Hey, Gnomies!

Greeting from Poland 🇵🇱

You're receiving this email because you downloaded or signed up for one of our resources. Perhaps the Digital Nomad Roadmap, the Digital Nomad Income Blueprint course, How to Travel the World as an Online English Teacher ebook, the Phish Summer Tour Guide, or the Things to Do in Puerto Vallarta guide. Or you found us through the ConvertKit Creator Network.

It’s been a minute since our last newsletter, and we have some exciting updates for you!

This summer, we spent our time doing what we love almost as much as traveling—going to concerts and music festivals. We hit up five festivals this season—the most we’ve been to in a year since 2009!

From Texas Eclipse and Solshine Reverie (formerly Summer Camp) to Biscoland, Secret Dreams, and Phish’s Mondegreen, it’s been a wild ride. We also caught five more Phish shows along the way.

After a whirlwind summer of festivals, we’ve now shifted gears and are soaking in the beauty of Poland. We’ve been here for two weeks—starting with 10 days in Warsaw, then a weekend in Gdansk, and now we’re spending a week in Wroclaw. Next up is a month in Krakow.

A lot of people have been asking us, why Poland? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, a majority of my English students over the last few years have been from Poland, which sparked my curiosity about exploring this country. It’s been amazing meeting some of my students in person! The other reason? We’re entering what we’re calling our ‘Europe era.’

In our late 20s and 30s, we focused our travels on Asia and Latin America, but now that we’re nearing 40, we’re feeling drawn to the slower pace of life in Europe. There’s something about sitting at a café, sipping coffee, and watching the world go by that feels right for us now. When we first started backpacking at 27, I couldn’t imagine sitting still for that long.

But, as we've evolved as digital nomads, our travel style has changed, and it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. I share more on this in the "tip-of-the-month" section, so keep reading to find out how our nomadic journey has shifted over the years.

This trip is 3.5 months in total. From Poland, we’ll spend two weeks in Prague and then two weeks in Budapest in December to wrap up the journey before flying back to the US from Warsaw. We’re not quite sure where we’ll head in November, though—we need to get out of the Schengen Zone and are thinking about Albania, but we’re open to suggestions!

For those unfamiliar, the Schengen Zone is a group of 29 European countries that have no border controls between them. As a tourist, you can stay in the Schengen Zone for 90 days in a 180-day period. If you stay for 90 consecutive days, you’ll need to leave for at least 90 days before you can return—so planning around this is key for long-term travel in Europe.

That’s the latest on where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to! Keep reading to find out where we’ve been working from during our travels, our tip of the month, and what exciting things are coming up next.

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Where we're working in September: Poland! Specifically Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Krakow

Digital Nomad Tip of the Month: Embrace evolution as a digital nomad.

One thing we’ve learned over the years is that you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself into one way of living or working as a digital nomad. Our journey started out fast-paced—we moved quickly, stayed no longer than a week in each spot, and freelanced while building the blog and teaching with VIPKid. Now, our pace has slowed down. These days, two weeks to a month in one place feels just right.

Our work has changed, too. Sasha now has a full-time remote job and has given up freelancing and teaching, and I’ve recently taken on a part-time role as a content marketing assistant for Bridge. I still focus on teaching English and coaching through the Teacherpreneur Academy and, of course, helping others build their own location-independent lifestyles through the blog.

The point is, don’t be afraid to change and evolve. You don’t have to keep doing the thing you started with—whether it’s the way you travel or the work you do. This lifestyle gives you the freedom to grow and adapt, so embrace it!

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What's Coming Up

September marks the one year anniversary of the Teacherpreneur Academy, and we’ve got some exciting things planned to celebrate!

I’m hosting a special info session called Charting Your Journey to Becoming a Successful Teacherpreneur. It’s a bit different from our usual webinars—this time, I’ll be chatting with Simone, a graduate of the program, about our journeys to becoming independent Teacherpreneurs. We’ll be sharing insights and practical advice to help you kickstart your own journey.

If you’re curious to learn more, register for the special info session here and join us for an inside look into what it takes to build a thriving independent teaching business.

But you don’t have to wait for the session to get started—jump on the special anniversary price today and secure your spot in the program. With my exclusive discount code, you’ll pay just $238.50 for a full year-long membership—less than $20 a month! Use the code grateful10 to claim the extra discount.

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Upcoming Summit: Choosing an Extraordinary Life

I’m excited to announce that we’ll be participating in an upcoming summit called Choosing an Extraordinary Life: Discover Unique Ways to Live Anywhere & Earn Everywhere. This four-day event, running from October 1-4, brings together 20 experts in online business, expat living, and the travel lifestyle.

If you’ve ever wondered how people truly make money while living abroad or on the road, this is your chance to get the inside scoop. We’ll be sharing actionable strategies that you can use to create your own online income strategy and start working toward financial freedom in the next 90 days.

It’s going to be packed with real-world insights and practical advice, so if you’re ready to take your lifestyle to the next level, grab your free ticket here and join us for this extraordinary event!

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That's it for this newsletter. Thanks for opening and reading it to the end! We appreciate it more than you know.

Feel free to write back! We love hearing from you :-D

Cheers,
Rachel (& Sasha) | gratefulgnomads.com

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Resources for Digital Nomads:

Ready to start your location-independent lifestyle but overwhelmed by it all? Looking for advice for your specific situation? Rachel can coach you through the prep and mindset to get you started on your journey. Get more info here.

Need help planning a trip? That's Sasha's superpower. Hit him up for more info here.

​Teacherpreneur Academy - Ready to take the leap into independence and build a robust English teaching portfolio? This program introduces the 3 ways to teach English online and culminates in the creation of your Preliminary Business Outline so you have the plan to start building your business. Take 10% off with the code grateful10.

​SafetyWing - Travel insurance for digital nomads. Make sure you're covered! Sign up for just $56 for 4 weeks.

​Teachable - Easily create and sell your online course.

​BridgeTEFL - Get certified to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) and continue your professional development as an ESL teacher.

​TrustedHousesitters - save money on accommodation by caring for someone's home and fur babies or find someone to take care of yours while you travel!

​Xero Shoes - the best shoes for travelers! They're lightweight and fit very nicely into your bag. They have lots of different styles from casual, every-day shoes to hiking boots. Click the link to check them out!

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Some links may be affiliate links, earning us a commission if you purchase at no extra cost to you! We're super grateful for the support as it helps us keep the lights on ;)

In case you missed it, our latest blog posts and videos...

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Teach, Travel, Thrive: Introducing the Teacherpreneur Academy Ready to take your teaching career to the next level and embrace the freedom of a digital nomad lifestyle? Introducing the Teacherpreneur Academy, designed for educators who dream of teaching from anywhere in the world. Read the post to learn more and get started with a special discount just for Gnomies. Click here to read it

Nomad Packing 101: Packing Tips for Digital Nomads In this post, we’ll dive into everything from selecting the right travel insurance to choosing versatile clothing and organizing your luggage efficiently. We’ll cover the pros and cons of different packing strategies, essential wardrobe tips, and the best tech gear for on-the-go professionals. ​ Click here to read it!

How to Feel Ready for a Big Trip There’s nothing quite like the thrill of having a big trip on the horizon. If you love to travel, you know that rush of excitement well – it’s one of the best feelings in the world! But as the departure date gets closer, it’s natural to wonder if you’re truly ready to dive into the adventure. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make sure you’re fully prepared and can soak up every moment of the journey ahead. Click here to read it

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