Hey, Gnomies!

Greetings from colorful Asheville 🍂

We landed back in the US last week after our whirlwind trip around the world. I talked about it in our last newsletter, but in case you forgot or you're new around here (welcome!), we went from Chicago to Istanbul to Seoul to Osaka and back mostly on credit card points thanks to travel hacking.

The reason for the trip was to be in Sasha's brother's wedding in Seoul (his new wife is Korean and they live in Korea) and we thought why not visit a few other places in the process? That's the best part about this digital nomad lifestyle we've curated for ourselves.

We've been to South Korea and Japan before, back when we lived in China. But Turkey was a completely new country for both of us.

And we LOVED it!

I wasn't sure what to expect as I've heard mixed reviews but I thought it was fantastic. The food, people, and sites were all amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Here's our itinerary:

Istanbul - 12 nights
Kas - 4 nights
Antalya - 3 nights
Goreme, Cappadocia - 4 nights
Istanbul - 2 nights

The flight from Chicago to Istanbul was about 10 hours. We flew with Turkish Airlines and it was one of the best flights we've ever taken - a perfect welcome to the country. The food was awesome and they gave out little travel bags that had socks, slippers, a toothbrush, lip balm, an eye mask, and earplugs.

Talk about hospitality!

Istanbul

Istanbul is such a cool city. The number of historical places will keep you busy for several days, not to mention all the cool neighborhoods that are fun to explore.

I have a student in Istanbul so she and her husband met up with us for coffee and sunset views one evening and then spent a full Sunday with us taking us around to all the mosques and other famous sites in the Old City.

Istanbul really has it all - history, entertainment, nightlife, an expansive dining scene to fit all budgets, and an incredibly international population. It felt like the true crossroads of the world.

The Blue Mosque and Rachel with her student, Burcu, and her husband, Adem

Kas

Kas is a beautiful little fishing town on the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Turkey that was recommended to us by another digital nomad couple. I'm so glad they told us about it because it is gorgeous.

There's an ancient Roman amphitheater that's still intact enough to climb on and the beaches are beautiful. We went on a full-day boat tour to a sunken city that was demolished by an earthquake more than 2,000 years ago. We also stopped at a village that's been around since the Roman Empire and is still active today. It's only reachable by boat.

Scenes from our boat trip; the sunken city, paddleboarding, and the ancient village

The view from our Airbnb, Rachel at the Roman Amphitheater, and a selfie of us at Kaputas Beach

Antalya

Antalya is also on the coast. It's a big, modern city but it still has remnants from its days as a major Roman port.

We loved strolling around the old city, checking out the ruins, and the nightlife. We found an awesome terrace bar that had live electronic music every night and we also stumbled upon a band playing Turkish pop music.

This is where we finally tried out a Hammam (Turkish bath), a type of steam bath or place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. We got a package that included a massage and a body scrub.

The body scrub was nice but my massage was more like a beating that left bruises on my back 😅 It was still worth the experience.

Scenes from Antalya - Roman ruins, Hadrian's Gate, Rachel sitting on a statue of a band, the view at sunset, and an aerial view of the city from our new drone.

Goreme, Cappadocia

This was the portion of the trip that I was most excited about.

Cappadocia is a mountainous region famous for its fairy chimneys. It's where they do the hot air balloon rides. If you've spent any time at all looking at travel content on Instagram, you've likely seen a picture of these fairy chimneys and hot air balloons.

It's an experience that's been high on my bucket list for some time.

Goreme is the town with the fairy chimneys so it's the most popular spot for hot air balloon rides. Unfortunately, we were there during a Chinese holiday so the prices were even higher than normal for an already expensive activity.

So we improvised to avoid disappointment. We found another hot air balloon ride in Soganli Valley about an hour away from Goreme. In the end, we got to go on a hot air balloon ride and all we had to do was step outside our Airbnb in Goreme at sunrise to see the multitude of hot air balloons going up at once.

We also went hiking through other valleys in the region. All in all an incredible experience!

View of hot air balloons taking off at sunrise over Goreme

Scenes from our hot air balloon ride over Soganli Valley

Back to Istanbul

We spent our last two nights in the far northern part of the city near the Black Sea. We didn't go into the center of the city as it's quite far. These two nights were meant to get our bearings and get some work done before heading to South Korea.

