Meet Ros & Alan, a couple that left their lives in Australia to pursue their blogging business, Frequent Traveller. Check out their interview below…
1. Please introduce yourself.
Our names are Ros & Alan Cuthbertson we are originally from Bundaberg in Queensland but currently call the world our home. We are location independent and travel to different destinations around the world occasionally stopping off in Chiang Mai Thailand for a few months of the year.
We are a married couple in our 50’s, our 3 children are now young adults who live in Melbourne and Perth Australia. Since they left the nest we decided to take advantage of our new-found freedom to indulge our love of travel.
2. When did you start working from home? What inspired the change?
We fell into working from “home” by accident. We started our travel blog as a hobby after being asked by friends and family how we managed to travel so frugally.
After watching loved ones become sick and pass on we realised that life was short, so in 2014 we gave up our jobs and went to live in Thailand. Along the way we documented our travels and started travelling further afield, until we eventually became location independent.
In late 2015 we became more serious about our website and started spending more time on it, treating it more as a business than a hobby. It was a move that changed our life.
3. What different ways have you tried to earn an income working from home? What do you do now to earn money?
We earn an income from freelance writing, selling items on Amazon, hotel and tour bookings and we have worked with different tourism boards. Earning an income from our travel blog has allowed us to travel longer and to enjoy the destinations once we get there.
4. How long did it take you to earn enough money to quit your day job?
As I said we gave up our jobs before we started working from home. It took us a year before we started earning any income.
5. What tips would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you first started working at home?
Start thinking of it as a business from the very beginning. Have clear goals in mind and work towards them. Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone and if need be re-invent yourself.
6. What has been the secret to your success?
We work hard and never give up. When things aren’t working we look for alternatives and change them. We keep up to date with latest trends and are always on the lookout for new ideas. We were prepared to get out of our comfort zone. Life is constantly changing, and we never stop learning.
7. What mistakes have you made along the way?
Not having clear goals and thinking of it as a hobby for far too long. Not seeing the potential. Taking too long to properly monetise our business.
8. What is the best part about working from home?
Freedom! It allows us to travel the world being location independent. Not being answerable anyone. We set our own work schedule and can change our plans at short notice.
9. What is the worst part about working from home?
Nobody to tell you when to stop working. Face to face interaction, not having a team to bounce ideas off. Forgetting to take a break and living and breathing your work. (but we wouldn’t change it for the world)
10. What advice do you have for anyone starting out?
Be prepared to work hard, it’s a business just like any 9-5 job, you have to work at being a success.
