Imagine you’re cozied up with your laptop, taking in the breathtaking views of Venice’s romantic canals or any other stunning Italian spot. Italy has opened its doors to remote workers like you, recognizing the shift in how we work and inviting digital nomads to soak in the country’s beauty while still clocking in online.
But hold your horses before you start packing your bags for the Italian adventure! Getting the digital nomad visa isn’t as simple as snapping your fingers. So, what’s the scoop on Italy’s Digital Nomad Visa? First off, you gotta be a non-EU citizen chilling outside of the European Union.
This visa is tailor-made for skilled remote workers, whether you’re a tech whiz or a savvy entrepreneur, hustling for clients or a company based outside Italy. Now, let’s talk money. You’ll need to show you’re financially stable, flaunting a monthly income of at least €2,335, keeping in line with Italy’s wage standards.
Oh, and don’t forget your health insurance! It’s gotta cover you while you’re living it up in Italy. And of course, no shady business allowed – a squeaky-clean criminal record is a must.
Sure, the idea of working from Italy’s cultural paradise is tempting, but getting that visa? It’s a bit like mastering Grandma’s secret recipe – it takes some serious prep and attention to detail.
Italy Adventure
How much does Italy’s “digital nomad visa” cost?
Right now, we don’t have an exact answer on how much Italy’s Digital Nomad Visa will cost. However, here’s a breakdown based on what we know.
Application fee: You’ll need to pay a standard processing fee when you apply. This fee is usually around $125, similar to other Italian visa fees.
Residence permit fee: If your application is approved, there might be an extra fee for getting your residence permit.
Administrative fee: You might also need to cover costs for translating documents, getting them notarized, and sending your application.
Documents required for Applying for Italy’s Digital Nomad Visa:
To apply for Italy’s Digital Nomad Visa, you’ll need.
Passport-sized photos: You’ll need two recent, color passport-sized photos that meet specific size and quality standards.
Proof of income: Provide bank statements, tax returns, or other documents showing you make at least €28,000 a year.
Health Insurance: You’ll need comprehensive health insurance that’s valid in Italy for your whole stay.
Proof of accommodation: Show a rental agreement, hotel reservation, or other proof that you have a place to stay in Italy.
Criminal background check: You might need to provide a clean criminal record certificate from your home country or where you live.
Social security rules
For digital nomads or remote workers holding visas and subject to the social security laws of a country outside the EU, the rules outlined in the bilateral social security agreements between Italy and that specific country will be followed. If there are no such agreements in place, the social security and insurance regulations outlined in Italian law will be applied, taking into account the duration of the residence permit. Additionally, digital nomads and remote workers will receive a tax identification number directly from the police headquarters. Digital nomads will also need to open a VAT number.
Another Italy’s clever idea to grow
Loved the way Italy is making efforts to grow. Last effort was a success for them when some of its towns were feeling a bit empty because not many people live there anymore.
So, to help these towns grow again, the Italian Government came up with a clever idea! They decided to offer their old, empty homes for just one euro to people from other countries. These homes might need some fixing up, but it’s a great opportunity for folks who want to move to Italy and help make these towns lively again! And you know what? Lots of people from other countries thought it was a fantastic idea and took up the offer to become part of these communities. It’s like giving these towns a big hug and saying, “We’re here to help you grow.
Conclusion
While the allure of working in Italy’s cultural richness is undeniable, navigating the visa process requires thorough preparation and attention to detail. So, if you’re ready to begin on this journey, make sure you meet the criteria and embrace the opportunity to experience Italy’s charm while pursuing your career goals.
ENFJs (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging) are a personality type that comprises about 2-3% of the population. They are known for their charisma, empathy, and desire to help others. When it comes to planning a vacation, ENFJs may prefer destinations and activities that allow them to connect with others and make a positive impact. Let’s explore several vacation ideas that may be particularly suitable for ENFJs.
Group travel: ENFJs are social and outgoing individuals who enjoy interacting with others and participating in group activities. Group travel can be a great way for ENFJs to meet new people and participate in social experiences. Consider booking a group tour or group vacation package that focuses on activities that interest you, such as cultural experiences, adventure sports, or beach vacations.
Cultural and educational experiences: ENFJs are curious and open-minded individuals who enjoy learning about new cultures and ideas. A vacation that involves cultural or educational experiences can be particularly rewarding for ENFJs. Some ideas might include a city break to explore historical sites, museums, and art galleries; a wine tour or culinary holiday to learn about different wines or foods; or a language learning holiday to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn a new language.
Volunteering holidays: ENFJs are known for their desire to help others and make a positive impact, and a volunteering holiday can allow them to do just that. Consider looking for opportunities to work with local organizations or communities in a destination that interests you. This can be a rewarding and enriching experience that allows you to make a difference while also experiencing a new culture.
Wellness retreats: ENFJs may also appreciate a vacation that allows them to focus on self-care and personal growth. Consider booking a wellness retreat, where you can participate in activities such as yoga, meditation, and therapy, and focus on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Beach holidays: ENFJs may also enjoy a beach holiday, where they can relax and recharge by the ocean or pool and participate in water sports and other activities. Look for destinations that offer a variety of social and recreational activities, such as beach bars and restaurants, water sports, and local events and festivals.
No matter which vacation you choose, it is important to remember that the most important thing is to choose a destination and activities that align with your interests and preferences. By considering your unique personality traits, you can plan the perfect vacation that allows you to relax, connect with others, and make a positive impact.
In addition to the above vacation ideas, there are a few general tips that can help ENFJs make the most of their travels:
Plan ahead: ENFJs tend to be organized and detail-oriented, and they may prefer to plan their vacations in advance to ensure that they make the most of their time away. Consider researching destinations and activities ahead of time and creating a detailed plan for your trip.
Be open to new experiences: ENFJs are open-minded and adaptable individuals who enjoy trying new things. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new activities or destinations that you may not have considered before.
Connect with locals: ENFJs are naturally empathetic and sociable, and they may enjoy interacting with locals and learning about their cultures and traditions. Consider seeking out opportunities to connect with locals, such as through guided tours or volunteer work, or by simply striking up conversations with people you meet along the way.
Take time to relax: While ENFJs may enjoy socializing and participating in activities, it is important to also take time to relax and recharge. Consider building some downtime into your vacation itinerary and make sure to set aside time for self-care and relaxation. This could include activities such as reading, meditating, or practicing yoga.
Be open to last-minute changes: ENFJs are adaptable individuals who can roll with the punches, and they may be open to making last-minute changes to their vacation plans. If an opportunity arises to change your itinerary or try something new, consider being open to it and going with the flow.
Overall, ENFJs are likely to enjoy vacations that allow them to connect with others, participate in social and cultural experiences, and make a positive impact. By considering these preferences and personality traits, ENFJs can plan a vacation that is rewarding, enriching, and enjoyable.
