You ever know anyone who lives the 4 Hour Work Week lifestyle? Like, travels world & works remotely?

[sakfjgadsyukgf]

I've been strongly considering doing this..... I live in a big city now but am single with no kids, can do my job remotely, and have no particular responsibilities or ties that would keep me from doing so. I'd be open to traveling to Europe, South America (Buenos Aires is supposed to be great), Southeast Asia, Australia etc. Only real downsides I can see are:

Time zones (I'd have to be awake some pretty odd times as I'd be working remotely and still have to be responsive to e-mails, calls etc. This wouldn't be the case in South America, but I'd be like a vampire in Asia- up all night and sleeping during the day)
Housing when I return home (I suppose I could buy a condo here in the US just so I have a home base and place to store furniture, but it'd be a hassle, my credit's not amazing, and I'm an independent contractor- bad for getting a mortgage. Wouldn't make sense to rent an apartment and then be gone half the time- but then when I returned home I'd have to rent one from scratch)

Any Sherbros ever live the Tim Ferriss lifestyle? Or, know someone who has and has tips?

EDIT: OK, I can see the title of Ferriss' book is misleading. The point of the book (and my post) is traveling around the world and working remotely- not just working 4 hours a week, which seems unlikely unless you're already loaded. My question was, is anyone else traveling the world.....

 

[therealdope]

I quit working in my 30s. I started a business and worked just a few hours a week but it didn't really make a lot of money with it because - not surprisingly - doing any kind of new business takes 100% dedication. I spent at least 5 hrs a week managing my investments.

4 hr work week and making money just doesn't seem achievable but then again i have no idea who Tim Ferris is.

 

[grey poupon]

Yes, I created a fetish website where guys get their balls stepped on by women wearing high heals. I live off the ad revenue

 

[FierceRedBelt]

Yes, I created a fetish website where guys get their balls stepped on by women wearing high heals. I live off the ad revenue

Wouldn't they pop? Ugh.

 

[FierceRedBelt]

I quit working in my 30s. I started a business and worked just a few hours a week but it didn't really make a lot of money with it because - not surprisingly - doing any kind of new business takes 100% dedication. I spent at least 5 hrs a week managing my investments.

4 hr work week and making money just doesn't seem achievable but then again i have no idea who Tim Ferris is.

How did you end up resolving that? Do you have any really time consuming passion projects that you work on? Well besides being a family man.

Spoiler

Even if I was wealthy enough where it wouldn't benefit me to work a normal job I'd still want something challenging to do.

 

[bigkick]

A guy I know did this for about ten years. Before then, however, he'd bought a house and had put in some decent time doing the 9-5 thing. So when he started traveling more, he rented out his house and could count on preestablished business connections for a lot of work. He recently got suckered into marriage and a kid, so the fun's over. He always seemed like a bit of a con man to me anyway...

 

[therealdope]

How did you end up resolving that? Do you have any really time consuming passion projects that you work on? Well besides being a family man.

Spoiler

Even if I was wealthy enough where it wouldn't benefit me to work a normal job I'd still want something challenging to do.

I still have a patent, a device and software for that business but it just sits there doing nothing. I've made less than $50k with it

I did a new start up with a bunch of employees and that's what takes up my time. I'll work as long as I can because I like what i do. Taking two and a half years off was a lot of fun -- would do it again.

 

[drstrangelov]

I have a remote employee I pay $170/hr, typically 4-5 hr a week. I'm pretty sure she lives in Boston, so that's not enough to live on, but she could do her job from anywhere. It's possible, but that's probably not the path your self help guru is really peddling.

 

[A.S. Deep]

One of my uncles owns a shit ton of property throughout NYC so he could work 4 hours a week if he wanted to. He's a workaholic, though.

 

[ithinktheymad]

I work remotely a few months out of the year but much much more than 5 hours. Like another poster mentioned above, I spend more time than that managing my investments!

 

[therealdope]

One of my uncles owns a shit ton of property throughout NYC so he could work 4 hours a week if he wanted to. He's a workaholic, though.

I bet those properties take a lot more than 4hrs a week unless he were to pay a property mgmt company. Even then, you have to watch the property mgmt company.

 

[FierceRedBelt]

I still have a patent, a device and software for that business but it just sits there doing nothing. I've made less than $50k with it

I did a new start up with a bunch of employees and that's what takes up my time. I'll work as long as I can because I like what i do. Taking two and a half years off was a lot of fun -- would do it again.

Where did you come up with the juice for your first venture? I've been working a for a while but putting money together even on an extremely bare bones lifestyle is tough.

Have you ever had to work for someone else's vision?

 

[FierceRedBelt]

I still have a patent, a device and software for that business but it just sits there doing nothing. I've made less than $50k with it

I did a new start up with a bunch of employees and that's what takes up my time. I'll work as long as I can because I like what i do. Taking two and a half years off was a lot of fun -- would do it again.

What did you do with those two years?

I think it'd be a dope thing to do a few years into marriage either before kids or when their just old enough to remember things.

 

[Breakfast Bar]

Unfortunately, that lifestyle is a bit of a unicorn IMO. It’s possible to live a wandering, backpacker lifestyle when you are younger, but that is not a life of luxury by any means—more the opposite. Traveling to expensive cities like Buenos Aires and Tokyo and eating and living at a middle class or better lifestyle are possible if you are older and have money saved. But what I have never seen anyone do is travel and live well without working hard or having money already at their disposal.

 

[therealdope]

Where did you come up with the juice for your first venture? I've been working a for a while but putting money together even on an extremely bare bones lifestyle is tough.

The first one? Live like a student. That made it really easy. My girlfriend was working, we split everything, and we lived in the same place as when I was a student. No kids, no car, no house -- just time to work on the business.

Have you ever had to work for someone else's vision?

Nope. Not yet.

 

[therealdope]

What did you do with those two years?

Traveled. I visited a bunch of friends all over north america and Europe. I also renovated a house and got back into my old sport and in shape. That took up a bunch of time. Second kid also arrived.

 

[therealdope]

But what I have never seen anyone do is travel and live well without working hard or having money already at their disposal.

Pretty much this although i will say there is one caveat. I lived in Banff with an ex-gf and there a bunch of other young people who would work there for 6 months and then travel for 6 months. That was definitely a lifestyle for group of the people who worked in Banff. Ski, back country hikes, climbing and then go to teh Himalayas, Andes or Alps and do the same.

Had I not tagged along with my gf back to University, I probably would have stayed and done it. A very enviable lifestyle IMO.

 

[FierceRedBelt]

The first one? Live like a student. That made it really easy. My girlfriend was working, we split everything, and we lived in the same place as when I was a student. No kids, no car, no house -- just time to work on the business.



Nope. Not yet.

Time is only an issue because I have a job.

Traveled. I visited a bunch of friends all over north america and Europe. I also renovated a house and got back into my old sport and in shape. That took up a bunch of time. Second kid also arrived.

That's dope dude. You think that time strengthened your bond with your wife and your first born? Or were you insanely busy?

 

[therealdope]

That's dope dude. You think that time strengthened your bond with your wife and your first born? Or were you insanely busy?

No it didn't, unfortunately.

One thing I didn't mention is that before I quit work I was traveling 60% of the time, and I'm pretty sure it would have led to divorce. The company I worked for was full of divorced people -- it was stunning.

 

[FierceRedBelt]

No it didn't, unfortunately.

One thing I didn't mention is that before I quit work I was traveling 60% of the time, and I'm pretty sure it would have led to divorce. The company I worked for was full of divorced people -- it was stunning.

Nothing surprising about that to me. Constant travel destroys relationships in my eyes.