The Chris the Freelancer Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

My review of Jakarta, Indonesia after two weeks of living and working remotely in the city.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

02:53 Arrival in Jakarta

08:39 Where to stay

12:50 General impressions

15:40 Covid restrictions

18:00 Where to get a sim card

18:57 Coworking and Cafes

21:05 Gyms and Fitness

23:04 Food

25:43 Transportation

28:23 Cons of Jakarta

31:55 Friendly locals and safety

33:40 Summary

36:53 Conclusion

Links mentioned

Grab (Ride-sharing App)

https://www.grab.com/

Gojek (Ride-sharing App)

https://www.gojek.com/

My review of Manila, The Philippines after one month of living and working remotely in the city.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 How I ended up in Manila

02:37 Philippines entry requirements (covid and onward travel)

05:00 Arrival at the airport

06:15 Best areas to stay in Manila

10:31 First impressions of Manila

11:00 Masks

12:32 My impression of the people

13:34 Touristic attractions in Manila

16:10 Bumpy roads

16:40 Stupid levels of security

18:06 Language barrier

19:44 Covid situation in Manila (masks and vaccination)

21:42 Digital Nomad community in Manila

23:18 My overall thoughts on Manila

25:18 What’s coming up for me and the podcast

Links mentioned

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My previous review of Istanbul

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/y9tdAql1Etb

Grab (Ride-sharing App)

https://www.grab.com/

WeWork

https://www.wework.com/

After one month as Digital Nomads in Ho Chi Minh City, Denise and I discuss our experience in the city and recap the first season of the Chris the Freelancer podcast.
To read my full evaluation of our time in Ho Chi Minh City including Cost of Living and Coworking reports, check out my blog post.
Talking Points
[1:46] Cost of Living for short-term nomads in Saigon and our experience renting in District 1
[4:31] Vietnamese cuisine and eating out
[9:58] Getting around in Ho Chi Minh City with Uber and Grab vs hiring a moped
[15:58] Coworking in Saigon including Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA
[20:01] My search for the digital nomad community in Saigon, a discussion on the digital nomad mentality and the reason why I’m so passionate about the movement
[28:01] Final words on Saigon
[30:32] Closing words on the Chris the Freelancer podcast and a goodbye for now
Links Mentioned

* Nomadlist.com
* Living in Saigon Vlog
* Chiang Mai Digital Nomads Facebook Group
* Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA
* Alex’s YouTube Channel
* Kokois Cafe

Next Steps

* Sign up for the Chris the Freelancer Mailing List
* Check out ‘How I Learned to Code’
* Stay in touch on Social Media:  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

A Few of My Podcast Recommendations

* Travel Like a Boss
* Smart Passive Income
* Tropical MBA

Gabriel is a talented young man from the UK that I met at Beachub in Koh Phangan. There he works with his brother/co-founder on an early-stage startup called Moju, a platform for companies to find Instagram influencers.
I met Gabriel early on during my visit to Koh Phangan but it wasn’t until I overheard a meeting with a prospective client that I decided to ask him on the show.
Talking Points
[1:25] An introduction to Gabriel and his startup Moju, a platform for finding Instagram influencers
[3:29] How Gabriel and his co-founder have sourced prospective clients to help gather feedback in the early stages of the business
[5:15] A little on Gabriel’s background as a developer and entrepreneur
[8:15] Why he decided to work on his startup from Koh Phangan in Thailand
[11:08] Travel, living abroad and the story behind Moju
[14:54] How Gabriel learned the skills to start his own business and the challenges and benefits of living and working remotely
[18:54] The future for Moju and it’s founders
Links Mentioned

* Beachub
* River City Labs
* Startup Weekends
* The Lean Startup
* Amazon Web Services
* Gabriel’s Startup – Moju

Recorded on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand’s south, today’s episode is a discussion on what it’s like to be a ‘tropical digital nomad’, living and working quite literally on the beach.
Guido and Marjet are really good friends of ours that we met during our time in Koh Lanta. An experienced developer and a translator, Guido and Marjet offer two very different perspectives on the location independent lifestyle and an important reality check for newbies.
Discussion Points
[1:31] Guido and Marjet attempt to ‘paint the picture’ of what it’s like to live and work on a tropical island
[5:58] How Guido convinced his employer (a large bank in the Netherlands) to allow him to work from Thailand (hint: it wasn’t hard) and why being a developer is probably the best career for working remotely.
[8:43] How Guido & Marjet easily became a part of the community of nomads on Koh Phangan and a comparison on Koh Phangan to other Thai DN hotspots, Koh Lanta and Chiang Mai.
[14:54] The beginnings of Guido & Marjet’s digital nomad journey and how Marjet transitioned from bartending to becoming a location independent translator.
[22:10] Guido and Marjet’s top tips for newbie digital nomads and the realities of living the digital nomad lifestyle
Links Mentioned

