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Taking a long term sabbatical overseas with a family | An Interview with Matt Koenig

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Matt Koenig of 1 Year SabbaticalThis is an interview with an awesome guy named Matt. No, it’s not me but thanks anyways :). It’s with Matt Koenig of 1 Year Sabbatical. Matt was actually one of the first people I connected with online and I recently met him in person at the World Domination Summit. Matt’s an incredible guy and is taking his family to Indonesia for 1 year starting this August. Below are some deep answers to what inspired Matt to do this and many other things that go along with moving overseas with your family.

Welcome Matt Koenig.

What inspired you to take a 1 year sabbatical?

The primary inspiration was just realizing that I was stuck in a rut and wasn’t happy. It wasn’t that I necessarily disliked my job but I disliked the routine. Something needed to change. As cliché as this sounds these days, a friend recommended I read Tim Ferris’s book “The 4-hour Work Week” and after reading that I realized there were options out there I hadn’t considered or even imagined. But what really got me going was Chris Guillebeau’s manifesto “A Brief Guide to World Domination”. I realized that I didn’t have to live my life the way others said I had to. Since my wife is Indonesian and we have a strong connection to that Country we came up with the idea to take a career break, a 1 year sabbatical, and live abroad for a year with the family. It just seemed too perfect. I’ve always been of the belief that if things are not how you want them to be then then you should do whatever it takes to make changes.

What excites you about moving to such a different place?

I’ve been to Indonesia before and just love the people and culture. It’s just an incredible place that really makes me feel at home. I’m excited about being able to learn more about the culture and become an advanced tourist. Before this the longest time we’ve spent in Indonesia was 2 months and it just wasn’t enough time to really start to feel anything beyond a vacation. We were just starting to feel like we were settling in when we had to leave and fly back. I’m excited about being able to afford all that wonderful and healthy tropical produce (have you seen how much a single mango cost in the US?). I’m excited about being able to spend more time with my family and for my kids to learn more about the other half of their cultural heritage. And I’m excited about being afforded the time to develop various business ventures I’ve wanted to pursue. I love photography and I’m excited to be able to have more time to put into it.

What have been some of the challenges so far with this decision?

I think the biggest challenge by far has been actually believing that we can do this. If you give yourself time to step back and really think about it all it really sounds crazy. Give up a good job in this economy to go live abroad? When people hear what we are planning to do they look at us like we’ve gone off the deep end. It’s been challenging financially to put away the money that will be required to make it a year in Indonesia. We’ve had some debts that we needed to pay off first as we realized this venture would never be possible unless we were totally debt free. And I’m happy to say that we have made great progress on that at the expense of saving money. It’s been difficult to stick to the sacrifices we told ourselves we would make but I think in the end we will meet our savings goal. Of course I would feel much more comfortable if we would exceed it. It’s challenging when you have kids because they don’t always understand the concept of sacrifice.

 What does your family think about the idea?

Well my wife is all for it obviously. This is all kind of a home coming for her. My two sons are excited but I’m not sure they really comprehend what this all means for them. In terms of other family members they have generally been receptive to the idea and have encouraged us in our planning. I’m not sure they really believe that we are going to follow through with everything though. My parents have the obvious concerns of my career and employability, health insurance and other insurance issues, retirement savings and of course the fact that we will be on the other side of the world from them. My in-laws in Indonesia are very excited as it’s been since 2005 that we were last there and they have yet to see in person their youngest grandson. None of my co-workers beyond my boss know about our plans. Thankfully my boss is really cool and is onboard with the whole idea.

Some people would probably say you are crazy for giving up such a good job but what do you think?

