Living Abroad on a Shoe String

You may be wondering how I, with little money to my name and no savings, can afford to travel and live oversees. The answer lay in the projects I`ve volunteered to assist, the fact that I have a rental property here in the UK and the opportunity to earn a small income from travel writing and film making.

Firstly, the projects I`ve volunteered to assist all offer basic accommodation and food in return for a few hours work each day, usually around 5 hours for up to 5 days each week but sometimes much less. Bearing in mind that the countries I`ll be visiting have a much lower cost of living than here in the UK, the small amount of money I`ll have left from the rental of my apartment after paying the mortgage, service charge and contingency for repairs, should certainly be enough to live on. For instance, the average monthly wage in rural Thailand, away from the touristy cities, is under £200. I`ll have around £100 each month from my apartment. Taking into consideration that I`ll have no accommodation or main meals to pay for, I`m sure £100 a month will be sufficient. However, there are also many opportunities to earn fees freelancing on the internet as a travel writer and video film maker. There`s also the possibility to monetise this blog site too with affiliate links, sponsorships and maybe even donations but that`ll take time as with most online ventures.  

As far as I`m concerned, the only money I`m going to need in advance of my project is the airfare (with an open return) a new passport (as my previous one had to be cancelled as it was stolen) visa, insurance and updates to my technical equipment. I`m looking at around £1200. Once I have that, I`ll be outa here.