It is worth noting that these vacation ideas and tips are generalizations and may not apply to every ENFJ. It is important to remember that everyone is unique and may have different preferences and needs when it comes to travel. The most important thing is to choose a destination and activities that align with your interests and preferences, and to be open to trying new things and going with the flow.
In addition to the above vacation ideas, there are a few other things that ENFJs may want to consider when planning a trip:
Accommodation: ENFJs may prefer accommodation options that allow them to socialize and connect with others, such as shared vacation rentals or hostels. Alternatively, they may prefer more private and luxurious accommodation options, such as hotels or resorts, where they can relax and recharge in style.
Travel companions: ENFJs may prefer to travel with a group of friends or family, or they may enjoy the independence of solo travel. Consider what type of travel companion (or companions) would best suit your needs and preferences.
Budget: ENFJs may be willing to splurge on a luxurious vacation or may prefer to stick to a more modest budget. Consider what type of vacation aligns with your financial goals and constraints.
Length of trip: ENFJs may prefer longer vacations that allow them to fully immerse themselves in their destination, or they may prefer shorter trips that allow them to experience a variety of different places. Consider what type of trip best suits your needs and preferences.
By considering these factors and your unique personality traits, ENFJs can plan a vacation that is tailored to their needs and preferences and allows them to relax, connect with others, and make a positive impact. Happy travels!
If you’re looking to travel, you can use Fairytrail to find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. The picture at the top is courtesy of @skipwithgrace.
ENTJs are natural leaders and enjoy new challenges and experiences that allow them to step out of their comfort zone and push themselves. For those with the ENTJ personality type, it can be especially important to find a holiday that aligns with their strong-willed and ambitious nature.
With this in mind, here are a few holiday ideas that may be particularly suitable for ENTJs.
Adventure and Exploration
ENTJs are naturally adventurous and thrive on new challenges and experiences. A holiday that allows for adventure and exploration can be a perfect fit for this personality type. This could be a holiday centered on activities such as hiking, rafting, or skydiving, or simply a holiday spent exploring a new and unfamiliar destination.
Some ideas for adventure and exploration holidays might include:
A backpacking trip through a remote and untamed region
A rafting or kayaking holiday on a wild and scenic river
A skydiving or bungee jumping holiday for those who love to push the limits
Cultural Immersion
ENTJs are also known for their curiosity and desire to learn about new cultures and ways of life. A holiday that allows for cultural immersion, such as a homestay or volunteer vacation, can be a great way for ENTJs to delve into a new culture and gain a deeper understanding of its people and traditions.
Some options for cultural immersion holidays might include:
A homestay in a foreign country, where you can live with a local family and learn about their daily life and customs
A volunteer vacation, where you can give back to a community while also learning about its culture and way of life
A language learning holiday, where you can immerse yourself in a new language and culture while also improving your communication skills
Leadership and Personal Development
ENTJs are natural leaders and are always looking for opportunities to improve and grow. A holiday that allows for leadership and personal development can be a great fit for this personality type. This could be a holiday centered on activities such as leadership training or executive coaching, or simply a holiday spent in a beautiful and inspiring setting where you can reflect and plan for the future.
Some ideas for leadership and personal development holidays might include:
A leadership retreat, where you can work with a coach or mentor to develop your leadership skills and vision
A personal development retreat, where you can focus on your own growth and well-being in a peaceful and inspiring setting
A business retreat, where you can brainstorm and plan for the future with like-minded individuals in a beautiful setting
Luxury and Pampering
ENTJs work hard and deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. A luxury holiday that allows for relaxation and pampering can be a great way for ENTJs to recharge their batteries and indulge their senses. This could be a holiday centered on activities such as spa treatments, fine dining, and luxury accommodations, or simply a holiday spent in a beautiful and luxurious setting where you can relax and unwind.
Some ideas for luxury and pampering holidays might include:
A spa holiday, where you can indulge in a variety of relaxing and rejuvenating treatments
A luxury cruise, where you can enjoy fine dining, entertainment, and luxurious accommodations while exploring exotic destinations
A beach holiday at a luxury resort, where you can relax by the water and enjoy first-class amenities and services
Conclusion
No matter what type of holiday you are looking for, as an ENTJ, it is important to find a holiday that aligns with your interests and personality. Whether you prefer adventure and exploration, cultural immersion, leadership and personal development, or luxury and pampering, there is a holiday that will suit your needs.
It is also important to remember that holidays are a time for relaxation and rejuvenation, so be sure to make time for self-care and rest as well. Whether it’s indulging in a spa treatment, practicing yoga or meditation, or simply taking a break from technology and the daily grind, make sure to carve out time for yourself and your own well-being during your holiday.
So if you’re an ENTJ looking for the perfect holiday, consider one of these options or come up with your own ideas that align with your interests and personality. Happy travels!
If you’re looking to travel, you can use Fairytrail to find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. The picture at the top is courtesy of @skipwithgrace.
Holidays are a time for relaxation, rejuvenation, and disconnecting from the daily grind. For those with the INTP personality type, it can be especially important to find a holiday that aligns with their introspective and analytical nature. INTPs tend to enjoy solitude and intellectual pursuits, and are always looking for new experiences and ways to stimulate their minds.
With this in mind, here are a few holiday ideas that may be particularly suitable for INTPs:
Cultural Immersion
INTPs are naturally curious and love to learn about new cultures and ways of life. A holiday that allows for cultural immersion, such as a homestay or volunteer vacation, can be a perfect way for INTPs to dive into a new culture and gain a deeper understanding of its people and traditions.
Some options for cultural immersion holidays might include:
A homestay in a foreign country, where you can live with a local family and learn about their daily life and customs
A volunteer vacation, where you can give back to a community while also learning about its culture and way of life
A language learning holiday, where you can immerse yourself in a new language and culture while also improving your communication skills
Solo Adventure
INTPs are independent and enjoy time to themselves, so a solo adventure holiday can be a great way to indulge their need for solitude while also satisfying their desire for new experiences.
There are many options for solo adventure holidays, ranging from backpacking trips to cycling tours to solo cruises. Whatever your interests and budget, there is likely a solo adventure holiday that will suit you.
Some things to consider when planning a solo adventure holiday include:
Safety: Make sure to research the safety of the destination and take any necessary precautions, such as purchasing travel insurance and familiarizing yourself with local customs and laws.
Comfort level: Consider your own comfort level with solo travel, as well as any specific needs or concerns you may have. For example, if you are not comfortable with the idea of staying in a hostel, you may want to opt for a more private accommodation option.
Intellectual Pursuits
INTPs love to learn and engage with new ideas, and a holiday that allows for intellectual pursuits can be a perfect fit. This could be a holiday that focuses on a specific topic or subject, such as a writing retreat or a history tour, or a holiday that simply allows for plenty of time to read, write, and think.
