I recently met Nomad is Beautiful in Athens, Greece. This nomadic couple have fought hard to leave behind a life devoted to other people’s businesses and spend time on their own creativity and happiness. In all sense of the word they believe they are Living The Dream.
Ivana & Gianni
What was the first country you visited? Who with and why did you choose it?
Ivana: I was three months old and I travelled to Ukraine with my mother to visit our relatives there. It was not my choice and I obviously don't remember anything from the trip, although since I’ve had the opportunity to go back and visit, Ukraine has been one of my most favourite countries to visit.
Gianni: When I was fourteen, I visited Paris on a college trip. We were there with around forty students and I remember we were so bored and tired of visiting the Louvre that we couldn’t wait to get out of there.
When did you start a travel lifestyle? What inspired that change?
We have been travelling intensively throughout Europe for the last ten years, but those trips were done always as summer holiday ‘treats’ after hard work at our regular jobs. Our long-term travelling started back in October 2013, after more than a year of hard saving and quitting smoking and drinking alcohol. Launching new, healthy lifestyles pushed us a lot to save money we would otherwise have used for drinks and cigarettes.
Do you have a base you travel from? Or is it continuous travel? And why do you choose that style?
Slow, long-term travelling is the way we prefer to explore the world. So far we have been staying for a month or longer in one place, working on our blog and doing some side trips around the area. We’ve found that destinations are more convenient for working and networking, like Chiang Mai, where we stayed for three months, or Udon Thani, where we worked hard on our website, when we were 'stuck' there for one month to solve an urgent dental problem. Other countries, like Laos, were better for exploring nature and chilling out for a while in smaller towns and villages. We chose to make our journey continuous because we wanted to devote our time and energy to photography and writing that we love, things which weren’t possible while working full-time back in Europe.
How do you fund your travel lifestyle? Is it something you do when travelling or are you a saver?
For now we are using our savings, but we are working towards being fully independent and funding our lifestyle from our travel and photography blogs.
If you could tell yourself one tip before you started your travel lifestyle, what would it be?
Ivana: Admit that sometimes you might be wrong, too. It’s challenging, but one of the most rewarding things ever.
Gianni: Always make an effort to keep a positive attitude, wherever you go and whatever happens to you. Respect other peoples’ culture and don’t forget to smile. A smile is always the best way to approach locals and strangers.
What does "Living The Dream" mean to you?
Ivana: To wake up when I feel rested, to go to bed when I am tired and to eat when I am hungry, not when I have time to do it. At the end we are all following our instincts, and once we break our natural biorhythm and become slaves of time and society, our creativity and happiness are crushed. Another meaning to 'living the dream' is to master the skills of writing, photography and videography, which I always considered more as hobbies rather than something that could bring me some money. And there is nothing like a feeling that you get from what you create yourself.
Gianni: Being free to doing what I want with my time. Not being a slave of someone else’s business. To cultivate my passions, learn new skills, become a better person and live mindfully in the present with no fears and regrets.
You can find Ivana & Gianni here -
Website: Nomad is Beautiful
Twitter: @NomadBeautiful
A digital nomad couple who broke their old habits to live a new, healthy lifestyle on the road.
Reader Comments...
"I respond to every comment by direct private email. I look forward to your feedback" - Josh BenderGreat interview! I like the tips both Gianni and Ivana would tell themselves now, it's so important to have a positive attitude and can really make a difference to the whole experience travel related or not! :)
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