Living The Dream: Wearing Pyjamas To Work

Turner is the funny man behind Around The World In 80 Jobs. Wearing his pyjamas to work is all part of Living The Dream. You’ll love his interview just as much as you’ll love his blog.

What was the first country you visited? Who with and why did you choose it?

The first country I visited was Spain when I was 16 years old on one of those organized trips high schools offer. You spend 3 weeks traveling with a school group and then one week living with a Spanish family. I spoke almost no Spanish and my host family spoke no English. Chaos ensued. I may have stretched the truth a bit to the school at that time about my level of Spanish.

When did you start a travel lifestyle? What inspired that change?

I started traveling right after college in 2007. I was set up to make big boy bucks in commercial real estate after I graduated, but at a crisis of conscience at the prospect of spending my next 10 years solely pursuing money coupled with seeing Indiana Jones a few too many times as a kid, prevented me from buckling down and do the culturally ‘responsible thing’. So I said ‘f*** it, let’s roll’.

Do you have a base you travel from? Or is it continuous travel? And why do you choose that style?

I used to travel continuously – nomadic – I suppose is what the kids on the interwebs call it. However, as I reached the twilight of my 20s I got more into basing places in an apartment for 4-6 months at a time and traveling out on smaller trips from there. It was better on my weary knees and was easier to connect with locals than being a tourist passing through. I do go back to the USA between trips for a month or two - just enough to stock up on unnecessary items and catch up on reality tv.

How do you fund your travel lifestyle? Is it something you do when travelling or are you a saver?

I used to trade stock/equities online. Now on occasion I edit academic papers for European Business professors. But, by and large, I save and work as I travel – thus is the basis for my website – working my way around the world doing different jobs. Some pay, most are for the experience. I hack write via my blog and video to also earn some cash whilst on the road to enlightenment, or complete self-destruction, as well.

If you could tell yourself one tip before you started your travel lifestyle, what would it be?

Stay social. Socializing opens doors to meeting others and to bigger opportunities if you know how to keep an open mind. It is the best way to learn about a culture and get into some more interesting, off the beaten path experiences.

What does "Living The Dream" mean to you?

Living the dream is to get paid to do something that you love and would do anyway. For some it maybe travel writing about destinations and free trips that they get, while for others it could be to write about the weird food that the are consuming, and for me, it is to be able to wear pyjamas to work. To each their own.

You can find Turner here -

Website: AroundtheWorldin80Jobs

Twitter: @80worldjobs

Travel near, travel far, but always remember to call your dear sweet mother to tell her you love her. And don’t forget the Jack Daniels.