The Expat Life: Location Independent Lifestyle

Posted on 10. Feb, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Musings & Inspiration
1 comment

They go from country to country. Six months here, two years there. They are not corporate project managers, nor high-profile special envoys. And they are a far cry from backpackers working in bars to support themselves during their round-the-world trip.

In fact, most of them are self-employed: freelance designers, coaches, virtual assistants, writers, social media experts. They have specifically structured their businesses to be able to work from anywhere in the world, provided that they can find an internet connection. They call themselves Location Independent Professionals, LIPs for short.

Claiming Freedom, Flexibility and Choice as their core values, LIPs have embraced the idea of custom-designing their lifestyle to create a life that really suits them. Hats off to them for living their dreams and finding practical ways to make them a reality! I have a lot of admiration for their commitment and determination.

Admittedly, a location independent lifestyle entails certain sacrifices. Lea Woodward, editor of the Location Independent blog, writes about five challenges that LIPs must be prepared to face.

Still. For someone with a bad case of wanderlust like myself (to say nothing of my equally mobile boyfriend and globe-trotting cat), such a lifestyle sounds highly tempting. My favourite travel blog, Vagabondish, has also been tempting me with intriguing-looking destinations and stunning photographs. Hmm. Time to check off a few places on my To-See list!

Emmanuelle