OCEAN Nomads Tribe interviews with digital nomads and digital nomad surfers delve into the inspiring nomad journeys of people following a passion for travel and surf, extracting insights on how they achieve a remote work lifestyle.
In this interview we speak to Alfie Amadeus, a travel enthusiast and adventurer who’s lived the online dream for the past 5 years, building up his remote work portfolio before remote work was a thing. Alfie and his wife have spent the past year travelling in India, Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia (Bali), Sri Lanka and now in the countryside in the UK.
Alfie shares tips to get freelance work through Upwork, planning for variable amounts of work and income, and using TrustedHousesitters to keep accommodation costs down.
Follow Alfie’s journey further @alfieamadeus on Instagram.
Prefer to read? Here’s the transcript:
Kaela Earl:
Hey everyone and welcome to the OCEAN Nomad’s Tribe interview series. In this program I’ll be sitting down with inspiring digital nomads who have embraced a life of adventure and freedom. We’ll dive into their journeys, how they got started, what they do for work, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. My goal is to bring you practical insights and real life inspiration to help you build your own nomadic lifestyle. Let’s get into it.
Now, today I’m thrilled to have Alfie with me. Alfie is a freelance writer who lives the digital nomad lifestyle with his wife. He’s just come from a few months surfing in Sri Lanka to now house sitting in the countryside in the UK.
Alfie thanks so much for joining us today, I’m so excited to dive into your journey.
Alfie Amadeus:
Thanks for having me looking forward to it.
What your life is currently like, and where do you spend your time?
I’m currently working as a freelance copywriter, or really just a writer in general. I can just take my work and my laptop with me, and right now I’m traveling around the UK, which is my home country.
I’m currently in Cumbria but I’ve got plans to move around to all different parts of the UK. I’m alongside my wife, and we’re working remotely and enjoying the beautiful countryside and house sitting on TrustedHousesitters. We get to look after people’s animals while just going around doing our thing.
I’ve had some form of remote work for about five years now, and before that I taught English as a foreign language in China. Recently, I’ve been traveling long term and working as a digital nomad.
Prior to teaching in China, what did you do as a career?
I’m also a musician, so prior to leaving for China in 2017, I was working as a freelance musician part-time and doing odd jobs in cafes and shops, the general kind of retail stuff.
Have you always had a fluid and flexible work lifestyle?
Definitely yeah. When I’ve been employed by a company in the past I haven’t lasted very long. I’ve always wanted to get off and do my own thing. So now I’m a freelancer and I’m constantly changing what I do and picking up work as I go. I make music, write, and do all different things. Whatever comes in my inbox basically.
When was the seed planted that you wanted to travel and work remotely?
I think the seed was planted the first time I left Europe, which was about 10 years ago. I took a trip to Vietnam. It was the first time I ever surfed as well, and I just really enjoyed traveling, learning about new cultures, and exploring new places.
At the time I didn’t know it was possible to work remotely and travel, probably because it was a long time before being a digital nomad became popular. But I knew that I wanted to travel from about that time, and so I started to build up my work around my desire to travel.
Did surfing influence you to want to live a nomadic lifestyle?
Yes definitely. I remember the first time I surfed-I was horrendous at it. I really couldn’t pick it up, and I remember being absolutely exhausted and feeling like I’d just been beaten by the end of it. I came out of the water and had a nap by the beach. I remember thinking that it was such a thrill to be in the water and to experience nature in that way, like I was a part of it. Surfing made me decide that I wanted to make sure I was always by a beach, or at least somewhere where I could get involved with nature and really be a part of it.
How did you build up your portfolio of freelance work?
I was quite fortunate actually in that it didn’t take me too long to find a regular income after teaching. I came back to the UK and I was specifically looking for something remote. Within about 5 months I had found a company that needed a freelance writer on a remote job site called ProZ.
ProZ used to be a thriving hub of remote work opportunities in the translation, copywriting, and proofreading spaces. Although I’ve been looking at it recently and there’s not much on there. However, I’d still say it’s worth checking out.
To this day, I’m still working with that same company doing content writing work. So I was very fortunate, but I’ve also had to find additional work on the side as well, because that role isn’t full time and isn’t for a set number of hours each week.
