It feels like I was just writing reflections on my year abroad yesterday, but time is just moving fast. Since July 5, I drove up the East Coast of Australia and made my way back down again, worked at a yoga retreat, and volunteered at a music festival. Throughout this journey, I’ve completely supported myself financially, which brings me to this latest one-year anniversary. About a year ago, I started supporting myself as a freelance copywriter and travel blogger.

Why I Started Freelancing While Traveling

Rewind to September 2017. I was working at a hostel in Kuala Lumpur and things just weren’t quite right. A lack of personal space was scooping up my mental health and throwing it out the window. KL just wasn’t my favorite city. I needed yoga, privacy, and a better way of making money.

If you have been following my story, you know that I was working as a copywriter for over a year before I started traveling, so freelancing wasn’t an entirely new gig. I had signed up for Freelancer.com but couldn’t bring myself to invest in a membership. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself to get consistent jobs. But as I was preparing to leave the hostel and kick around Malaysia for three weeks before going to Australia, I was desperate to try freelancing on some platform. I signed up for Upwork and was happy to apply for jobs without having to pay a membership fee. Before I knew it, I had clients…

…and a year later, I’ve been able to fully support my travels with clients that I got from Upwork, referrals, and other sources.  This journey has been a wonderful surprise. I never had enough confidence to believe that I would eventually own my own business, especially one that allowed me to use my passion and talents for writing.

What I’ve Learned in My Year of Freelancing Abroad

Starting Small Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

When I was in Malaysia, I didn’t need too much money day-to-day. My favorite hostel in the country was a mere USD 10 a night, and that got me a really nice pod bed in a newly opened place. (Shout out to Map Travelodge.) Freelancers tend to complain that these platforms only offer lower-paying jobs, but when I first started, I didn’t mind. My only rule was that I wasn’t going to take any less hourly than I had been making as a copywriting assistant in America (which was about the same rate that I was making in retail.)

In the past year, taking these jobs has helped me build up a Top Rated Upwork profile, and I’ve tripled the minimum rate that I will accept. I’m still not making close to what seasoned copywriters are making, but then again, I’ve only been at this for a year. Taking that first step, however small, has given me the confidence to put myself on a path toward a full-time career where I can write and live comfortably.

Unfortunately, building a career as a writer comes with the burden of doing a lot of writing for little to no compensation. But when you write those initial guest posts or write for yourself (my posts on BBB have served as my first “portfolio” pieces when I was first applying for jobs,) know that you are investing your time into getting the rates that you want. You’ll come to a point where your past work will serve as a barricade to accepting lower rates, and you will be able to charge rates that can “cover” your time researching, writing for yourself, and investing your time in your passion. Trust me. It will happen if you just keep pursuing different opportunities and gradually raising your rates.

Facebook Is My Favorite Resource

How do I know I don’t make close to what seasoned copywriters are making? I talked to seasoned copywriters through Facebook. I’ve gotten jobs off of Facebook. As much as I would love to disconnect and get off-the-grid, Facebook has become a decent resource and way for me to navigate the freelancing world.

Facebook groups are one of the hottest trends for businesses, influencer marketers, and other thought leaders to put together a community of people. The Female Digital Nomads groups is currently my favorite place for getting jobs and talking to other women who work remotely. Most of these women have their own businesses and either need copywriters or have experience working in digital marketing.

Confidence Is More Important Than You Think It Is.

The Female Digital Nomads and Female Travel Bloggers groups have been so helpful because unfortunately, when you’re freelancing, you have to lead the conversation about payment and skills. This can be intimidating, especially when you are going up against clients and potential bosses who want to undercut you.

Earlier in my freelancing journey, I was terrified to overestimate myself or promise something that I couldn’t deliver. But as I’ve gained more experience working with more clients and people in my field, I realized that no matter how “realistic” I thought I was being with clients, I was always underestimating myself.

This next move is very unlike me, but I’m going to recommend this TEDTalk that Sheryl Sandberg did in 2010. I haven’t read much else from her, but this talk has always stuck out to me, and I hear it in my head all the time when I experience an overly confident male colleague or see myself shrink back during a meeting with a client.

She says, “Women systematically underestimate their own abilities. If you test men and women, and you ask them questions on totally objective criteria like GPAs, men get it wrong slightly high, and women get it wrong slightly low.Women do not negotiate for themselves in the workforce. A study in the last two years of people entering the workforce out of college showed that 57 percent of boys entering, or men, I guess, are negotiating their first salary, and only seven percent of women. And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves, and women attribute it to other external factors.”

There is a lot of experience, skill, and technical knowledge that goes into each copywriting assignment. Starting small is necessary when you have little experience, but at some point, you have to cut yourself off from low-paying jobs and start getting what you deserve.

Alarm Clocks Are My Best Friend.

In order to actually put in the work that will award me this lifestyle, I have to have a lot of self-discipline. If anyone is ever considering a “digital nomad” lifestyle, I have one piece of advice: enjoy getting up early.

Working at home when you live in a hostel can be tough. Working at home when you live in a hostel with 40 of your best friends can be really tough. It’s hard to want to sit and work when you can just put your computer down and chat with your friends about backpacking, traveling, and all of your shared adventures around the world. But my little life hack of waking up super early allowed me to sneak into the lounge before anyone was up, slam out a few hours of work before things got hectic, and sneak back to my room when it was empty and I could keep working.

That being said, I may post a lot of pictures on Instagram of me and my computer in a hammock, by the beach, or at fancy Melbourne cafes. But most of my work is done huddled under a blanket drinking a cold coffee in the same spot that I had been sitting all day. It’s not always glamorous, but it certainly beats any sort of commute.

I Love What I Do.

Those unglamorous moments when I’m slouching in a bunk bed, secluding myself away from other travelers or tourist attractions so I can finish an assignment, are the times when I feel most grateful for what I do. From the airport to the front seat of a van to a yoga retreat, I’ve been able to turn my favorite activity in the world (writing) into a business that lets me pursue my passion (traveling.) Things are good. Everything’s good. And even though I have a lot to learn about owning a business, I’m ready to take it on so I can continue going on adventures like I have this past year.

Work Is My Favorite Distraction.

Kuala Lumpur was a blessing in disguise. I had a very small group of friends at the hostel, but most guests only came for a night during a layover. Even though I could get free drinks most nights throughout the city, I never wanted to go out, especially alone. And my budget was tight, to the point where a MYR 8 (USD 2) beer was a luxury purchase. So all I had was work.

I had nothing else to do but look for opportunities to write anywhere, for anyone. Scoring a guest post or a partnership became a game because it was all I could do besides watch Netflix and stay out of the way of guests when I was clocked out. But because I forced myself to seek out these opportunities, I got them. I reviewed vegetarian cafes for an app and wrote a handful of posts that have ended up ranking on the first page of Google search results.  

As I reflect on this time, I’m becoming more excited to go back home. My three months at home will feel a little weird, and I know I’m going to be scrolling through Facebook dreaming of warmer climates and hostel life. But I have goals and work to keep me focused and waking up early every morning. (Or maybe it’ll just be my cat clawing at my door.) This year has been a great trial run, but now it’s time to really step things up.

Last But Not Least…A Website Is Important!

Ha! The end of the post. The bit where I promote something.

Now that I’ve spent a year working with Upwork, I’m ready to shift my attention to gaining clients elsewhere. I will still be using the platform, but I’m excited to explore other avenues. After a year of collecting a random handful of blog posts to send to clients when I send proposals, I’ve finally built a website that has (most of) my work in one place.

Drumroll, please…

meganokonsky.com is now live!

The website is still in the beginning stages, but I’m excited to finally share this! So look around, let me know what you think, and thanks to everyone who has been reading BBB and supporting me on this journey!