Want to Travel and Work Online? This is the First Thing You Should Build
The unsexy but powerful strategy that’s built me multiple six-figure businesses on the road...
You’ve made the decision.
Maybe you’ve packed your life into two carry-ons. Maybe you’re still sitting at the kitchen table googling “how to make money while travelling.”
Either way, you’ve felt it in your gut: it’s time to do life differently.
You want to travel, work online, and fund your adventures without burning out or selling your soul. You don’t need a mansion or millions of dollars, just something of your own.
Something portable, flexible, and real.
But where do you start?
It’s tempting to dive straight into a mountain of content. Set up a blog. Post on Instagram. Play around with TikTok. Maybe throw a few hashtags at the wall and hope something sticks.
And that’s where I see so many aspiring nomads waste months. Because while content is important, it’s not the first thing you need.
The first thing you should build?
Your email list.
Before the blog. Before the course. Before you spend hours on Canva.
Because it doesn’t matter if you’re selling travel journals, coaching sessions, or handmade silver earrings from a beach in Greece.
Your email list is your business.
Traffic Is Not the Same as Trust
When I first discovered the online business world in 2010, I had no idea what I was doing.
I launched my first product—a $7 PDF—to the 5 people I was chatting to on Facebook at the time and made $28. (I was delighted!)
But my fantastic mentor at the time, told me I needed a way to stay in touch with potential buyers. So I started building my list.
By the time I launched my first membership site a year later, I had nearly 18,000 people on it. That list helped me generate over six figures in just 7 days.
Not because I was some marketing genius, but because I had spent months building trust through consistent, useful emails.
Those people knew me. They’d read my stories. They’d watched my videos. They’d downloaded my free guides. They’d opened my emails on school runs, lunch breaks, and sleepless nights.
And when I finally made an offer? They bought.
When You Forget the One Thing That Matters Most
I went on to build and run successful online businesses for years. But after some time away, I forgot the most fundamental rule of all, and thought I could cheat the system by relying entirely on one of the biggest traffic sources out there.
Google!
I got caught up in the metrics. SEO. Rankings. Domain Ratings.
It all felt smart, strategic, and scalable.
And for a while, it was. My blog was pulling in tens of thousands of readers a month. I ranked for dozens of juicy keywords, and it felt like I was building a well-oiled machine.
Until Google changed the rules.
Overnight, the traffic dried up. The visitors disappeared. And with them, the income.
Because they weren’t mine. They were Google's. I was just renting them.
And without a way to connect directly, I had nothing to fall back on.
Social Media Is a Party. Email Is the Guest List.
Social media has its place. It’s where you show up, share snapshots, find ideas, and maybe even go viral if the algorithm’s feeling kind. But it’s fleeting. A quick scroll, a double-tap, and on to the next.
It’s like meeting someone at a party and hoping you’ll bump into them again someday.
Email is where the real connection happens. It’s direct and personal.
More importantly it’s yours.
No platform can take it away. No algorithm can bury it. Your list is portable and powerful. It follows you from country to country, from project to pivot.
That’s why platforms like Substack, ConvertKit, and Beehiiv are more than just tools, they’re your insurance policy. They’re the way you stay in touch with the people who care about your work.
If you’re starting from scratch, don’t worry about going viral. Focus on something far more valuable: collecting email addresses.
Slowly, consistently, and one real human at a time.
What I Focus on Now (And Why You Should Too)
These days, no matter what I’m working on, whether it’s a product, a post, or a new idea, I always start by thinking about the audience I want to reach.
How will this help me connect with people directly?
How can I make it easy for them to stay in touch?
Every blog post, every landing page, every video or workshop points somewhere clear:
Join my email list.
But not with a pop-up shouting “Subscribe Now! I’m awesome.” ( I wonder if that would in fact work! 😂)
I always offer something useful. A guide, a checklist, a little resource that solves a real problem or sparks curiosity.
Example, if you subscribe to my Substack you’ll instantly get access to:
Then I show up.
Once or twice a week, sometimes more. Nothing flashy. Just honest emails and articles (like this one) with helpful insights, behind-the-scenes stories, or things I’ve learned that might make someone’s journey a little easier.
It’s simple, sustainable, and it works.
There’s no complex funnels. No mazes of automation. No exhausting launch dramas.
Just real conversations with real people. The kind of people who stick around, buy what you create, and share your work because they trust you.
That’s the heart of any online business worth building. And that’s why I keep coming back to the list.
What You Can Do Today (Even If You’re Starting From Scratch)
If you’re contemplating setting off on your own laptop life, and you’re just starting out with no product, no audience, and no clue where to begin, this is the simplest path I know.
It’s not fast. It’s not flashy. But it works.
Create one freebie — something useful you can give away in exchange for an email. A short checklist, a one-page guide, a story that helps someone else take a step. Keep it simple.
Pick a platform — if writing comes naturally, use Substack (I highly recommend). It lets you share your ideas and build your list at the same time. Prefer video or audio? Start a YT channel or a podcast, but use ConvertKit or Flodesk and build your email list from Day 1.
Share your link — put it on your Instagram, in your email signature, under your videos, on your pinned tweet. Anywhere someone might find you.
Send one email (minimum) a week — it doesn’t need to be long. Tell a story, share a lesson, offer something helpful. Talk like a human.
That’s it.
No launch required. No big strategy. Just small, steady steps that start to build something real.
You don’t need thousands of followers. Just a few people who care what you have to say.
And when you have that? You’ve got options, momentum, and the beginnings of a business you can take anywhere.
Start Here, and Keep Going
You don’t need to know exactly where this road leads.
You just need to start.
Create something simple. Offer value. Invite people in.
Start collecting emails
Start building trust
Start showing up with something real
Because your email list is so much more than just a tool. It’s your anchor, and your connection point with your audience.
No matter where you’re headed — from Athens to Australia to Amsterdam, or even your own living room — if you’ve got a way to stay connected, you’ll never be starting from scratch again.
🎉 Win a $5,000 Dream Holiday as Part of my Brand New Ecom Launch! 🎉
I’m launching a new brand called This Big World, a collection of travel-inspired products designed to add more fun, curiosity, and adventure to life on the road.
The first release is The Travel Challenge Scratch-Off Deck. 50 playful prompts to help you see the world with fresh eyes, meet new people, and say “yes” to more spontaneous moments. (My sister and I have already had a blast testing a few through Italy!)
To celebrate the launch, I’m giving away a $5,000 Dream Holiday!
✨ Join the Early-Bird Insiders List ✨
As a member of my Substack community, you’re getting first access, before I open this to the public. Join the Insiders List now to be one of the first to grab your deck and secure your chance to win the $5,000 Dream Holiday.
Because life’s too short to travel small! 🌍
Subscribed!
I do, however, feel that news letters are exhausting and increase FOMO.
I reduced a lot of them