IL Magazine: Discover the Greatest Retirement Town +6 More SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine This past year was my most profitable ever as a globetrotting writer...and it's been a lot of fun too. I spent long summer days in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, played digital nomad—traveling and working as I went—for five weeks in Argentina, and explored the jungles of Bolivia.
I hear you're looking for a portable income to help you move overseas. I don't blame you. Why live where you don't want to...when you can live anywhere? The beaches of Central American are on your doorstep...Southeast Asia has some beautiful—and low-cost—places where you can set up home...and the cultures of Europe are waiting to be explored.
There is a tidal wave of opportunity coming your way... Opportunity that could pave the way quickly for your live-abroad move. In fact, whether you want to live in Cuenca, Panama City or Paris, that move could now be financially more comfortable...and you could make it with greater mental satisfaction than you might otherwise expect.
I work in Paris, France with plenty of free time to explore this amazing city with my kids, because of my career. As a copywriter, I work about five hours a day, three or four days per week, and I can think of no better place to live. “Hey look Mama! It’s the Eiffel Tower!”“Hey look Mama! It’s the Eiffel Tower!”
Living overseas...traveling at will to any destination you choose...with an income that follows you wherever you go...it isn't a dream when you become a freelance copywriter. How lucrative is this? You can easily earn $2,500 to $8,000 a month...perhaps even more if you want to work full-time at it.
I've always been fascinated by Spain, with its unhurried pace...warm people...and colorful history. So a year ago I spent several months traveling from the medieval villages of Girona in the northeast, down to the windswept beaches and emerging surf towns of the southwest.
From 1993 to 1999, I traveled and lived all over the world. And during that time, I got to experience wonderful places like the white-sand beaches of the British Virgin Islands...the cafes of Aix-en-Provence, France...the wild summer parties of Corfu, Greece...the exotic culture of Bali, Indonesia...and more.
I stood in the window of my apartment in Lucca, Italy, concentrating on painting the scene below. The narrow street was filled with the usual locals who were doing their daily marketing and stopping briefly in a centuries-old church to light a candle. As I tried to capture this slice of life on canvas, I looked out to see a pair of tourists aiming their camera at me—the artist in the window above. Once the shutter clicked, they smiled and waved and I waved back. But my own smile was followed by warm satisfaction that I was living a dream: spending several months in Italy so as to really experience the culture and become part of the fabric of local life.
Making a living as a freelance copywriter definitely has its merits. When you’re in my line of work, you choose your own hours, you don’t have a boss to answer to and you can work from anywhere there’s an Internet connection. There’s also a lot of money to be made. The more financially motivated freelance copywriters can command as much...
Six weeks ago, I left my luxurious, sea-view condo in Costa Rica (my second home) to return to my first home—Malta, a Mediterranean island, surrounded by turquoise waters. Relaxing with a glass of champagne in First Class on the way over to London, I knew I was going to miss the long, sandy beaches, stunning sunsets each night after playing beach volleyball, and the amazing wildlife and postcard-perfect scenery.