About KRISTIN
Hi there!
My name is Kristin Wilson; I've been a full-time digital nomad and expat for the past 20 years, traveling throughout more than 63 countries.
My mission to discover an alternative to the typical "American Dream" 9-to-5 way of life started from a very early age.
As far back as I can remember, I struggled to answer the simple question:
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
While I was a straight-A student, I consistently "failed" all my career aptitude tests (remember those!?).
Year after year, I would wait for my results with baited breath, hoping I would finally get some insight into what my future job would be. And, year after year, while my classmates excitedly discussed and shared their results (Doctor! Lawyer! Firefighter!), my disappointment would only deepen.
That test result envelope didn't hold the key to my life's purpose. Instead, enclosed was a simple one-line error message:
‼️ The algorithm was unable to identify a suitable match between your interests and jobs in our database. ‼️
Better luck next time...
🙁
Frustrated, I declared to my parents that,
someday, I would invent my own job.
So I did.
As a freshman in college, I painted a picture of my future life to my career counselor: "I will work for myself from a café in Italy!"
He (understandably) thought I was crazy. At the time, laptops had barely been invented and iPhones were still seven years away. After another dead end, the proverbial ball was back in my court.
First, I tried my hand as a traveling pro surfer in the early 2000s but couldn't make ends meet. Then, I became a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Costa Rica and studied abroad for a semester abroad in Australia. I was hooked on the concept of living and working in a foreign country, but still unsure of what I could do to actually make a living.
By age 22, I had an MBA under my belt and a few student loans. With nothing to lose, I took a job opportunity in Costa Rica with an international real estate franchise. One thing led to another and I spent the next 7 years helping all types of foreign nationals from retirees to CEOs move, invest, or build businesses abroad.
I traveled throughout Central and South America, honing my Spanish skills and even landing an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International.
Life was good, but I still felt like a bit of an outcast.
After stumbling upon Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Work Week in 2007, I realized I wasn't alone, and decided to dedicate my career to helping others achieve the freedom a location-independent lifestyle provides.
In 2011 I started my first online business, Poker Refugees: an international relocation company for professional poker players and sports bettors.
Since then, I've relocated another 800+ online gaming digital nomads and been featured on ESPN, Bloomberg Businessweek and other major media outlets.
These days, I'm still practicing what I preach - running my businesses remotely as I travel the world:
Helping people relocate to foreign countries by managing travel, housing, banking, and other logistics through my relocation company: Orbis Relocation.
Documenting my location-independent journey and sharing overseas lifestyle advice on my YouTube Channel: Traveling with Kristin.
Writing about the digital nomad lifestyle in my book, Digital Nomads For Dummies.
Speaking internationally at conferences and workshops.
Creating programs and online courses for online entrepreneurs, remote workers, and other digital nomads.
Helping thousands of aspiring nomads and expats in my Facebook Group.
How do I help You?
My goal is to help you design an international lifestyle that meets your goals, whether you plan to permanently relocate to a new country or slow travel the world. If you’d like my guidance and advice on moving abroad, apply for relocation support here.
For free content, I publish a weekly podcast and video on my YouTube channel and answer questions in my Facebook Group: Badass Digital Nomads.
To get notified about upcoming courses and programs, sign up for my e-mail list here.
Need to get in touch? 📞 Contact my team here.
May your journey begin!
-Kristin
Photos L to R: Vintage Macbook in Nicaragua, 2008; Hiking Montenegro in 2017; Sunny Day in Bulgaria in 2018; Vlogging in Kyoto, Japan 2018