Month: June 2019

Digital Nomad Destinations: 6 Ultimate Things to do for your Key West Holidays

If you think Florida is just for visiting Disney world, think again. Since living here the last few months, I have discovered what the sunshine state has to offer and I simply cannot get enough.

One of my favorite spots to explore is Key West, you do not need a passport when visiting this island paradise, but it will feel like you are in the Caribbean.

Famous for its beautiful beaches, romantic venues, and spectacular views, Key West should be on everyone’s vacation list.

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The Best Time to Visit:

Key West has a ton of activities to do in all season but the best time to visit is generally between March and May.

The weather is perfect with temperatures averaging in the 70’s and 80’s.

The winter crowds have also tapered off and the hotel rates will be a lot reasonable, so make sure you take advantage of them.

Getting to Key West:

There are numerous ways of getting to Key West.

By Land:

Getting to the southernmost point of the United States is a ton of fun if you decide to get there by car.

You will see the most scenic views of the other islands and go on bridges that stretch for miles.

Maybe you will even be surprised by dolphins while on the bridge.

If you are coming from Miami, the drive will take approximately 3 hours and from Fort Lauderdale around 4 hours.

The easiest way to get to the Keys is through the Florida interstate, you will pay tolls along the way via ticketed booths.

I suggest buying a Sun Pass to get a discount on the tolls. You can buy the passes in any Publix supermarket.

If you decide to stay in the Old town or historic district of Key West you will not be needing your car very often since everything is walking distance.

By Sea:

There is only one ferry option to Key West that leaves from Ft. Myers and is a full day sail with overnight options available.

You can check out the trip schedule at the Key West Express ferry.

By Air:

If you want to get to Key West fast, you’re in luck cause there are numerous daily flights from major airlines that can get you to this island paradise.

The following airlines are currently flying to Key West:

  • Delta has direct flights available to/from Atlanta (ATL)
  • Silver Airways  has direct flights to/from Orlando (MCO), Ft. Lauderdale (FLL), Tampa (TPA), Fort Myers (RSW)
  • United has direct flights to/from Newark (EWR), Chicago (ORD)
  • American has direct flights available to/from Miami (MIA), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Washington DC (DCA), Charlotte (CLT)

For most or all of your flights, you will likely be transferring to a smaller aircraft to get to your final leg to Key West.

Where to stay:

Luxury: Sunset Key Cottages

Want to get pampered and eat the most incredible seafood while feeling the ocean breeze?

Take a short trip to Sunset Key, a private island that is only a short ferry ride from Key West.

Stay at Sunset Key Cottages to experience the luxury of island living. Be sure to reserve a cottage with an ocean view and be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.

Take advantage of the island by doing some star gazing at night and wake up to the beautiful sunrise while enjoying the private beach all to yourself. The water is so warm that it’ll be hard to get out!

Craving some amazing seafood? Make a reservation at Latitudes where every dish is mouth-wateringly delicious.

Any seafood on the menu is a must try, when it comes to dessert make sure to order the mango creme brulee and the key lime pie, I guarantee they will be some of the best desserts you will ever eat!

If you are planning to visit the restaurant, be sure to make a reservation beforehand otherwise, you will not be permitted to go aboard the ferry (unless you are staying at Sunset Key Cottages). So plan ahead.

Ferry schedule to and from the island:

The ferry leaves Margaritaville Key West resort for Sunset Key at 15 minutes before and after the hour.

From Sunset Key to Margaritaville on the hour and the half hour. The ferry trip is approximately 10 minutes.

Resort: Margaritaville Key West Resort

If you are looking to stay in the historic district of Key West, then Margaritaville Key West Resort is the perfect place!

You will be spoiled by the fresh margaritas they serve daily and be sure to take advantage of the luxurious pool on the property!

You do not need to go far to get some amazing dishes, just walk over to their restaurant Bistro 245. Try the Maine lobster Mac and Cheese, I guarantee you’ll be coming back for more.

You can experience the most epic sunset by heading to the Sunset Deck above Bistro 245, then order those margarita’s while you enjoy the view.

Margaritaville Key West Resort is conveniently located and walking distance to all the incredible shops and sites. So park that car and explore by foot.

6 best things to do on your next Key West holidays:

Going on Key west holidays is a must if you are a visitor or a local, so here are the top 7 things to do when you are on the island.

Go for a neighborhood Stroll

One of the best ways to see Key West is to go for a walk around the old town or the historic district of the island.

