Can You Run A Business Pilgrim?

When I saw www.travelsofanearthpilgrim.com a while back, I got really excited because I saw someone living just about everything that I was talking about in a recent blog I did called, “Forget the New Years Resolution, Start a New Years Revolution.”

From what I’ve seen so far, Graham Phoenix is really doing something quite unique; he lives AND runs and business while traveling all around the world.  Unlike most people who “travel a lot” – Grahams home and business is ALL 100% mobile (meaning his home is the road and the road is his home).

And so… as I like to talk about and find “authentic people” that might inspire about living an unconventional life, Graham definitely has a lot to say about what he does.

The first thing that came to mind is how much of an authentic person he is and… here is where we started:

I’m not sure about being an “authentic individual,” I just live my life and make what I can of it. I want to enjoy life, be creative and decide on my own way forward. I don’t let fear get in my way. I believe that you create the life you intend for yourself. If you focus on problems and difficulties, that’s what you will get.

But the thing that I find REALLY crazy about what you are doing, is that you literally live and work while travelling (whereas some do a lot of travelling for work, take long vacations, buy a motor-home and live in that while seeing the country, etc)… but they eventually come “home.”

I don’t have a home, in terms of a permanent base. My home is where I happen to be living. I was used to this in my late teens and twenties when I travelled around the UK working in the theatre. I stayed in flats and digs and often would move at very short notice. But living somewhere soon became permanent. I have a small store and virtual office, and that’s it. My partner and I are living in a house in Holland, at the moment, for a period of three months – we have made it ‘home’.

You’re a lot different in that you blended the two into a pretty unconventional and simplistic lifestyle because you literally “let go of your home.”  Can you explain where you were when you made that decision to let go of the “conventional” type of life and why?

I lived a conventional life for many years with a family and a mortgage. I moved around but owned the homes I lived in. Although I travelled a lot for work, I had a base and was no different from most people. My long-term marriage fell apart and I got a divorce. We sold the house and I moved into a flat in London and then into a cottage in the countryside. So I no longer owned a home, but rented on six month contracts. At about the same time my design practice that I owned with a business partner, got into difficulties, so we closed it down. I went back to working for myself with my existing client base. I moved into my own office in North London and eventually moved my office to my cottage. I continued to use the virtual office facilities offered by my office landlord. So I was now in a situation where my work location was separated from where people thought it was. That move was a revelation.

At this point I did a great deal of self-development work and I seriously re-assessed what I wanted out of life. I wanted more than I had, but wasn’t sure how to get it. I met a new lady, who is now my partner. She had sold her house a couple of years before, after a divorce, and was permanently on the road. She had an allowance and cash and so was able to support this life. In the beginning of 2009 I was asked to go to Fiji to work on some self-development seminars. This was unpaid, but food and board was provided. I ended up spending 4 months in Fiji that year.

Having rented the cottage for six months I ended up living there for only six weeks. I realized this was an enormous waste of money. It became a simple and obvious move for me to let go of the cottage, at the end of the six months, when my contract was up. I put my ‘stuff’ into storage and started travelling with my partner. Over the next year we developed our lifestyle and, especially, developed our contacts in house-sitting around the world.

Although it seems a dramatic move, it grew by baby steps, each one seeming logical and obvious. When you look back, it is, of course, a bit different.

Is this something that you think anyone can do?  I mean when was the moment you said, “This is something I need to do?”

Yes, anyone can do it. My children are grown up so they were no issue.  I actually know of a number of people who travel with children. They are more easy-going and flexible than people realize. We create our own obstacles because we won’t face our own fears. It is fear that stops us (fear of what others will say, fear of whether it will work, fear of not having enough money). If we face those we can do anything we want.

The moment I made the decision was returning to the cottage from Fiji to find it full of packing cases filled, mainly, with my files and catalogues from work. I had been living a free, relaxed and uncluttered life and became conscious of the burden of ‘stuff’ we put on ourselves. We weigh ourselves down so that we can’t move. It becomes a convenient excuse that forces us to stay somewhere (while pretending we really want to go).

As you pointed out above, the vast majority of ‘travellers’ writing on the internet have a home and just go on trips. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just isn’t letting go. In described this in a recent post I renamed ‘RTW’ ‘Return To Work!



How difficult was this type of decision to make?

Surprisingly easy, for a number of reasons. I already had an infrastructure in place to deal with administrative matters. I had an income from my design work that I could cultivate while travelling and while I transferred to a career in writing and speaking. I had a partner who lived and loved this type of life. I had friends around the world from my business travel days. Finally I had lost all fear when my marriage and my formed life broke down.



You mentioned keeping a business going, maintaining your sanity and, certainly there is a certain amount of preparation that one must do to encompass this type of lifestyle.  Can you go further into detail on how to manage that effectively?

Unless you have loads of cash in the bank, or a pension to live off, you need an income on the road. This usually requires that you work for yourself. But many people do this already, as I was. Your work needs to be some sort of service work, i.e. not dealing with physical ‘stuff’. There is a lot you can do such as designing, writing, internet based work, software, illustrating, speaking etc. With today’s connected society there are no issues with this. A company such as 37Signals develops software with a small staff distributed around the world. There are Virtual Assistants and CAD Drawing experts who will do much of the graft for you.

You need an infrastructure that creates a virtual home. You need an address that can handle your mail, credit card statements etc, and someone who can deal with matters such as banking and form filling. This is all readily available and you can remain contactable by mobile phone and email. I had that already so it was no sweat for me.

You cannot become simply ‘homeless’, society doesn’t really accept that. You must be able to continue to take part, albeit on a virtual level.



