unless drinking beer is considered working. This guy, is succesful while living abroad, he is stable and he has money coming in no matter where in the world he is, while not even working.

If you just sell all your shit and quit your job without having income, you will be able to travel but probably will be forced to go back to where you started, back to your country. Nothing stable about that, so I wouldn't call it "moving abroad", I would rather call it "a long holiday" or a "discovery trip".

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I never said theres anything wrong with traveling abroad.
Theres just a big difference between traveling and 'moving abroad'.

Moving abroad means you really live somewhere permantenly with a stable income, traveling is just moving around thus not stable.

What have I accomplished in life? Well, I make more than 6,000$ a month only with my laptop and cellphone, so I can live anywhere I want in the world, without having to worry about money, going broke, expensive this or that, for me it's all okay.

Also, 'traveling' abroad on let's say 1,500$ a month is completely different than if you would be spending 4,000$+ a month while doing so, i'm sure the quality of the girls is different, unless you're only stuck in dirt poor countries. A $1.5k backpacker won't be hanging out at the Hilton cocktail bar scoring models for example. You'll also have a different experience and might meet different people depending on your budget.
I've done both, traveled around the world on 1,500$ a month for more than a year when I was younger... now my budget is 3 times that amount and I can really see the difference.

Anyway, you can continue flaming, but everything I say is spot on and true. I'm sorry if I offended you and your lifestyle.

[Hairyballs]

So yea, just selling all your shit and going abroad isn't really 'moving abroad' it's just considered traveling.

If you really plan to move abroad, you should have a stable income. If you're just spending money you've brought with you, well, one day that money will be finished and you'll be forced to move back to your country work, so basicly what you did is just a travel experience.

Then theres the English teaching route, well, sorry but I wouldn't ever do that. I've met guys who make 2,000$ a month while doing so in places like China and even more in Japan.

[germanico]

(09-09-2012 03:17 PM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

Well, I make more than 6,000$ a month only with my laptop and cellphone, so I can live anywhere I want in the world, without having to worry about money, going broke, expensive this or that, for me it's all okay.

Can you share what is that you do?

Dont be specific if you feel insecure sharing it witt us, but dont give a generic answer like "oh, I do some internet marketing" or "blogs with adwords"

[worldwidetraveler]

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I have to agree with Hairy Balls and Redneck. Great you have no regrets but let's revisit in another 5 years to see if you are still living in a one room apartment getting fired from warehouses.

No problem if you think that is an acceptable result for traveling 3 years. I, and many others, would not want to go back to nothing and having to start over at the young age of 35.

If you would have been smarter, you could have taken that 50k and done something where you could have lived overseas permanently. Hell, if you would have worked at all on your blog and book while traveling you might have made some coin while traveling.

[BadWolf]

Have a support network to return to... or build one before you leave. Buy a trailer park house and rent it before you go. You need something to go home to, its not as easy as just throwing caution to the wind. Family or a family home is great, you will want to return home to freedom with your wife eventually. Not everything is wonderful out here. If you are from a 1st world country, do not cut ties completely.

Mexico would be ok but you really have to invest in a small house there to have any sort of stability in your life. You can get a small 2 bedroom fairly cheap... around 7500 or so. It's really important to get married wherever you go, will give you links to whatever country you are in and make things 1000x times easier.

Also would highly recommend getting training in a trade while out, much cheaper and gives you a skill to fall back on once you get home. While taking short breaks at home, I took my CDL and Welding courses. I have lots of stuff to fall back on should I need to return home quickly. Not all of us are business minded people... sometimes all you need is a temp job on a forklift for a couple months to get you back on your feet. The license for that only costs 150 bucks. A few little changes at home could make things much safer for you on return.

A+/N+/CCNA - These things are not expensive and will take you places fast.

[Hairyballs]

(09-09-2012 10:27 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I have to agree with Hairy Balls and Redneck. Great you have no regrets but let's revisit in another 5 years to see if you are still living in a one room apartment getting fired from warehouses.

No problem if you think that is an acceptable result for traveling 3 years. I, and many others, would not want to go back to nothing and having to start over at the young age of 35.

If you would have been smarter, you could have taken that 50k and done something where you could have lived overseas permanently. Hell, if you would have worked at all on your blog and book while traveling you might have made some coin while traveling.