You will see the most beautiful and colorful homes. Every single street corner is so photogenic that it’ll make you want to take photos for hours!

If you are looking for some history, make sure to check out Ernest Hemingway’s home. Find out more about this iconic writer and enjoy the beautiful gardens.

See a movie at Cinema Tropic

One of the hidden secrets of Key West is their vintage feel movie theaters. Our favorite is Cinema Tropic, an independent theater created with art deco design to represent old Hollywood and contemporary cinema.

Make sure to say hello to Marilyn Monroe before you enter the theater.

Swim with the sharks

Up for a little adventure? Try shark diving with Keys Shark diving. They will take you on a heart-stopping experience viewing and diving with sharks.

Don’t worry, they guarantee the cage to be 100% shark proof.

It takes 10 minutes to an hour for the sharks to show and then they deploy hook-less baits which allows you to see the sharks up close and personal.

Make friends with the chickens

This may sound strange but the Key West chickens and rosters are a staple in the island. You’ll find them roaming around while you shop and will even join you for lunch and dinner.

Make friends with these charming creatures who will make your stay more fun and livelier with their morning and honestly all day crowing.

Enjoy live music

Key West is not just a lot of fun in the sun, although there is a lot of that, the night-life is definitely something to experience.

There are a ton of night clubs and amazing live events happening around downtown. You can check out a list of all the live performances here.

Enjoy a bar-hopping at Duval street where you will find the best music performances on the island and enjoy more of those margaritas!

Take a ghost tour

Want a unique nightlife experience? Go on a haunted walking tour with Key West ghost and mysteries tours.

Enjoy a night stroll around the neighborhood and visit spooky locations that will make your hair stand on end!

Your guide will take you off the beaten path and share the hidden side of the island that most visitors will never get to see.

Are you ready for your Key West holidays adventure?

Tell us your favorite spots and any hidden gems that you discover while you are on the island.


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Extended: How to use marketing funnels for freelancers with Marissa Anwar.

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What you’ll find:

How to find the right products to sell to their audience. 

  • ask audience what your audience wants, create a readers survey and figure out their pain points. 
  • Once you find out their problems, you can find the solution and create the right products. 

-become person they can trust.

Which products do you actually try to sell to your audience?

-It is again finding out what your audience needs are and how you can solve their issues and what they want. 

How to find the right pricing for your products?

-figure out what other people are pricing their products and structure your pricing from there. 

How do you market your products?

-Get on as many different platforms and talk about your products, talk about it frequently. 

-Be persistent and post as much as possible. 

Get the full interview with Marissa where she shares how to become a business savvy female and create a successful women travel group.

Extended: How to create and market the right digital products for your business with Matthew Kepnes

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What you’ll find:

How to find the right products to sell to their audience. 

  • ask audience what your audience wants, create a readers survey and figure out their pain points. 
  • Once you find out their problems, you can find the solution and create the right products. 

-become person they can trust.

Which products do you actually try to sell to your audience?

-It is again finding out what your audience needs are and how you can solve their issues and what they want. 

How to find the right pricing for your products?

-figure out what other people are pricing their products and structure your pricing from there. 

How do you market your products?

-Get on as many different platforms and talk about your products, talk about it frequently. 

-Be persistent and post as much as possible. 

Get the full interview with Matt where he shares how to travel smarter and create a travel empire!

Extended: How to set up a business as a creative entrepreneur.

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What you’ll find:

What does it require to start and incorporate a business?

-Finding an attorney or accountant to check the laws and forms you need to fill out. 

-It is recommended to start an LLC that is an S corp. 

-In order to limit that liability that you will have incase you get sued. 

How long does it take to apply for an LLC and corporation?

-There are 4 different ways to do it, one is with an attorney, second is with an accountant,  another is a website like legal zoom and the last is your self. 

What are the benefits of starting a corporation or LLC?

-You can put business expenses you can place on your corporation. 

-You will also save on taxes with your business. 

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Extended: How to stay on budget while traveling with Susan Moore.

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What you’ll find:

How can you make sure you are able to stay on budget when you are on the road.

-understand how you are spending your money. Use an app or create a spreadsheet.

-this will help you realize where you should cut expenses and where you are spending the most. 

How to use spreadsheets to track your expenses.

-get all the categories, decide how much you want to spend and track your budget every month. 

How can we reduce our cost when we are on the road?

  • you can save money by doing shared accommodations while on the road. 
  • Reduce the number of times you go out to eat and look for the happy hour specials. 

