World Travellers: Adam Finan AKA Tropical Nomad

I’m very happy to feature a fellow Irishman on World Travellers today. Adam lives his life in the same vein as myself. Work hard to play hard to travel hard to live the life we want. I hope Adam’s inspiration rubs off on you. He’s certainly travelled and worked his way around the globe. Check out his top class site Tropical Nomad for a further insight into his wandering lifestyle since leaving the emerald Isle behind.

Who are you?

My name is Adam Finan AKA Tropical Nomad.

Where are you from?

I come from Sligo in the North West of Ireland.

Where have you been?

I have been to Majorca in Spain 5 times at least. Gran Canaria. NYC on a J1 visa for the summer. Australia for 2 years on a working holiday visa and sponsored for one year. New Zealand on a working holiday visa. Thailand twice. Indonesia – Bali. Amsterdam 8 times. France playing Rugby. Venice and Verona as part of my college course in Bar Management for the subject ‘Wine Studies’. So we paid 50 Euro and got a 4 day wine tasting trip. Score! Germany (briefly)

Where are you now?

I am in Queenstown, New Zealand as I write this. The plan is to move to Thailand in the next few weeks.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?

Barcelona is one of the coolest cities in the world. I loved wandering around drinking 2 Euro bottles of wine and people watching along las Ramblas.

Koh Tao in Thailand is of my favourite places. There may be to many backpackers, but it is so much fun and really beautiful.

South Island, New Zealand is one of the most spectacular places I have ever been. The scenery is dramatic, around every corner is another jaw dropping sight. The people are cool and the lifestyle is laid back. I love it here..

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?

Diving in The Great Barrier Reef, Australia. It was incredible. Colours, fish, sun, coral, nemo..

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?

Being ran off the road in Thailand on my scooter by two Nissan Navara’s. Apart from that is has been pretty good!

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?

I would have to say staying in a hostel in Amsterdam with the lads and two lesbians started going at it in the dorm-room. No joke, it was hilarious and so random. We erupted into the giggles and left the room.

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?

I was on Phi Phi and out for a few drinks. I really needed to go to the toilet and ran past the guy on the beach charging 20THB entry to use the toilet. They were the most disgusting and filthy toilets I have ever seen. I came out and refused to pay. Immediately I realized that was not a wise decision. Thai Mafia were running the show. . I offered 100THB and the guy was just like “No, no, we find you”… I walked along the beach to find my friends with two Thai guys in pursuit. Luckily I was there with 6 guys training Muay Thai and the Thai guys carried on and we moved up the beach to another busy bar. Scary shit. I won’t make that mistake again. Should have just paid!

How do you finance your travels?

I have worked my way through in 5 countries and just wing it as I go. Never had much money and if anything, I was in debt for most of my travels. Australia sorted that but I just kept on moving along 🙂

Spain was always easy for me and I have done two seasons there. Finding bar-work and club rep jobs both times within 2 days. I also worked a a chef for a while + had an attempt at selling chopped up fruit on the beach!

In Germany I was on a slave labour farm which I left after a few days.

In New York I worked for a demolition crew for 8 weeks and in a bar in Long Beach and also in Manhattan on 2nd Ave and Soho for a few weeks. I had -$10,000 at this time and needed an escape route to Australia.

When I landed to Australia I worked potting plants in 30+ Celsius for the first few weeks and then got a job in civil construction. I started as a labourer and after 3 months was being trained up as a ‘Pilot Machine Drill Rig Operator’.. That was a bad decision on my part as I got roped into a job I didn’t like for far to long. I ended up leaving twice and working in a bar in Perth for a while but the money called me back so I was sponsored as a Project Administrator for a year before I finally left Australia for good. Since landing in New Zealand I have worked as a chef in the Hilton, catered for weddings in wool sheds, drove a digger for a construction company and currently work as a scaffolder!

My freelance career has taken off in the last 6 months and I now get regular writing work which is great. The hard part is balancing between a ‘real job’ and freelancing. I am not making enough to survive on just freelancing in New Zealand but the cost of living is much lower in Asia, hence I am moving there soon so I can focus more on creating a location independent lifestyle.

What’s the most random job you’ve had on your travels?

I worked on a farm in Germany picking plants off a trailer and carrying them to pre-made holes in the ground. It was a 12 hour day of back breaking work in the middle of nowhere in the German countryside. The tractor drivers were pissed all day and just laughing at us. Disaster. I left after 2 days.

What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?

My first tip for a new traveller would be to travel light. Lugging a heavy suitcase around SE Asia is a bad idea! A backpack with a few singlets and pairs of shorts is all you need..

Second is to travel slow and enjoy where you are. Running through places and having a blowout session in each city is not travel. Take the time to explore and get a feel for the place you have traveled to.

Finally, have money backed up in various places and emergency funds. I’ve had cards lost and stolen
abroad and it is a pain to get sorted.. back up you laptops and hard-drives also. Disaster if you loose it all!

What are your future travel plans?

I have just moved to Thailand and plan to stay here for a few months and then maybe go back to Europe for a while.. Hard to say, I’ll make a decision one day and just go somewhere! But the Mediterranean sounds like a good next stop. . .

Biography –

Tropical Nomad is a blog about the trials and tribulations of a living location independent lifestyle while traveling the world. I share my photos, videos, travel tips and online business pursuits as I ‘Travel, Be Happy and Hustle’…

I love to travel and after finishing my business degree in 2009 I headed off for a summer in Spain, followed by a few months working in a bar in New York and then off to Australia for 3 years and New Zealand on working holiday visas.

My writing is about travel, lifestyle, working online and living my dream of being location independent. Lately I have taken to making GoPro travel videos also..
My Blog – Tropical Nomad
Twitter – @Tropical_Nomad
Facebook – Tropical Nomad

Thanks to Adam Finan for being the latest in my series of World Travellers! If you travel the world and run a travel blog or are a travel writer, please get in touch, you can be featured (there’s a HUGE waiting list at present), either e-mail jonny (at) dontstopliving (dot) net or head to my contacts page and get connected! You can also subscribe to Don’t Stop Living by filling in the form below! Safe travels!