Man who ditched UK life to become a digital nomad and travel the world explains how he can afford it
A digital nomad who decided to ditch the gloomy British winter to travel the world has explained how he can afford it.
After graduating from university and realizing the job market was in a bit of a state, Ben decided to leave life in the UK and chase the digital nomad dream.
Since then, the man from Stockport has lived the much-desired digital nomad lifestyle in six countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan.
But how does the 22-year-old manage to travel the world while also living the remote worker lifestyle?
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Well, Ben told UNILAD that he left the UK with just $1,300 in his bank account, which he certainly doesn't recommend.
But thanks to a side hustle Ben pursued during his studies, he was immediately able to make money while on the other side of the globe.
Ben set up the online tutoring company BB Max, which the backpacker describes as a 'tutoring agency' that helps kids with maths.
The Brit, who works as a tutor, says he's 'fully booked up, which allows him to 'sustain this life of traveling'.
Ben told UNILAD: "With teaching, it's very seasonal. In the summer I don't teach that much, so what I have to do in September is basically plan out what I expect to earn over the coming year, do a little bit of a buffer underneath that and then split that across 12 months."
He follows the '50-30-20' rule, a popular budgeting method used by travelers that divides their money into three categories: 50 percent for needs, 30 percent for wants and 20 percent for savings and debt repayments.
Alongside teaching maths to kids, Ben has set up his own TikTok account, where he documents his life as a digital nomad to his followers.
The Brit explained: "I teach for about 20 hours a week and then I'd say five hours would be lesson planning, talking to parents, stuff like that. But I would say that I'm working maybe 50, 60 hours a week, doing social media, doing more admin and trying to actually grow my online business as well."
Ben is currently based in Kazakhstani city of Almaty, as he gets ready to explore the increasingly popular 'Stans' (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) in the coming weeks.
While the digital nomad looks forward to traveling Central Asia, it will have to do a lot to top Vietnam, which Ben described as 'amazing' and 'rich in culture'.
"It's one of the best countries that I've ever been to. If you want a place that is diverse, north, central, the south is so different to each other. It's a place where the people are so accommodating and friendly, it's a place where your money takes you very, very far."
For context, Ben paid just over $500 a month for a spacious one-bedroom apartment in Da Nang.
So, if you're thinking of taking the leap, Vietnam is the best place to start that digital nomad journey, according to Ben.
Callum Jones