Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you are all having a relaxing time over the holidays.

We spent Christmas Day with our friends Dani and Jess aka The Globetrotter Girls in sunny Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our sad lack of an oven meant that traditional Christmas food was not on the menu but instead Dani & Jess treated us to a feast of all the foods we miss in Asia: cheese, bread, olives, salad, kettle chips (salt & vinegar!) and chocolate doughnuts. It was a fun and relaxing day and we were happy that although we couldn’t be with our families we celebrated with good friends instead.

The rest of December has been about getting our heads down and working – that’s why we have settled in Chiang Mai for four months. We have taken breaks though to meet up with new friends, explore more of Chiang Mai’s amazing vegetarian restaurants and eat some tasty Burmese food, visit some shimmering gold wats (temples) and head off on a few moped adventures.

The first was the Samoeng Loop – a daytrip from Chiang Mai driving through the mountains past waterfalls, elephants, rice paddies and stunning views. Our first attempt was sadly unsuccessful as we managed to get two flat tires (the same tire on two occasions) before we even got to our first stop. Luckily the kindness of Thai people meant there was always someone around to help us get the tire fixed. We set off on the same drive the following week without any mishaps and enjoyed the beautiful ride.

The Samoeng Loop was a test run for our first multi-day motorbike adventure –driving to Burma just before Christmas to renew our Thai visas. We travelled over 500km in two days – a long way on an automatic 125cc moped without full face helmets. It was a challenging, exhausting, exhilarating and chilly ride and although we wondered at times why on earth we hadn’t just taken the bus, we did enjoy the freedom of motorbike travel, the feeling of intense focus that made us appreciate the scenery, and the chance to visit some incredible temples near Chiang Rai. We’ll be writing more about the epic trip soon.

A Day in Seattle

Pike Place Market

We didn’t have long in Seattle but even in a day you can visit some interesting attractions, all within walking distance in the compact downtown area.  We recommend starting early and checking out some of these highlights.

Pike Place Market

One of Seattle’s most popular tourist attractions and deservedly so. This huge market isn’t just for visitors – locals buy quality produce here too. We spent hours browsing the stalls and sampling the treats on offer: cabernet chocolate cherries, aged balsamic vinegar, wildflower honey, and marionberry jam. The vegetable stalls were overflowing with fresh and unusual produce – it made me long for a kitchen to try them all.

Pike Place Market vegetable stall

As well as market stalls selling fruit, vegetables, fish and locally grown treats you have a huge range of cooked food – we loved The Crumpet Shop and the Mac and Cheese at Beecher’s Cheese Shop. The humbow at Mee Sum Pastry looked tasty too but they always ran out of the vegetarian ones before we got there. You could easily spend the day eating your way around the food stalls.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Olympic Sculpture Park

After stocking up with picnic food head down the steep steps of the Pike Hill Climb to the waterfront. It’s about a 20 minute walk along the water to reach the Olympic Sculpture Park. It’s not huge but on a sunny day it’s a great place to enjoy the outdoor sculptures overlooking the water. Conveniently placed chairs make this a good spot for your picnic.

Experience Music Project/ Science Fiction Museum

We couldn’t visit Seattle without somehow paying respects to the musical heritage of the city. With exhibitions on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix the Experience Music Project seemed like the perfect choice – the Battlestar Gallactica exhibition was an added bonus (the music and science fiction combo is strange but ideal for Simon). It’s a fantastic museum with detailed exhibitions, and best of all an interactive area. You can play real drums, guitar and keyboard in one of the rehearsal rooms and even record your efforts. After 16 months without playing his drums Simon was in heaven.

Tamarind Tree

Seattle has a large Asian population and there are many Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants in the International District which combines Chinatown and Japantown. We heard the Vietnamese food is great in the city and decided onTamarind Tree as it had excellent reviews and a decent vegetarian selection. It’s a little tricky to find hidden in a car park but the interior is classy and the food delicious. We aren’t huge tofu fans but this place converted us. The portions are big and at around $10 a main it’s good value.

We’d have loved to have more time in Seattle and explore some of the interesting neighbourhoods like Freemont and Capitol Hill, but even with a day in Seattle you can get a taste of the city.

Photo of the : San Francisco Graffiti

Our favourite area of San Francisco is The Mission where you find whole streets dedicated to colourful detailed street art. This mural was one of many in Clarion Alley.

Posted in Photo of the Week, USA

Why We Love San Francisco

Some people misunderstand our constant wandering. They think we are in search of a home, a perfect corner of the world where we’ll eventually settle down. The truth is that we have no such quest – for now we are perfectly happy with our nomadic lives and have no desire to choose just one place to base ourselves. Still, if pushed, we’d agree that of everywhere we’ve been the one place it wouldn’t be a hardship to settle in would be San Francisco. It’s almost perfect for us (if only it was in the tropics and not so expensive) and here’s why.

Vegetarian Heaven

Wow, the food. Not only could we eat at a different vegetarian (or even vegan) restaurant every night and not run out of choice for months, but the quality is superb using fresh local produce. From gourmet ice cream, to giant burritos and classy vegetarian meals at Greens (our favourite restaurant, anywhere) we love it all. We plan to spend a few months in the city at some point and I can’t wait to have our own kitchen to take advantage of the wonderful Farmer’s Markets and Mexican delis.

Gourmet vegetarian at Greens restaurant

Multi-Cultural

We stayed with a friend in the Marina neighbourhood, a largely white, well to do area, and took the bus downtown. As we passed through North Beach our neighbours would chat away in Italian, until reaching Chinatown Mandarin was thrown into the mix. Hopping onto another bus out to the Mission and you’d hear more Spanish than English.

San Francisco is wonderfully multi-cultural, adding to the vibrancy of the city and of course it’s food scene: Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Nepalese, Japanese, El Salvadorian, Burmese, Afghani. It’s all here.

Beauty

Colourful Victorian houses are clustered precariously on the steep hills overlooking the bay. A breezy walk along the water rewards with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and hills beyond. It’s a beautiful city that hasn’t been ruined by the urban sprawl and ugly highrises of so many cities.

Typically gorgeous street in The Marina

Neighbourhoods

Best of all we love the neighbourhoods. Latino, hipster, trendy, gritty Mission is our favourite but every area has something to offer. You’ll find cool cafes, quirky shops, vintage clothes stores and a favourite brunch place with a line out the door on weekends.

Colourful Houses in The Mission

Walkable

I love cities but get overwhelmed in places like New York and London where I’m stuck on a sweaty underground train for an hour to get half way across town. San Francisco is manageable – each neighbourhood is very pedestrain friendly and we found the buses an easy way to get between neighbourhoods.

Alternative, Artsy Vibe

There’s world class art in San Francisco whether it’s in the big art museums MOMA or De Young or in the graffiti filled streets of the Mission. The city is full of interesting, creative people living unconventional lives.

Street Art in Balmy Alley, The Mission

Tech Capital

For those of us who haven’t lived in the city it’s a thrill meeting people who work for Google or Twitter. For everyone else it’s normal. For Simon especially being in the tech capital is an opportunity to talk geek with some of the best in the world. Everyone here has a start up and no one thinks we are weird for having a blog.

Close to Nature

Just over the bridge we walked amongst the mammoth redwoods of Muir Woods and even closer strolling through Golden Gate Park can take all day. Beaches, forest and mountains are all within easy reach.

San Francisco Marina

Photo of the : De Young Museum, San Francisco

Fantastic art is one of our favourite things about San Francisco and the De Young Museum is great place to experience it. Not only is there an extensive and impressive collection of American, African and Oceanic art but it has a distinctive contemporary building and a wonderful location in Golden Gate Park which it has taken advantage of with this sculpture filled garden. Have a drink in the cafe and enjoy the views like we did on a sunny San Francisco day.

10 Travel Bloggers Who Inspired Us

Soultravelers3 digital nomad family. Photo by Jeanne Dee.

We’d been back for a few months, struggling to adjust to the grey, wet gloominess of a British winter after an incredible year travelling the world. I was supposed to forget about travel for a few years, focus on my career and our life in Manchester. Yet I was drawn to the Lonely Planet website, and came across Soultravelers3 who had won aLP Travel Blog Award. The family of three have been travelling for over three years and have no plans to stop.

Their website opened my eyes to the possibilities of permanent travel. I had read plenty of travel blogs but the trips all ended after a year. Suddenly I discovered a world of perpetual travellers, digital nomads and location independent professionals. Travel wasn’t temporary for these people, it was a lifestyle. They had all found ways to make a living on the road, so they could travel or live wherever they wanted. The thought of this freedom was intoxicating. There was no going back and our journey to becoming perpetual nomads began.

In the last year the following travel bloggers have been our inspiration. As we take the leap we have faith that if they can do it, so can we. They all travel in different ways – some move around frequently, while others stay in one place for months at a time. What they all share is the freedom to live and work wherever they choose, and they entertain and educate us all by writing about their experiences.

