Yes, You Can Get Paid to Be You. Here's How...
Yesterday morning, a surfer friend spontaneously invited me over for a smoothie (or batido, as they say in Spanish).
My fresh fruit delivery hadn’t arrived yet, so I took it as a sign from the universe.
While we were sipping our dragon fruit concoctions, she started asking questions about making money remotely.
She grew up upper-middle class, got a solid education (she’s a trained ER nurse), and had recently quit her job to travel full time. She’s got savings, but now wants to figure out how to earn on the road.
So we did my favorite thing: we brainstormed.
Here’s what we were working with:
– She’s a trained emergency room nurse
– Loves to surf and travel
– Wants location freedom
– Is into weightlifting, strength training, and healthy eating
And here are some potential offerings I brainstormed for her:
✨ Virtual consultations for digital nomads and surf tourists — especially those traveling in developing countries and dealing with a medical emergency related to water sports (or anything else sketchy you might pick up on the road).
She could assess their condition over video and tell them exactly what to do next: rest? painkillers? ER visit? gentle movement?
✨ On-the-ground support (when local) — If she’s in the same city, she could accompany them to the hospital or doctor. She speaks Spanish, so she can translate and advocate for them too. Solo travel can be scary when things go wrong—she’d be a knowledgeable, calm presence in the chaos.
✨ Rehab & recovery programs — Once they’re on the mend, she could design a personalized rehab or strength training plan to prevent flare-ups. If they need nutrition or supplement advice, she can guide that too.
All of this poured out in less than 10 minutes.
“You’re so smart,” she said.
Maybe! But really—what I love most is helping people realize the money-making potential they’re already sitting on. My superpower is spotting hidden gold in people’s skills and showing them what’s possible. Most of us are way closer to a viable income stream than we think—we just need someone to connect the dots.
I firmly believe anyone can make money online by combining their skills, lived experience, and a little bit of savviness. With a polished website or landing page, a clear offer, and some tenacity, you can support yourself while traveling and actually build a life you LOVE not just tolerate :)
Want me to help you brainstorm ways to make money remotely? Get in touch.
Where the Ladies At? - The Disconcerting Absence of Solo Women in Van Life
One disconcerting thing I’ve noticed since transitioning to van life is how few solo women there are outside in the world. I almost never see solo women doing van life. I also rarely see women hiking alone, walking alone, dining alone, or pretty much doing anything alone. I see my fair share of couples on trails and in camper lots. I also see a lot of solo men doing sports or groups of men doing god knows what.
But - where the ladies at?
Observations from Abroad: Morocco and Portugal
In Morocco, it was very rare to see women out solo or even in groups. When dusk approached all the cafes and streets were lined with dudes, not a woman in sight.
Now that I am back in Portugal I can’t help but notice the same thing just on a scaled-down version. Women seem comfortable shopping alone, grocery shopping, or running errands but beyond that the world seems off-limits unless accompanied by their partner.
The Fear Factor: Why Aren't Women Going Solo?
Why is that? Are y’all scared to do things alone?
If so, I get it. Men, especially groups of men, have given themselves a bad reputation over the centuries. But that’s no excuse to deny yourself the pleasure of the great outdoors - or embark on your van life journey ( as long as you proceed with a little bit of common sense because men still be cray no matter where you are in the world.)
My Experience with Fear and Precaution
The past two nights there was nobody around the area I chose to park for a night which kind of creeped me out but I didn’t let it stop me. I wanted to wake up surrounded by nature not in a brightly lit gas station parking lot designated for camper vans. I did however take some precautionary measures. Both nights I walked around the area prior to settling in to make sure there weren’t any groups of sketchy men lingering about. The first night there was a group of guys fishing together. They had a small dog with them, a factor that somehow put me at ease and made them seem less harmful.
Last night there was a large shirtless man who pulled up and parked beside me for a while. I contemplated leaving but he eventually left on his own.
I doubt male van lifers pace around their area before deciding whether to settle in for the night. But I digress.
Sleepless Nights and Adrenaline Jolts
Both of these nights I didn’t sleep all that well because, well, I was on edge. I had never stayed somewhere so remote before.