Exactly. And he didn't even travel like a real playboy, he was on 1,500$ a month. When he runs out of money he has to start his life all over again. Nah, I wouldn't do that. The difference of a traveler on 1,500$ a month or 4,000$ a month is debatable, i'm sure you can score good looking chicks on $1.5k but you'll definately meet different people if you travel on $4k+ and hang out in upscale bars etc

I did travel all round the world, but I always had a stream of income, never spend my savings. Actually, I never touch my savings, that's why they are called savings.

Selling all your shit just to travel abroad for a few years, then returning back to the start point with nothing left in your account is nothing special.

Then theres the things you missed out on while traveling on $1.5k that were too expensive for you to do also, unless you only traveled in poor countries. For as far as I know, this kind of money can't bring you far in the US, Brazil, Japan or Europe.

[Spike]

(09-09-2012 10:27 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I have to agree with Hairy Balls and Redneck. Great you have no regrets but let's revisit in another 5 years to see if you are still living in a one room apartment getting fired from warehouses.

No problem if you think that is an acceptable result for traveling 3 years. I, and many others, would not want to go back to nothing and having to start over at the young age of 35.

If you would have been smarter, you could have taken that 50k and done something where you could have lived overseas permanently. Hell, if you would have worked at all on your blog and book while traveling you might have made some coin while traveling.

Not sure where the hate is coming from. Both you in this post and Hairyballs who sends me angry PM's.

I have worked on my blog while traveling. In fact I worked on my blog for almost a year while traveling.

[Hairyballs]

Well it's just ridicilous to think that you own the world on $1.5k while traveling in hostels and sleeping on peoples coaches for free. I didn't post you an ANGRY PM, I just said how dissapointed I am in you because of that comment. I thought you are a real playboy but now I see you just spend all your savings and are starting your life again from scratch

[Spike]

(09-10-2012 03:42 AM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

(09-09-2012 10:27 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I have to agree with Hairy Balls and Redneck. Great you have no regrets but let's revisit in another 5 years to see if you are still living in a one room apartment getting fired from warehouses.

No problem if you think that is an acceptable result for traveling 3 years. I, and many others, would not want to go back to nothing and having to start over at the young age of 35.

If you would have been smarter, you could have taken that 50k and done something where you could have lived overseas permanently. Hell, if you would have worked at all on your blog and book while traveling you might have made some coin while traveling.

Exactly. And he didn't even travel like a real playboy, he was on 1,500$ a month. When he runs out of money he has to start his life all over again. Nah, I wouldn't do that. The difference of a traveler on 1,500$ a month or 4,000$ a month is debatable, i'm sure you can score good looking chicks on $1.5k but you'll definately meet different people if you travel on $4k+ and hang out in upscale bars etc

I did travel all round the world, but I always had a stream of income, never spend my savings. Actually, I never touch my savings, that's why they are called savings.

Selling all your shit just to travel abroad for a few years, then returning back to the start point with nothing left in your account is nothing special.

Then theres the things you missed out on while traveling on $1.5k that were too expensive for you to do also, unless you only traveled in poor countries. For as far as I know, this kind of money can't bring you far in the US, Brazil, Japan or Europe.

OK, You are the greatest man who has ever lived on this planet. We should all look up to you. You are tha man.
Can't wait to read your book.

If you are such a great guy why did you send me this petty PM?

"Just because of that ignorant comment I won't be buying your book, makes me wonder what more complete bullshit you wrote"

You send me that PM a week ago after my comment here in this thread. Pretty sad bro

[worldwidetraveler]

(09-10-2012 03:49 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

Not sure where the hate is coming from. Both you in this post and Hairyballs who sends me angry PM's.

I have worked on my blog while traveling. In fact I worked on my blog for almost a year while traveling.

Neil, I didn't post any hate. I am just saying that many wouldn't want to spend all their cash traveling the way you did with nothing to fall back on.

Besides, all that matters if you are happy with what you did and how things turned out.

You spent very little time on your blog. Let's be honest, shall we? I said it a few times on this forum and your response was to invest all your time into traveling and work when you got back home.

You had three years to blog about your travels and pull in traffic to sell stuff. Lot's of stuff to sell as an affiliate until you got your book up and running. At the end of the day, there is nothing stopping you from making money from a blog and getting you back into the world. You seemed to be happy with very little cash so that will make it quicker to get back to SEA or some other cheap poosy paradise..