Soultravelers3

It all started here for us with this inspiring digital nomad family. I learnt about Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek, lifestyle design and how to free yourself from work obligations; and read of many other inspiring long term travellers.
Our favourite post: How to Do Extended Travel & Mini-retirements 
Follow them on Twitter: @Soultravelers3

Uncornered Market

Audrey and Daniel have been on the road for three years, visiting Asia and Latin America so far. Their method of travelling is similar to what we are aiming for – periods of exploration broken up with weeks or months in one place. We love their interesting travel articles, stunning photos, and street food focus. They have inspired us to one day visit the little visited Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They also helped us find our apartment in Buenos Aires.

Our favourite post: Guerilla Food Photography: 10 Tips For Taking Great Food Photos 
Follow them on Twitter: @umarket

Man Vs Debt

Baker is a lovely guy. His personality shines through on his entertaining blog whether he is writing about selling your crap, paying off debt or doing what you love. He spent the last year travelling, working abroad and even couchsurfing with his wife and baby. We hear so many people use children as an excuse not to travel that it was great to see that it’s possible. We love Baker’s radical transparency where he lists all their stuff and daily details of their finances.

Our favourite post: Travel Hacking for Noobs: How We Save Hundreds on Airfare, Get Free Accommodation, & Make Money while Overseas 
Follow him on Twitter: @manvsdebt

Almost Fearless

Christine Gilbert quit her job and sold all her belongings to become a freelance writer and travel the world. She even took her dogs along. Her blog is packed with useful advice for aspiring digital nomads or long term travellers. Subscribe for regular updates and you get a great free ebook on how to redesign your life and travel. Christine has recently had a baby so it’ll be interesting to see how she gets on as a nomadic mother.

Our favourite post: 30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World 
Follow her on Twitter: @almostfearless

Nerdy Nomad

Kirsty has been travelling for two years living off her earnings from websites (and working abroad for years before that). It’s motivating to see that it is possible to make money this way, and we love how openly she shares her monthly earnings. Kirsty often volunteers on her travels and is always on the look out for low cost opportunities. We will definitely be heading to Nicaragua after reading about her time there. Check out her Underground Guide to International Volunteering for lots of useful advice on volunteering independently.

Our favourite post: Free and Cheap Volunteering Opportunities in Nicaragua 
Follow her on Twitter: @travoholic

Fluent in 3 Months

Benny speaks eight languages, makes his living as a freelance translator, and moves to a new country every three months to learn the language. His blog posts are always entertaining and are full of incredibly useful language learning tips. We love his positive attitude: anyone can learn a language – no excuses! We’ll be applying some of his techniques as we learn Spanish.

Our favourite post: How to Speak a Language Pretty Well Starting From Scratch in Just Two Months 
Follow him on Twitter: @irishpolyglot

Professional Hobo

Nora Dunn sold her successful business in Canada and has been travelling and writing for the past few years. She introduced us to many options for long term travel on a budget especially working in exchange for accommodation. Her experience living in a yurt on a permaculture farm in Hawaii sounded amazing.

Our favourite post: Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year 
Follow her on Twitter: @hobonora

Location Independent Professionals

Lea & Jonathan Woodward created the term location independent, and have lived and worked remotely in destinations such as Panama, Buenos Aires, South Africa and Thailand. They have built a huge network by supporting others to live and work anywhere they choose. Even with a new baby they are continuing their nomadic lifestyle, currently in Turkey. We’ll be taking part in their upcoming 12 Week Challenge to develop our own location independent business.

Our favourite post: The Ultimate Mobile Office Set Up For The Location Independent Professional 
Follow them on Twitter: @leawoodward

The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau aims to visit every country in the world within the next four years, and writes about unconventional ideas for remarkable people. His free manifesto A Brief Guide to World Domination is essential reading; and he sells a number of useful guides on subjects such as becoming a frequent flyer master, social media, and making money as an artist.

Our favourite post: 28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling 
Follow him on Twitter:@chrisguillebeau

Nomadic Matt

Matt is a twenty-something vagabond who’s been on the road since 2005. He has built a hugely popular travel blog, makes over $3000 a month from his websites, and shares his secrets is his ebook How to Make Money With Your Travel Blog.