Some ideas for holidays centered on intellectual pursuits might include:
A writing retreat, where you can focus on your own writing projects in a peaceful and inspiring setting
A history tour, where you can delve into the rich past of a specific region or country
A book club holiday, where you can discuss literature with like-minded individuals in a beautiful setting
Nature and Outdoor Pursuits
INTPs may appreciate a holiday that allows them to reconnect with nature and engage in outdoor pursuits. This could be a holiday centered on hiking, camping, or birdwatching, or simply a holiday spent in a beautiful natural setting where you can relax and unwind.
Some options for nature and outdoor holidays might include:
A hiking or camping trip, where you can explore the great outdoors and disconnect from technology and the daily grind
A birdwatching holiday, where you can observe and learn about different species of birds in their natural habitats
A beach holiday, where you can relax by the water and enjoy the natural beauty of the coast
Conclusion
No matter what type of holiday you are looking for, as an INTP, it is important to find a holiday that aligns with your interests and personality. Whether you prefer cultural immersion, solo adventures, intellectual pursuits, or nature and outdoor activities, there is a holiday that will suit your needs.
It is also important to remember that holidays are a time for relaxation and rejuvenation, so be sure to make time for self-care and rest as well. Whether it’s taking a long walk in nature, indulging in a spa treatment, or simply curling up with a good book, make sure to carve out time for yourself and your own well-being during your holiday.
So if you’re an INTP looking for the perfect holiday, consider one of these options or come up with your own ideas that align with your interests and personality. Happy travels!
If you’re looking to travel, you can use Fairytrail to find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. The picture at the top is courtesy of @skipwithgrace.
INTJs (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging) are a rare personality type that comprises only about 2% of the population. They are known for their intelligence, independence, and strategic thinking. When it comes to planning a holiday, INTJs may prefer destinations and activities that stimulate their minds and allow them to engage in meaningful experiences.
If you are an INTJ, you may be interested in the following holiday ideas:
Cultural and educational experiences: INTJs tend to be curious and analytical individuals who enjoy learning about new cultures and ideas. A holiday that involves cultural or educational experiences can be particularly rewarding for INTJs. Some ideas might include a city break to explore historical sites, museums, and art galleries; a wine tour or culinary holiday to learn about different wines or foods; or a language learning holiday to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn a new language.
Adventure and nature: INTJs may also enjoy activities that challenge their minds and bodies and allow them to explore new environments. A holiday that involves adventure and nature can be a great way to satisfy this desire. Some ideas might include a safari or wildlife tour to observe different animals and ecosystems; a mountain or countryside retreat to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking or biking; or a scuba diving or snorkeling holiday to explore the underwater world.
Solo travel: INTJs are independent and self-sufficient individuals who may prefer to travel alone. Solo travel can allow INTJs to fully immerse themselves in their surroundings and follow their own interests and schedule. Some ideas for solo travel might include a beach holiday to relax and recharge; a spa holiday to focus on self-care and rejuvenation; or a cruise, where you can have your own private cabin and enjoy solo activities such as reading or watching movies.
Creative pursuits: INTJs are known for their creativity and innovative thinking, and they may enjoy activities that allow them to express their artistic side. A holiday that involves creative pursuits can be a great way for INTJs to relax and recharge while also stimulating their minds. Some ideas might include a painting or photography holiday to create new works of art; a writing retreat to work on a creative project; or a music or dance holiday to learn a new skill or hobby.
No matter which holiday you choose, it is important to remember that the most important thing is to choose a destination and activities that align with your interests and preferences. By considering your unique personality traits, you can plan the perfect holiday that allows you to relax, learn, and enjoy your time away.
If you’re looking to travel, you can use Fairytrail to find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. The picture at the top is courtesy of @skipwithgrace.
Personality types can have a significant impact on an individual’s preferences and behaviors, including their choice of holiday destination and activities. Understanding these personality differences can help individuals and couples plan the perfect vacation that aligns with their unique characteristics and interests. Let’s explore four major personality types and suggest some holiday ideas that may be most suitable for each.
The Extrovert: Extroverts are social and outgoing individuals who thrive on interactions with others. They are energized by being around people and enjoy activities that involve crowds or group participation. For extroverts, a holiday that involves socializing and meeting new people may be the most enjoyable.
Some holiday ideas for extroverts might include:
A group tour or group vacation package, where you can meet and socialize with other travelers
A beach holiday, where you can participate in water sports and meet other travelers at beach bars and restaurants
A city break or cultural holiday, where you can explore the local sights and sounds and interact with locals and other travelers
A music festival or sporting event, where you can enjoy live entertainment and mingle with other fans
Travel tips for extroverts: If you are an extrovert, you are likely a social and outgoing individual who thrives on interactions with others. When traveling, you may enjoy meeting new people and participating in group activities.
Consider group travel: Group tours or group vacation packages can be a great way to meet new people and participate in social activities. Look for tours or packages that focus on activities that interest you, such as adventure, cultural experiences, or beach vacations.
Seek out social activities: Look for destinations and activities that allow you to socialize and meet new people. This could include beach holidays, where you can participate in water sports and meet other travelers at beach bars and restaurants; city breaks or cultural holidays, where you can explore local sights and sounds and interact with locals and other travelers; or music festivals or sporting events, where you can enjoy live entertainment and mingle with other fans.
Don’t be afraid to make friends: Extroverts are often naturally outgoing and friendly, which can be a great asset when traveling. Don’t be afraid to strike up conversations with locals or other travelers and make new friends along the way.
The Introvert: Introverts are more reserved and independent, and they often prefer quieter, more solitary activities. They may feel drained by excessive socializing and may prefer to spend time alone or with a small group of close friends or family. For introverts, a holiday that allows for solitude and relaxation may be the most appealing.
Some holiday ideas for introverts might include:
A mountain or countryside retreat, where you can enjoy peaceful surroundings and outdoor activities such as hiking or biking
A spa holiday, where you can relax and rejuvenate in a peaceful setting
A cruise, where you can have your own private cabin and enjoy solo activities such as reading or watching movies
If you are an introvert, you are likely a more reserved and independent individual who may prefer quieter, more solitary activities. When traveling, you may feel drained by excessive socializing and may prefer to spend time alone or with a small group of close friends or family.
Here are some tips for making the most of your travels as an introvert:
Consider solo travel: Solo travel can allow you to fully immerse yourself in your surroundings and follow your own interests and schedule. Consider destinations and activities that allow you to relax and recharge, such as a beach holiday, where you can relax on the beach or by the pool without the crowds; a mountain or countryside retreat, where you can enjoy peaceful surroundings and outdoor activities such as hiking or biking; or a spa holiday, where you can relax and rejuvenate in a peaceful setting.
Take breaks from socializing: While it can be enjoyable to meet new people and socialize while traveling, it is important to remember that it is okay to take breaks and spend time alone. Consider booking a private room or cabin on a cruise or in a hotel, or plan some solo activities such as reading or watching movies to give yourself some time to recharge.
