Travel is more economical, efficient and inspiring than staying at home

The writer is the CEO and co-founder of Jay Meistrich,moo.do.

A year ago, I left San Francisco, sold all my possessions, backed up a 40L backpack and started my round-the-world trip. I have traveled to 45 cities in 20 countries, three Disneyland, and a rabbit island. At the same time, I spent 50 hours a week creating and promoting my start-up business. All I spend is a little less than the rent in San Francisco.

Travel is different from vacation

There is a growing number of "digital Rangers" who live a lifestyle that is not geographically constrained. This group includes software developers, designers, writers, journalists, engineers, and all sorts of people who are passionate about their work and want to experience the world.

I think the wandering lifestyle is very efficient for creating a real company. I'm starting--moo.do, an ambitious startup company. The reason I travel is that travel costs less, is more efficient and more inspiring than living in one place. Travel is the most responsible choice for my company, financial situation and personal growth.

To be a wanderer is purely accidental.

Three years ago I was about to leave Microsoft for a start-up in San Francisco. My friend asked me, "since you can work from anywhere on the computer, why are you going to San Francisco?" His question sounds very reasonable. Then I began to question the hypothesis of "normal life", which does not accord with the meaning of our modern society.

I denied the idea of working nine to five. I want to explore the world and feel the sun instead of wasting my time in the office and looking forward to the holidays.

I denied the idea of settling. I want to experience new culture and taste new food instead of sit idle at home.

I deny the idea of material. The size of the TV is not important. The world is more fun than my little family.

I denied the idea of boredom. I have been surrounded by new places, different people and experiences. I haven't been bored since I traveled, and I don't even have the desire to watch TV or play games.

I denied the idea of the bucket list. I have a list at hand and I am working on the plan.

So I set out and took my crazy and fresh idea of life on the road. It took me six months to travel in Australia, Asia and Europe. But the situation is not very good. I gave up, or moved to San Francisco. It's fun to travel, but I have great ideas and I need to get my work done. What better place to build my company than Silicon Valley?

But soon I found myself becoming lazy, bored, distracted, and watching TV a lot. I spend 12 hours a day in front of my computer, but I don't feel efficient at all.

During a trip to New York, my friends work during the day, I go to a coffee shop and take a turn in Central Park. All of a sudden I became very efficient, and 6 hours of work was more than the normal 12 hours. The same thing happened to me on a trip in London. As I was surrounded by new experiences and things, my mind became even more active and came up with better ideas.

After recognizing the situation, I left San Francisco a year ago and threw myself into my wandering life. This time, I feel like I finally figured it out. I am very happy, efficient, met more new friends, found the world needs to solve the problem, successfully launched the moo.do. This is what I learned in the past year.

Travel is more economical than staying at home

Here are the real data based on my personal spending habits. You may not be the same. The following are my average costs for a year at the Seattle Capitol Hotel, one year in San Francisco Upper Haight Hotel, one year in 20 countries, and a January residence in Bali hotels. Travel is more economical for me. Because most of my spending is on trains and airplanes, it's cheaper if I stay in one place.

The average house rents in San Francisco are slightly above $3120, while Seattle rents are less than $1800.

My friends in San Francisco and Seattle often ask me, "How often do you travel, and where does the money come from?" It is impossible for me not to travel. Now the company I founded in San Francisco is consuming my savings.

I traveled around the world and realized my dream, with an average monthly cost of $2921. At the time of Bali, the figure was $1200. In Chiangmai, Thailand, the total cost per month is only $641.

Travel makes me more efficient

When I first started traveling, I was a great tourist, taking pictures and doing all the projects according to the guidebook. After a few weeks of exhaustion, I suddenly realized that I was not on vacation. Now, travel is my life. So I slowed down and realized that if I had one months to explore a city, some things didn't have to be done at once. I can spend a few hours on the tour, the rest of the time to finish the work.

I was surprised to find that I was more efficient in my travels. That makes sense. If I had only been in Rome for a week, how could I have had time to wander around on Facebook? has been surrounded by new things, increased the fun and focus of my life, even make me feel more healthy and creative.

June in Seattle sales vs September travel efficiency, measured in rescuetime.

I returned to Seattle in June to work with the co-founders to develop a long-term plan. Surprisingly, my development efficiency is much lower than when I travel. The length of time you work in front of your computer doesn't change, but it's easier to get distracted by the internet and TV.

Even though I went to six different cities in September, I was still able to work 48 hours a week efficiently. It meant a lot to me to concentrate more on my work and give me more time to enjoy my life.

Nine to five is not the most ideal

I prefer to enjoy the day and work overtime in the evenings rather than working during the day and entertaining at night. When I think about going out to play, getting up is easier, and I don't have to spend my time on the road, so I have a little more time in the day. I like to work seven days a week and have flexible working hours every day so that I can sit in an empty cinema at some 2 o'clock in the afternoon to watch a movie.

When I was working in the office, I wasted a lot of time on my commute, and I was often distracted by the Internet. Now I'm going to do a few pieces of my daily work and take a lot of rest time to explore the city until I want to get back to work. Or when I have a problem that can't be solved temporarily, I'll go out for a walk first. The cycle between play and work makes my life easier and makes me less prone to burnout.

The days of Bali Livit were the most productive period of my life. It's a commercial and residential space, offering meals a day, so I can focus on my work without worrying about anything else. It costs only $1500 a month, which is cheaper than most cities ' rents. This is a big trend, and I am delighted to see this way of life rising in Bali and around the world.

Travel has allowed me to grow my cultural experience.

Now, all over the world have my friends, they have a completely different experience with me. They bring a fresh perspective to my mind. The way I look at the problem begins to become internationalized, and it helps me to be a better entrepreneur in the future.

It's easy to know great people and learn from them. Many cities have a common office area open to digital Rangers, where they can meet peers and partners from around the world. Rangers communicate with each other at the Reddit and Nomad forums, and the hashtagnomads.com chat room has more than 1000 members (still growing), a group that organizes meetings around the world.

Conclusion

Living and working like a homeless person is not so easy. Travel is more economical, efficient and inspiring than staying at home. Working in the office has become a past. The Digital Rover Revolution has only just begun, and I am happy to help it grow. I want to meet with you, somewhere in the day.

Travel is more economical, efficient and inspiring than staying at home