Get the full interview where Susan shares how to travel the world as a remote bookkeeper.

How to Become Debt-Free as a Digital Nomad

The #1 Reason You’re Not Earning What You Want

Hey there! I am so excited to have an incredible guest post today by Christy Renee Stehle who is an author, speaker and mindset coach.

From sick and overweight to traveling 20 countries in 2016 and over 30 total, she’s lived many chapters in her 31 years. Christy now travels the world full-time teaching overachieving nomads how to find their brains’ off switch, love who they see in the mirror, and attract powerful freedom.

You can Download Christy’s free course on How to Be a Money Magnet 7-day series here: https://www.christyrenee.co/7-day-money-magnet 

You can listen to her podcast episode where she shares how to go from sick and overweight to becoming a nomadic abundance coach.

Have you ever done something so asinine that if a friend suggested it you would laugh in their face?

I have.

In a wild burst of courage that still surprises me at times, in July 2018 I let go of every safety net I had in my life. I said goodbye to the boyfriend I’d had since childhood, I donated everything I had accumulated in my two years abroad —save for one small carry-on suitcase — I quit the lifeless job I couldn’t stand and embarked on the craziest journey I had yet to date. With a one-way ticket in my shaky hands, I set out to travel the world with no money.

At the time I had this one suitcase, no job, $10k of student debt, $1000 bucks in the bank, and two halfway maxed out credit cards to my name. It was a crazy idea, I hardly had a plan for making money on the road at all. All I knew was that I didn’t want just another dull job while traveling; I craved something more, something purposeful.

Two years ago my life looked “perfect.” I had a location-independent job while traveling, making money on the road with a good income, a “perfect relationship,” and had visited 30 countries before my 30th birthday….yet still I wasn’t happy.

I thought that there was something so wrong with me that I had so much of what I once dreamt of in life, and still I awoke anxious each and every morning. It was easier for me to avoid any of the harsh realities of the life I was living, and so instead of examining the source of my crippling anxiety, I did what I was trained to do: I swept that shit under the rug and practiced ‘positive thinking.’ 

I invested my efforts into fixing a life that no longer fit and focused on making the best of my situation.

The truth was, I worked most nights until midnight and started again at four a.m. I was performing a job I couldn’t stand for clients that drained every bit of my energy. I was the sole breadwinner — and had been for two years — and my partner criticized me anytime I expressed any emotion other than happiness.

I spent money on things I didn’t need in order to feel better, and I was numbing myself with wine and cannabis every…single…day. As a formerly-identified overachieving perfectionist, admitting that life, that city, that relationship wasn’t right for me was my worst nightmare. And so for a long time I avoided it.

My own inner fears of failing, looking weak, and letting go had me fighting a war inside my own mind: I was constantly battling between the anxiety screaming in my head and my conditioning to just ‘be positive.’ Finally, finally, I got to a breaking point.

I knew something had to change. I had recently been introduced to the personal development company Mindvalley, and for weeks afterward their programs routinely appeared on my social media feeds.

Their university program looked amazing; a rotating campus every year, a like-minded community of people who craved travel, wealth, and purpose out of life, it sounded like a dream come true, yet I did what I was trained to do once again….I told myself I couldn’t afford it.

Instead, I jumped feet first into the company’s free content and there I discovered one trick so simple, it changed my entire world.

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The Secret Recipe to Becoming Debt-Free: I Am Enough

Deep down do you really think it’s possible for you to live abundantly, traveling the world debt-free as a digital nomad? Do you actually feel worthy of the life you dream of? I invite you to pause now and get really honest with yourself and journal your thoughts before continuing to read. Do you believe it’s possible for you? Do. You. Feel. Worthy?

Our minds are masters at deception. If you’re like I was, perhaps you’re allowing yourself to believe you think you are worthy….After I really starting examining my behaviors, I realized that if I felt truly worthy there would be no way I would be living as I was.

Three little words: I am enough.

These simple words changed my life. Taken from Britain’s top physiologist to the stars, Marissa Peer, this phrase written in red dry-erase on my bathroom mirror started my journey to financial freedom.

I began valuing myself more, and it became clear that the day-to-day decisions I was making weren’t in alignment with the person I said I wanted to become. Slowly at first, I began enacting changes and soon found myself on the road to travel the world with no money.

