Episode 9: Digital Nomad + Freelance Writer Susan Shain

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Susan Shain is a freelance writer and digital nomad who's been traveling around the world since 2008. She's written about personal finance, travel, and food for outlets like The New York Times and CNN, and does content marketing writing for businesses of all sizes. She's also the founder of WhereToPitch.com, a website for freelance writers, and author of a pay-what-you-want eBook called "The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs: How to Have Fun, Make Money, and Travel the World."

In this episode, Susan shares how she has made a living living working in locations all over the world. She shares her tips for breaking into seasonal work and freelance writing and why community is a critical component of self-care for digital nomads and seasonal workers alike. 

Episode Highlights:

On Seasonal Jobs:

“You get to make all kinds of new friends. You bond intensely and you get to have a lot of fun by being outside and doing group activities and it offers a really affordable way to travel the country and live in these incredible places that people pay to vacation.”

“My biggest advice would be don’t wait. I talk to so many people who say “I wish I could do that” or “I should have done that” and sometimes I’m blunt with them and I say ‘why don’t you?’”

On Negotiating While Freelancing:

“If somebody offers you something, counter with a little bit more. Of course, when you’re first building your clips you might not be able to command a high rate, but most people are expecting you to negotiate just a little bit and you can always go back down. If they say “no, we really can’t afford that” then you can go back to the original rate, but at least you always asked.”

Recommendations from Susan:

Duolingo
Trello
The Art of Nonconformity by Chris Guillebeau
CoolWorks.com
Pimsleur

Connect with Susan at SusanShain.com and on Twitter at Susan_Shain.

Connect with Hilary on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

This episode is sponsored by the Side Hustle Starter Kit.