​Chasing The Dream

 Traveling, Kiting, and Working Around The World

It sounds too good to be true, an unattainable adventure. Traveling full time, working remotely, and kiteboarding as much as you want?! How is that even possible? Relax… it is.

My name is Crystal Veness, and I’m living the dream.

I’ve been traveling full time for more than two years, with no home base and nothing but a kite bag, a carry-on suitcase, and a backpack in tow. This journey has spanned 5 continents, 19 countries, and created more than 1,000,000 memories, and the journey continues today.

I’ll be honest, my bank account isn’t exactly growing, but I have accumulated an indescribable wealth of experiences, wonderful connections, and skills that will have a positive impact on the rest of my life. I feel filthy rich. If that’s not wealth, I don’t know what is!

If you’ve ever considered a mobile lifestyle, whether it be full time, a few months, or a week or two at a time here and there, I hope the information I’ve included below – answers to some of the most common questions I’m asked in my travels and questions to help you find the inspiration you need to start chasing your dream.

So what do you actually do?

Whatever allows me to keep traveling! But basically, I work with small business owners on marketing strategy and business development. That can mean a lot of things from helping create their brand, find their identity, design and build their website and marketing materials, and consult on customer acquisition. I like to think of myself as a creative problem solver!

Here’s some questions to get you thinking…

• Do you love your job?
• If there is anything you could change about your job today that would make you happier, what would it be?
• Why haven’t you?

How can you afford to travel all the time?

Well, I work a lot. And I worked and saved for 10 years before I started traveling. The first year of work and travel I was literally just aggressively spending money. It took me a while to find a groove and settle into the travel and work lifestyle in a way that was sustainable.

If traveling is a priority for you…

• Are you setting aside money every month for travel?
• Could you see yourself changing your habits to have more financial freedom to travel?
• Can you skip coffee and save $5 a day? That’s $1825 in a year. How about $20? That’s $7300, and that goes a long way in some countries.

What made you decide on this lifestyle?

While I was trying to build up a more traditional life in the city with a house and a car, going out on the weekends and having girls night once a week, I began to realize that it just wasn’t working. I wasn’t inspired, wasn’t excited to wake up in the morning, and I knew that something needed to change.

I had always traveled for work, but started taking a few personal trips with people that were like-minded. The had entrepreneurial spirits, a thirst for adventure, and a work hard/play harder mentality. These people totally blew my mind and opened my eyes up to what the world could be like if I was chasing my dreams, so I did.

Ask yourself these questions…

• Am I happy today? Did I wake up content?
• If anything is missing, what could that be? Is it travel and adventure and kiteboarding?!
• There’s no need to jump off the deep end… what does traveling for a week each month look like?

How did you prepare for life on the road?

I knew when I left that I would be away for at least a year, and that the key was to simplify everything. I donated or gave away most of my furniture, donated 90% of my clothing, and started trying to figure out how I could fit everything I needed into a suitcase… and of course, how to find the perfect suitcase!

Knowing that kiteboarding was going to become a huge priority for me, I hit up MACKiteboarding. Their crew consulted with me to determine what gear would both suit my riding style, take a beating – both on the beach and at the airport - and be the most travel-friendly.

Alongside that, I had to figure out what skills I had that I could use on the road, and that ended up being my marketing and computer skills. I spent a while building out my portfolio for graphic and web design and fitting out a laptop that could do everything I needed it to.

So how can you get ready for life on the road?

• Write down the 3 skills that you consider yourself great at. Is it music? Writing? Photography? Making friends? Cooking?
• Let’s get creative… how can you make money from each of these skills? If you’re a great guitarist, why not set up a site to market mobile guitar lessons or perform at bars while you’re traveling? If it’s making friends, you might be an amazing travel guide or club promoter.
• Now test it out. Before starting your trip and hoping your idea works, try it at home. Set up that website, give those lessons, guide some tours, start selling or sharing your creative work.

