ANNETTE, the content creator + digital nomad + tour operator
5/5 committed to her flexlife
10/10 feels confident she is living the lifestyle she wants everyday
2 years and running
Works and travels on the go
Inspired by @karaandnate @flowstatefreak @whatthechic
Annette is from Miami, Florida, born to Cuban parents. She identifies both with Cuban and American culture and she’s fluent in Spanish.
If you would have told her two years ago that she was going to sell all of her stuff to start backpacking the world, she would have called you a liar! She + her husband, Daniel were living their quiet lives in Gainesville, FL, planning on buying a house and having kids. Decisions like the one they made start with an inflection point; a point where you realize that life can never be the same anymore. That moment hit March 2017 when Annette was sitting on her living room floor, in tears, on the phone with the suicide hotline.
From that low point, they decided they needed to go out and live the life they wanted to live instead of watching it on someone else’s YouTube Channel. They had given everything they had, physically and emotionally, working toward other people's dreams and were ready to work that hard for themselves!
So they moved into her in-law's house, sold everything they owned including cars, and paid off $70,000 worth of debt. Daniel and Annette worked 70hrs/week for 8 months trying to save up $15,000 to make their dreams come true!
Annette says:
“A lot of people perceive those who chase their dreams as "special" and use that excuse to refrain from taking action themselves. But the fact is, if you want something bad enough, you'll figure out how to get it. Chase for Adventure is more than just a travel vlog and blog; it’s the chronicles of what it’s like to have a dream and do whatever it takes to attain it.”
Annette and her husband, Daniel, now travel full-time and are living as digital nomads. They have a YouTube channel called Chase for Adventure and run a tour company called Chase Your Adventure Tours and this is what allows them to fund their lifestyle and keep the travels going. Their lifestyle is totally location-independent; they set their own hours, and they are doing what they love every single day! It's hard work, but it's well worth it + they never think of going back to the 9-5 lifestyle.
Two years back they decided to stop living in mediocrity so they sold all of their stuff, quit their jobs, and bought one-way tickets to Bangkok, Thailand. Annette says:
“If you go all in, you have no choice but to succeed. Mindset is everything.”
"You sold all of your stuff?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
"I could never live like you do!"
"You travel with only a carry on?!"
#DAYINTHELIFE “If we are vlogging, we wake up around 6AM, get ready, plan out our itinerary, and go explore. If we are working, we wake up at 6AM, work out, eat breakfast, and type away behind our computers for 10-12 hours. Travel days are a hot mess. Haha!”
Annette is most grateful for the FREEDOM her flexlife gives her - since owning her time is everything to her.
When asked what they are dreaming about next, Annette explains:
“Honestly, we are really happy just living in the moment. We plan on seeing every country in the world, but at our pace and when we're ready to move on to the next place. Business-wise, we are pumped about our Tour scheduled for Thailand in March!”
#WORDSTOLIVEBY “Just. Do. It. Stop making excuses. It's okay to be scared, but it's not okay to never try. Life is too short to not go for what you want.”