DIGITAL NOMAD
After completing my Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2012 I knew I didn’t want to go back a ‘normal’ life but I also didn’t know how to break out of the rat race. I took a couple of internship jobs, landed at a tech startup, moved into my car, was saving a bunch of money and having lots of adventures but still wanted the freedom of location independence. Over 3 years I taught myself website design and photo and video editing via Google searches and YouTube videos and finally in 2015 I made a call, got my first freelance marketing client, left the tech startup and started traveling and working on the road full-time. Now my office looks different each day from coffee shops, public libraries, breweries, airports, hostels and coworking spaces. All I need is a bit of wifi so I can bill a few hours and keep the adventures going!
Digital Nomad Videos
Digital Nomad Highlights
Becoming A Digital Nomad
Published: June 12, 2015
Getting Stuck In Thailand
Published: March 31, 2021
Rolling For Ecuador
Published: January 15, 2016
A Summer Down Under
Published: November 24, 2018
All Digital Nomad Posts
A Year Domestic
After getting “stuck” on Koh Lanta during the pandemic and spending more than a year and a half abroad it felt good to be finally home in the United States….
Life On Lanta
After riding my bicycle to Chiang Mai and pushing the Mae Hong Son Loop I was ready to return to Koh Lanta and settle back into island life. While Hilux…
Bicycle Touring The Mae Hong Son Loop – Part 2
I rolled into town exhausted from the previous day’s wrong turn that resulted in 12,000 feet of climbing and extremely sore legs. Once I found a $5 a night room…
Bicycle Touring The Mae Hong Son Loop – Part 1
After cycling 1,000 miles from Koh Lanta to Chiang Mai I took a few weeks off the bike to relax, catch up on work, get a tune up and explore…
Bicycle Touring Thailand – Week 2
Having cycled 500 miles in 7 days from Koh Lanta to the Amphawa Floating Market I took a break and stayed in town to relax and catch up on work….
Bicycle Touring Thailand – Week 1
After spending 8 months locked down on Lanta during the global pandemic I was ready for an adventure. I ordered an inexpensive mountain bicycle and touring gear from Decathlon, assembled…
Long Term On Lanta
After going 5 days without wifi in my island bungalow, I begrudgingly headed to the coworking space on Koh Lanta. In 5 years traveling the world as a “digital nomad”…
Locked Down On Lanta – COVID-19
I landed on Koh Lanta in the middle of a personal crises, my relationship had collapsed and I’d been hopping from country to country trying to figure out what to…
Living Full Time In A Slide-In Pop-Up Truck Camper
I’ve been living in vehicles since 2014, starting in a Honda Element, upgrading to an ’85 VW Westy, moving into an off-road equipped Toyota Tacoma, and recently adding the luxurious comfort of a…
Winter In Bali
The summer Alaskan adventure was in the rear-view… actually, the rear-view was in the rear-view… I met Lisa at Born To Run in May and somehow talked her into heading…
Fall In The Lower 48
After spending the summer wandering the wilderness of Alaska, Las Vegas was a shock to my system, and 10 days working at a trade show in Sin City left me…
Alaska Road Trip – Valdez, Haines, & Yukon
Having wrapped up our Arctic Ocean adventures and exploring the Kenai Peninsula, we were excited for the last few Alaskan stops before returning to the Lower 48. Driving out of…
Alaska Road Trip – Anchorage & Kenai
After driving the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean and back, we resupplied in Fairbanks, cleaned the truck, and were ready to move on. Our first stop along the Parks…
Driving The Dalton Highway
The Dalton Highway is one of the most remote roads in the world, connecting Fairbanks, Alaska to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. Often referred to as the “Haul Road”,…
Driving The Alaska Highway In A Truck Camper
Another Born To Run Extravaganza had concluded and I’d somehow survived. My body needed a detox, and after a week of festivities with my wild dirtbag hippie friends I was…
Moving Into Terk The Truck Camper
After a several month renovation project in Indiana I was finally moving into my truck camper. I rolled west, making my first stop in Denver to visit my brother. Unfortunately,…
Camino de Santiago Packing List
I once heard an accomplished backpacker say that the the only thing he wished he’d taken on his last trip was less. I’ve learned over the years that the less…
Hiking the Camino de Santiago – Camino Francés – Part 1
For my 30th birthday I ran 30 miles. For my 32nd birthday I ran 32 miles. For my 35th birthday I walked 500+ miles across Spain. I’m worried about turning…
Hiking the Camino de Santiago – Camino Francés – Part 2
Day 9 kicked off the second half of my Camino de Santiago hike along the French Way, or the Camino Francés. In 8 days I’d covered 240 miles, and striking…
Hiking the Camino de Santiago – Camino Finisterre – Part 3