For someone who works a “regular” job and isn’t happy with it… What would you tell them?  Is that why you got into this type of living (to avoid a “regular job”)?

Well I never really had a ‘regular’ job for very long. For the first 15 years of my working life I worked in theatre as a technician and a lighting designer. Much of that time I was self-employed. I went into architectural lighting design and spent some time working for others but soon became effectively self-employed again when I became a business owner.

So my life has been mainly a self-directed one. I didn’t try to avoid a regular job – I just wasn’t that kind of person. This is important for a travelling lifestyle. You need to be able to be a self-motivated person who controls every aspect of their life. If you are unable to get out of the regular job and find your own niche then you are unlikely to be able to take the uncertainty of constant travel. You have to find your lifestyle before you take on the life

I know that you also mentioned you have kids and it’s a bit of a challenge (I’m sure with them), but why didn’t that stop you from living this kind of unconventional lifestyle?  Was their any opposition from friends and family when you decided to do something like this?  If so, how did you not let that affect your decision?

Yes there has been opposition, mostly because people just don’t understand what I am doing. At first they thought I had got involved with a cult and then that I had just gone potty. I have two boys and there has been no issues with them. This is mainly because they have unconventional lifestyles themselves. They are in their late 20’s now, they are both artists and musicians and neither of them has a regular job. They don’t own properties or have cars, they just rent and love life. They tour and travel themselves. Mmmm, I wonder where they got that from!

My decision was mine, if that meant I lost the support of others, that was a decision for them. I live my life, especially now my responsibilities as a father do not involve daily care. I love my family and I keep in contact with them, but they have to come to terms with how I am. If that seems harsh, well that’s how I am. I don’t mean it harshly and people don’t need to take it that way.

I mean you “let your house go.”  You have a storage unit next to a major airport.  A “virtual office” in London.  Have most of your belongings in only 2 suitcases.  No car.  Have your own financial system set in place when you need money.  How hard or easy do you think this is for the average “business professional” to make something like this work?

I do have a car. I use it in Europe and store it when further afield.

It depends on what business they are in and how they go about their life. If you ‘want’ it to work then there is always a way. If you want to hang on to the old lifestyle, then it will never work.

You need to make that switch in your head. The best analogy I can find is that it’s like being an alcoholic. Someone drinks and enjoys the lifestyle but eventually finds that it runs them. They can’t escape, they can’t free themselves. The drinking gets worse and come to totally dominate their life. This goes on until one day something ‘switches’ in their head and they stop.

They need to put in place a totally new infrastructure to live their life by because nothing they did before works any more. They develop a completely new life and become a completely new person. To do this they really need to want it!



The thing I love about “Travels of an Earth Pilgrim” is that it got me to think back hundreds of years ago – literally even before Columbus discovered the states (not that this has anything to do with you – since you live in the UK) – and I’m not sure where I’m going with this…

Of course that was before we developed such burdens in our lives. Before life became so complicated before. Before life became organized with so many state administrative structures. People just disappeared and went to live and work somewhere else.

But wasn’t this normal back hundreds of years ago for just human beings to do? Why don’t you think more people live like this?  Do you think they are afraid of the stigma attached to what some might call a “nomadic” lifestyle?

Many are afraid of the stigma but many are afraid of themselves. Tony Robbins talks about the six human needs, certainty, significance, variety, love/connection, contribution and growth. So many focus on certainty, significance and love/connection. They need people and places, they need stability, they need to know where they are and where they’re going to be. There is massive fear of the unknown.



What is the message you would like people to get from doing this?  Do you think you’ll stop soon or continue on with this for most of your life? Why or why not?

My message is simply to let go of the things that hold you back, embrace your uncertainty and start to love life. It will love you back in return and pay you back a thousand-fold.

We have just secured a house-sit for three years in Spain. That is a bit scary because there is some more permanence involved. It’s not ours and there is no ’weight’ of things involved, but it still is a form of settling back down! We will still travel when the owners come to live there for vacations etc. We don’t, however see it as a move back into a settled life, just, as someone put it, a vacation from travelling for a while.



I’m not sure about living in the UK, but I think many people who be “scared to leave their benefits (401k, health insurance, etc)… What would you say to those people? What would you also say to those who want more information about this, but are scared to leave their job to do something similar?  Is there a major goal that you want to achieve in doing this?

The UK is a bit easier in this respect. There is a free National Health Service which also covers us throughout Europe, although not elsewhere. My state pension will still be paid to me when I retire. Currently I have a company in the UK and pay UK taxes and so retain my rights to benefits. That’s about it. I have no coverage for most places, travel insurance just doesn’t cope with people like me. So I stay healthy and know I will be OK.

I do believe you get what you wish for. Despite this I don’t know what I will do when I get old and infirm.  I expect to have enough money to deal with this when I get there. I just take responsibility for myself and don’t put it on others.



Finally… if this was your last day on the planet, what would you want someone reading this to know?  What’s your life message?

I really enjoyed my life and regret none of it. I have lived my life to the full and, as a result, have met and connected with many people all around the world. I have inspired people and been inspired by them. I feel I have made a difference and wish others to do the same.

You can visit Graham’s web site here to see where he’s headed next or how he might be able to help you and your business.

Quick Info: As a unique and edgy professional Jared Matthew Kessler has an undeniable belief that one person (no matter how big or how small), can make a HUGE impact on the world. This same principal resonates through “Moving Mountains,” because it’s not just the name of his company… it’s been his way of life.  You can visit Jared’s “hire” section to see how he can help you or your business, or signup here to get his free newsletter and other cool free unconventional stuff to UNnumb the workday and UNBORIFY your life. However, if you feel more comfortable subscribing to the feed, you are welcome to do that as well.

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