Wayne Schmidt, 62: A Slow-Traveling Digital Nomad

Endless travel is what some people fantasize about. But can one do it while still running a business? Wayne and his wife, Sally, gave it some thought and said, Well, let’s give it a try. And it seems to be working out just fine. When they aren’t traveling, the Aussie natives live a few months into a year in Belgrade, Serbia (which is close to what some could call a home base).

There are stories of digital nomads taking up residence in Thailand or Bali, but, for Wayne, there is more to the world than just the usual Instagram-able destinations. Home is wherever their two suitcases and laptops are—which could be a boat off of Iceland or a random hotel in Albania. The world is a big place, and they are determined to experience as much of it as they can.? But how does one deal with medical issues? Fitness? Even getting a haircut? Given a bit of research, these have become non-issues for Wayne. The payoff of being able to experience deeply living in a huge variety of cultures, while still being connected to their businesses and friends, is a dream for them. The traveling life is not for everyone, but if it is something that has crossed your mind, you will want to read about how Wayne and Sal are making it work.

How old are you?

62

Where are you today?

Belgrade, Serbia, for typically four to five months out of the year.

When and why did you start your nomadic lifestyle?

Late in 2017, Sal Schmidt and Wayne Schmidt took three months of extended leave, a common practice at hubby’s then-age of 55. While sitting at a bar in Frankfurt, we realized we had fallen into a rut—long, grueling hours trying to live a life of consumption. We returned to Australia and sold our trinkets (with five suitcases left at Sally’s mum’s house) to start living a slower life, of travel, less consumption of trinkets, and capturing memories. Two weeks later, our journey began: no jobs, two suitcases, and no plans. Seven years into our nomadic life, we have now traveled to 80 countries and built a lifestyle business, working with some of the most inspiring individuals.

These words now have so much meaning. Perspective.?The average life expectancy is 78 years.?While the retirement age is 65+.?So we have worked for 45 years.?To enjoy, maybe, 13.

How does your wife feel about it?

I asked her this question, and she only wished we had been brave enough to decide to start traveling the world earlier. Our 18-year marriage is stronger; we create memories of a lifetime every day.

I understand you are currently in Belgrade, Serbia. Why are you there?

One word: People. We found Belgrade as we traveled, the Balkans during COVID, staying three months in each of these countries as borders remained open: Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, then finally crossing into Serbia. We fell in love with the culture, people, food, and security, and the family unit still exists. Our dollar goes a long way. We live in central Belgrade, so there are no cars, cobblestone streets, four seasons (although we only get snow a few times during winter).

How long do you stay in each country?

It varies depending on the trip planned. We cruise, fly, train, and drive. We love to spend longer than most to immerse ourselves in local life. This can be anywhere from a few weeks to three months in a country. We often do extended cruises of 45 to 110 days, like our 93-day adventure from the North to South Poles.

Which countries have you been in for more than a couple of weeks?

There are about 50 where we have had extended stays, too many to list. Visit our travel journal to travel in our footsteps: www.traveldinestay.com.

What is your business, and how do you handle it and your travels? Okay, after leaving our roles, we lived off savings for a year, then tried multiple ideas, from consulting to being remote employees and nearly anything in between. We discovered our weaknesses and worked on our gaps every time we failed. Our business is now a bespoke, full-service marketing company that services the niche of accounting firms, with only ten clients who pay us a monthly retainer. There are no cash flow issues; we control the hours we work (typically 2.5 days per week), allowing us to be true digital nomads. We do not take on any new clients, and we realized we have become aspirational and can price our services at a premium. Having a bit of grey hair helps attract clients, as we have the experience to leverage and share with our clients.

How do you manage things like your hair and fitness?

The most asked question for us is about haircuts, and now we both have learnt that the nearest barber shop is fine, and a bad cut is only a few weeks wearing a cap. There’s nothing like getting a cut and shave in Morocco in a small village with everyone turning out to watch the proceedings. The joy of being a digital nomad is no car; hence, fitness is pretty good. We average 8,000 steps daily, which is easy when exploring or shopping for food. We started fasting before it became fashionable, in that I love the route of least resistance, and so happily miss breakfast every day to ensure an extra few hours of sleep. Sleep while fasting: winning.

How do you deal with medical/dental?

We used to have full travel and medical insurance. Now, we only pay for travel when taking on specific journeys, like our upcoming adventure of exploring Africa (and that is a bespoke evacuation policy). Medical and dental services in Serbia are some of the best in the world and much cheaper than paying for insurance. For some reason, the service in Serbia is way above average, and the lack of private insurance breeds competition.

Do you make friends during your stays that you keep in touch with?

Consistently. We make so many friends as we travel, and because they are often travelers, they understand that the friendship might only be in the moment. Still, we always stay connected and know our paths will cross again.? Other times, we have met people who have become our family, especially in Serbia. Another example is a pilot in Cappadocia, Turkey, which led to a beautiful dinner in Melbourne, Australia, or having a traditional Norwegian lunch with friends in Troms?, Norway, where we met during our North to South Poles cruise.

What is the best part of being a nomad?

You get to spend more time with the locals and see their country at a slower pace instead of spending holidays or traveling, which involves a history lesson that you will fail five minutes after the guide has finished talking.

What do you find most difficult?

There are trade-offs between luggage, packing and unpacking, and having a place you can call your own.

How much stuff do you travel with?

We have two full-size suitcases, 55 pounds each, and a roll-on carry bag with a daypack for our electronics. Serendipitously, we had booked to see The Minimalists in the three weeks of packing to leave Australia. So, we only have four suitcases left in Australia, which are our worldly possessions (which is exceptionally freeing).

How is your age an asset?

What a great question, especially as a career salesperson who does marketing (the two typically never mix). I can pick up a phone and make a sale, while my years in the corporate world taught me everything about interviewing, creating, measuring metrics, and people management. Age means we have failed often, and every failure is a lesson learnt that allows our generation to accept failure, grow, and appreciate time and experience.?

Do you see yourself ever having a “home”?

We are blessed to call the world our home. With only 80 countries visited to date, the journey is only just beginning. Although, we consider Serbia our home away from home; it’s the perfect place to reset between trips.

What happened during COVID-19, when, in general, people could not travel?

We were grateful we could continue traveling and supporting local businesses whilst tourism halted. We explored the Balkans during COVID-19, spending three months in each of these countries as their borders remained open—Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, and finally, Serbia. In these countries, where the average salary is 600 USD per month, a simple COVID-19 test was often a month’s salary; as all of these were originally part of Yugoslavia, they have all experienced extraordinary hardship from living under the dictatorship of Tito. COVID-19 allowed us to reset and re-skill (in my case, learning website design, which leveraged my previous sales and marketing experience). So, COVID-19 ensured that clients did not worry about their geographic location, and Zoom became the norm.?

Where is the one place you would recommend someone to go to try out this lifestyle?

If you see an article written in mainstream media about the destination, it is too late: for example, in Croatia or Montenegro. It would help if you found a place where your dollar travels farther. We recently spent six months in South America—wow, every blog needed to be corrected. What a gem place for digital nomads. Another fantastic place is Georgia (the country); we spent a month near the Russian border, feeding wild horses, drinking homemade cognac (before lunch) and being snowed in a tremendous hilltop Airbnb.

What are the 3 non-negotiables in your life?

1. Be honest

2. Be kind

3. Be grateful

Connect with Wayne:

LinkedIn

Website