I left Santiago de Compostela before dawn, following my headlamp through the suburbs. Since most pilgrims only go to Santiago I had the trail to myself. I hiked until noon,…
Summer In A Truck Camper
It was a whirlwind of a spring, from exploring New Zealand in a campervan, to buying a Toyota Tacoma in Denver, flying back and building my home in it, and…
Living In A Truck Camper
I spent the summer of 2018 living a truck camper that I custom built in a first generation Toyota Tacoma. Since 2015 I’ve lived in a Honda Element, an old…
New Zealand VanLife
After traveling for 3 months in my backpack I missed van life, so I shifted into sales mode and talked my friends into renting a van to travel across New…
Summer Down Under
With winter blanketing North America I coped with the cold the best way I could, by flying to the Southern Hemisphere. After shivering through most of my trip to Vietnam…
Motorbiking Vietnam & Myanmar
River Trip 2017 was gonna be epic! We researched locations and picked the Red River through Vietnam from China to the South China Sea. We booked flights and purchased “Do…
Western Ramblin’
The summer kicked off with Born To Run and was quickly followed by Race Across America. I enjoyed both, but was looking forward to hitting the open road with less…
Bike Tour – Uruguay
We had one week in Buenos Aires before our flight back to the United States and our “No Plan Plan” meant that we could do anything that would take about…
Bike Tour – Patagonia
I woke up in El Chaltén, fairly hungover from the previous day’s liters of wine, and stumbled out of the bus terminal to this. The southern stretch of our Patagonia…
Bike Tour – Carretera Austral
The sun peaked in through the opening in my sleeping bag as I heard something scavenging beneath me. I sat up in the cool air and startled the stray dog…
Bike Tour – Central Chile
Step 1: Register for Race Across America, the World’s Toughest Bicycle RaceStep 2: Train for Race Across America, the World’s Toughest Bicycle Race Train? Oh yeah…well…can we at least make…
ADD – Adventure Dependency Disorder
I, Chris ‘Tarzan’ Clemens, have a severe case of ADD. Adventure Dependency Disorder. Adventure Dependency Disorder – The need to always be on an adventure, at the expense of everything…
AntiComfortable
AntiComfortable is the art of living life to the fullest by seeking discomfort and embracing the chaos. Nothing epic ever comes from being comfortable. By challenging myself and repeatedly stepping…
Winter Ramblings
The best way to ring in the New Year is to run a beer mile with your closest friends at midnight! Well, I’m not sure if that’s actually the best…
Hiking The Wave, Arizona
The Wave sits peacefully in no man’s land at the border of Arizona and Utah. This unique sandstone formation displays vivid red desert strata that have been eroded overtime into…
Westward Westy
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Canada and driving through New England, but my heart, and Tantor’s motor, were both yearning for the place we feel most at home, the Southwest. Before…
Nuevo England
I approached a federal border crossing one last time to bring an end to my Great Canadian Road Trip. I’d enjoyed bouncing between the United States and Canada all summer,…
The Great Canadian Road Trip – Part 2
After a brief visit to the United States my Great Canadian Road Trip continued in Ontario. I left Chicago, crossed Michigan, and made it through the border crossing with no…
The Great Canadian Road Trip – Part 1
While basking in the February South American sun on a beach in Ecuador I wondered, “What should I do for the summer?” The previous year I spent 6 months driving…
The Rotarian Magazine
The Rotarian magazine is the official publication of Rotary International that is sent to 420,000+ subscribers each month, and for some reason the editors thought that at least a few…
Lima, Peru
After hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu I was looking forward to heading to the coast, slowing down, enjoying the beach, and catching up on work. Brandy and I…
Hiking The Inca Trail
Compared to the Appalachian Trail hiking the Inca Trail was like flying first class with a personal chef and a chauffeur to carry your stuff. Back on the Appalachian Trail…
Northern Peru
I climbed in a Volkswagen van, pulled the door shut, and settled in for the 6 hour ride to Peru. After backpacking South America for 2 months and I finally…
Vilcabamba
I checked into Hostería Izhcayluma and another traveler greeted me with “Hi, how long are you staying?” “Just two nights”, I said. She replied, “Oh, good luck with that, you’ll…
Cuenca
After spending a week exploring the Galápagos Islands with my brother I was back to rolling solo. Tyler caught an early flight out of Guayaquil and I hopped on the…
Digital Nomad Packing List
When considering my digital nomad packing list, I thought back to the most important less I learned from thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, take less. I’d rather be underprepared than overpacked….
