interview

interview

interview

interview

If This Family Of 3 Can Travel The World And Work, Can you? — The Jeanne D’Arc Interview

Posted on Feb 27, 2009 - 6:24 PM PST

The full program

This is an audio program. Listen and/or download it here:

[private_Premium]

Jeanne D'Arc"Right click" to download the FULL program


[/private_Premium]

A few lessons from this program

Did you read Tim Ferriss's book and wonder if you could really travel the world and work?

Jeanne D'Arc, her husband and young daughter are doing that. She recorded this Mixergy program to help you learn how she does it, and maybe even encourage you to be a digital nomad too. Here's an edited excerpt from the program.

How nomadic is your family?

We are traveling around the world. We're into our 3rd year of an open-ended world tour.

Is it as expensive as it seems?

We try to live really large, and do it on little money. We do this on $25,000 a year. Which people are amazed by.

I can travel the world for much less than I can live at home. And that's exciting too.

How does your daughter stay in school?

We home school. We home school in English year round. But when we're in Spain, she goes to the local school. Because one of our goals to have her immersed in her second language, culture and literature.

People who read this site want to stay online and work while they travel. Is it possible?

We take our laptop everywhere find wifi. Even in Morocco. We took it deep into the Sahara, if it's there--and there's nothing there--then it's everywhere.

What do you say to someone who's thinking of being a digital nomad?

It's easier than people think. That's the thing that I found. It's cheaper. Easier. And more enriching than people think. And I want people to know that.

I think in this economy they SHOULD know it.

And people think they can't do it if they have a family. Actually, it's GREAT to be done as a family.

Want to show your support for Jeanne and her family?

Send them a message on twitter.

Or, leave a comment below.

Or, vote for them on Lonely Planet.

  • I'm writing today about your Seth Godin interview because I think his latest applies so well to our lives, but I am still tickled that this interview with you inspired you to do your own extended world travel in BA! I love all the excitement about the free digital nomad life as it is definitely the way of the future!
  • Andrew, you've interviewed a few digital nomads now. It would be interesting to see an itemised budget from any one of them (as someone else suggested).

    Great mashup by the way; it makes me feel less guilty when explaining Digital Nomadism to friends with children. I've sent the link to a handful of families already.
  • khurammalik
    Andrew,

    This is something i have been considering for a while. Is it at all possible you could put me in touch with Jeanne please?

    I want to evaluate the actual cost of living.

    I would really appreciate that. Thank you.
  • Hey great blog/ article/ input on......
  • golfman_story
    What a useful post here. Very informative for me..TQ friends...

    http://golfman.the-mnm.info
  • I think everyone who heard this family's story started fantasizing about
    being digital nomads.
  • Wow that is truly unbelievable that they do all of this on only $25k (for three of them). I'm downloading the full program. This is something that would be awesome to do in the foreseeable future.
  • Veronica, ever since I heard their story, I've fantasized about doing it
    too.


    Andrew Warner
    Founder, Mixergy.com
  • It definitely can be done. A friend of mine, Brooke Ferguson (http://www.businessbackpacker.com) has been out in Thailand for a bunch of months and she's enjoying it. She's even able to offer business consulting work to her clients, here in Northern Cali from there using Skype & screensharing.

    I am planning on taking a couple years and living 3-months in various places I've always wanted to checkout (NYC, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Mumbai, Bora Bora and a few others) starting next summer. I just love going to fresh new places, building new connections & seeing if you can survive/thrive in that new environment. I did that when I lived in Fiji, going out to Australia, New Zealand and a few places. Can't wait to do it again... but first I want to build up my company to have a substantial passive, reoccurring income stream.
  • I always wanted to do that too, but I wonder how much work I can
    realistically get done when I don't have the structured environment of
    my office.

    Thanks for the comment Melvin.
  • Yep, that is a concern for me as well. That is why I want to have at least a mostly passive, 5-figure monthly profit stream before I start rolling on my world-tour. However, I think as long as I have good wifi, basecamp & a couple people who hold me accountable, it'll be productive enough to justify the experience.
  • I applaud your desire to have a passive income stream before traveling. Passive income is king! But just don't let the desire for a "magic number" of income stop you from ever reaching the starting gate...it can indeed be done on the road. Worried about motivation? If you enjoy what you are doing, and are enjoying it in a new location every few months, the energy will be there. This is coming from somebody who has been traveling with a modest (okay, pitiful) passive income stream and working along the way since 2007. Cheers.
  • melvinram
    It definitely can be done. A friend of mine, Brooke Ferguson (http://www.businessbackpacker.com) has been out in Thailand for a bunch of months and she's enjoying it. She's even able to offer business consulting work to her clients, here in Northern Cali from there using Skype & screensharing.

    I am planning on taking a couple years and living 3-months in varies places I've always wanted to checkout (NYC, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Mumbai, Bora Bora and a few others) starting next summer. I just love going to fresh new places, building new connections & seeing if you can survive/thrive in that new environment. I did that when I lived in Fiji, going out to Australia, New Zealand and a few places. Can't wait to do it again... but first I want to build up my company to have a substantial passive, reoccurring income stream.
  • Thanks for the great interview @Andrew, it was a lot of fun! Thanks for the kind words @Alex, @ladyexpat and @digitalnomad!

    I actually think the global economy today is actually very conducive for global nomads and I see a real increase lately in singles, couples and even families doing it.

    That said, I think one needs to be aware of financial and currency trends. You really can travel the world for much cheaper than you can live at home!
  • Jeanne, you're a social media powerhouse.

    I'm learning as much about you after the interview as I did from the interview. You're not just keeping up with the comments on this site, but you're on top of the conversation this interview started on Twitter/YouTube/etc.

    AND since I did this interview, I got to meet your community too, because they stay connected to you through social media.

    Wow!
  • They make it look easy. With a tough global economy, it makes you wonder how accessible this lifestyle is the average single person, let alone a family. Now I have to go over and give'em a Twitter.
  • Jeanne is a Twitter friend, and I think what she and her are doing is amazing.

    I too am an expat...living, working and traveling in Asia for the past 8 years. In fact, today is my 8th year anniversary of arriving in Korea. Time flies when you ar having fun!
  • SoulTravelers3 are a wonderful cornerstone of the online travel community and should serve as an ideal model for parents everywhere. Their warm, friendliness and willingness to share is absolutely delightful.

    I had the pleasure of spending a year abroad in Europe with my family in 95 (I was 11 at the time) and then 97 RVing across the US in a 32 foot fifth wheel. Travel of this sort is an incredible opportunity. To those concerned about the homeschooling element - don't be. The creative curiosity experiencing the world instills is far more beneficial and powerful than the hours of "learning" your child would otherwise spend in a classroom. After two years of it, I was significantly ahead of my fellow students when I re-integrated into the public school system.

    Also, the chance to travel for two years with my parents and brother brought us all together in a way you just don't find all that often anymore.

    My only regret is that at the time the technology wasn't there to support the type of media rich, interconnected interaction SoulTraveler3 has put to such astounding use!
blog comments powered by Disqus

Sponsors

Shopify Wufoo Grasshopper

The Mixergy Story

Imagine having a mix of experienced mentors teaching you their expertise. That's my mission with Mixergy.com. I'm Andrew Warner. In my 20s, with no outside funding, I co-founded a business that reached $30+ mil in annual sales. This is the site I wish I had. Read More....

Connect

  1. Grab Our RSS Feed
  2. Join Our Facebook Group
  3. Follow Us On Twitter

Search Mixergy.com

Mixergy Interviews