Hello friends!
In one of my very first posts on this platform, I told the story of how I paid for an entire year of bumming around Australia with a few lucky Bitcoin trades.
Since then, I've taken my shenanigans to the beautiful country of New Zealand, where I've continued living like a cheapass and getting by on purely online income.
Here's a basic rundown of what my daily routine has looked like for the last few months. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments!
1. Wake up
Usually to the sound of a chirping Tui outside my window
One of New Zealand's many native birds. I took this photo on a hike up Mount Victoria, one of my favorite walking trails in the Wellington area.
2. YouTube catch-up
I usually watch videos for 30 mins or so before I finally drag my lazy ass out of bed. As a big fan of both cryptocurrency and sustainable energy, I watch the following channels religiously:
CRYPTO:
- Altcoin Daily
- FUD TV
- Thinking Crypto
- Chico Crypto
- Aimstone
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY:
- Now You Know
- HyperChange
Here's my room! It's a lovely little tiny house Airbnb (~90 sq. ft.) that I've got all to myself. It's just big enough for my bed, desk, and dresser.
3. Chores for Airbnb host
After making my way to the main house and scarfing down some breakfast, it's time to earn my keep! Those that have followed my Instagram or personal blog in the last few years know that this is a critical step for my travel strategy: exclusively living in places that need work done, so I can help out and live RENT-FREE.
By following this rule for nearly 2 years, I haven't paid a dime of rent since I first flew to Australia in 2018. (And most of the places I've stayed in have been quite upscale--a mixture of fancy hostels and Airbnbs).
Here are a few of the things I've done in exchange for free long-term accommodation:
- Photography
- Painting
- Gardening/Landscaping
- Chauffeur driving
Stuff like that!
Here's my current project -- building, staining, and filling a set of boxes for my host's backyard garden:
(Before)
(After)
4. Adventure time!
Once I've completed my host's chores for the day, it's time to go enjoy that beautiful New Zealand scenery. (With an extra layer of clothes on, since it's currently winter in the southern hemisphere!)
So get this...
Just a few months ago, I sent a bulk e-mail to every bicycle shop within 15 miles of my pad, offering professional photos and Instagram promotional posts for a long-term bike rental.
I was overwhelmed with responses, so I had the luxury of taking my pick on a place that had some SUPER-SWEET electric bikes in their inventory. (Shoutout to Switched On Bikes in downtown Wellington!)
Now, I have a super fun E-Bike to keep for basically as long as I want :D
Point Halswell - 23km from Airbnb
The bike shop is also nice enough to lend out extra bikes to my friends! Here's Jaye from Scotland.
Baring Head Lighthouse - 30km from Airbnb
The beauty of having an E-Bike is the sheer amount of ground you can cover on a day trip. I regularly cover 50km (30 miles) in a day, which has allowed me to explore a huge portion of the Wellington region of New Zealand.
5. Library grind!
I've made an account at every library chain in the Wellington region for this exact reason: I almost always make a library pitstop on the way home from my bike adventures.
Pictured: Petone library, right on the way home of all my westbound bike trips
Here's my checklist for each library work period:
- Faucet claim on GlobalHive.io
- "Spin the wheel" for sats on the Fold mobile app
- Open up 7 PUBLISH0X posts from my bookmarks to read, and max out daily tips
- Open up Publish0x blog post I'm currently working on
- Open tabs for main marketing channels (Twitter, Reddit currently) for my most recent published P0x post, to drive as much traffic (and referrals) to it as possible
WORK! WORK! WORK!
After around 2-4 hours of productivity (and hopefully a new published post on Publish0x), I pack up my things, and head back to the ranch.
6. Sunset beach walk + podcast
My Airbnb is about 5 mins away from Petone Beach, so I make the most of it. I almost always load up a podcast for the walk, depending on how much juice my brain has left at the end of the long day.
Photo: My sea glass collection so far! About 80% from Petone Beach right down the road from my pad, 20% from random beaches around the Wellington region.
Here are my current podcast faves:
(Light)
- Snap Judgement (storytelling)
(Medium)
- Tim Ferriss (self-improvement, life maximizatoin)
- Joe Rogan (literally everything)
(Heavy)
- Unchained with Laura Shin (crypto & blockchain tech)
- Pomp Podcast with Anthony Pompliano (Bitcoin & economics)
- AI with Lex Fridman (future tech)
Once the sun descends over Hutt Valley, it's back to the Airbnb once again.
Beautiful Petone Beach. Right across the water from downtown Wellington!
7. Dinner and movie
Whatever I'm feelin'! My Airbnb host has Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ loaded up onto the lounge TV, so I've got options.
8. Tea, dark chocolate, and book
I've found this to be my favorite way to unwind while traveling. Nothing gets me settled down for a good night's sleep like a good book, a warm cup of tea, and some tasty dark chocolate after dinner!
Wine is also an option ;)
That's about it!
All in all, a pretty dang sweet daily routine, if you ask me.
If you're interested in getting out there and launching a travel adventure of your own, feel free to spill your dreams in the comments. I've been living the nomad life for almost 2 years now, so I'd be happy to help with any questions you may have :)
-Ben
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