We stayed in a very small town that didn't even have an ATM but the sea views were so pretty.

The view of the Black Sea from our Airbnb

The Surprises

Turkey surprised us in a couple of ways.

Sasha was surprised by how smoothly the whole trip went using only public transport and not knowing much Turkish. It's amazing how body language and Google Translate can get you through any situation. We also learned a couple of basic words which helped to ingratiate us with the locals.

I was expecting it to be much more conservative. I thought I would be expected to cover up or get the side eye. But that was not the case at all. Thank goodness because it was still really hot in September!

I wore shorts and tank tops and no one batted an eye. Even local women wore similar outfits. We found great nightlife and fully-stocked bars. I understand that some parts of Turkey are more conservative and women should cover up more but that was not the case in the cities that we visited.

The people were so friendly and helpful. I never once felt unsafe or unwelcome. You should definitely jump on the opportunity to visit Turkey if it comes your way!

I have lots more to tell you about South Korea and Japan but I'll save it for another email. Keep reading to see where we worked, our digital nomad tip of the month, and what's coming up!

Panorama of the hot air balloons over Goreme

Where we worked in September and October: Istanbul, Kas, Antalya, and Goreme, Turkey - Seoul, South Korea - Kyoto, Japan

Digital Nomad Tip of the Month: Ever wonder how digital nomads get started working remotely? Here are the 9 most common ways digital nomads become location-independent:

Teach English online (check out the What's Coming Up section for an even for online English teachers)
Become a Virtual Assistant (also an event for wannabe VAs in the next section)
Freelance writing
Coaching/Consulting
Online Courses/Digital Products
Blogging
Vlogging
Podcasting
Remote jobs

Here's the thing - all you have to do is pick one and start because you're going to gain a whole new skill set in doing so, which can lead to even bigger opportunities down the road.

I teach all of these and more in our new, free course - The Digital Nomad Income Blueprint. Sign up here and take the first step towards living your best nomadic life!

What's Coming Up

Interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant?

My friend and VA Coach, Hannah Dixon, is hosting a free masterclass TODAY (Friday, October 27th) at 7:00 pm Eastern time: Become a Virtual Assistant and Land Your First (Paying) Client in a Week.

I know, I know it's super last minute but it's so good I just had to let you know about it. If this is something you've been considering, you certainly won't regret it!

--> Click here to register! There will be a replay if you can't attend live.

By the end of the masterclass, you will:

👉 Understand what a VA/freelancer is, what they can do, and you will have identified some ways in which you can get started with your existing skills

👉 Discover who hires VAs and freelancers, what kinds of tasks they want to outsource to you, and what you can earn for doing them

👉 Gain an understanding of ‘niching’ and why it can be extremely beneficial when you’re just getting started

👉 Come away with a template you can use to design an elevator pitch that gets you noticed!

👉 Have not one, not two, but THREE client landing action steps you can implement IMMEDIATELY - even with no experience!

She'll also open the doors to her highly acclaimed course The Virtual Excellence Academy which has been voted the #1 VA and Freelancer training program worldwide by eBiz Facts. Hannah knows her stuff!

Interested in leveling up your skills as an online English teacher?

Snag your seat at the Level Up Summit!

The summit aims to support ESL freelancers in launching and building their businesses through best practice and idea sharing, practical skill and relationship building as well as good old-fashioned inspiration.

Date: November 10th & 11th, 2023
Time: 09:00 am EST - 12:30 pm EST (US / Canada)
Location: Online (you will get all the details when you register)

I'm speaking on behalf of Bridge on the topic of Unlocking Your Teaching Career: Your First Online Student and Beyond from 11:00-11:30 am EST on Friday, November 10th. I'd love to see you there!

Here's the registration link again. It's totally free to watch the live presentations but if you can't be there live or you would like access to the replay, you can upgrade to the platinum ticket option.

Well, 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

Resources for Digital Nomads:

Ready to start your location-independent lifestyle but overwhelmed by it all? 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.

SafetyWing - Travel insurance for digital nomads. Make sure you're covered! Sign up for just $42 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.

21-Day Teacher Entrepreneur Challenge - Learn how to start your own business as an online English teacher. It starts on the 1st of every month. Learn more in this video.

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. Click the link to check them out!

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

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The Digital Nomad Income Blueprint: A Free Course on Making Money While Traveling

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