Well it’s been a concern for sure. Part of my mind is screaming at me telling me not to be a fool, not to give up the golden handcuffs, to maintain the security. And it’s easy to come to that conclusion in light of all the economic indicators telling us to bunker down, don’t take risks, to maintain the slow and steady but safe course. But when you really think about it nothing is really safe. My job could disappear tomorrow if that is what the company deemed in their best interest financially. This is what it really comes down to for me. Do I want to sit around in my basement cubicle dreaming about the adventures that others are having right this very moment? Or do I want to take a chance, open up a can of risk and create some amazing adventures of my own? I’d much rather create and experience my own adventures than live vicariously through someone else. It’s like getting served a piece of cake without any frosting. We all know the frosting is the best part. I want more frosting. Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not some irresponsible jerk that is advocating everyone quit their jobs and life a carefree life with no concern for the future. I’m just the opposite. I’ve gone into this 1 year sabbatical with a clear head and plenty of research. I know that my saving for the future is important and I have a plan to make sure that I don’t get behind in my retirement savings. But I also don’t want to wait until retirement in order to enjoy retirement. I don’t buy into the whole deferred life plan. I think if you have the opportunity to live the life you desire then why out it off until some golden age that you have no guarantee of ever reaching? Life is short. Do it now while you can. And that is what we intend to do.

You’ve started a great blog to chronicle the journey leading up to the big moment. What has that been like and what message do you want to send to your readers?

Starting the blog was one of the best things I’ve done. Through the blog I’ve met lots of great people such as you and have received so much encouragement. Through the blog I’ve also encountered more traveling families than I ever imagined. Seriously, there are lots of families out there doing exactly what we are planning to do. So if there is one message I would like to send to me readers it would be don’t let having kids hold you back from traveling. While it may offer up a different set of challenges it’s not impossible. Just ask people like Christine Gilbert of Almost Fearless, or Colin and Tracy Burns of Our Travel Lifestyle or The Vogel family of Family on Bikes.

What are you hoping is born from this fantastic journey?

If I’m to be completely honest it would be a new lifestyle. It’s not that I dislike my current job but I see so many unique and interesting opportunities out there that I would love to try out. I was talking with a friend the other day about careers and how I have had several including a chef in a restaurant, wildlife biologist, data processor and network analyst. All have been things that I have been interested in and pursued. But none of them have lasted the duration of a typical career because I’ve always desired to move onto the next thing once the “career” began to feel stagnant. So in that respect I’m hoping (or rather planning) on a new lifestyle and new career being born. I have a few ideas that I want to pursue and develop so we’ll see where they lead to.

Any advice for other people considering taking a sabbatical with or without family?

I guess my advice would be to plan out what your goals for your sabbatical are and have a purpose and a plan for how you will spend the time. A sabbatical isn’t just an extra-long vacation. It’s a career break to allow yourself to pursue some specific goals and ambitions that you’ve always wanted to pursue. So make sure you know why you want to take a sabbatical first, then plan out the details. Also, don’t let finances hold you back. Sure, a year in Europe can be expensive but there are lots of places around the world where money goes pretty far so don’t let the issue of money hold you back. Do the research and you will quickly see that a sabbatical is obtainable on almost any budget. We are doing it on a shoestring budget so you can check us out and see how we do it. We definitely plan on putting up specific budget information during our year in Indonesia. Finally don’t let fear hold you back. Our minds set up roadblocks that can be difficult to overcome. Fear is a natural emotion but when it interferes with and dictates how we live our lives it becomes a serious burden. Work through it and don’t let it hold you back. Life is too short to feel trapped in your own state of fear.

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You can follow Matt Koenig and his adventure by visiting his site 1 Year Sabbatical.

The Day Before the Jump | A World Domination Road Trip Update

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The Famous Troll of Seattle
Making Friends with the Famous Troll of Seattle

Today is Thursday, June 2nd. This means that tomorrow at 10 am, Karla and I will be jumping out of a plane. I can’t say that either of us are nervous right now but I know tomorrow morning is going to be full of those light-stomach butterfly-type feelings.

Although I’ve jumped out of a plane before, it doesn’t get much easier the second time. It’s still a freefall from 13,000 feet with a backpack and a parachute. I think I’m more excited this time since I know a little bit about what to expect. For Karla, it will be her first time so she will be getting a video made of this fantastic experience. When she’s not looking, I’ll upload it for you to see.

Tomorrow will also mark a week since we left with our best car gadgets for the World Domination Road Trip. It’s been a wet journey after leaving Calgary during torrential downpours and bringing it with us most of the way. Luckily we enjoyed little rain for a day or two in Vancouver and Seattle, allowing us to walk around downtown and catch some sights. It was cool sipping a coffee in the first-ever Starbucks before touring the alleys to find the Seattle Gum Wall.

The Couchsurfing experience has been pretty incredible thus far. Our first night was last Friday in Kelowna where we were greeted by a great couple, their friends, and some delicious crepes. The next day, I wanted to stop for some mini golf at Scandia to bring back nostalgic feelings from when I was a little kid. It was also Karla’s first time playing and Scandia is a great place to do it.

Although I didn’t get to see a hockey game in Vancouver, we were able to spend 3 nights with a good friend of mine from college. We visited some great parks, walked around downtown, and took the ferry over to North Vancouver to check out the neat little market.

After spending some good times with my buddy Mike, we then hit the road for Seattle, stopping only after the border to videotape Karla’s first time in the U.S.A. We hit Seattle around 3:30pm and found some parking near the space needle. Since it was a sunny day, we knew we had to take advantage. This was a great choice because rain was moving in the next day. [Read more…] about The Day Before the Jump | A World Domination Road Trip Update

How I Became a Movie Star (and How You Can too)

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kankered movie

Okay. Me becoming a movie star might be a bit of an exaggeration but I did make it into a full length student film as a leading character. It was an awesome experience. I met some cool new people, got to live out a dream of acting in a comedy movie, and literally had to push all the girls off me. Okay, the last part isn’t true but everything else is.

And it all started by pushing my boundaries and stepping outside my comfort zone.

I’ve always had an interest in acting, probably due to being a Leo who likes the spotlight, but haven’t really given it much attention besides acting as an extra in some productions a few years back. Then one day I found myself looking through “Acting” ads on kijiji. Most were garbage but I stumbled across one that was asking for a lead actor in a full length student movie. I immediately began to imagine what a great experience this would be. It was a chance to have a lot of lines in a movie and gain some experience.

There was one problem though. I needed to audition. I had never auditioned before and it made me nervous to go into a room with people and act out lines from a script with no acting experience behind me. I knew it wasn’t going to be as “hard-core” with students as it would be with a professional shoot but I still didn’t want to look stupid.

I told myself I had to do it. What were my chances of ever seeing an opportunity like this again. It could be my last chance. I had spoke in front of 50 people before. I had jumped out of a plane and leaped off a bridge. I managed to travel 5 months solo throughout Australia and Indonesia.

I had to do it. I sent them an email and told them I would come audition. Next thing you know, I’m “Alex” in the movie “Kankered”.

Despite some mishaps (like continuously losing actors who weren’t taking it seriously), it took about a month (30 days of acting) to get all the shots done before it moved on to the voiceover and editing phases. We had a blast taking outdoor shots while trying to avoid the police, spending a day in the woods with werewolves and ninjas, partying at fake parties, breaking into a house, and joining a hot tub party where a friend was kidnapped by a hot girl who wanted his baby.

The director, Nick, is now in Vancouver Film School having “Kankered” edited and ready for film festivals. Despite its lack of budget, it came out looking really good. It’s got a ton of coarse language and immature sexual innuendoes so it’s only for those who like “R” rated Superbad-type movies, which means grandmothers may not approve.

Check out the trailer below. [Read more…] about How I Became a Movie Star (and How You Can too)

A Virtual Hello, Japan, and Baby Octopus Lollipops

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Kyoto Japan with Matthew G. Bailey
Wakato, Keiko, and myself

Back in September 2010, I enrolled myself in Unique Genius, a course aimed at helping people find their passions, build them into a business, and make money doing what they love. Before I enrolled, I actually met the founder, Aaron Ross, while traveling to Los Angeles for a JCI (Junior Chamber International) conference. Aaron lives in Santa Monica and after learning about his business through Jonathan Mead, I sent him an email asking if he would be down for meeting up when I was there. Aaron agreed and after figuring out the mess that is L.A. transit, I wound up in Santa Monica sipping hot chocolate and Cappuccinos at a local cafe while talking to Aaron about my plans for online business.