The Limit Does Not Exists: How Going into Debt Got Me Out of Debt

After I was acing as if I believed I was worthy (a cornerstone of financial freedom), magic started to happen. The month-long university program would have set my partner and I back around three thousand dollars, yet as if by divine serendipity, tickets were suddenly offered to us by an expecting couple for a whopping $850.

Even still, we “couldn’t afford it.” We owed thousands in debt and with the intensity of the program, I didn’t think I could keep up with my job while traveling.

Have you ever had one of those out of body experiences where electricity shoots up and down your spine and your fingers and toes get all tingly? This experience of combined energy in my body and the serendipity of the tickets was too strong a force to ignore, and even though I didn’t have a plan to be making money on the road, I finally had the confidence to believe in myself, and so I booked the tickets straightaway on my credit card. 

At Mindvalley University I studied from some of the best and most brilliant minds across a wide range of topics. I absorbed knowledge nine hours a day, five days a week. Shockingly, I was so empowered by all this new information that I didn’t stress about my job while traveling.

Instead, I ate it up. There, I learned paradigm-shifting practices to remove limiting beliefs. I felt my mind expand in new ways upon learning the most surprising limit of all: the ‘truth’ that ‘it’s bad to go into debt’ was in fact just a myth. A false limiting belief that I, like many before me, held onto from society. Money in the bank, I learned, was merely potential energy. Only once we invest it does it become kinetic.

And when we invest it consciously — that is spending it on things we value — it flows and circulates, and most importantly — it returns. Old belief after old belief of mine continued to shatter from these exercises, and soon I found myself fully understanding the inner workings of money.

How Energy Management Sets Digital Nomads Free

Back before my life as a nomad, I suffered from gut disease so debilitating, I once thought it impossible to live life on the road. Forget the challenge of how to travel the world with no money…Traveling with gut disease this bad? To an aspiring digital nomad, it felt like a death sentence.

It was in this dark time that I was gifted the most important lesson of my life to this day. As an American without health insurance, I developed a newfound self-responsibility so profound that I became clear on how to manage my energy.

I learned surprising things that drained me daily and discovered exercises I could practice to amplify my energy inside. While the journey took years, once I discovered the right combination, everything clicked. Within three months my partner and I were selling everything we owned and planning an open-ended trip around the world.

After learning at MVU that money was just another form of energy, a way to exchange energetic value, I felt that crazy spark ignite in me once more. Would I be able to apply the same techniques that healed my body back then to heal my finances now?

When healing my gut issues, I noticed a difference made based on the energy I showed up in. If I was excited to eat a food versus feeling guilty or lacking…my body actually responded differently. I tested this theory out with my finances, and began to notice when I got excited about money parting from my hands…more money returned to me in weird ways.

The more I prioritized alkaline foods in my diet over those that were acidic, the more power I noticed my thoughts began to have, and the more power my thoughts began to have, the more abundance I was able to attract. Habits like overthinking, spending mornings glued to my phone, and avoiding self-honesty drained my energy, and as crazy as it seemed at first, I noticed once I changed my patterns, abundance flowed to me in increasingly new and unexpected ways. 

Replacing the Study of Poverty with the Study of Wealth

Most of us, I feel, are familiar with the old adage, energy flows where attention goes. I’ve long wondered why so many of us who wish to increase our bank accounts, in that case, focus solely on budgeting. If money is an energy, doesn’t it stand to reason that if we focus our attention on the money that leaves our accounts that it would only create more of the same? 

I decided to put the theory to the test, and was ecstatic when I discovered that both physics and biology backed this theory of abundance tracking. 

The Reticular Activator System is the bundle of nerves at our brainstems that filters unnecessary information from that which we deem “important.” It separates what we focus on into our conscious mind and separates everything that isn’t “important” into our subconscious mind. How does it know what’s important? We tell it. Have you ever noticed if you start paying attention to white cars, suddenly, you’ll see white cars everywhere?

There aren’t miraculously more of them, they’ve always been there, yet now you’ve deemed white cars a worthy stimulus to your brain’s software system. This principle holds true with both opportunities and abundance. As humans, if we are always focused on situations that make us feel negative, our brains will believe negative situations to be important to us, and therefore will filter out more and more negative situations. If we place our focus on what leaves our account, our brain will think money leaving is important to us. 

How do we solve this problem? We just focus on the ways money is already working for us. I advise my clients to paint a picture of where their money goes, cancel any unnecessary subscriptions services, tidy up limiting habits, and then stop tracking what goes out — instead of tracking only what comes in.