Travel with a small group of close friends or family: If you prefer not to travel alone, consider traveling with a small group of close friends or family. This can allow you to enjoy the company of others while still having the opportunity to retreat to your own space when needed.
The Thinker: Thinkers are analytical and logical individuals who enjoy activities that challenge their minds and allow them to learn new things. They may be drawn to holidays that involve cultural or educational experiences.
Some holiday ideas for thinkers might include:
A cultural holiday or city break, where you can explore museums, art galleries, and historical sites
A wine tour or culinary holiday, where you can learn about the history and production of different wines or foods
A language learning holiday, where you can immerse yourself in a new culture and learn a new language
A safari or adventure holiday, where you can observe and learn about different wildlife and ecosystems
If you are a thinker, you are likely an analytical and logical individual who enjoys activities that challenge your mind and allow you to learn new things. When traveling, you may be drawn to destinations and activities that involve cultural or educational experiences. Here are some tips for making the most of your travels as a thinker:
Seek out cultural and educational experiences: Look for destinations and activities that allow you to learn about new cultures and ideas.
This could include a city break to explore historical sites, museums, and art galleries; a wine tour or culinary holiday to learn about different wines or foods; or a language learning holiday to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn a new language.
Plan your itinerary in advance: Thinkers tend to be organized and detail-oriented, and they may prefer to plan their itineraries in advance to ensure that they make the most of their time away. Consider researching destinations and activities ahead of time and creating a detailed plan for your trip.
Take advantage of guided tours: Guided tours can be a great way for thinkers to learn about a destination and its history and culture. Look for tours that offer in-depth information and insights, and consider hiring a private guide if you want a more personalized experience.
The Feeler: Feelers are emotional and sensitive individuals who value harmony and personal connections. They may be more inclined to choose holidays that allow for emotional expression and connection with others.
Some holiday ideas for feelers might include:
A family holiday, where you can spend quality time with loved ones and create lasting memories
A romantic getaway or honeymoon, where you can connect with your partner and enjoy intimate experiences together
A volunteering holiday, where you can give back to a community and make a positive impact
A wellness holiday, where you can focus on self-care and personal growth through activities such as yoga, meditation, and therapy
If you are a feeler, you are likely an emotional and sensitive individual who values harmony and personal connections. When traveling, you may be more inclined to choose destinations and activities that allow for emotional expression and connection with others.
Here are some tips for making the most of your travels as a feeler:
Consider a family holiday: A family holiday can be a great way for feelers to spend quality time with loved ones and create lasting memories. Look for destinations and activities that allow you to bond with your family, such as a beach holiday, where you can relax and play together; a mountain or countryside retreat, where you can enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking or biking; or a theme park, where you can experience thrills and excitement together.
Plan a romantic getaway or honeymoon: Feelers may also enjoy a romantic getaway or honeymoon, where they can connect with their partner and enjoy intimate experiences together. Consider destinations and activities that allow you to relax and connect with your partner, such as a beach holiday, where you can enjoy each other’s company and participate in romantic activities; a luxury resort, where you can pamper yourselves with spa treatments and fine dining; or a city break, where you can explore local sights and sounds and enjoy romantic dinners and activities.
Consider a volunteering holiday: Feelers may also be drawn to holidays that allow them to give back to a community and make a positive impact. Consider a volunteering holiday, where you can work with a local organization and make a difference while also experiencing a new culture.
No matter your personality type, the most important thing is to choose a holiday that aligns with your interests and preferences. By considering your unique characteristics, you can plan the perfect vacation that allows you to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy your time away.
If you know your personality type, then check out our tips and recommendations for each personality type.
If you’re looking to travel, you can use Fairytrail to find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers.
When we launched Fairytrail, the goal was to help people explore the world with someone they like.
Today, we’d like to announce… friends mode.
Why We Made “Only Friends”
We surveyed our existing users and found that 68% of our users are interested in making friends. The vast majority of those who answered yes were women who wanted to make friends with other women.
How To Enable “Only Friends”
On the Fairytrail app, to set yourself as looking for friends only, go to Settings -> Edit Profile. Tap the text under the heading Intentions. Then select “Only Friends“.
The other option you can choose is Dating & Friends. All new users are defaulted into Dating & Friends. We don’t have a dating only option because the majority of daters are also open to making friends.
How To Search “Only Friends”
Set your explore preferences as you do normally, go to Settings -> Set Preferences. Select the attributes that you’d like to see in your friends.
For example, if you want a male friend, set your preferences to male. If you want female, set to female. If you want both, set to any.
We took out the optimization for sexual preferences, so if you chose male, then so you will see all male profiles no matter if straight, gay, bi, etc.
You can see what the other person’s intentions are when you view their profile. Here’s an example only friends profile.
Here’s an example of a Dating & Friends profile. (Face hidden because it’s a real user).
Let us know what you think at team@fairytrail.app. We’re always looking to improve, so send us your questions and feedback!
Fairytrail helps people find adventures, friends, and even a life partner. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. LittleQuest is the company behind the products. The feature picture at the top is courtesy of @skipwithgrace.
People solo travel for two main reasons. Some solo travel because they don’t have anyone to travel with, so they decide to just go alone. Others purposefully choose to solo travel to find themselves or feel freedom.
Often I’ll be having dinner with friends who dream of traveling and complain that they don’t have anyone to travel with them. That was one of the reasons why we made Fairytrail, to help solo travelers find someone they like so they can share the joy of new experiences together.
For solo travelers who want to be alone, to reflect, to feel, to be open to all of the world through solitude, there are still times when they need to travel with others. Some activities just aren’t accessible when traveling alone.
There’s thousands of Airbnb Experiences but few of them are just for one person. Many places are protected and you need to go with a tour group. Other times, there’s very little public transit so sharing a car or boat with people is just a lot more affordable. Finally, it can be really dangerous to travel alone, especially if you want to explore the wilderness of Alaska or go deep into the Amazon jungle.
Let’s say you’ve been dreaming about visiting a particular place for a while, but you can’t find anyone to go with you, you may think you have only two choices: stay at home or go there alone. But there is a third option — joining a group tour such as those offered by our friends at YouTravel.me.
This is not a paid advert. This is an article about why solo travelers should consider group tours.
YouTravel.me is a community of travel enthusiasts who want to make it easier for other travelers to discover new places and gain new experiences. It is a service for those who need a travel companion when their friends and loved ones can’t join them for one reason or another.
The goal of YouTravel.me is to create a platform with as many unique and quality tours organized by real verified travelers and guides as possible. It is important to point out thatYouTravel.me tours are not those boring package holidays you can get at a travel agent’s. These tours are led by real travel experts who know the area well and want to share their insights and best-kept secrets with others, because they just love to travel as much as you do. You get all the stress of planning an exciting experience off of your shoulders and have an opportunity to see the world from someone else’s perspective, get a real insight into a completely different lifestyle and grow as a person.
