We’d been back for a few months, struggling to adjust to the grey, wet gloominess of a British winter after an incredible year travelling the world. I was supposed to forget about travel for a few years, focus on my career and our life in Manchester. Yet I was drawn to the Lonely Planet website, and came across Soultravelers3 who had won a LP Travel Blog Award. The family of three have been travelling for over three years and have no plans to stop.

Their website opened my eyes to the possibilities of permanent travel. I had read plenty of travel blogs but the trips all ended after a year. Suddenly I discovered a world of perpetual travellers, digital nomads and location independent professionals. Travel wasn’t temporary for these people, it was a lifestyle. They had all found ways to make a living on the road, so they could travel or live wherever they wanted. The thought of this freedom was intoxicating. There was no going back and our journey to becoming perpetual nomads began.

In the last year the following travel bloggers have been our inspiration. As we take the leap we have faith that if they can do it, so can we. They all travel in different ways – some move around frequently, while others stay in one place for months at a time. What they all share is the freedom to live and work wherever they choose, and they entertain and educate us all by writing about their experiences.

Soultravelers3

It all started here for us with this inspiring digital nomad family. I learnt about Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek, lifestyle design and how to free yourself from work obligations; and read of many other inspiring long term travellers.
Our favourite post: How to Do Extended Travel & Mini-retirements
Follow them on Twitter: @Soultravelers3

Uncornered Market

Audrey and Daniel have been on the road for three years, visiting Asia and Latin America so far. Their method of travelling is similar to what we are aiming for – periods of exploration broken up with weeks or months in one place. We love their interesting travel articles, stunning photos, and street food focus. They have inspired us to one day visit the little visited Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They also helped us find our apartment in Buenos Aires.

Our favourite post: Guerilla Food Photography: 10 Tips For Taking Great Food Photos
Follow them on Twitter: @umarket

Man Vs Debt

Baker is a lovely guy. His personality shines through on his entertaining blog whether he is writing about selling your crap, paying off debt or doing what you love. He spent the last year travelling, working abroad and even couchsurfing with his wife and baby. We hear so many people use children as an excuse not to travel that it was great to see that it’s possible. We love Baker’s radical transparency where he lists all their stuff and daily details of their finances.

Our favourite post: Travel Hacking for Noobs: How We Save Hundreds on Airfare, Get Free Accommodation, & Make Money while Overseas
Follow him on Twitter: @manvsdebt

Almost Fearless

Christine Gilbert quit her job and sold all her belongings to become a freelance writer and travel the world. She even took her dogs along. Her blog is packed with useful advice for aspiring digital nomads or long term travellers. Subscribe for regular updates and you get a great free ebook on how to redesign your life and travel. Christine has recently had a baby so it’ll be interesting to see how she gets on as a nomadic mother.

Nerdy Nomad

Kirsty has been travelling for two years living off her earnings from websites (and working abroad for years before that). It’s motivating to see that it is possible to make money this way, and we love how openly she shares her monthly earnings. Kirsty often volunteers on her travels and is always on the look out for low cost opportunities. We will definitely be heading to Nicaragua after reading about her time there. Check out her Underground Guide to International Volunteering for lots of useful advice on volunteering independently.

Our favourite post: Free and Cheap Volunteering Opportunities in Nicaragua
Follow her on Twitter: @travoholic

Fluent in 3 Months

Benny speaks eight languages, makes his living as a freelance translator, and moves to a new country every three months to learn the language. His blog posts are always entertaining and are full of incredibly useful language learning tips. We love his positive attitude: anyone can learn a language – no excuses! We’ll be applying some of his techniques as we learn Spanish.

Our favourite post: How to Speak a Language Pretty Well Starting From Scratch in Just Two Months
Follow him on Twitter: @irishpolyglot

Professional Hobo

Nora Dunn sold her successful business in Canada and has been travelling and writing for the past few years. She introduced us to many options for long term travel on a budget especially working in exchange for accommodation. Her experience living in a yurt on a permaculture farm in Hawaii sounded amazing.

Follow her on Twitter: @hobonora

Location Independent Professionals

Lea & Jonathan Woodward created the term location independent, and have lived and worked remotely in destinations such as Panama, Buenos Aires, South Africa and Thailand. They have built a huge network by supporting others to live and work anywhere they choose. Even with a new baby they are continuing their nomadic lifestyle, currently in Turkey. We’ll be taking part in their upcoming 12 Week Challenge to develop our own location independent business.

The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau aims to visit every country in the world within the next four years, and writes about unconventional ideas for remarkable people. His free manifesto A Brief Guide to World Domination is essential reading; and he sells a number of useful guides on subjects such as becoming a frequent flyer master, social media, and making money as an artist.

Our favourite post: 28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling
Follow him on Twitter:@chrisguillebeau

Nomadic Matt

Matt is a twenty-something vagabond who’s been on the road since 2005. He has built a hugely popular travel blog, makes over $3000 a month from his websites, and shares his secrets is his ebook How to Make Money With Your Travel Blog.

Our favourite post: Everyone Says I’m Running Away
Follow him on Twitter:@nomadicmatt

We’d like to say a big thank you to all these wonderful bloggers who have inspired us and helped us begin our never ending voyage.