Galápagos Islands
It was a picture perfect day when we landed on San Cristóbal in the Galápagos Islands. Translucent blue water, sea lions lounging in the shade, marine iguanas swimming through the…
Montañita
After spending several weeks exploring the Andes and the Amazon, it was time to hit the beach. I took a bus to Guayaquil, stayed one night in the metropolis, and…
The Amazon
I spent my first 10 days in Ecuador living near 10,000 feet above sea level. I enjoyed the mountains, but it was time to get lower. I made my way…
Quito, Ecuador
The sun set over Miami, and when it rose again, I was in Ecuador. Modern travel is fast, efficient, and…unromantic. I would have preferred to earn my entry into South…
I’m Moving To Ecuador
I listed 6 countries on a piece of paper and rolled a die…I’m moving to Ecuador! Let me explain… Since thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2012 I’ve been dreaming of…
20,000 Miles
24,901 Miles – The distance around the earth 20,000 Miles – The distance I traveled in my van around the United States in 2015 In March of 2015 I bought…
Arizona
I could almost hear a sigh of relief from Tantor as we slowed to a park in front of Grandpa’s townhouse. 20,000 miles in 5 months was a lot to…
Go Westy Young Man
Leaving Florida I had 10 days until I needed to be in Arizona for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t a lot of time, considering that I wanted to see new cities, visit…
Florida
I woke up sweating in a truck stop gas station just a mile north of the state line. The overnight temperatures hovered near 80, meaning I had a warm balmy…
Georgia
My first stop in Georgia was Hiawassee to see Jim and Maggie, our first “Trail Angels” on the Appalachian Trail in 2012. They had met us the day that we…
Appalachia
The day that I left Indiana I woke up on a couch in my buddy’s basement, which was good because it was below freezing inside my van in his driveway….
Back Home Again In Indiana
I speed across The Great Plains (read as ‘I pressed the pedal to the metal and almost hit 65’), focused on reaching Chicago and kicking off my 3 week visit…
The Great Plains
With Tantor back in running condition we were ready to cover some miles. I had a few more places I wanted to see in Wyoming and South Dakota, but then…
Broken in Bighorn
Sunday morning I woke up at 3:00 AM in a Walmart parking lot in Cody, Wyoming. “Am I moving too fast?” I pondered. “Should I slow down and enjoy this…
Yellowstone Take 2
On a crisp autumn morning I drove toward Yellowstone National Park through patchy clouds below snow capped peaks. My first visit to Yellowstone had been just one month ago, but…
Glacier National Park
I had a few simple goals for my visit to Glacier National Park. Stand on a glacier Unplug for a few days Not get eaten by a grizzly bear The…
Washington
I was looking forward to my visit to Seattle, partly because I had never been to the city, but mostly because my cousin Brad had just arrived in town for…
Oregon Coast
It was late August and I’d been FunEmployed and living on the road for just over 2 months. Most of that time I’d been staying with family, sleeping indoors, with…
Going Green TV Interview
Living in a van has a lot of benefits…simplicity, freedom, adventure, and this week I was interviewed by Brooke Welch of WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana about going green and…
Ashland, Oregon
I drove east along the Oregon Trail and got lost in the nostalgia of sitting in the middle school computer lab, shooting pixilated deer, and praying that I wouldn’t drown…
Yellowstone
I left Breckenridge and drove north through Colorado and into Wyoming, covering 500 miles in a single day. It was more driving than I like to do in one stretch,…
Colorado
My first month of FunEmployment was spent based in Arizona, as well as traveling to Michigan and the Appalachian Trail in New England. I had not slept in the van…
First Stop – Arizona
It was 5:00 PM on Friday, June 12, 2015. I closed my laptop, opened a cold beer, and exhaled. Ahhhh…I was finally…unemployed. Well, self employed, but like my buddy Luis…
I Quit…Again.
Well, I’ve done it again. I quit a perfectly good job with fantastic career opportunities.For what?Last time it was to hike the Appalachian Trail.This time?To hit the road and live…