When Michelle Checchi, 29, left the U. S. In 2019, he had planned to leave for a few months, the time it would take him to empty his savings account.
Today, she still travels the world, operating remotely as a video producer and freelancer, earning $4,000 a month while only working 15 to 30 hours a week, according to bank documents reviewed through Insider.
“Instead of feeling trapped in my living position, I live in a strange environment that is foreign to me, where I am still a traveler and a visitor,” she says.
A growing number of virtual nomads or remote staff who for weeks, months or, where appropriate, “for the foreseeable future”. More than 15 million Americans describe themselves as virtual nomads, up 42 percent from 2020 and up 112 percent from 2019. according to MBO Partners’ 2021 State of Independence study. This trend is due to the increasing flexibility of remote work, the preference for seeing the world and the preference for reducing costs.
As of June, more than 25 countries had implemented virtual nomadic visa systems aimed at attracting remote staff and their wallets. According to World Population Review, only two countries, Bermuda and Switzerland, have a higher burden of living than New York, where Checchi grew up. For her, living has been a budget saver.
After graduating in 2015, Checchi enjoyed his paintings as a local news maker for 4 years, but says he had a persistent preference for “traveling and reveling in freedom. “, and jumped on a one-way flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
During his first months abroad, Checchi traveled to Cyprus, India and Nepal, where he tried to grow his savings for as long as possible. of ideas”: what if you discovered a way to make money remotely?He began browsing Upwork and other platforms for independent writing concerts.
“I was thinking, ‘If I have to find a full-time job, it will root me in one place,'” he says. “I tried to create a way of life where I could maintain my geographical independence. “. “
Although he discovered paintings, the cash was “not good” at first, a few hundred dollars here and there, it was not enough to delay his return to the United States for a long time. But slowly, his flow of paintings began to grow. After about six months, Checchi earned as much as he earned on his press paintings, which paid about $50,000 a year, and painted part of the hours, let alone travel the world as he did.
He surpassed his previous salary a few months later, breaking $10,000 in revenue stream in a few months, adding $17,000 last June, when he did an on-site video production for a convention. Checchi also has more than 68,000 fans on TikTok, where she posts her highlights and travel tips, though she says she recently started making “some money” through social media. Checchi says he wondered how virtual nomads can adapt to his lifestyle.
“I was surprised,” she says. I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Then it can be sustainable. ‘
As he continues to write freelance content (“blogs, articles, and ghost copies of the Internet”), he has begun to move more into his video production roots. Although his clients vary, he films and produces content for corporations in the tourism industry, projects he usually pays for his travels.
Checchi says it’s to remember her time as a local news producer, when she felt her skills weren’t transferable elsewhere.
“Now I’m like, ‘Wow, I can do so much with my skills when you’re off the beaten path,'” she says.
When not traveling, Checchi has a homeport in Tel Aviv, which he chose in part for its accessibility to Europe and Asia. While Tel Aviv is an attractive place to live, Checchi will only pay $871 per month to hire a component with a partner, and regularly subreaths his room when traveling for a long time. She has a tendency to stay in hostels and Airbnbs, which helps her maintain a monthly housing budget of around $900. That’s a huge savings compared to the average June hire of $3,100 for a studio in New York, where it was based in the past.
The value of the plane ticket is your biggest expense, but since you don’t cross the Atlantic Ocean to see your family, you can travel at a relatively affordable price from place to place. There are also more festivals in the European airline industry compared to the United States, which is helping to keep its flight values lower.
Not everything was rosy, he had to return to the United States and stay for a while with his circle of relatives in Staten Island, New York, during the pandemic. Other than that, he admits that he doesn’t see his circle. of relatives, though he is now striving to return to the U. S. USA every 3 or 4 months. These flight prices may go up, but he says they’re worth it and, if necessary, he can look for additional paints to compensate. for them. While her most productive friends are in the United States, Checchi says she has friends “in each and every place” and that traveling alone has been “a wonderful way to meet new people. “
While he doesn’t believe that a nomadic way of life is suitable for everyone, he has no intention of giving it up anytime soon: “I’m living for myself at this point in my life. “