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Are you curious about what it's like to live life as a digital nomad?
Dive into the captivating world of soNomad ambassadors Alex and MJ - On the GO—fearless entrepreneurs, intrepid travellers, and talented filmmakers. With over 70 thousand followers on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, they have captured the hearts of a very engaged audience. Not too long ago, their commitment to produce and share one video per day for an entire year brought them to new heights of popularity.
Uncover their journey, learn their top travel tips, and explore the challenges and rewards of their nomadic lifestyle. Get ready to be inspired and discover the possibilities of living life on your own terms.
Why did you adopt a nomadic lifestyle?
Alex: “Good question. We actually used to have a 9 to 5 job. We worked for many years in the TV industry. I was a TV host.”
MJ: “I was a production assistant.”
Alex: “And we just wanted to try something different. We wanted the ability to work from anywhere in the world, all while travelling, and MJ being an avid traveller, you had travelled quite a lot during your early 20s.”
MJ: “Yeah. Yeah, I've been to 25 countries by the age of 28.”
Alex: “And I had been to three, but I was an entrepreneur, so I asked MJ if she'd be willing to quit her job and start a YouTube travel channel with me.”
MJ: “And I said yes.”
Alex: “I won. We love this lifestyle. We've been doing it for many years now. Actually, we started back in 2016, so it's been a while now.”
How many countries have you explored, and which one stole your heart?
MJ: “I've been to over 50 countries.”
Alex: “And I've been to over 30 countries, so I still have a bit of catching up to do.
And the ones that stole our hearts… We have two, actually. Yeah. Number one would be New Zealand. It's the first country we travelled to in 2016. The landscapes, the people, the activities… Similar to Canada, but in a smaller format. So, it's nice to drive from one place to another.
The second country would be Tanzania, in eastern Africa. We were there in 2016. And the people, the culture, the wildlife... It's so unique over there. It's very, very different, which is why it's definitely at the top of our list.
So, if you've never been to either New Zealand or Tanzania, put those on your bucket list.”
Share your ultimate tip for travellers looking to level up their travel pics.
Alex & MJ: “Fill the frame with your subject. Too often, we see photos of just wide-angle shots where you don't really know what to look at.
So, if you can fill the frame with your subject by either zooming in with your zoom lens or getting closer with your phone, it will make your photos look much more epic.
Fill the frame, and you will have awesome photos.”
As digital nomads, what are your top productivity hacks while on the road?
Alex & MJ: “Set yourself some deadlines. It’s very easy to procrastinate while travelling. There are a lot of distractions all the time!
So if you can tell yourself, "Okay, I got to do this by then," then you have a lot more chances of accomplishing them.
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Also, allocate specific hours of the day to work time and others to playtime. So if you know you're very productive in the morning, well, maybe that's when you work, and if you know that you're less productive in the afternoon, then that's when you go out and explore.
So fix yourself some deadlines, and allocate hours to playtime and work time.”
What’s the least glamorous part of travelling full-time that nobody talks about?
MJ: “Well, for me, I miss relationships with friends and family. Since we're always away, keeping those relationships going is hard.”
Alex & MJ: “Also, when travelling, especially when you're travelling as a couple, we tend to be in our own little bubble sometimes, so we don't tend to go out and meet new people as opposed to if we were travelling by ourselves, then we would definitely be going out more often. So, in our case, the social aspect of things is not so glamorous, and also, it's tiring.
You're always looking for somewhere to sleep, somewhere to eat, things to see or do, or you go out and do all those things. So, it gets tiring, which is why sometimes, we might not be as productive with our work, but again, there are pros and cons to different lifestyles, but definitely, these two are the ones that are least glamorous for us.”
You travel and work together as a couple; what’s your secret for not driving each other crazy?
Alex: “Well, I think I am driving MJ crazy sometimes.”
MJ: “Sometimes, but no, actually there's no magic recipe.”
Alex: “Yeah. Sometimes it'll work for people. For others, it won't. And that's the case. Even if you're travelling and working with your spouse, partner, or even with a friend or family member. I don't think it's for everybody, but in our case, it works. One thing that helps in our case is giving each other space. We both work on our own things. So I'll be at my computer doing the video editing.”
MJ: “And I'll do the same on my side with the photo content.
And I allow myself to go by myself, let's say for a walk, do a little activity or talk to family members or friends on the phone and stuff.
So I think it's important to give each other space, but also it's important to have time when both of you are not working.
Sometimes we'll go out and do an activity that we won't film or photograph, go to the restaurant and try not to talk about work. So those are all little things, I guess, that help us tolerate each other.
But I think just from the get-go, we have two personalities that complement each other, which is why we've been able to be around each other for this long.”
If someone wants to become an entrepreneur, traveller, and filmmaker like you, what's your killer advice?
Alex & MJ: “Oh, just do it. Just jump. Just go.
I've always told myself that it's better in life to try something that ends up not working rather than not trying it, and always wonder what would've happened.
That's the mentality we had when we decided to quit our jobs and start travelling and start doing content creation.
We said to ourselves, "We're going to do it. We're going to try it. If it works, great, and if it doesn't, we'll have all this new experience and all these new stories that we'll be able to tell and share."
The hardest part is to jump, but once you're in the air, free-falling… It's like everything falls into place. Well, new doors open. Of course, you'll need to work hard, but it'll definitely be worth it. So yeah, just do it.”
At soNomad, we are happy to support Alex & MJ in their adventures!
Follow their journey on social media: YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Discover how, with soNomad travel insurance, you can travel with peace of mind, just like Alex & MJ!
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