A couple months into the program, I was also planning a trip to Japan to attend the JCI World Congress which featured more than 100 countries and 11,000+ inspiring people from all over the world. While planning my trip, I was scanning the forums in Unique Genius and came across a message from a guy in Japan. I immediately replied and told him that I was going to be visiting Japan and could potentially meet up. Wakato (the guy who had wrote the message) quickly replied back saying he would love to meet.

But it wasn’t just an email from Wakato I received. I also received another email from a guy in Tokyo who noticed our conversation in the forum. He wanted to meet up as well. Awesome! I now had 2 people I could meet while in Japan. Wakato was living near Okayama and Trond (the other person) was living right in Tokyo. I told them that I had 6 days to myself and would figure out a way to meet both of them.

Most expensive mushroom in the world
Most expensive mushroom in the world?

I still remember leaving Hiroshima to Okayama and meeting Wakato and his wife Keiko. With such friendly enthusiasm, they brought me to the ancient city of Kyoto. I couldn’t believe how friendly, generous, and accommodating they were. Not only did they escort me around Kyoto and beautiful ancient temples, they also treated me to a huge traditional Japanese dinner and dessert. It was definitely the best and most unusual meal I had while in Japan. I remember one of the soups having a special mushroom that costs $80 per mushroom! This explains why my soup had just a tiny piece of one. We got to talk about the Unique Genius program and how Wakato spent 4 years at a New York University. No wonder his english was so good! After this, we walked around a fish market looking at all the odd creatures available to eat. I remember walking by one stand that had baby octopus lollipops. Boiled baby octopus stuck on a stick. I thought it looked gross (and funny) so I just walked by. But as I began walking around, the temptation to put myself out there and try this rare looking food made me go back. I had never seen anything that looked so odd. A baby octopus lollipop. Wakato brought me back and both of us ate one for the first time. It actually wasn’t to bad. A little rubbery but overall, not bad at all.

After bidding farewelll, I made my way to the north. But before going to Tokyo, I stopped near Mt.Fuji to spend 2 nights with Mochan, a guy I had met through couchsurfing.org (more on that in another post). After 2 amazing nights with people from all over the planet, I finally made it to Tokyo for one short night. I was greeted by a tall businessman just outside the train station who happened to be Trond. Trond was actually from Norway but had been living and working in Tokyo for 15 years. He was also the president of a recycling company trying to break into Japan. Impressive.

Just getting off work, Trond treated me to a really fancy Japanese dinner at a local place where the likes of past-president Kennedy would eat when he came to Tokyo. As if this wasn’t enough already, Trond also pulled out a couple gifts he had bought for me. One was a book on the crazy new-age Tokyo culture, and the other was a book on the more traditional zen culture of Japan. He then brought me to an Indian restaurant owned by one of his friends. We ended up having a second dinner while Trond explained his new online business plan to me. Other then trying to stop by stomach from exploding, I was super inspired by the business model Trond unfolded before me and also impressed with the amazing naan bread and curry I had just gobbled down.

Tokyo Capsule Hotel
The top one is my bed

It was now getting late and Trond had to get back to his family. Before heading back, he quickly brought me to Tokyo’s famous human intersection and to the train station that would take me to the capsule hotel I was so excited about. Trond then offered to pay for a hotel (he thought I would be more comfortable) which I had to kindly decline. Not only was I stuck on the experience of a capsule hotel but I felt almost bad for receiving such a gift. I just couldn’t believe the kindness and generosity Trond showed me. And just moments after, when I thought Trond couldn’t be any more generous then he already had, I mentioned to him that I only had credit cards on me. Uh oh, this is a problem in Japan. Trond told me credit cards are very rarely accepted in Japan and I could only get cash from machines at 7/11. Rather than send me searching at midnight, Trond gave me $100 to get me through a couple of days until I found an international bank machine. I was so thankful and told him I would send it back to him via paypal as soon as I could.

I then said bye, sat down on the train, and thought about the amazing person that I just met. I was truly astonished by the kindness I was shown, both from Trond and Wakato (and Keiko). I was just a stranger who said “hello” via email. Next thing you know, I’m eating a fancy dinner in Tokyo with the president of a company and eating a traditional Japanese meal next to an ancient temple with a Japanese local.

Wow.