Destinations and types of such tours are incredibly varied — it can be a zen yoga tour somewhere peaceful, a mind-blowing party experience in Ibiza, an expedition to a remote village in the jungle or a volunteer trip to a community where you can really make a difference.
You can choose whatever, but remember that it still is a group tour; usually there are somewhere between 8 to 15 people in a group, depending on the type of the trip and the destination. So you’ll be constantly surrounded by people who you can make unforgettable memories with. So going on a unique tour is an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded people and make life-long friends who share your passion for traveling and exploring new horizons.
That’s great, but what if I’m an introvert?
It really isn’t about being an introvert or an extravert, but about what excites you and keeps you going. Even if you are the most easy-going person in the world who gets on amazingly well with people, it can be tricky to find the perfect travel partner, because such a thing simply does not exist.
We as adults are already so set in our ways, we have our routines and our quirks, it is hard to find someone who will be one hundred percent compatible with you, especially through all of the ups and downs of traveling. But if you are in a group of, say, 10 people who chose the same unique trekking tour, you are bound to have something in common. You will have your support group, which is crucial during a physically challenging trip, for example, and someone to share the amazing experiences and challenges with.
But it is still important to remember that you are all individual travelers, so you will have a certain level of independence and flexibility. Don’t worry if you get tired of socialization, it is ok to split from the group every now and again, do something separately, enjoy the holiday at your own pace. These tours do not have a rigid itinerary, and it is the travel expert’s job to make the trip comfortable for everybody, so you can talk to them and amend things accordingly.
After all, they are there to make sure you have the best experience ever. Speaking of making the trip as enjoyable as possible, from the very beginning travel experts asses the group, plan some bonding exercises and make everything in their power for the group to get to know each other and become comfortable and at ease — from group dinners to overcoming different physical challenges (depending on the type of the trip, of course) to bring everyone together. So if you are usually timid and quiet and worried about making a connection with someone, travel experts will take care of that.
According to some travel experts, after sharing a unique travel experience people not only become lifelong friends and travel buddies, but in some cases the tour even ends up with a marriage. Talk about great bonding opportunities, huh?
So do I just relax and follow the lead?
Travel experts are not just your tour guides, who are there to entertain and cater for your wants and needs, which they still do, of course. They are also responsible for the group’s safety and well-being, so they have the right to refuse the trip to someone they find not fit for purpose and who can spoil the trip for everyone — who is slowing everyone down, is rude and disrespectful to the rest of the group or doesn’t respect people’s boundaries.
If you’ve seen The Lost City of Z, you know what consequences going on a trip with someone whose heart isn’t in the right place can bring. So it is undoubtedly a tough, but important thing to do, because travel experts want you to have the best experience ever.
Remember, that even if you choose to go on a planned tour for the ease of it all, you still have to remain a responsible adult, who needs to have a clear understanding of what this particular tour demands of you. If you like the idea of being all Indiana Jones like, but aren’t really prepared for the challenges a trip like that brings, maybe you should pick something else — you simply won’t enjoy it.
There is no shame in having a quiet and relaxing holiday, if that’s what you need. They can still be an awesome experience, when done right. Just be honest with yourself.
Travel is a great way to meet new people from different cultural backgrounds. It brings us together. And as much as you can always meet someone along the way, going on a tour is a safe and easy way to discover new horizons, make friends or even find a partner.
Why a dating app has an entrance fee and the story behind it.
Step into Fairytrail and you’ll soon meet a park ranger …
On Fairytrail, all users are asked to pay a one-time entrance fee after a certain level of usage. Luckily, the entrance fee is only $2.99.
Our app is similar to a virtual national park. You come here to explore and meet awesome people from around the world. We work hard to bring you great people, keep the place running, and provide customer service. Once you buy a ticket to enter, you’re in and can stay as long as you like.
However, we also made the app to be 100% for free for anyone who can’t afford to pay and is sincere. Wholesomeness is at the heart of Fairytrail.
My family was very poor when we first moved to the USA from China. We couldn’t afford much. I wore donated clothes until grade 4 (one of which said Jennifer on it– my name is Taige). My mom worked 3 jobs and the food bank helped make ends meet. I am forever grateful for the kindness in people. One of my favorite childhood memories was attending summer camp– it’s hard to describe how amazing it was to sleep in a cabin, go canoeing, collect the daily ration from the tuck shop, sing by the campfire, and form the purest of friendships. It was all possible because of kind sponsors from the local church.
My life has been enriched by kind people. And as much as possible, I’d like to pass that on. We’re all in this world together. Although sometimes we can only see our own hardships, everyone has hardships. We can intentionally choose to be good to each other and make the world a friendlier place.
If you are not in a position to pay the entrance fee, reply to the welcome email and I will verify you manually to grant you free access. I will do my best to reply to you within 5-7 days.
If you are experiencing technical payment issues, you can pay with credit card here or pay with Paypal here . Also, let us know the email you signed up with. We will manually find you in our system and upgrade you. UPDATE: Quite some people are emailing me about how to pay entrance and support the app after getting verified manually for free and using the app for a while. There isn’t a way, but you can use the Paypal link above to send a donation.
…
If you’re interested in why we have an entrance fee, here’s the story …
Like many world wonders and national parks, Fairytrail started off free. Anyone could come in, explore, and enjoy. However, when we got to over 3,000 users, scammers started flooding into our world.
Even with 3 levels of fraud detection (we’re up to 7 now), it created heavy load for us and almost every day we received emails from people stating they had interacted with scammers. Some had been led on for weeks. Some felt violated. Some completely gave up on dating. They were heartbreaking emails.
Here are some emails with identifying information redacted that marked the arrival of scammers.
After reading many emails like these, we knew we had to fight back.
So we did what most dating apps won’t do– put up a paywall to fight scammers. Scammers would pay $3 and get disabled the next day (it takes some time for our fraud detection mechanisms to work). It was pretty cool to fight back and take money from scammers.
Soon, we saw a massive reduction in scam accounts being created. Emails like the ones above stopped coming in altogether.
We now have over 99.99% real users (based on fake/bad user reported and internal audits).
But it had a big cost for us too.
When we did this, it reduced our growth rate.
Not all real users want to pay. After all, there are free dating apps out there such as Tinder and Bumble. Some people didn’t trust us. Some people weren’t serious about dating. Some couldn’t afford it.
We were considering other verification systems such as phone number verification when we realized the paywall actually created a much better user experience. Perhaps people would want a dating app that has higher quality, more intentional people.
The truth is a dating app’s greatest asset is its users. A party is great because of the people at the party, and a dating app is great because of its users.
Here’s what we noticed:
1. People saved time and had a better experience.
Although we saw fewer users, we saw higher quality users. Since users paid $3, it meant they valued meeting someone (money talks). They completed their profiles. They intended to meet in person.
Users were wasting less time looking at low quality profiles. By cutting out just 10 low quality profiles, we can save a total of 56 hours for our users.
This created a better overall experience— less time spent swiping per match.