When I got the remote content writing role, I was living in the UK, and also working as a guitar teacher and as a guitarist. I’d play music with bands around the country. I had that mix of in person and remote work for a number of years.
When I decided to go fully remote, I contacted some old acquaintances, colleagues, and friends who might need some help with their work or with their projects, to try and grow my portfolio. I also started looking for jobs on Upwork, and it was on the Upwork platform mainly where I found people who needed blog writing.
Upwork is quite good if you’re wanting to build something up. The only problem is you have to start off basically getting pennies for jobs, and gradually build it up and find good clients.
Was it difficult to get jobs initially on Upwork, and do you have any tips for people starting out?
It feels like a bit of a slog to begin with, and I mean it when I say that I started out doing jobs for pennies. They were really, really cheap rates that I was getting, but everyone said you just have to do a few of those to get your first couple of reviews in. It’s a case of just keeping going with it, and after a while it really does build up.
Honestly, I don’t get a lot of work from Upwork. I have one regular client from there and I get a good bit here and there on top of that. However, I do see people out there who make their entire living from Upwork. My advice is to just keep carrying on and get the cheap, simple ones out of the way.
Another very important thing is to find a niche, and really fit into that niche as much as possible. Because there are so many freelancers out there at the minute, when people are just looking for a copywriter, they’re going to look for a very specific copywriter that fits their niche, or someone who’s got a bunch of reviews.
One thing you can do on Upwork is make separate profiles. I’d recommend people to do this if you specialize in a few different things. For example, as a copywriter, I have multiple profiles: a copywriter specializing in music, a copywriter specializing in travel, a copywriter specializing in e-commerce, etc. The specific profiles are your best friend when you’re applying for jobs on Upwork. If you’re not a specialist in the subject of the job you are applying for, the people/businesses hiring are just going to glance over your profile.
How do you create multiple profiles on Upwork?
You can do this all within one Upwork account. Your profiles are all on your main account, and when you apply for a job then you can choose which profile you want to apply with.
How many hours a week do you work for the ongoing content writing role?
It varies so much, and it’s nowhere near full time, but I manage to get a decent fee from it. Weekly it used to be an average of around 15 hours a week, but it goes up and down, which is why I’ve got to look for other things as well. When it’s busy it can sustain me, but when it’s quiet then I’ve got to look for other things.
How do you find additional work to fill in those gaps?
Usually off Upwork. I do look on LinkedIn as well, because to be honest I kind of would like a little bit more stability in terms of work. I think I would also consider being employed as a remote worker, but it’s difficult to find permanent, remote employment at the moment.
For now, freelancing is the best thing until I find something else a bit more stable. I’m enjoying freelancing at the minute, so there’s no no need for me to instantly change.
What are some of the challenges that come with having a variable amount of work each week?
It just kind of puts everything into perspective. If you just suddenly don’t have any work, you have to really look and find work. A lesson I’ve learned is that you should always be prepared for when you don’t have the work. A couple of times I haven’t been prepared and I’ve had to really scramble to look for other things.
How do you prepare for weeks when you will have less work?
Having a low cost of living is definitely important. I try to make sure I note down everything I’m paying for these days. When I was a bit younger and first getting into freelance work I realized it’s very easy to quickly spend all of your money. You will have these huge busy weeks of work, and then a very quiet week where you ideally want to spend as little as possible.
I’ve also found that when I try to fill up my week with as much work as possible, it never actually gets to that stage where I’m overworked completely. Sometimes the work will spill over to the next week, but there’ll be clients that don’t mind the work being delivered a bit later. So I try to fill up my schedule as much as possible, which helps me set me up for quiet weeks.
Tell us about TrustedHousesitters and how it works
TrustedHousesitters is a platform for people who want to go on holiday, but maybe they have pets, or they have a house that they don’t want to leave unattended. They’ll advertise the house on TrustedHousesitters and, as a house sitter, you can go live there while they’re away and look after their house and their pets for them.
