World Travellers: Jacob Laukaitis, Founder of Chameleon John

My latest world traveller is Lithuanian Jacob Laukaitis, Founder of Chameleon John, which is a coupons website. Jacob is a digital nomad, an entrepreneur and a world wide wanderer.

Who are you?
Jacob Laukaitis – a digital nomad and an avid traveler.

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Lithuania, but have been actively traveling for the past 2 years (did ~35 countries) and spent most of my time in Asia.

Where have you been?
11 countries in Asia, a lot more in Europe, the United States and so on.

Where are you now?
I’m currently on a 9-10 month-long trip around Asia. Just did 1 week in Thailand, currently finishing my 1 month in Bali, afterwards will go to Japan for 1.5 months, then India for about 2, then Taiwan, China, North Korea and others.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?
Really hard to say! However, I really love Taiwan, Indonesia and Japan. I’m not sure if they’re the top 3, but they’re definitely worth visiting.

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?
I’ve just done a 1 month-long motorbike trip across the Balkans, where I drove 8000 kilometers across 15 countries completely alone. It was very challenging, but definitely one of the best travel adventures I’ve done to date.

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?
Probably when I was cheated by a cab driver in Manila, who wanted to charge me 10x the agreed the price and when I didn’t agree, he got some of his friends nearby and said all of us are going to go to the police station if I didn’t pay up (which would have been even more expensive).

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?
I’ve had tons of funny moments, but can’t recall anything really specific.

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?
I don’t recall anything too scary. Though when I was driving on the Transalpina road in Romania it was already dark and I was in the mountains, alone. It was very cold (I couldn’t stop shivering) and at one point my bike wouldn’t start. I thought that’d be absolutely insane, but eventually I managed to make it work and went to the nearest hotel for the night, completely exhausted.

What is the most random job you have had on your travels?
I’m a digital nomad, meaning I can work from anywhere as long as I have my computer and a Wi-Fi connection, so I don’t have to do random jobs to support my travels.

How do you fund your travels?
I’m currently a co-founder of an online coupons company ChameleonJohn.com, which is where I focus 80% of my time. I also do some consulting work and teach people how to become digital nomads with my free newsletter: http://www.jacoblaukaitis.com/how-to-become-a-digital-nomad/

What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?
1. Do not plan everything in advance and be as spontaneous as possible;
2. Take as little stuff as possible. When packing, ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen if I didn’t have this item”. If it’s not too bad, don’t take it;
3. Whenever possible take the non-touristy, not-that-well-explored road and you’ll have a much better experience.

What are your future travel plans?
I’m currently on a 9-10 month-long trip around Asia. Afterwards I’ll spend ~6 months traveling in Western Europe and come back to Asia for 1-2 more years. After that – South America!

Personal website: jacoblaukaitis.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jacoblaukaitis
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacoblaukaitis/

Thanks to Jacob 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!

Check out Jacob’s cool Motorbike Trip video: