This post is from guest author, Teh Chin Liang
I would like to thank the author, Danny Flood, for giving me a free copy of this book. As a person living paycheck to paycheck, an escape to a paradise island always sounds like a rare luxury to temporarily put the 9 to 5 grind behind. But imagine, what if we could own an island that would seem like a dream vacation all the time? “Buying Your Own Island” is a metaphor in the book for taking full control of your life and making a great living with a fulfilling lifestyle career.
Danny’s upbeat and cut-to-the-chase writing style makes this book an easy read. It is packed with fascinating facts and anecdotes together with the author’s reflections and perspectives. If you are struggling with your entrepreneurial endeavors, his instrumental and unconventional insights and guidance will put you back on the right track.
For instance, if you are ever in need of a little nudge to get out of inertia, he has an advice for you to attain “The Warrior Mindset”. You will learn how to create your own “death ground” and foster the “gun to the head” mentality to crack on and get things done quickly, so you will be one step closer to your goal. He has killer ideas for you on how to cut through the clutter to make your first sale and build a solid client base.
As a travel enthusiast himself, I am particularly drawn to the sections where he touches on the subjects of “travel hacks”.
He shares about how to significantly reduce travel cost by securing a host in Couchsurfing, His “be interesting and be interested” rule struck a chord with me, It brings me back in time when I started using Couchsurfing in my travels and how I realized having a right mindset is key to winning a host. After all, the core concept is not for one to get a free accommodation, it is about cultural exchange and making friends from diverse backgrounds.
He suggests “Housesitting” to subsidize your adventures when you are on an extended stay in your destination. Imagine the fun and comfort of having the entire house to yourself, and all you do is to keep the house safe and perform some simple chores such as pet care or gardening. There is a detailed guidance on how to obtain a housesit and some related internet resources for you to explore the opportunity.
He also outlines other unorthodox accommodation options such as “Camp in My Garden”, “Warm Showers” etc for your consideration. If you are on an extended trip and budget is of your concern, you may consider trading services for room and board. It has never crossed my mind that all these little hacks could potentially cut your expenses to the bare minimum.
Flight and hotel accommodation always take up a big cut of travel budget. Dive into this read to learn how to use reward program to earn free stays at hotels, how to use his recommended ““Matrix Airfare Search” to snag a “too-good-to-be-true” flight ticket bargain. For globe-trotting digital nomads, look no further than a section on how to take good advantage of free office space around the world. If volunteering abroad is something right up your alley, there is a section filled with useful information and ideas to help you get started.
As the world clamps into lockdown to combat Covid-19, this book comes an oasis amidst the dark time, standing out among the dizzying array of titles. Danny’s out-of-the-box approach to mobile lifestyle and his powerful yet humbling words are certainly breathing new life to the genre. If you have decided that life inside a cubicle is not for you, as what the author came to terms with several years ago, it is time to put your life in perspective and bring a game changer to your lifestyle.