It’s essentially free accommodation, usually in a really nice part of the country. For example, right now I’m in Cumbria in the UK, and it’s absolutely gorgeous here, although it’s very cold. You just stay there and look after the animals, which could be just dogs and cats, this time we’ve got chickens, and sometimes they have horses and all sorts of things. It’s really good for when you’re a remote worker because you just don’t have to pay any rent and you’re in a really nice part of the country where you can just relax and enjoy.
Do you need any qualifications for TrustedHousesitters?
You don’t need them, however, some people want you to have had some experience. Luckily for us these chickens we are taking care of now are very easy to look after. They just need to be let out of where they sleep and then fed and watered. The owner showed us how to do everything when we arrived, and it was quite simple. Potentially some of the other ones, say if they’ve got a horse, might have special requirements.
Do you find many house sits without pets on TrustedHousesitters?
Every one we’ve applied for has had pets. I’ve heard of ones without pets but I haven’t actually seen any.
Was it difficult to get your first house sit on TrustedHousesitters?
We were told it was difficult to get the first one because you need the reviews, but to be honest, we got it really easily. Maybe again it’s good luck, but I think it might have been our first or second interview and we got it. I think we’ve only had one interview where we haven’t gotten the place. It’s worth just jumping on and and giving it a go, even if you don’t have any reviews.
I get the feeling it might be easier if you’re a couple, because usually it’s better for the home owners to have two people there, so that in case of any emergency there’s another person to look after the house.
What’s your approach to healthcare and travel insurance when you’re living abroad?
I went with SafetyWing -they specialize in digital nomad travel insurance, and seem to be a popular option. I think they were a bit pricey, but not too expensive considering how easy it was. I’ve never had to make any claims, so I couldn’t tell you if they are good with that.
Do you have an annual, worldwide travel insurance policy?
They charge you monthly, and there’s some regions it won’t cover you, but it’s basically any of the regions that they don’t advise travel for.
At the time we purchased it, I think we knew we were going to go to India and Australia, so we were also looking at separate policies. However, we realized it was actually much easier to just go with SafetyWing because it covered all bases.
Tell us about this trip you’ve been on recently
Our trip started a year ago. My wife and I left the UK in March 2024 to go to India, where we stayed for six months before going to Vietnam for one month. From Vietnam we went to Australia, then to Bali and then to Sri Lanka, where we spent a few months before coming back to England. That was 11 months of travel in total, and now we are back in England but travelling in the countryside rather than back home.
What was it like surfing and working remotely in Bali and Sri Lanka?
In Bali we surfed in Canggu which was a really nice place to surf and a gorgeous beach, but also extremely busy. Despite this, it never felt too crowded. There was always space to move around and find your spot. The roads are a different story – there are loads of bikes everywhere, and I couldn’t tell you what’s going on with the rules on the road.
The break is pretty far out so you’ve got to do a lot of paddling to get there and can get tired if you’re not as much of a strong swimmer. I’m not a strong swimmer at all, so I got pretty tired after a while.
Sri Lanka is definitely one of the best places for digital nomad surfers. Weligama is ideal for surfers. It’s just amazing, that whole area. There’s waves for anyone. In the end what did cause us to move on from Weligama was that there were so many people.
Ahangama is another amazing place to go in Sri Lanka, and it’s quieter. The views are just absolutely spectacular there- you can sit and watch surfers all day, and see turtles bobbing their heads up. It’s fantastic.
Hikkaduwa is another one of my favourite spots. You get these huge sea turtles that just kind of bump into you as you are wading past, and they’re about three or four feet long.
>>Want to read more about the top places in Sri Lanka that Alfie recommends for surfing and remote work? Check them out here. You can also read his deep dive on surfing and living as a digital nomad in Weligama.
Do you have any experiences that stand out to you with the local communities and cultures in the places you’ve travelled?
We spent some time in Lei in Ladakh, which is part of India but really far north and deep in the Himalayas. It’s a fascinating culture there, it’s closer to Nepal and Tibet so it’s different from the India that most people would probably imagine.
Every place in India is completely different. It’s like going to a different country in each state. So some places are just too busy and I can imagine many people not enjoying that, but then other places are just gorgeous and calm.
