I’ve been living abroad for two decades now and during that time I moved for different reasons, study, work, love, and family… and I loved every part of my international experience.
However, during the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with a new way of living the international experience as a flexpat.
Who is a flexpat?
For me, flexpat is a mix of expat and digital nomad, someone who is working remotely or has a portable business or a career and wants to travel frequently without relocating abroad. And wants to stay in one specific place a little bit longer. It is about creating your work-life balance.
Today I will share with you 6 practical and effective steps to build a successful flexpat career and experience.
Step 1: Financial Goals and expenses
Before starting your flexpat adventure take a look at your financial goals.
How much do you need to earn a living as a flexpat?
What are your monthly financial goals?
How much money do you need to live for example one month in your dream location?
What expenses can you reduce? For example, renting your apartment? Selling something you do not need anymore (clothes, books)?
Explore the location you want to move in. What is the cost of living there?
How long are you going to stay there?
Step 2: Create a mobile career/business, find a remote job
What is your career/business vision?
What type of career do you want to create and live a flexpat life?
Explore your skills. (Get Free Skills Inventory here)
What can you offer? What is your offer?
What are you good at? Who can pay you for your skills/offer?
The ideal skills would involve anything that can be done online, from a laptop, or remotely. For example, I have an online coaching/consulting service based on my work and life experience/ background and skills I enjoy using. Connect the dots.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to create a business you can work remotely for companies.
Explore remote job opportunities.
Test your idea before starting your flexpat adventure.
Step 3: How do you want your flexpat adventure to be? Decide On A Destination
Create your dream flexpat life vision. You can write it down or create a vision board.
Decide on your ideal destination. What cities or countries do you want to visit during the year?
How many of them do you want to visit?
How long do you want to stay there?
You don’t have to move somewhere far away. I travel through Europe now to have a taste of the flexpat life.
Step 4: What is your plan? Map out your action plan
Goal setting is an important aspect of life no matter what our future hopes or dreams might be, but especially so for living as a flexpat.
Get clear about what you want.
What’s your Plan B?
What about your Plan C?
Map out your action plan.
What steps do you need to take to create a flexpat life?
What steps do you need to take to create a mobile career/portable business/ get a remote job?
Split your long-term goal into small chunks and take small steps every day.
It takes time to build a profitable business/career and travel the world.
Step 5: Create support around you/join support groups
It is important to be surrounded by people like you, who have the same goal, people that can support you, help you and cheer you up while creating your flexpat life.
Step 6: Questions to ask yourself before starting. Ask yourself these additional questions before starting your flexpat experience.
- Is this kind of lifestyle for you?
- What about your well-being while travelling?
- How are you going to structure your working day when travelling?
- What about the internet connection?
- What about your family’s needs? (if you are travelling with family)?
- What about your working space? Are you considering coworking, working from the hotel, or bars?
- How are you going to enrol your partner on your flexpat journey?
- What kind of support do you need?
If you were embarking on 6 months of experience in your dream country how would you prepare for it? What steps, or actions would you take? Share in the comment box.
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Currently, she is enjoying a laptop lifestyle while travelling across Europe.
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