* Beachub
* KoHub
* Nomadlist.com
* The article on Pieter Levels that inspired my own DN journey
* My bali recommendations – Dojo and Hubud
* UpWork.com
* Fiverr.com

To listen to the announcement, click play on the player below:
Otherwise, read on…
If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll have noticed a very particular format. Each week, I’ve been interviewing a new digital nomad guest but now things are gonna change. To explain what I mean, I’ve got to tell you a short story about this podcast.
A few months back when I decided to launch this podcast, I had met a bunch of nomads so far on my journey who I felt had interesting stories to share. Stories that could inspire you to take action and experiences to learn from. From listening to other podcasts as a newbie, I was frustrated at how little time the guest and host would talk about the journey which lead them to location independence so in my own podcast, I decided to make the journey the centrepiece.
The reason I’m telling you all of this is because something needs to change. Ever since I started the podcast, I’ve become increasingly busier and my list of guests who fit my specific criteria has gotten smaller. The podcast takes me a long time to edit but at the same time, the audience growth has virtually been zero.
Honestly, I was considering shutting down the podcast all together but in the end, I simply couldn’t do it as I know that some of you guys probably get a bunch of value from it. So here’s what I’m going to do:
1. I’m opening up the format.
This doesn’t mean that the podcast won’t be about location independence anymore or that we won’t have digital nomads on the show. It just means that I need to be flexible with it. Instead of this particular format that I made up arbitrarily, I want to understand more about what you guys are after and make podcasts based off of that.
I’ve realised that I got the strategy wrong with podcasting. Unlike YouTube where I get instant feedback on each video with which I can use to improve each time, I don’t do any of that on my podcast. So here is my first call to action. Please, please. If you want me to keep making this podcast, go to the show notes and leave a comment letting me know what you want to hear. This will be something that I do on each episode from now on. Even if you wanna just say that you liked it or hated it. I appreciate any feedback you can provide me.
2. I want your feedback
So. Here’s the deal. If this podcast is going to work, I need it to be more interactive. If you like the show, please, please, leave a comment below. Coming up on the podcast we have some new episodes I recorded in Koh Phangan but after that, I’m open to your suggestions.
Thanks so much for your support. I will see you on the next episode of the Chris the Freelancer podcast.
Until next time,
Chris

This week, I sit down with Steph Danforth, the freelance designer who has been travelling the world continuously for the last four years with husband, Nick Danforth. From living in a van in the United States to sightseeing in Europe, Steph has built her career 100% on the road.
In this week’s episode, we talk about Steph’s keys to success on UpWork and Fiverr and the life lessons learned after so many years of work and travel.
Use this link to check out Steph’s course on Freelancing using UpWork and get 15% off on signup.
Talking Points
[1:23] The beginnings of Steph’s nomad journey with husband Nick over 4 years ago, starting in a camper van, sightseeing in Europe and living in China
[4:31] From working in a coffee shop to starting an Etsy store
[7:23] Dabbling in Web Design and transitioning completely into location independent work and financial independence
[11:17] How Steph decided on her career path and learned to code / design websites
[16:28] How she built the skill of dealing with clients as a freelancer and how it ended up making the difference
[19:38] How Steph got started on Fiverr and her advice for others wanting to succeed on the platform
[25:38] The importance of building reviews and reputation on Upwork and Steph’s tips for meeting and exceeding client expectations
[28:38] An introduction to Steph’s course on Successful freelancing on UpWork
[30:29] Steph’s favourite locations to travel, to work and to connect with the nomad community
[34:22] How Steph and husband Nick decide on where to go next and the biggest learnings they’ve had on their journey
[38:27] Breaking the stereotype of being married and what it’s like to travel with a partner
[41:12] The next stage for Steph and Nick and how they’ve inspired others to live an alternative lifestyle
Links Mentioned

* Digital Nomad Girls
* etsy.com, upwork.com, fiverr.com
* Skillcrush
* Nick Danforth’s YouTube channel (Formerly Home Sweet Globe)
* Steph’s Udemy Course (15% off)

