Today I’m sharing a post from one of my new favorite bloggers. Christine is fantastic — in May she earned over $21,000 from her online work.
I’ve always wanted to travel. Growing up in New Zealand was wonderful, but by my teenage years I craved something bigger.
After finishing a degree I never ended up using, I impulsively headed to Asia. I spent three months backpacking through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, then continued on to India.
That first trip spanned continents and lasted about two and a half years. Along the way I worked — teaching English in the Czech Republic, working as an au pair in Spain — and I started a travel blog. Eventually the money ran out and I found myself broke, but my love of travel only grew stronger.
I refused to let finances keep me from my dreams.
I began freelance writing and, over time, my travel blog gained traction. A few years later, advertising and online income from the blog became enough to cover my living expenses. Even after building a business from scratch, the urge to explore remained. On July 30th my partner and I will move overseas indefinitely.
We will become location independent.
Technically we’re already location independent — our work allows us to earn no matter where we are — but we haven’t fully embraced the advantages that lifestyle offers.
We still have a long way to go before reaching full financial independence, but we’re excited about being location independent and the benefits it brings. Here are the main advantages we expect once we leave New Zealand:
1) Avoiding Local Tax Residency
I’m grateful to come from a country with affordable education, public healthcare, and solid infrastructure. However, I don’t want to keep paying taxes to New Zealand while I live abroad. Our plan is to avoid being tax residents of any country, arrange banking in Dubai, and possibly establish a company there to minimize New Zealand tax obligations.
I currently pay around 30% of my income in taxes, so changing residency and tax arrangements could quickly increase our savings and materially alter our financial trajectory.
2) Currency Advantage and Lower Living Costs
New Zealand can be expensive. Reading finance blogs often leaves me surprised at how affordable life in other countries appears compared to here. My partner and I easily spend $1,000 a month on groceries, not counting dining out, and rent for our small apartment is about $360 per week. These costs add up quickly, and although our income covers them, we get a lot more value elsewhere.
Many countries — including Spain, Portugal, parts of Eastern Europe, Asia, and Central America — offer much better value. In some Asian destinations, dining out can be cheaper than buying all the ingredients to cook the same meal at home in New Zealand. A one-hour massage here can cost $120, while in Asia it may be $6–$10. Moving where our currency stretches further will improve our quality of life and lower expenses.
3) The Chance to Explore New Places
I love exploring. Wandering the streets of an unfamiliar town, taking in new smells, sounds, and sights, and learning about different cultures fascinates me. Being able to work from anywhere means we can explore without pausing careers or draining our savings. That freedom to discover and experience the world is a major perk.
4) Better Weather and Lifestyle
I’m not a winter person. I’d rather be on a beach sipping coconut water and watching waves than stuck in cold weather. I joke that I’m “solar powered” — sunshine lifts my mood and productivity. As winter approaches in New Zealand, it feels like the right time to head somewhere warmer.
There are many advantages to being location independent, and we’re eager to begin this next chapter. Two of the most important are financial: reducing tax obligations and benefiting from favorable exchange rates and lower living costs. To put it in perspective, I paid over $6,000 in tax just last month, so the potential savings from changing tax residency are substantial.
Over the coming months I’ll share updates about the process of becoming non-tax residents, tips for staying productive on the road, and other lessons from our location-independent lifestyle. I’d love for you to follow along as this adventure unfolds.
Have you heard of location independence before?
Is it something you’d consider for a year or two?
If you have questions, ask away — I’m happy to answer.
Author bio: Christine Berry writes about personal finance and travel at Wealth Way Online. She documents her journey to diversify income, become location independent, travel while volunteering, and build personal wealth. In May she earned over $21,000 in online income.