One of my philosophies is life is precious so I hate wasting time. (That’s why we do everything we can to get people on life changing adventures as quickly as possible– things like not showing people who already skipped you, who aren’t active, who have incompatible preferences, etc.)
2. It fostered a respectful, caring culture.
When people paid for something, they valued it more. In Yellowstone National Park, tour guides used to give water away for free. Guess what happened? People wasted it and littered. So tour guides tried charging just 50 cents and people stopped leaving half empty bottles all over the place. Suddenly, people cared.
Tour guides were able to help people change their mindset and behavior to care by charging a nominal amount.
To end toxic dating culture, we can’t think of people as free anymore. And we won’t because we paid a price.
3. It provided a premium experience and choice for consumers.
It feels good to spend money on yourself so you can have a premium experience. It feels great to be in the company of quality people.
Almost all dating apps are free, so there’s very little choice for consumers who want quality over quantity.
Now for the first time, there is a premium dating app so you can meet quality people. And the interesting thing is women are just as willing to pay as men.
Conclusion
Fairytrail is a place for people who are sincere in their quest for love and adventure. 99% of our active users pay the entrance fee and about 1% opt for the manual verification. It currently takes me 2.5 minutes to manually verify each user, so it does take several days for me to get to people. Thank you for your patience if you are opting for manual verification. I read each of my hundreds of daily emails, so no need to follow up unless it’s been a couple weeks.
I don’t believe the battle with scammers is over. They will constantly think of new ways to infiltrate our world and we will continue to fight them. For now, the entrance fee is working both in terms of keeping scammers out by draining their wallets and attracting sincere, quality people.
I care about everyone on Fairytrail and Campfire (our non-dating, social group). It’s a pleasure and honor to build this community together. Please continue to report bad actors and send me feedback, so we can improve your favorite dating and travel matching app. Our app is great because of its people, so thank you for making Fairytrail such a beautiful and kind place.
Balancing leisure and work is challenging for digital nomads. Burnout and loneliness were cited as top struggles for remote workers even before the pandemic, and now with limited social events and interactions, restricted travel, and shut offices, it has become exacerbated.
The Martec Group surveyed 1,214 individuals to identify how working from home during the pandemic is affecting employees and found a significant decline in mental health across all industries, seniority levels, and demographics. Surprisingly, 84 percent of employees reported working from home as bad for their mental health.
At Fairytrail, most of our users are remote workers and we fully recognized the challenges, so we’ve curated the top 9 must-have mental health apps for digital nomads based on category.
For Meditation
1. Headspace
I’ve been using Headspace since the day it first came out. To be honest, it’s actually tough to imaging my life without it. It offers excellent options for guided meditations that help you stay calm and provide clarity on things you’re trying to figure out.
Additionally, they offer articles, videos and guided exercises that will help you live a happier, healthier life.
You can sign up for a 10-day free trial of all the premium content. After this, you can subscribe for $12.99 (monthly) or $95 (annually).
The bottom line: Use this app if you’re curious and just starting out with mental health apps.
2. Pacifica
This app will help you significantly reduce stress, depression and anxiety through journaling and meditation. You can pick what type of environment relaxes you the most when you begin.
Pacifica will ask you about your goals, preferred meditation time and if you’re working with a mental health professional. If you are, it will tailor your practice using that information.
The calming and lovely design and the interface will compel you to use it every day. Each day, there’s a free unique meditation that focuses on a specific point of stress like relationships, work, school, etc.
What truly sets this app apart from the thousands of meditation apps on the play store is its integrations with your Spotify playlists. It will recommend you a new playlist every week with tracks that will leave you feeling energized, empowered and will help you with your meditation practise as well as your life.
Another highlight of this wonderful app is access to chat rooms and community discussions. You can discuss your struggles, wins and experiences with other users of the app.
You can access the 7 basic modules for free or you can subscribe for $8.99 (monthly), $53.99 (annually) or $199 (lifetime).
The bottom line: This app is perfect for you if you want to hone a particular pain point such as confidence, social anxiety, etc.
For Reflection and Mood Tracking
3. Stigma
It’s journaling and mood tracking app that helps you track your moods and pen down our thoughts. You can also share your thoughts with their community of users.
Its robust analytics feature helps you analyse your thoughts and attitudes over time by creating word clouds that show prominent trends.
Access to most of the features is free but you need to subscribe in order to track your moods in relation to your fitness/location levels.
The bottom line: Sign up for this app of you want to understand your mood cycle and wish to be a part of an affordable support group that’s always available.
4. Happy Not Perfect
The goal of this app is to help you change the way you take care of your mind through straightforward and thoughtful reflections and exercises.
With hundreds of themed sessions to work through activities and stressors, it helps you deal with complicated relationships, depression and work stress.
The app features one-of-a-kind modern, clean aesthetics combined with mindful games that help you gain the clarity you need. You can also listen to a wide array of sound healing experiences and pen down your thoughts in order to keep a track of your moods and feelings.
It gives you space and time you need for reflection by helping you analyse the stressors that make you feel a certain way.
The access to 1 session per day is free and you can upgrade for personalized unlimited sessions for approximately $5 a month.
The bottom line: This is your go-to place for everything you need to look after your mind in a fun new way.
5. Stoic
A free, comprehensive and beautifully designed app that is based on the Greek philosophy of Stoicism. This app helps you manage your negativity by tracking your actions and thoughts through reflective exercises like breathing and mood tracking exercises, meditation with a strong focus on journaling.
The bottom line: Start using this app if you need help dealing with your emotions and daily obstacles. It’ll help you live a happier, tranquil life.
For Therapy and Advice
6. Sanvello
Boasting over 3M+ users, this is the #1 free app if you want to deal with depression, anxiety and stress. It provides clinically validated techniques to help you manage your thoughts and moods and offers expert lessons on health and mood tracking and mindfulness.
You can use the community board to share your stories and progress with others. If you wish to seek professional help, you can browse through the directory of a licensed therapist in your area.
The bottom line: Use this app if you’re suffering from stress, depression or anxiety.
7. Talkspace
It’s an online therapy app that matches you with qualified therapists. If you’re looking for real therapy without leaving the comfort of this app, Talkspace is what you need.
Their plans start at $49 a week that allows you to choose a therapist with experience in your problem area. You can chat with them or video call them according to your convenience.
Therapists will offer actionable advice and steps similar to what you’d get in an actual brick-and-mortar therapy session. You can upgrade your package if you need an unlimited chat and video call access.
The bottom line: This app is perfect if you’re searching for a therapist. It’s great for teens as well. All you need is your parents’ permission to get started.
8. 7 Cups
If you’re looking for free counselling and therapy, install 7 Cups. You’re matched with a “listener” based on what you wish to talk about and how you’re feeling.
Please note that these listeners are not qualified professionals but are volunteers that want to offer you support. The chats are confidential, anonymous and free with listeners available in several different languages.
