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Have you ever wondered how to travel well for less?

This week I am so excited to speak with Tim Leffel who is an award-winning writer and blogger.

Tim is a travel destinations expert who has written articles from five continents over a period of close to two decades.

Having traveled around the world three times, he has been able to give so many people realistic and achievable goals to travel well for less. 

Listen on to find out how to travel for less and succeed as a nomadic entrepreneur.

Listen Below:

In this Episode:

How did you take the leap to finally leave your job to becoming a travel writer?

• It was a gradual transition and Tim even came back to his 9-5 when he and his wife had a baby.
• Doing your side hustle during nights and weekends is a good way to slowly transition.
• It can be safer and less risky to be a freelancer than working for a company because you can always get laid off.

What is the one thing you wished you knew before becoming a freelancer?

• Going into the blogging industry sooner.
• Realizing that things take time and you have to be patient before you see the results you want.
• It is important to work on multiple projects so that you do not solely rely on one income.

What is the biggest setback you have experienced and how do you handle them?

• There can be months where you face setbacks, especially with late payments from clients.
• You have to learn how to budget your money well to get through those hard months.

Have you been able to create a system that helps you go around the late payments from your clients?

• In certain situations like sponsored posts, you can ask for quicker payments.
• One way to get around late payments when you are working with companies is to be a part of ad networks, amazon, google ads, because they will pay you on time.

What is the worst advice you have ever received?

• Getting advice from people who have fear of travel.
• Instead, trust your instincts and experience the world on your own terms.

How are you able to create income from the start and how do you continue to create income today?

• At the start of Tim’s writing career, he wrote articles for different publications.
• He was able to turn his income from active to passive by writing books and with his blog.
• Make sure to spend your time on tasks that are making a big impact rather than tasks that will waste your time.

Where have you found the people you have used to outsource tasks?

• Fiverr is a great place to find people to do tasks that are not long-term.
• For longer-term assistants,  Tim has found through word of mouth, while others were found on craigstlist.org
• You can advertise in different countries in English to make sure you get English-speaking applicants.

How are you able to train your assistants effectively?

• Make sure to spend the time to train your assistants so that it will save you time in the long run.
• Be clear on what you want and expect. 
• Do tutorial videos so that it will be easier for your assistants to understand the tasks.
• Creating a manual and checklist that they can follow.
• Regular check-ins to make sure that things are running smoothly however making sure to allow your assistants to do their work and not to micromanage.

What legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?

• Tim wants to be remembered for his body of work with his writing. 

What has been the most life-changing meeting with an individual that you have ever encountered?

• The most memorable encounter Tim has had was with a man he met in Morocco who showed him and his wife incredible hospitality.
• Tim learned that you should keep your guard up but also be open and trust people. 

Is there any question you wished people asked you more of?

• Tim wishes that instead of asking what his favorite country is they would instead ask what is the country he keeps going back to.
• Tim keeps going back to Mexico and Peru because of the rich culture and history.

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Listen to Tim’s extended interview where he shares how to live abroad for less.

Listen Below:

In this episode:

How to find the right location to live abroad for less. 

• Tim wrote a book called “ A better life for half the price”, which gives tips on moving abroad and lowering your expenses.
• You make the decision based on your heart, head, and wallet. But to really know where to live, you have to visit the place in person.

Where do you find apartments to stay at when you want to explore a location for a longer-term?

• A lot of apartments in smaller towns and areas are not usually on the internet.
• You have to play detective and speak with the people you meet when you are in the area.
• You can also negotiate longer rentals with Airbnb renters.

How do you cut down your expenses without sacrificing your quality of life?

• You do not have to sacrifice if you choose a place with a lower cost of living.
• Health care can also be very cheap and affordable in other countries.

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