A woman who quit her job as an investment banker built a new life traveling the world on her own
Addis, who had lived in Taiwan when she was 21 to study Mandarin, started her trip in Southeast Asia because she'd read a traveler could get by on $1,000 a month, a sharp drop from the $3,000-$4,000 a month her California life cost.
"I had been saving for years," Addis remembers. "It was between putting money into buying a condo or traveling." She managed to accumulate around $20,000 in cash, plus about $60,000 in retirement funds, which she says she won't touch until it's time to retire.
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In Hvítserkur, Iceland.
I've never had debt other than school debt," Addis says. "I won't spend money I won't have, and I don't want to dip into funds meant for later. If I couldn't make being a travel influencer work, I would have gotten a job before I touched my retirement savings.
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In Ásbyrgi, Iceland.
The beginning of my trip was about having an adventure and a sabbatical," Addis says. "Now it has to be about work, too. If I do feel like slowing down, I go to Berlin, where I have residency. But in the past one and a half years I've only been there about six months.
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In Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon), Iceland.
Between affiliate sales from her website, sales of her book, and work with tourism boards and brands, she says she earns about 40% of her banking salary, and it's growing.
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In the Dark Hedges, Stranocum , Northern Ireland.
She says she has a strict policy of only endorsing or working with products she comes across on her own and likes, and of working with brands and bureaus in unique ways that allow her readers to learn from her experience.
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Scuba diving in Belize.
Even earning less, Addis says she feels richer now than she did when she was working as a banker.
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At Elephant Sands, Botswana.
I think for a lot of people the most valuable thing in life isn't cash — it's something like free time or freedom," she says. "I feel richer now because I have an opportunity to see new things and meet new people, which I really enjoy. I think it's subjective, wealth and richness.
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At Innsbruck-Tyrol, Austria.
Now, she's once again able to contribute to retirement savings, although not to the level she used to. One of her goals for 2016, she says, is to increase her savings.
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Skydiving in Namibia.
For a few years there I was living off the savings," Addis says. "Thankfully I was keen to save for a rainy day back when I was 22 or 23. I remember it was the 11th hour, I had been on the road for almost two years, and I got a contract that was good for $600 a month guaranteed for one year. That was really the piece I needed.
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In Singapore.
It still wasn't enough to fully cover my expenses, but it gave me a cushion to look for more work," Addis remembers of that first contract. "Little by little, I was able to start turning down the lower-paying freelance roles, and now it's rare that I take one.
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In Zanzibar.
Addis says she works longer days now than she ever did in California, but manages her schedule to accommodate periods of being "off the grid."
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Canyon swinging in Victoria Falls, in Zambia.
Her site now employs three part-time workers who contribute to its behind-the-scenes operations remotely.
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At Coffee Bay, South Africa.
Addis decides where to go next on the suggestion of the people she meets. She says she never consults a guidebook — instead, she prefers to leave her trips open-ended and find out where locals like to go.
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In Aachen, Germany.
Her advice for someone who wants to follow a similar path: "Figure something out that you're really really good at, and figure out a way to market that skill online," she says. "Or if it's more mechanical or physical, consider a working holiday, or teaching English, whatever skill you have that you can be creative about and use around the world, because chances are pretty good that you can figure out a way."
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At Lago di Braies, Italy.
And, she advises, ease yourself into the nomadic lifestyle. "You're more adaptable than you think, so if you really want to travel the world on a shoestring, just try it, even try for a shorter term. If you like it, you can save up to travel for longer."
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In Landmannalaugar, Iceland.
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