Additionally, you can access educational material that’ll provide more insight into therapy, videos and activities, calming games and wellness tests.
If you wish to chat with a licensed therapist, you can subscribe for a premium service that starts at $12.99 a month.
The bottom line: Use this app if you need someone to talk to for free counseling or therapy. Return the favour by becoming a listener to do something meaningful with your life.
To Deal Specifically With Anxiety
9. Calmer You
This app was made by Nick Begley, former head of research at Headspace and is dedicated to help you build an anxiety-free future.
It has turned self-development books into app-based actionable courses incorporating CBT and mindfulness techniques. These help you form positive habits that will help you keep your anxiety at bay.
The app provides you with everything from diaphragmatic breathing to mindfulness techniques to help you break down your worries and boost your self-esteem.
The bottom line: This app is perfect for you if you want to learn mindfulness skills that will improve your overall mental and physical health.
Written by Shristi Patni
Shristi is the founder of F and B Recipes. Formerly the Chief Content Officer at Raletta, she is currently working on her second cookbook. Feel free to check out her interviews with other food bloggers or her articles on Shamballa Reiki.
Recently, we received an email with some constructive feedback from a kind user who was LGBT. She expressed concerns about the queer friendliness of our app.
We’re a really different kind of dating app and there are many things we do that are not orthodox. For example, we monetize on travel bookings (suspended due to covid and Apple). We charge a small entrance fee to keep our community safe from bots and scammers. We humanize online dating by limiting your active matches to 12. We encourage you to explore the world by recommending places and adventures for you and your match to discover together. We are also a friendship-making app.
Some have called Fairytrail the most wholesome dating app ever.
But how are we supporting LGBT and gender fluidity?
Non-binary Genders
Non-binary is used to describe people who feel their gender cannot be defined within the margins of gender binary. They understand their gender in a way that goes beyond simply identifying as either a man or woman.
On Fairytrail, you can only choose man or woman at the moment. The reason is all users who use Fairytrail must choose a character. Choosing a character ties to a core Fairytrail mission to make dating less superficial. We want to capture and elevate personality in online dating.
It’s impossible to delineate a person who has needs, values, views, traits, preferences, and temperaments (often which are changing) in just an online profile. Even dating for six weeks can only reveal so much.
That’s why most people are so focused on looks because photos can depict it so well. (We made a video about it.)
That said, we are doing better than most dating apps when it comes to making online dating less superficial. We leverage these characters to give insights into someone’s personality and identity.
All characters are mapped to MBTI and Enneagram types. If you don’t know anything about personality MBTI, these archetypes can still give you cues on people’s personality and identity.
We haven’t quite cracked how to do this with fairytale characters yet, and as a startup, we have limited Product, Design, and Engineering resources to tackle this. If this is an area you feel passionate about, please do reach out to us at team@fairytrail.app.
Any help would greatly be appreciated! For example, which characters should we use? What should be the search mapping? Would you be okay with your sexual preferences displayed on your profile?
Alternatively, it would be super fun to create just a non-binary or LGBT version of Fairytrail. We’ve also gotten many requests for us to make a friends only version and a couples version. There are so many traveling couples! Sadly, we haven’t had the resources to work on those either.
LGBT
LGBT describe people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
U.S. adults estimate that nearly one in four Americans (23.6%) are gay or lesbian, and the latest 2021 study find an estimated 5.6% of adults in the United States identify as LGBT.
Historically on most dating apps, they ask you what’s your sexual orientation.
On Fairytrail, LGBT sexual preferences are supported behind the scenes.
No need to tell us your sexual orientation. We can easily infer this based on your search preferences and only show you someone who might like you back. For example, if you’re a homosexual female, you would be seen only by homosexual and bisexual females.
Fairytrail Sexual Preferences Matrix
We try to save people’s time, so try to optimize where we can and don’t like explicitly asking for things we can infer.
So we fully support LGBT and if you have suggestions for improving our LGBT friendliness or want to help, please get in touch with us! We’re always looking to improve.
That said, I do recognize there is a liquidity problem for the LGBT user segment. Some of our few 1-star reviews are regarding not getting enough matches as a queer person. We are working hard to grow awareness for Fairytrail. As we get more awareness and users, the smaller 5% LGBT segment will get more matches.
Want to know what people picked for their first virtual dates?
You’re in luck because we have the data! Perhaps these insights could help you next time you suggest or plan a date.
At Fairytrail, we ask users to choose dates before connecting them for fun and to determine compatibility.
Since the pandemic, we’ve added virtual experiences for people to pick as potential first dates. So what do tens of thousands of date matches and mismatches tell us about what singles are looking for in their first virtual dates?
Cute Couple In Italy – Photo Courtesy of SkipWithGrace
1. Both men and women think Italy is the most romantic place the world.
Out of the many virtual experiences and tours offered by Airbnb and Viator, the top 2 were Venice and Rome. Runner ups were Barcelona, Paris, and London.
Most popular virtual tours & adventures on Fairytrail:
All virtual tour prices were $10-20. American locations didn’t make the top quartile.
2. Museum dates are least exciting.
Virtual dates fall into 3 general categories: travel/tours, cooking, and museum. Men and women both prefer travel first. Cooking classes fell in the middle. Least picked were the museum experiences.
3. Older people like museums more.
As age increased, the museum category increased in popularity. For people older than 30, the museum category was in the medium popular segment. For under 30, it was in the least popular segment.
4. Paris is very romantic for women. Not so much for men.
The most polarizing virtual destination was Paris. 15% of women chose it given the chance but only 7% of men. Over 2 times more women than men wanted to go on the Paris experience as a first date. Men preferred places such as Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
5. Young people are more open to virtual experiences.
People under 30 are 75% more likely to choose a virtual date option than people 30 and older. It seems like kids are faster at adopting technology, digital experiences, and new trends than adults are.
6. Introverts are more interested in virtual experiences.
Since everyone chose a character mapped to their Myers Briggs Personality Type , we noticed that introverts had a 56% higher chance of choosing a virtual date over an offline date. This is a good reminder to be considerate of people’s comfort levels and preferences for a first date.
These data were collected over a span of 6 months during the continued COVID-19 pandemic. We hope these psychological insights can help you choose a great first date experience whether it’s virtual or in person. Leave a comment if you have any questions or want us to delve into anything specific.
Get ideas about how you can live in other countries ranging from study abroad, work exchange, remote work, working holiday, investment, marriage, WWOOF. Here are the top 19 ways.
Do you remember the first time you ever travelled abroad? Do you remember how eye opening it was to realize that where you were born doesn’t have to be where you permanently stay? Once you realize how large the world truly is, the idea of residing in one place your whole life seems lame.
But don’t worry, we have put together a list of 19 ways to live and work abroad.