What is your work schedule like and how do you stay focused when it’s windy?

It’s flexible, which I absolutely love. Depending on the client, project, or day, I can work a few hours a day, or a few 12 hours days in a week, or just keep my laptop handy so I can pop onto it whenever something comes up. It’s hard to predict, but keeps things very exciting.

It’s really about priorities. It took me a while to figure this out, and I’d often be dropping everything when the wind picked up. That was fun, but didn’t work for long. Now, I try to travel to kite spots that have thermals so I can do a part day of work and part day of kiting. On longer trips, I take two days a week that are non-kiting days so I can focus on work and stay on top of things.

To determine your own work schedule will take some trial and error, and depend on your industry. Ask yourself this…

• Why do I want to travel? Do I want to kiteboard every day? Do I want to see the world? Do I just want to get away?
• What are my priorities? Do I know how to put my work (if that’s the priority) above everything else when I need to?
• By working X hours a day/week, am I achieving what I set out?

What difficulties do you encounter with working while traveling?

There always seems to be an endless quest for fast Wi-Fi. I’ve accidentally ended up in a few spots where fast internet was non-existent, and that’s impossible. Those types of places sadly aren’t ones I can visit again if I want to keep working!

Learning to say ‘no’ was critical. It can be difficult to keep my priorities straight when you meet a great crew of people and want to go on adventures. Even today, I’m constantly trying to find balance in my work, kiting, and social life.

Knowing your ‘absolute necessities’ and being prepared for things to go wrong is key…

• If WiFi is a priority, would it be worth it to you to purchase a more costly but travel friendly phone/data plan?
• If being connected is an absolute necessity for your work, are you willing to cross all of the destinations off of your list where you can’t guarantee reliable power?
• If that all falls apart, can you handle a few days of offline time, or do you have a team you can trust to fill in the blanks when you can’t?

Are there any downsides to full time travel?

Nothing that would make me want to stop! The greatest downsides are having trouble maintaining a connection with friends and family. I’m not too good at it, so I find myself feeling isolated every so often – of my own volition, of course. I’ve never been very sentimental, so don’t get homesick… but I do miss having a place to put mementos or keepsakes. And it gets exhausting being on the road constantly, but when that all starts catching up I find an AirBNB or hotel for a couple days and hide out until I feel like I’ve reconnected with myself.

We all have low moments, it’s part of the human condition. The best way to handle them is to recognize them…

• Do you know your own early signs of stress/depression/frustration?
• Can you recognize yourself pulling away from yourself or other people?
• If connection with family and friends is important to you, would putting one or two reminders a week into a calendar to reach out to your loved ones be helpful?
• Do you trust yourself and your instincts enough to act on those low point warning signals immediately to avoid them developing into something overwhelming?

I’m ready! Should I quit my job today and book a flight?

Ooh… yes!?? Maybe. I think that if you have a dream, you should pursue it, and there’s no time better than the present. There are steps you can take immediately to prepare for a work/travel lifestyle, but preparation is everything. The more money you can save and time you can take to develop your marketable skills so they’re mobile, the more time you’ll have on the road and chance of success in making it!

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Everyone should have the opportunity to live the lifestyle that makes them the happiest. It’s a path filled with hard work, sacrifice, and a constant hunt for fast Wi-Fi… but it’s a journey that will see you on unimaginable adventures, teach you remarkable lessons, introduce you to extraordinary humans, and leave you with a myriad of memories to hold on to forever.

Best of luck as you embark on your own journey. Start preparing today. Your dreams are worth chasing!

Crystal Veness

Originally from Canada, she now calls the entire world her playground and simultaneously her workplace. Whether that's an impromptu office in the back of a rental car on top of a mountain or a hut on kite beach Cabarete, she is a true embodiment of the work-life balance movement.

Website: CrystalVeness.com

Instagram: @crystalintl

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Twitter: crystalintl