[Hairyballs]

(09-10-2012 03:54 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

(09-10-2012 03:42 AM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

(09-09-2012 10:27 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(08-30-2012 03:25 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

So, what have you accomplished so far in life ?

And what's wrong with traveling abroad for a long period of time and doing something 99.9 % of mankind hasn't done and will probably never do.

I have no regrets from squandering all my money abroad and having experienced things not many have.

I have to agree with Hairy Balls and Redneck. Great you have no regrets but let's revisit in another 5 years to see if you are still living in a one room apartment getting fired from warehouses.

No problem if you think that is an acceptable result for traveling 3 years. I, and many others, would not want to go back to nothing and having to start over at the young age of 35.

If you would have been smarter, you could have taken that 50k and done something where you could have lived overseas permanently. Hell, if you would have worked at all on your blog and book while traveling you might have made some coin while traveling.

Exactly. And he didn't even travel like a real playboy, he was on 1,500$ a month. When he runs out of money he has to start his life all over again. Nah, I wouldn't do that. The difference of a traveler on 1,500$ a month or 4,000$ a month is debatable, i'm sure you can score good looking chicks on $1.5k but you'll definately meet different people if you travel on $4k+ and hang out in upscale bars etc

I did travel all round the world, but I always had a stream of income, never spend my savings. Actually, I never touch my savings, that's why they are called savings.

Selling all your shit just to travel abroad for a few years, then returning back to the start point with nothing left in your account is nothing special.

Then theres the things you missed out on while traveling on $1.5k that were too expensive for you to do also, unless you only traveled in poor countries. For as far as I know, this kind of money can't bring you far in the US, Brazil, Japan or Europe.

OK, You are the greatest man who has ever lived on this planet. We should all look up to you. You are tha man.
Can't wait to read your book.

If you are such a great guy why did you send me this petty PM?

"Just because of that ignorant comment I won't be buying your book, makes me wonder what more complete bullshit you wrote"

You send me that PM a week ago after my comment here in this thread. Pretty sad bro

Yep that's what I think. Just look at your reaction to my reply here in this thread. You can't even see the difference between backpacking abroad and living abroad.

Who the hell would want to read a book written by a guy who talks about his travels but can't make a difference between those two. I think your book is just full of bragging this and that, but at the end, your left with nothing.

[Hairyballs]

(09-10-2012 03:57 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(09-10-2012 03:49 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  

Not sure where the hate is coming from. Both you in this post and Hairyballs who sends me angry PM's.

I have worked on my blog while traveling. In fact I worked on my blog for almost a year while traveling.

Neil, I didn't post any hate. I am just saying that many wouldn't want to spend all their cash traveling the way you did with nothing to fall back on.

Besides, all that matters if you are happy with what you did and how things turned out.

You spent very little time on your blog. Let's be honest, shall we? I said it a few times on this forum and your response was to invest all your time into traveling and work when you got back home.

You had three years to blog about your travels and pull in traffic to sell stuff. Lot's of stuff to sell as an affiliate until you got your book up and running. At the end of the day, there is nothing stopping you from making money from a blog and getting you back into the world. You seemed to be happy with very little cash so that will make it quicker to get back to SEA or some other cheap poosy paradise..

What I don't like about this guy is that he thinks he owns the world. Look at my first comment in this thread, then look at his reaction a bit lower. He can't even make the difference between traveling abroad (backpacking on $1.5k) and living abroad succesfully.

That's why I decided not to read his book, I find it utterly disturbing to think that he thinks he owns the world because he slept in hostels and on peoples coaches for free, without anything to fall back on.

What he did at 30 years old is what I did when I was 19, I backpacked all around the world on $1.5k back then while making some dollars. Back then I didn't care if I had to go back home with nothing left, but this guy is actually 30. That's what I find so sad about this guy.

Sorry but this is ridicilous.

[worldwidetraveler]

(09-10-2012 04:02 AM)Hairyballs Wrote:  

Who the hell would want to read a book written by a guy who talks about his travels but can't make a difference between those two. I think your book is just full of bragging this and that, but at the end, your left with nothing.

I would and plan on getting his book once I finish up some others. I don't think he is bragging, I think Neil is pretty honest about his travels.