From convincing you to have a beer with him on a Friday night to enticing you to buy a product online, Craig Wilson is a born salesman.
An entrepreneur for many years, Craig finally decided to move his business operations completely online to achieve location independence.
In this week’s episode from Chiang Mai, Thailand, we talk about the journey so far as well as the next stage for the always excited Craig Wilson.
To find out more about Craig, visit his website at www.craig-wilson.com
Talking Points
[1:34] How Craig got started in business, going to college and working at the South African World Cup
[5:50] Catching the travel bug and how he built his own marketing business without ever needing to take a regular job
[10:00] The fallacy of offline networking and getting leads online
[13:47] Moving his business online to free up time and go location independent
[16:49] The brewing idea of location independence and making the decision to come out to Chiang Mai
[23:44] Meeting people in Chiang Mai and other locations and adventures on Craig’s list
[28:34] Leveraging time and pursuing passive income
[32:54] Craig’s top goals and new courses
[35:46] Craig’s number one top tip for those wanting to live location independently
Links Mentioned

* Chiang Mai influencers – Adrian Ingram, Johnny FD and Nick Danforth
* Punspace
* Huay Kaew Residence
* Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Down
* Startup Diaries
* Snir Alayof

Riley and I first connected in mid April of 2016 when we met to do an interview after I discovered Riley through his YouTube channel.
The young, always excited Riley now lives his dream as a location independent entrepreneur after successfully building an Amazon business with his friend and business partner Parker Morris. Listen as Riley divulges over an hour about his own story as well as a wealth of tips and knowledge for starting your own successful business on Amazon.
To learn more about Riley’s method, check out his course, “The Amazon Method“.
Talking Points
[1:51] Visiting home and avoiding tax & exorbitant expenses by being in South East Asia
[5:04] Discovering his adventurous side, a trip to Phuket, saving up for his first business with partner, Parker Morris and moving out to Chiang Mai for the first Dropship Lifestyle Retreat
[15:11] Catching the travel bug in Phuket, Thailand
[17:49] The decision to pursue working online as a means to move back to Asia and the experience of blogging about online business before he even had his own
[22:39] Why drop shipping didn’t work for Riley but Amazon did
[29:54] How to deal with risk as an entrepreneur and the mindset it takes to succeed
[36:54] How Riley learned the business of Amazon and how you can do it too
[40:29] The Amazon Gold Rush
[46:15] The work it takes day-to-day as an amazon seller
[54:46] How Riley and his business partner share responsibilities
[57:52] Riley’s favourite locations: Ho Chi Minh City & Chiang Mai, Thailand and his experience in the Philippines
[1:04:52] Chiang Mai vs Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) for digital nomads
Links Mentioned:

* Johnny’s Podcast – Travel Like a Boss
* Tim Ferris – 4 Hour Work Week
* Johnny FD’s my $200 apartment video
* Punspace Coworking Space
* Riley’s Blog – livinthatlife.wordpress.com
* Dropship Lifestyle
* Riley’s First Store – portablehottubuniverse.com
* Amazing Selling Machine (Now Brand Genisis) 
* Riley’s YouTube Channel
* Chiang Mai vs Saigon Video
* A Day in the Life in Saigon – Riley’s Channel

Around 2 years ago, Dylan Wolff made a decision to challenge himself and go after a completely new career as a remote web developer. An internal auditor for years, he decided that he wanted to learn a new skill and travel the world. Today, he works full-time as a location independent developer for distributed Ruby on Rails consultancy.

I've previously featured Dylan's story on my website in my inspiring nomads blog series and most recently on my YouTube channel where we answered viewers questions on becoming a remote web developer.

In this week's podcast, we go deep into Dylan's story, how he learned web development, how he scored his first job and how he now travels the world, working remotely.

Talking Points

[01:40] How Dylan came to the realisation that he wanted to work remotely and travel the world and the steps he took to make it happen
[5:38] Starting from Square one and becoming inspired by Pieter Levels
[11:16] Making the choice to pursue web development and finding a firm that supports remote workers
[14:12] The resources Dylan used starting out and his top tips for finding the time to code while working full-time
[23:49] Knowing when you’re ready to look for work and his first experiences entering the workforce
[34:49] The challenge of working solo
[36:49] How Dylan managed to score a job that allowed him to work remotely from the get-go and what he would have done if it hadn’t been that way.
[42:59] Travel experiences as a digital nomad and plans moving forward
[45:59] How Dylan balances work and travel and dealing with multiple time zones
[51:18] He favourite locations in the world to work from

Links Mentioned

• Pieter Levels
• Hastag Nomads
• NomadList.com
• Slack & Basecamp
• Treehouse, Code School, Code Academy
• Thinkful
• Michael Hartle - The Rails Tutorial
• Pimsleur
• My first public vlog - Moving Out to Travel the World
• Our video together - How to become a developer
• J Space - Jeju Island
• Nick’s Blog Post on finding your own rhythm
• Dylanwolff.com