The winding road towards the Carrera Austral. (See all the pictures here…)

The Chinese maid knocked and entered my Hong Kong apartment in one fluid movement. And by apartment, I really mean a single room so compact that that if you stood in the kitchen you could reach the door, bed, shower or desk in one step. She looked at me and then her eyes drifted to the two glowing monitors, mess of cables and electronic devices spewing onto my desk. From there, her gaze traveled to my bed where a giant map was spread out and covered in red circles and writing. Then, with a look of surprise probably due to the fact that the tiny apartment resembled the den of some gweilo spy, she backed out without saying a word.

It was 2005 and it was on my first Technomad journey. I had coined the term to use as a collective title for my travel stories and thus began the The Technomad Journals. However, the term became more than just a title almost immediately. I soon realized the power of being able remotely sustain yourself and furthermore if you could combine the lower costs in much of the world with the income of a Western job, it meant that you could live well and not work too much. (NOTE: The key here is you need to have the backing of Western clients or a company, not trying to convince a Thai restaurateur that he owes you money Technology has already begun to offer us this unprecedented experience – however, this was still the early days and with a suitcase full of hardware, I didn’t really understand the concept of lightweight living. 5 years later, devices are smaller, more capable and more connected than ever – and we are truly heading towards the possibility of a streamlined and wide spread Technomadic existence.

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