Migrationology: The Sustainable Way to Travel Long-Term

By Mark Wiens 12 Comments

This is Part 3 of the “Foundationology of Migrationology” series.

Migrationology: The Sustainable Way to Travel
Migrationology: The Sustainable Way to Travel

You know how I made money to start traveling the world, you know about a few strategies for saving enough money to travel the world, but how do I make money while continuing to travel the world and live overseas?

How much do I make?

The answer: more than enough for me to live very comfortably – more well off than the majority of the world.

Do I love what I’m doing?

Very much.

I took the initial money that I had saved and traveled for a while. At first I was in South America where I took a month long TESOL course in Buenos Aires. I was entertaining the thought of teaching English and thought it might be a worthwhile investment.

Four months of South America, and I needed to get back to the United States for my sister’s wedding. It was during that month back in the US that I started Migrationology.com (February 2009) and decided to head to Asia. At this point, I was still on my previous university savings.

I solo traveled around Southeast Asia for about six months before flying to Bangkok to hook up with a high school buddy of mine. He needed a job, and I decided it would be a good idea to replenish the funds too.

English Camps for Kidsenglish-camp

It took merely a week to make a few contacts and set up an English Camp. English Camps in Thailand are a real win-win situation; You get paid to travel around the country while teaching English playing and joking with kids.

Along with free food and accommodation, I got paid $30 – $45 per day.

English camps are sporadic, sometimes camps are available and sometimes not.

Full-Time English TeacherMark Teaching

I did something I was afraid of (I even had to wear a tie…)

I signed a 1 year contract to teach English at a private institute in Bangkok. The money I had spent to get a TESOL certificate in Buenos Aires paid off as I was able to teach at a decent school with an above average salary.

I worked from 11 am to 8 pm or so, normally teaching six hours a day and making 48,500 THB ($1585.27) per month. This is a lot of money in Bangkok.

Did I go and grab a flashy apartment penthouse (which you can do in Thailand for 20,000 THB a month)? No. I remained in my neighborhood apartment where rent was 3000 THB ($97.75) per month.

Teaching English was a great experience, something that taught me a lot and allowed me to learn about the Thai culture. However, teaching is not really my goal, nor my passion.

I received 12 months of salary, and 1 bonus month for completing my contract. I was spending about $300 per month.

Using savings strategies, I was able to save over $12,000 while teaching English and living in Thailand for 1 year.

It was, and is enough to keep me going and traveling in Asia for quite a while.

Freelance Writing / Gigs

I didn’t even really like the internet or writing – until I tried.

The continuation of blogging and taking part in various forms of social media, as well as networking in person, has allowed for a few freelance working opportunities – mostly in the writing sector.

Right now, I make around $200 – $400 per month on various freelance projects.

Migrationology

Blogs and Personal Websites

When I first started Migrationology, I really had no idea what I was doing.

I took the long route of trial and error to try a lot of things (some worked, others didn’t). When I started, I didn’t have a chance to use valuable blog building resources like Travel Blog Success* that are now available.

At the moment I don’t make too much, but it is something: about $200 – $300 per month from advertising

Products

I used to sell things on e-bay, and I enjoyed doing it. I was my own boss and I could do a lot of the work at any time I wished. I don’t sell things on e-bay much anymore, but I did just launch my first product: the Eating Thai Food Guide.

It’s a compilation of my hobby, the necessity of eating, and a sales products – all in the same package.

So how much money do I make per month?

About $600 per month – a figure I could probably make in a week or two in the United States or 2 weeks at my previous teaching job in Bangkok.

Note: Also remember how much I was able to SAVE from previously teaching 1 year, while living wisely in Bangkok, Thailand. I still dip into that savings if I need to take a flight or a bigger travel expense.

But why would I do this?

What else can you do?

There are plenty of other ways to sustain travel and continue to do what you LOVE long-term. I haven’t even tried a fraction of the possibilities, there are infinite ways.

What to know:

The ultimate way to sustain travel is to use your passion – and YOU must find a way to profit from it.

You can do this by first building up a foundation of savings (doesn’t need to be too much), locating yourself in a place where costs are low, adapting your budget (and lifestyle) to live out your intentions, and using your free time to make steps to reach your goal.

A Migrationology lifestyle is about a sustainable shift.

I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

*Affiliate link – I’ll make a percentage, but I stand behind all recommendations on Migrationology.com.

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This is Part 3 of the Foundationology of Migrationology series.

Don’t miss the next article (26 July 2011): How To Live Like a VIP in Bangkok for $285.06 Per Month

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Stay tuned for the next articles in the series!