After 30 minutes, I arrived at my capsule hotel, excited to see one for my first time and also excited to sleep. I awkwardly stumbled my way through the check-in process and found my “coffin-in-a-wall” that would be my bed. It actually wasn’t bad at all. It had its own T.V. (which I didn’t watch), a built-in alarm clock and radio, and a little curtain at your feet for extra privacy. I pulled out my trusty earplugs, nestled into the blankets, thought about the inspiring people I met over the last 6 days, and went to sleep.

Japan was such a great trip. I met these wonderful people above, some awesome people via couchsurfing, and partied with 11,000 people from over 100 countries during the JCI World Congress. Japan became yet another addition to my memories of a lifetime and continued to remind me why I love travel, love meeting people, and why I will continue chasing adventure for the rest of my life.

It also reminded me of why I absolutely love saying “hello” to new people and why it really is the most important word in the world. It opens up all the possibilities in the world.

 

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Zero to 100: the Journey has Started

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Today I was talking to a friend and mentor of mine who told me my “zero to 100” journey has started. He was telling me this because I started Canadian Free Flyers; a paid newsletter club that delivers deals and promotions to Canadians so they can effectively earn travel points and fly for free. Althought I haven’t actually launched it yet, I already have some people signing up. I have no idea how they found it, but it’s a great start!

I started CFF for a couple of reasons. First, I love the aspect of a membership site. I find them exciting and a great way of continually connecting with an engaged audience. I’m part of some membership sites (like A list blogging) and I think they are great place to learn things and meet like-minded people. Since I love travel hacking, it seemed like a great fit to blend this into a membership site.

For $10/mth, Canadians get their own personal assistant sending them weekly emails with deals and promotions to earn travel points in Canada. I also teach them some strategies behind it and guarantee them enough points for 2 flights a year. Not bad for $10/mth right? I’ll keep you updated as it launches and moves along. I’m super excited!

Aside from that, I’ve been trying a few other methods throughout the past few months (some for years) and share some quick insights below. If your new to making money online, below are some great ways to get started:

1. Affiliate marketing: This is a popular one with online bloggers and anyone new to online business. I love the idea of it and although I haven’t become totally immersed in it yet, I have made some sales using this strategy. This proves to me that it’s possible. Basically, I only promote products on AWOI that I have used and think would be beneficial to my readers. I’m also starting to make additional offers to readers who purchase through my links. I’ll report back if it becomes a success or not. Overall, people make affiliate marketing sound really easy but the true fact is few people become successful at it. It’s not as simple as throwing a page together with some links and watching the money come in. A lot of work goes into it but it is a great way to start your journey from zero to 100.

2. Ebay and Kijiji: I’ve made quite a bit of sales on kijiji and a few sales on ebay. This is not a strategy I’m using to make a living but just a strategy I’m using to get rid of things I don’t need anymore. It can be fun though and there are people out there who make their living off ebay so you might want to give it a try. It’s one of the easiest things to set up. It’s good practice and all you need to start is some personal items you no longer want or need. Ebay is best for offering it to the world whereas kijiji is only good for local offers since you’ll most likely need to meet the person to exchange items.

3. Niche sites: This is something I’m just getting into but it looks like a fun and interesting way to make some money online. It’s a little tough right now since my main focus is A World of Inspiration and Canadian Free Flyers but I’m setting up a couple small sites just to get some practice. I’m actually looking into partnering with someone for a friendly competition in making a niche site so “zero to 100” readers can get a great feel for building one from scratch. Stay tuned!

So as you can see, I’ve already surpassed the $100 mark (my first goal for zero to $100) for earning money online but it’s still very much in it’s infancy. Canadian Free Flyers and A World of Inspiration are definitely my top priorities since both are fun and rewarding to work on. A World of Inspiration isn’t really an income generator at this point but it deals with my passion of travel, adventure, and inspiring people to envision life as an endless possibility to do great things. Canadian Free Flyers is really fun because I’m dealing with something I love (travel and travel hacking) and I get to help others do the same.

I know there are many mistakes ahead of me but also many successes. Keep reading and you’ll learn a lot along the way.

Have you started making money online yet? If so, what have you been doing? If not, what strategies appeal to you the most?