When we were in Lei, we went to these amazing cultural festivals. People wore masks and danced around a temple right in the Himalayas, to ward off evil spirits. It was absolutely incredible to be a part of it- I was blown away by the entire thing, despite the fact that I was suffering from altitude sickness.
Has the way you travel and work remotely changed over the 5 years you’ve been doing it?
Yeah definitely. The past year has just been exclusively working remotely as a digital nomad. I had the one remote content writing role for about four years before that, but I was also playing music and teaching guitar lessons, so it was more like remote work was supplementing my in person work of being a musician. Now it’s the opposite way around, and my remote work provides my income and I play music for fun.
I see it continuing to change as well. As I was saying before, I think I will look into getting a permanent remote role for a company, because the security and not having to look for jobs all the time would be quite nice.
What’s going to be your strategy as you search for a permanent remote role?
I mean to be honest, I’m not actively desperate for it, so I’m kind of just firing off a few CV’s for when I see a good role. I’m kind of taking it kind of easy because I’ve still got freelance work for now. I don’t want to end up stuck in something that I don’t enjoy doing, because with what I do these days, I don’t have any work that I don’t look forward to doing.
What challenges have you faced with the digital nomad lifestyle?
I think the main challenge for me when I first went fully remote and travelled to India, was getting out of the mindset of being on holiday. You kind of feel like you’re on vacation when you first start travelling as a digital nomad, but you have to remember that you need to work. You need to get the laptop out, get off the beach, and not do too much day drinking.
It takes a bit of time to figure out your routine, but once you figure out what time you need to start work, you can build your routine around it. For example, for me I had to change my work hours when I was in India. The office I work with is in Poland, so I had to work from about 12/12:30 pm until 9/9:30 pm India time (or at least be available at those times because they’d send me work during those hours).
Initially I’d spend the morning doing all these activities, as if I were on holiday, filling up as much of my time as possible. Then by the time I started work, I would be so tired after maybe surfing and visiting a temple, that I just wouldn’t get any work done.
After a while you realize you’ve got to take it slow. You don’t have to cram everything that you want to do into one day, you know. You’re there to work and relax and live, not just be on holiday.
What does your routine look like now?
It’s different these days since now I’m house sitting. I wake up really fairly early, usually about 5 or 6 am, and I take the dog for a run through the hills nearby. Then I come back and do the chores around the house that we need to do as a TrustedHousesitter, which includes feeding the chickens, letting them out of the cage and feeding the dog. I get online to work around 8 or 9 am. If I don’t have any work lined up for that day I’ll be looking for other cool things to work on, usually through Upwork. I spend any extra minute in between making as much music as possible, until about 4 or 5 pm. Then I take the dog for another walk, do the other chores and then we just light the fire and watch some Netflix.
That’s the schedule until April and then I’m sure in April it’s going to change because we’re looking after two dogs In the Peak District, in a place called Macclesfield. Hopefully it’ll be something similar because this is quite enjoyable.
What’s something that’s surprised you about the digital nomad lifestyle?
The thing that surprised me the most actually is that there aren’t many permanent jobs in the UK for remote workers. As in, it’s going down from before. After the pandemic there were loads of remote work opportunities, but now businesses have got all these offices in the UK that they need to make use of, so they want people to go back into the office.
The other change is that now so many more people are looking to work remotely. It’s much more difficult to secure a remote role because there’s so much more demand for them.
If you’re from the UK, I’d recommend looking outside of the UK for remote work opportunities.
What’s your top tip to help someone who wants to build the digital nomad lifestyle?
I think the most important thing is to get started right now while you have a job, before you’re a digital nomad. Start building up small things and finding ways of making money that can support you remotely, and then gradually fade out of your full time in person role.
Kaela Earl:
Awesome. Well Alfie, thank you so much for joining us today, it’s been a real pleasure learning about your journey. If the audience wants to follow you or find some of your work, where can they find you?
Alfie Amadeus:
I’m on Instagram as @alfieamadeus. You can check me out there. I sometimes share some of my writing there. Usually it’s just music though to be honest. But I do try to share other stuff too. So yeah, check me out there.
Thanks for having me, it’s been a pleasure to talk.