I have a note app on my phone in which I track the ways money is working in my favor daily. If I eat lunch with a friend who charges $300/hour for their expertise and we spend thirty minutes discussing business…That’s $150 I just tracked. If I am dining out in an inexpensive country like Bali and can eat breakfast for $6 versus the $20 it would cost in California…That’s $14 I just tracked. 

Questions to Prompt Abundance Mindest: 

  • Have you received any discounts today?
  • Have you purchased things today that are much cheaper in your country than they would be on vacation or in a more expensive country? Can you track the difference in what you’ve saved?
  • Have you received any income?
  • Have you paid a credit card and removed debt?
  • Have you found cash stashed anywhere?
  • Have you received valuable information during a time with a friend who usually charges for his/her services?
  • Have you received any gifts, free courses, or influencer invites?
  • If this is your first time tracking, can you think of all the ways abundance has been working for you over the last few days, weeks, or month and track the noteworthy abundance there?
  • Did you drop your laptop and it didn’t break? Did you leave your phone in a taxi and it was returned? What are things that could’ve cost you money for replacements and didn’t?
  • Have you cancelled subscriptions you’ll be saving on?
  • Do you have any subscriptions that save you money?
  • Are you staying somewhere for free?
  • How much do you have in checking? Savings? Count that!
  • Did you decide not to purchase something and so saved money?
  • Get creative with it!

How we speak aloud and in our heads has a direct impact on the realities we live and our ability to live life debt-free as a digital nomad. Because this in-depth topic is so vital to our financial well-being, I no longer only teach it in my coaching program, I’ve created a free video series because everyone needs this information.

Begin by taking note today, how often you find yourself using the words, “I can’t, I want,” and “I need.” Make a note in particular around how frequently you say, “I can’t afford that/it.” Statements such as this are so very rarely even true. You likely can afford it, you are just choosing to prioritize your expenditures differently.

Daily coffee and little luxuries like eating and drinking out will cost you somewhere around $12k a year, depending on where you live. If you can afford that kind of cash for things will little or no return on investment, you can likely afford whatever it is you’re saying you can’t. You are just choosing to prioritize differently. Something to think on.

Replacing these words with empowering statements of self-responsibility, like “I create” and “I choose,” creates a new status for us in life. We let go of the victimhood mentality — where life happens to us — and we begin to see how capable we are of designing our realities.

The Best Investment Money Can Buy: Investing in Your Self to Get Out of Debt

I don’t really know why it came as such a shock to me — the most successful people in life have always said the best investment we can make is in self. It was a hard concept to grasp until I saw the effects myself. Each and every penny — even those that were charged in debt — that I put towards being a better me, offered a valuable return.

Part of the human condition is that we are masterminds at repeating the same patterns, even those that limit our potential. Our brains are computing engines programmed to choose the path of least resistance in pursuit of one primary goal: survive. Our software is designed to keep us safe and warm, playing small, and has little regard for our big lofty dreams of traveling the world debt-free as a digital nomad. When decide we want to thrive, we meet all kinds of resistance.

This is why the coaching industry is so successful. Professional athletes take their years of experience and condense their in-depth knowledge down to train young athletes to perform at their very best. To help them in learning what they don’t know and pushing past the resistance. I used to view hiring a mindset coach as an “unnecessary” indulgence, and now I’m not sure there will come a point in my life when I’m without one.

Having the support from the people who could see what I see is what fueled me to have the courage to let go of that relationship, that job, and those possessions. Once I was living in alignment with who I wanted to become, I was able to turn $15k in debt and $1000 to my name into a debt-free abundant life as a digital nomad in a series of just a few weeks.

The beautiful thing about this unconventional method to clearing debt is that the results are far from specific to just me. My clients all experience incredible results, and most recently one received an unprecedented $10k raise as a teacher. 

To Recap:

  1. Write “I AM ENOUGH” on your bathroom mirror. Think it. Believe it. Feel it.
  2. Invest time and money into both free and paid personal development. Money is an energy and the more energy you invest in mindset growth, the more rewards that follow
  3. Remove energy drainers like toxic relationships (romantic and non) and mindless activities like scrolling social media and watching TV. Clean up your relationship with food and fuel your body with a 60-70% alkaline diet. Implement morning rituals that uplift you.
  4. Change the study of poverty for the study of wealth
  5. Replace limiting language with empowering language 
  6. Invest in a support system who sees your self-imposed limits you’re blind to.

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