The first night I woke up with a jolt of adrenaline, a frenetic aura surrounding me. I was suddenly hyper-aware of every breath and ounce of blood circulating through my veins. Then I saw headlights, a car slowly passed mine, and then turned around and passed again.
“Should I leave and head to a well-lit parking lot?” If I left, I rationed, I wouldn’t be able to wake up to a lake view and slowly sip my cacao as I gently ease into the day. The car left and didn’t return so I soothed myself back to sleep.
An hour or so later though, I woke up again, this time convinced that I’d heard footsteps near my van. I sat in the dark for a while, my heart racing. But then I had a thought, I could just look out the window and see for myself. I did, and there was not a soul in sight. I must have dreamt it or perhaps I was tapping into the collective belief that women are fragile and should remain indoors where it’s “safe”. I managed to fall back asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. As I’d hoped, the view was magnificent. What a shame it would have been if I had let my fears get the best of me. But what an even bigger shame it is that it’s 2024 and I still have to choose between being alive and feeling alive.
A Call to Action: Reclaiming Our Place in Nature
That being said, I’d like to encourage any woman reading this to do more outdoor shit alone. How cool would it be to pull up to a campsite and park next to a solo woman with gray-streaked hair and faded tattoos? How refreshing would it be to ask a middle-aged goddess on a hiking trail where the waterfall is? If more of us got out there and did stuff, other women would feel safe to join in on the fun, and then more of us would get to experience what it means to feel at one with nature… and truly alive.
Our collective and very valid fear of men has robbed us of our ability to enjoy our lives and the splendor of nature. Let’s reclaim that joy :)
So, where ya headed, wild thing?
Embracing Singlehood
For anyone who has been partnered for many years, you know how hard (and awkward) it can be to transition to happily single. Not only do you have to get used to not having a warm body to cuddle and share home-cooked meals with, but you also have to get used to not having the mental and emotional support that comes from having a person. Though I tend to be quite independent in relationships, traveling solo and actively pursuing personal hobbies or interests, I love to share my life’s ups and downs with a special someone. Yes, I do this with a few close friends, but the level of intimacy and detail is different in a partnership.
For the last few weeks I have been volunteering at Animal Rescue Algarve and it has been healing in many ways. The first week I was here I went off the grid - I barely wrote to my best friend back home, only sent her a message here and there telling her I wanted to stay mum so I could process the transition. I even refrained from contacting either of my recent exes, one of which I still remain close friends with. As a big dog lover himself, I badly wanted to send him pictures and videos of the adorable doggos I was encountering daily - but I resisted.
I needed to break my habit of seeking validation from my partner and instead give myself that validation.
Sure - the dogs were adorable.
The surrounding nature was magical, with wildflowers and fresh lemons abloom.
And my body felt truly nourished with the combination of manual labor and the warm sun.
But it had to be enough that I was satisfied.
And I was. I was truly happy for the first time in a long while. Even if I didn’t have someone to share every detail with.
With every day I resisted seeking outside validation I felt my love of self, deepen. Once again I had overcome a difficult situation and had followed my curiosity towards happiness. I was proud of that.
And so on my days off a week ago, I followed my curiosity to Lagos. Though I was excited, the newness of the volunteer gig had started to wear off and the underlying sadness and disappointment from the past year had been slowly creeping back in. I started to throw myself a little pity party on the train but then about halfway there I told myself, “Look at you, doing EXACTLY what you love — you are in Portugal, volunteering for causes that light you up, surrounded by loving animals and people who love animals as much as you, traveling on your off days to explore a new city AND you are treating yourself to a Stand Up Paddleboard adventure through the caves.”
It was like someone flicked a switch and I no longer felt sad. I walked off that train with my head held high and my grin stretched wide. I was finally starting to embrace singlehood and all the benefits that it brings such as spontaneous travel and doing exactly what I want to do when I want to do it.
The next morning, the tour almost got canceled because there weren’t enough people signed up (the guide didn’t want to only take one person out on the water because it wasn’t worth his time, a minor detail that might have sent newly singled me spiraling) Luckily though, someone booked the tour last minute and so I was able to conquer a fear of the ocean and see some pretty amazing sights in the process. For two hours straight I was grinning from ear to ear, even when I lost my balance and flipped backward off my board. Life was GOOD as a solo traveling female. Possibilities were endless. And joy was boundless.