August Update: Back in Asia

Mong Kok, Kowloon Island at night

Travels

After a few months in England catching up with friends and family, attending a friend’s wedding and experiencing the cold, rainy August ‘summer’ we were ready to move on. Last Friday we landed in Hong Kong after a sleepless night on the plane to high heat and humidity and the crazy crowds of Mong Kok on Kowloon Island where we were staying in a tiny hostel room. After a few hours sleep we were ready to confront the chaos and loved walking through the crowds and neon lights to the waterfront to witness the spectacular Hong Kong skyline at night. We were happy to be back in Asia.

After a few days of lots of walking and eating vegetarian dim sum we headed to Japan. We arrived at our house sit in Kyoto a few days ago in a quiet, residential neighbourhood in the north of the city. We haven’t done much except be bewildered in Japanese supermarkets (not being able to read labels isn’t good for vegetarians). People here are very sweet and polite, and things feels more orderly than Hong Kong. We have work to catch up on but are looking forward to getting out and exploring the city.

Win Stuff!

Iguazú Falls from the Brazilian side

Travels

We are now almost three months into our Never Ending Voyage! Three days ago we finally left Buenos Aires after spending two months there studying Spanish and exploring the city. We loved it but are now ready to get away from city life and are looking forward to hitting the road and finding some quiet and beautiful places.

After an amazingly comfortable 17 hour bus ride (with fully reclining seats, personal TVs and dinner with wine & champagne) we arrived in Puerto Iguazú to explore the incredible Iguazú Falls. Today is Argentina’s bicentenary – it’s been 200 years since the revolution that led to their independence, so hopefully there should be celebrations tonight.

Next we are heading to Paraguay. We have no idea what to expect and are excited to be exploring this little-visited country (there isn’t even a guidebook). We have no plans and no time limits.

Never Ending Voyage Around the Web

The exciting news this month is that Simon’s guest post was featured on the huge travel blog Almost Fearless. Check out his Confessions of a Rookie Digital Nomad.

We were also featured on a number of other websites:

Career Breaks Secrets interviewed us with some detailed questions about our travels that really got us thinking.

Freepursuits included a few of our posts in the Digital Nomad Blog Carnival.

Vagablogging featured our story of how we saved 75% of our income to travel.

Vagabond Quest included our recommendations in their article on the Top 3 Must-Have Travel Gear. Lots of great suggestions here.

Twenty-Something Travel recommended our 3 part series on How to Sell All Of Your Stuff as one of the most useful articles she’d found on the subject, as she prepares for her own travels by getting rid of some of her excess belongings. The post was featured on the front page of the Lonely Planet website so got us some extra traffic from here.

Practical Hacks included our The First Night post in his recent reading list, where we admitted that we succumb to an “arrival tax” on our first day in a new country.

Anna from Manzanna highlighted our blog after we met her at a delicious meal at Casa Saltshaker. Check out her site for details of her adventures at culinary school in Buenos Aires.

Tip2Top awarded Amy Cham´s guest post on Campervanning in the Australian Outback a travel blog award.

Feint listed Amy’s other guest post on Quiet Thai Islands as one of his reading picks.

AirTreks liked our advice on how to manage your finances on the road, and our travelogue about Brazil´s Costa Verde.

Digital Nomad Update

Simon has continued with his freelance work, although currently we still aren’t earning enough to cover our expenses. He has been focused on redesigning his portfolio site(almost finished!) and developing an idea for an exciting new product that should be really useful to other travellers as well as a new potential source of income for us. Details coming soon!

This month we promoted our first affiliate product – the excellent Language Hacking Guide. We will only feature products we genuinely love and think will be incredibly useful to our readers (as you know from our saving posts we don’t recommend spending money needlessly!). It’s a great resource if you a looking for a different approach to language learning.

In the past week we have been doing our own Language Hacking 7 Day Challengewhere we focused on trying out the techniques recommended in the Language Hacking Guide. It’s been very interesting! Our full report is coming on Thursday.

Competition

HostelBookers has announced that it is increasing its Lowest Price Guarantee so that if you now find the same deal cheaper anywhere else, they will refund double the difference! To celebrate they are running a competition where you can win some great prizes including £1000 cash, a Panasonic Lumix camera and an iPod touch. It’s really easy to enter here: HostelWorld Price Comparison Competition.

We just used HostelBookers to book our hostel in Puerto Iguazú and do find it a useful way of comparing prices and finding hostels that aren’t in the guidebook.

Thanks for all the support we’ve had this month from everyone who has read our posts; left comments; retweeted, liked and stumbled our articles; and especially those of you who bought the Language Hacking Guide.