I would like to start off by stating to my readers that this blog post contains no private information related to Airbnb (I already signed a confidential NDA) and I’m not directly affiliated with the company. I’m excited to meet with a recruiter at Airbnb and take a tour of their corporate office in Singapore on January 23rd; one day before my mom’s birthday. I’m putting the finishing touches on this blog post from a Starbucks on Cecil Street a few blocks away from the Airbnb office. This moment has been a long time in the making with lots of personal outreach, lead generation, persistence, and sweat equity. Although I don’t particularly want to live in this expensive metropolis (it’s difficult to get a sponsored visa due to strict laws against foreign citizens), this will be a great opportunity to finally get my foot in the door at Airbnb, a company at the top of my list of places to work. I’m really interested in a full-time remote marketing or freelance photography position at Airbnb!
So without further ado, I’d like to tell you the condensed story of how I reached this stage in my life. In January 2017, I bought a one-way plane ticket to Panama City from Austin, Texas with roughly $500 in my bank account, no job prospects, and a “crazy” dream to reach my destination at Torres del Paine National Park. I backpacked through South America for just over 10 months before achieving my audacious goal! I truly believe personal development comes with lots of adversity and challenges along the way. The “digital nomad lifestyle” is not always easy, but I would do it all over again if given the choice!
You may be asking yourself how I made enough money to travel for over a year without the traditional 9-5 job and consistent paycheck. I still remember the moment like it was yesterday — waking up at my backpacker hostel in Banos, Ecuador and checking my phone to find $600 magically appeared in my PayPal account! Two deposits from Airbnb Payments were made directly to my online bank account overnight! This was a huge relief since I couldn’t afford to buy lunch or even a small coffee at the time — very similar to the situation I’m currently in as I’m typing this blog post at a coffee shop. Thankfully I have a complimentary room at Pod Capsule Hotel in Singapore for 3 nights in exchange for photography and influencer marketing. You can learn how to arrange free hotel stays by signing up for my online course on Udemy here.
But not to get off-topic. So, how did I receive a large payment from Airbnb without renting out my house or apartment back home? It’s important to note that I didn’t own any property in Austin. It simply wasn’t necessary to generate passive income. I was referring my contacts to rent out their property by creating a free hosting account on Airbnb with my unique referral link. Using this clever marketing technique, I was able to generate passive income while traveling in South America for almost one full year until finally reaching my destination at Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia at the southernmost tip of Chile. I reached my payout limit not once, but twice, and made over $15,000 by sending pre-designed email templates to my contact list. It was a win-win situation. The hosts were making extra money every month by renting out their space and I was getting paid commissions an average of 3 times per month. I’m not telling you this story to brag, but rather to convince my readers that it’s possible to travel the world without a full-time job and no clients to speak of. If you believe it and are willing to put in the work; you can achieve your wildest dreams!
Going back to early 2013 shortly after moving to Austin… I was asked to leave my loft-style downtown apartment with a beautiful view of the evolving city skyline because I was secretly renting it on Airbnb and inadvertently breaking their leasing contract. I was charged an extra month of rent, bringing my total payment to over $4,000, which I flatly refused to pay for unfair business practices. The charge was promptly submitted to a collections agency. This annoying debt was hurting my credit score for about 5 years and preventing me from renting anywhere in Austin, until I finally hired a top-rated credit repair firm called Lexington Law. They specifically handle cases to remove negative credit charges from the three major credit bureaus: Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. After a few months, the trumped up charge was finally removed from my credit file, and the rest is history. It’s necessary to have a good credit score to be approved for a business loan, credit card, home mortgage, auto loan, etc.
I’m a huge proponent of bootstrapping your way to success — building your business from the ground up with nothing but personal savings, a little luck, cash coming in from sales or paying clients, and maybe a few donations from friends and family along the way. Besides, what good is getting a business loan, credit card, or angel investor if you don’t have the means to pay them back? Sometimes, the best option is to get a 9-5 job like a normal person so you can afford to pay back the loan. My preferred option is to find 1-3 clients paying me $1,500 per month in order to turn my lifestyle business from side hustle to fully sustainable.
Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it. — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
To date, I’ve been traveling the world for about 4 years as a full-time photographer and digital nomad without any travel/medical insurance! Most rational people would consider this risky behavior and alarmingly stupid. The majority of entrepreneurs are notorious risk-takers, and I’m no exception to the rule. The fact of the matter is, any one of us could die at any moment during the course of a normal day. For example, I could have been in a serious motorbike accident any number of times cruising around the beautiful islands of Bali and Lombok. It takes some getting used to driving in lawless traffic on the opposite side of the road. I had zero experience riding a motorbike before going to Bali and picked it up in no time. If you ever get the chance to visit Bali I highly recommend renting a scooter for a few weeks to properly explore waterfalls, beaches, Hindu temples, cafes, and so much more!
I’m grateful to finally have full-coverage travel insurance sponsored by Insured Nomads, which offers $1,000,000 in paid medical bills with zero deductibles and you can even get insured after you’ve left the country. You also have the option to make a donation to the non-profit Not For Sale fighting against exploitation and human trafficking. At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry while on the road. Do yourself a favor and get fully insured before going on your next adventure!
Click to SIGN UP for Insured Nomads to protect yourself and personal belongings while traveling the world!