How One Couple Affords to Work and Travel the World - Business Insider

Goats on the Road

Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift work in the sun on

Holbox Island, Mexico.

A couple who ditched their 9-5 jobsyears ago to travel the worldexplain how they afford it

LIBBY KANE

AUG. 14, 2015, 6:04 PM

In February 2008, NickWharton and Dariece Swiftreturned home to Canadafrom an all-inclusivevacation in Mexico.

"We felt like we got a taste ofthe tropics, living thedream," Swift remembers."We did a day trip and tookthese ATVs out and wentthrough the jungle and thelocal villages. and it was sodifferent from home that itkind of triggeredsomething."

That something came to ahead about a month later."Nick had a brutal day atwork and said, 'That's it,'"Swift recalls. When he askedwhere she'd go if she could travel for a year, she was quick to answer: Southeast Asia.

Only nine months later, they sold their house, car, and most of their possessions, set offfor Southeast Asia, and have been figuring out how to support their adventures as they

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travel ever since.

Now 30-year-old Wharton and 31-year-old Swift detail their adventures on their website,Goats on the Road, and here, they explain how they make it work.

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Once they decided to leave Canada, Wharton and Swift

spent the next nine months saving up about $30,000 to

finance their year in Asia. Wharton, who was working as

a printing press operator and on the Canadian oil rigs,

and Swift, who was a real estate paralegal, were earning

over $100,000 CAD a year, combined.

In Grenada.


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They stayed in Southeast Asia for 13 months, traveling

through 11 countries including Thailand, Cambodia,

Vietnam, Loas, Malaysia, Borneo, and Indonesia. They

then returned to Canada for a year, working 80-hour

weeks to shore up their savings for another trip abroad.

In Guatemala, enjoying views of Lake Atitlan and Toliman Volcano.


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"Our mindset had changed," says Wharton. "We weren't

making money, we were making travel experiences. I

would work an hour and think, 'This hour is buying me a

day in Thailand.'"

In Mexico.


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They headed off again for a 16-month trip through Africa,

Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. In 2012, they went to

China to spend a year earning about $1,300 a month

teaching English.

In Guatemala.


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After reading articles about how other travelers

supported themselves through blogging on the road, they

decided to set up their own site. "Neither of us have

degrees, and we don't have experience with computers

or blogging," says Wharton. "We started it then, and for

the year in China we started working at it."

In Antigua, Guatemala.


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Next, Wharton and Swift took the Trans Mongolian and

Trans Siberian railroads through Mongolia, Russia, and

the "stan" countries. "Since we left China, our only

source of income has been through our blog," Swift says.

At Lake Atitlan, in Guatemala.


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"Definitely with travel blogging, you have to put in the

time," says Wharton. "We put in a year and didn't make

any money. In June 2013 we made $550 from

advertising." Over the course of the year, they earned

$500-$1,500 a month, and every year since then their

income has doubled.

In Havana, Cuba.


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Currently, their blog, Goats on the Road, earns them

about $3,500 a month. In a strong month, they earn over

$5,000.

At Playas del Este, Cuba.


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They've also begun exploring other ways to generate

income as they travel: freelance writing, an ebook in the

works, and video production for local hotels and

attractions, using footage from the drone they recently

purchased.

In Grenada, flying the drone over the home they're sitting.


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Wharton says that although their earnings "don't sound

like much" compared to their wage in Canada, "If you

calculate what we were spending in Canada, we

calculated that we were spending $3,500 a month on

things that didn't bring us any happiness." They currently

work no more than four hours a day, five days a week.

At Hog Island, Grenada.


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Along with earning money on the road, the other piece of

Wharton and Swift's strategy is to cut their expenses.

One of the major ways they do this is by never paying for

accommodation, instead taking gigs as house and

pet-sitters.

In Grenada.


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After filling out a profile on TrustedHouseSitters.com a

few years ago, they say they get offers for stays nearly

every day. "The more you do it, the more chances you

have," Wharton says. In between gigs, they use the

money they've saved to take shorter-term trips through

nearby countries.

Taking online Spanish classes in Grenada.


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Currently, they're house and pet-sitting in Grenada,

where they've been for a few months. "The best part is

you're really living like a local, in someone's house in a

neighborhood," says Swift.

Walking Pumpkin the dog in Grenada. Their new ebook will make the most of their familiarity with

the island, expanding on their popular blog post "61 awesome things to do in Grenada."


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"Our neighbors are Grenadian and we have Grenadian

friends," adds Wharton. 'Usually the people that offer the

house introduce you to their friends, so you kind of

immerse yourself right away."

In Grenada.


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Because of their website, they're sometimes also invited

to stay at hotels and resorts for free, and Wharton is

offered complimentary opportunities to scuba dive.

A rainy day at the house they're sitting in Grenada.


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Wharton says that the best thing people who want to

travel long-term can do is "just jump. And once you jump,

just ask. We find if you have the courage to ask for what

you want, you might get rejected 100 times, but the one

time it pays off, those things snowball and you end up

getting way more opportunities."

Walking Spare the dog at the Blow Hole, Grenada.


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"Anyone can do it," he continues. "We have no prior

experience. Don't think about how much money you

need — just that it's possible to travel and live the life

you want."

Celebrating Carnival in Grenada.


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How One Couple Affords to Work and Travel the World - Business Insider