[oldnemesis]

(11-19-2010 12:01 PM)subutai Wrote:  

But he'll have over $200,000 saved up in 2 years if he plays his cards right. That's a nice little slush fund to use to launch your own business after 2 years of hardship.

Yes, but only if he survives it. Dead guys don't need money.
Iraq is one of the least desirable places to be, but being a knowingly rich American there is probably even worse.

[Entropy4]

(11-19-2010 01:30 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

For everyone out there contemplating living abroad or at leat travelling for long term, forget getting a job as an english teacher. Instead the best thing to do is try to build your own little online biz that you can take with you anywhere and that takes about 2-4 hours a day to run. Then you can pretty much write your own ticket as to where to go, when and how often. It may not be the easiest nor the fastest solution but it sure is by far the best option IMO. It took me 2 years to get to where I am now and I sure am glad I spent that time building that little biz that is now providing me with all my freedom to live this jet set lifestyle.

I would say if you just want to travel around for 2-3 years and have fun, maybe do the backpacker thing a bit, go the teacher route. If you want a long-term freedom and mobility to your lifestyle, and to actually live reasonably comfortably around the world, then look into online businesses.

My business took three years to get to the level of automated full-time income, two of which I was broke and over-worked most of the time. It takes a MASSIVE amount of time and effort to get an online biz off the ground and successful, and there is a lot of failure along the way. I can't tell you how many people I've met who underestimate how hard it is and give up after six months. If you want to start traveling NOW, then go the teacher road. If you find you love it and want to live like that perpetually, then build the business.

Like you, I don't regret any of it, and I'm glad I did it. But it's a serious long-term commitment, far more than Tim Ferriss will lead you to believe in his book.

[JayMillz]

I'm thinking if I can retire in 4 years with a pension of about $60,000 a year (b4 taxes) I could probably teach English abroad more to keep me busy and network than to live off of.

[subutai]

My educated guess is that Tim Ferris makes most of his money off book royalties and speaker engagements teaching people how to make money online via an e-commerce venture -- rather than actually making money online via an independent e-commerce venture (which I read he sold off years ago).

The people I know who are making serious money on web-based ventures (ranging from $200,000 - $400,000 per year) keep it quiet and low-profile so as to not attract even more competitors than they already have.

[oldnemesis]

(11-20-2010 12:47 PM)subutai Wrote:  

My educated guess is that Tim Ferris makes most of his money off book royalties and speaker engagements teaching people how to make money online via an e-commerce venture -- rather than actually making money online via an independent e-commerce venture (which I read he sold off years ago).

I'll second that.

Quote:

The people I know who are making serious money on web-based ventures (ranging from $200,000 - $400,000 per year) keep it quiet and low-profile so as to not attract even more competitors than they already have.

And for most of them is a real business, i.e. they have to be involved in day-to-day operations just so the business stays competitive. Leaving it for a few weeks might work, but it is definitely not possible to leave it for a couple of years. Especially for dropship businesses who now have to compete with sellers in Hong Kong. My expectation is that once Paypal starts working with China, most if not all of them will be gone in a few years.

[JayMillz]

(11-16-2010 09:04 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:  

Hey,

So I just graduated college in May, and am now living in Bogotá, Colombia.

I recently got a CELTA certification, which allows you to teach English pretty much anywhere in the world.

I'm currently working at a random English school, but will be applying to the company which did the course, as they also teach classes.

Here's where it gets good: as an employee of this company, every year when your contract is up for renewal, you get the choice of staying where you are or putting down your top 3 choices for transferring to international locations. The list is here: http://www.ihworld.com/schooldirectory/index.asp

Pretty much everywhere in the world, usually only in the principal cities, but some variety for instance in Mexico, Ukraine. If you're European, even better, cause Americans can't find legal work too easily in the EU. But hell, plenty of great destinations outside the EU.

The mix of steady employment and a known income with the ability to change your country of residence every year is pretty much golden to me. I don't know how many people would be ready to 100% abandon their home country, but to me the experience of living in a place, as opposed to just visiting it, is a great one, and I can see myself doing this for many years.

Just an idea for those young guys looking for a way to make international travel a reality.

What do you think about this program?

http://www.oxfordseminars.com/index3.php