Live abroad
Don’t let the details of visas, taxes, and making a living hold you back from experiencing living around the world.
Not ready to settle down? Here’s how to live as a digital nomad. You’re not going to be working from a hammock while making millions, but you’ll be experiencing real life in places around the world.
In love with a place? Learn how you can get residency and set up a home in another country.
Working under the table is not a long-term solution. Learn how to do things the legal way.
Ready to build your life in a new country? Learn how you can become a permanent resident and, eventually, a citizen. Make sure your retirement savings and investments will still serve you well.
I probably spend less on travel than you do
In The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett quotes an elite travel agency saying that the normal traveler spends $10k a year. I was pretty sure that their idea of a normal traveler is a skewed. I was also certain I spent...
Everything you need to know about house sitting
Most people leave their homes empty while they travel, while also renting a place to stay at their destination. Paying for housing twice is part of what makes traveling so expensive (and why home swaps are so popular). Traveling gets even more expensive if you have...
13 of the Strangest Places People Quarantined During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has shaped many different aspects of our lives throughout the year so far, including how and where we live. When states began issuing shelter-in-place orders in March and restrictions were placed on various types of travel, a lot of us...
That thing I packed and never used
Somehow, no matter how much I travel and how light I pack, I always end up with something I never ended up using. Often, the item that's indispensable on one trip ends up being totally unnecessary on another. Other times it's a product of hope -- the adventure that...
Adjusting to life at home after traveling
It's no secret that it's a challenge to adjust to life in another country or life on the road. However, many people assume they'll be able to pick up right where they left off when they return home. Nope. It can be just as challenging to get back into the groove of...
I Want Out: How to go abroad during COVID-19
Despite all the rhetoric that we need to #stayhome, there's no requirement that you literally stay home. Those whirlwind tours of 14 cities in 14 days are verboten, but it's easy to travel while following all restrictions and guidelines for staying safe from the...
An escape guide for Americans
An escape guide for Americans There are a lot of reasons you might want to leave the US. First, do you have a passport? If the answer is no, you can’t get started on any of these options. Getting your passport is the very first step. Second, if you have a criminal...
Quarantine reads to embrace staying home
People are eagerly sharing tips on how to "travel without leaving home." What about accepting where we are? Is travel about finding the "exotic" or is it a way of seeing the world? As Jonathan Franzen reminds us, "The first lesson reading teaches is how to be alone."...
Staying home when going home isn’t an option
The news is listing off a daily COVID-19 death toll. The world has shut down to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Everyone is frantically learning to adapt to working from home, homeschooling kids, living without cleaners, personal care assistants, and someone else to...
How a $5K Windfall Changed My Life
When you think about life-changing money, a million-dollar lottery win or huge inheritance come to mind. But it turns out that, at least for millennials, a smaller amount would really make a difference. According to data collected by SelfLender and OnePoll, most...
Volunteering as a nomad
When people think of volunteering while traveling, they usually think of digging wells in African villages or building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Those are the sort of volunteer opportunities that require a few weeks of time -- a commitment a lot of us can't...
Peace Collective Reinvents MAGA Hat As Anti-Hate Toque in #unravelhate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBq7i4qlzqg Whether or not it was intended, the red MAGA baseball cap beloved of Donald Trump's supporters has become a symbol of a certain right-wing ideology since it first appeared in 2016. Now Canadian clothing brand Peace...
Ottawa’s best places to work remotely (that aren’t a coffee shop)
Can’t drink another latte? Here’s where to get some work done on your laptop in Ottawa that isn’t just a list of coffee shops.
Destination resolutions
People make a lot of fuss about New Years resolutions, but as a traveler, I enter each temporary home with a new resolution. The world is eager to remind me that I can't escape myself by traveling, but they seem to have little understanding of just how much a...
Books that explain Canada
Canada doesn’t seem so different from the US at first glance, but the differences soon become glaring. These are the books you need to read to understand Canadian culture and how it’s different from the US.
Forget a carry-on, I’ve gone personal item only
A few months ago I accepted the challenge to go personal item only for six weeks…and I basically haven’t looked back.
How I got my first house sits
Curious about house sitting but don’t know where to start? Here’s how it works.
The ultimate guide to getting into museums for free
Forget free museum nights, go for free on your own schedule If you're a nerd like me, museum admission fees can add up quickly. Sure, many museums have free nights. I'm sure they're a lot of fun in some cities, but in places like New York or Toronto they can be so...
City Place, Toronto: What it’s really like to live there
Curious about what it’s really like to live in City Place? Here’s what Toronto’s waterfront neighborhood is like.
Moving To Canada Book Makes Extra $600 Per Month
I chat with Ryan Helms from Grit and Hustle about writing my first two books and how timing is the best marketing. Listen to the podcast on Hustle to Freedom.
A year of house sitting
People keep asking me what the heck I’m doing with my life. Here’s what I’ve been up to in a year of house sitting.
Essential reading
Serious about moving abroad? Start here.
How do I fund my travels?
I didn’t quit my job to travel, I work on the road.
I’m available to provide guidance to mission driven organizations on all aspects of communications.
My obsessions
Destinations
I skip the guidebooks in favor of urbex, talking to locals, and dumpster diving.
Living abroad
You don’t need luck, a sham marriage, or a career your parents brag about in order to live abroad.
Moving to Canada
Everything you need to know to move to Canada, from someone who's actually done it.
Adulting
Learn how to travel the world while making sure you stay out of jail and save for retirement.
History
I dig into the stories behind the cities I love.
Leslieville, Toronto: What it’s really like to live there
Leslieville has all the charm of Cabbagetown’s adorable houses and tree lined streets, mixed with the diversity Toronto is famous for.
How much does it cost to house sit?
So, you're curious about house sitting. The idea of staying in other people's homes for free is pretty enticing...but what's the catch? Even though no money changes hands, house sitting isn't entirely free. Here are the actual costs that come up when you're house...
How to house hack without a multi-family property
Plenty of mediocre financial advisors will tell you to cut out the 'latte factor' to cut back on your spending. Any good financial advisor will tell you to stop worrying about your lattes and instead go after your biggest expense -- housing. Sure, you could downsize...
Let’s be honest: Do you really want to travel?
Do you really want to travel? Or does it just seem like something you should want to do?
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn: What it’s like to actually live there
What it's really like to live in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn New York, USA A small town in a big city The first time I stepped off the subway and walked into Ditmas Park...I was so confused. Where was I? Where had the city gone? I had no idea that Brooklyn had charming...
Do you love where you live?
You want to know what it’s really like to live in a city, but hardly anyone has lived in enough places to compare. I’ll be providing information you can’t get anywhere else — what it’s really like to live in Toronto, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, Kingston, Raleigh, and other places I’ve gotten to (temporarily) call home.