“Among all respondents to the Pew Research Center survey, 57% say they have not lived in the U.S. outside their current state: 37% have never left their hometown and 20% have left their hometown (or native country) but not lived outside their current state.” -Pew Research Center
Although the survey of 2,260 adults noted that a majority of the reason people choose to stay in one place is due to family ties, they also found that financial and career situations harness one’s ideas of ever migrating elsewhere; “The most popular reason that movers choose a new community, selected by a 44% plurality, is job or business opportunities, according to the Pew survey. About the same share of stayers (40%) cite job or business opportunities as a major reason for staying, but far more stayers choose reasons related to family and friends.”
These are respectable reasons to stay in one location, but the opportunist’s mentality see’s that the world has endless ways to provide food, shelter, and income regardless of your location.
First off.
Visas: Visas are required in many countries for long term travel. Your passport will get you to travel internationally, but a visa is a stamp that is placed in your passport that allows you to get permission to stay in a country for a specified time period. There are 4 different categories that visas can fall under:
Tourist visa (pleasure travel visas)
Immigration and naturalization visas(including by marriage)
Business or work visas (for working, including both non-immigrant and immigrant types)
Student visas (studying abroad)
Further in this article, we will cover a few different types of visas you can obtain to help you live abroad.
Fairytrail has put together 19 ways to live and work abroad
Study abroad or student exchange program:Whether you are still in highschool, enrolled in a university, or just wanting to gain some seasonal credits, it is highly likely that your field of study offers programs abroad! There is more than one way to go about studying abroad. Check out 10 creative ways to study abroad. If you are set out to learn something, why not do it in another country where it is potentially cheaper and you can get more of an experience out of it? You’ll be on a student visa. And usually student visas let you work part time or on campus.
2. Work exchange: People all over the world sometimes just need an extra hand within their organization or household and are willing to provide food and housing in exchange for your skills and work! Most opportunities have work hours as minimal as 20 hours per week, leaving you plenty of time to explore your new culture or even pick up a side hustle for a little extra cash. Note that there are also quite a few work exchanges that do give you a weekly or monthly allowance. Every work exchange is different and can have different accommodations. Some websites you can use for work exchanges are Workaway (what I use), Worldpackers, World traveller.
3. Teach your language abroad:How cool would it be to be eligible to teach children from all over the world without having a masters degree? There are hundreds of opportunities to be a language teacher in several countries. If you speak english, most job opportunities only require that you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject and obtain your TEFL certification. Some other programs only require that you speak fluently in the native tongue that the school is desiring you to teach! Check out 10 Ways to Get Started Teaching Abroad. They’ll normally take care of your visa through the school or help you obtain it yourself. For an example, check out teaching english in Korea.
4. Be an Au Pair / Nanny: Tons of families are eager to share their lifestyle and culture with foreigners in exchange for someone to watch over their children while they are working or traveling! If you are someone who is good with children and want to explore a new destination, check out GreatAuPair, InterExchange, and Transitions Abroad for opportunities!
5. Work online:
The amount of job opportunities to work online is growing by the second. It is one of the most flexible ways to provide and income from anywhere in the world.
Here are some examples of online work:
Blogging: Yes, there is money to be made through personal blogging. Which is a pretty cool concept right? You write content about your lifestyle and things that interest you and get paid for it?! The biggest obstacle is that before you can start making money, you have to have a strong following and subscribers. Once you do, companies and organizations will recognize you as a ‘traffic pool’ and offer you money to display their ads on your site. Aside from the adversity, this is a great way to supplement income remotely, all you need is good wifi connection and profitable content! Refer to Work from home: How to make money online for beginners for advice on how to create a pay-worthy blog. In addition look here for guidance on which ad exchange networks are the most suitable for your website!
Be a freelance writer: This one is my personal favorite considering I am currently doing it! Being a travel writer can be tough. It takes a while to gain a good reputation where websites and magazines feel confident enough in hiring you. But once you start to start to gain traction the jobs are endless! Some jobs require you to have some professional background in journalism or writing, while others simply desire to see a good work history and colorful portfolio. With new online businesses starting up everyday, the demand for writers and content creators will continue to grow. If this interests you but have no idea where to start looking here is a Complete Guide that can help get a better understanding of how to start freelance writing. The best sites to find writing jobs are LinkedIn, Upwork, iWriter, Flexjobs, and Facebook groups!
Be a freelance web designer: There is a massive demand in web designers in the world. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities for web developers in the U.S in 2018 was at 160,500 and is expected to increase by 13% by 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. With the high demand, endless opportunities and very remarkable salary outlook, and ability to live and work from anywhere in the world, this career path is a no brainer. Surprisingly, many well-paid web developers didn’t actually go to college for it. Instead, they built on their skills on their own time and found online resources like Codecademy to learn. Read this article to find web-classes, tutorials, programs and communities to help kick off your web-developing journey!
Be an Influencer: Do you have a significant following on your social media platforms? Don’t let it go to waste! Social media stays afloat by nothing more than their users, and their users’ content. ‘Power Influencers’ on youtube who have anywhere for 30k-500k followers can make up to $782 dollars per posted video, that’s insane! For more platform post rates check out this data! For tips on how to become an influencer in 2020 visit Influencer Marketing Hub.
If I was to list all of the online ways to make money and live abroad, that wouldprompt for a whole separate article. For the sake of sharing online and offline abroad work, refer here if you are interested in researching for online work only!
Okay, let’s continue!
6. Work at a Hostel:Best of the best! Hostels are seriously so much fun and you get to meet a tremendous amount of travelers from every corner of the world. Generally, the work exchange tasks are simple; Clean, follow guidelines, and provide guests with the best experiences possible! Emily rose and Kiki are travel bloggers who have great content on how, why, and what to expect when working in a hostel! Also you can check out Hosteljobs.net and any work exchange sites for hostel work opportunities!
7. Ancestry visas:If you are desiring to work abroad and live in the UK and just so happen to be a commonwealth citizen, you may be eligible to apply for a UK visa that allows you to work in any of the commonwealth countries for up to 5 years, after that you can choose to either permanently change your residence or extend your visa. This is a great way to have access to working in multiple countries for a long term stay. Look here for further details on how to obtain a UK ancestry visa!
8. Youth mobility visa: (YMV)/working holiday visa (WHV): If you are 18-30 years old and wish to immerse yourself in a different culture while still being able to work, this is a great visa you should take advantage of. Without needing any other sort of sponsorship, these countries accept U.S. working holiday visas:
Click on any of the countries above to find out how to apply for a WHV. Most allow you to stay from 6-12 months. There are more countries that accept these types of visas but require much more than just the visa itself. Note that each country is different and has different guidelines which must be met prior to applying for the visa. Here are some thingsyou should knowwhen applying for a WHV/ YMV
9. Investment Visas: Many countries, for example, Canada and the USA have opportunities for investors to live in that country by making an investment in the country’s economy. In the USA the investment visa is known as EB-5 visas. It’s a way that the U.S. economy can benefit from immigrants who want to come into the U.S. Immigrants who can afford to invest money into the U.S. in exchange for entry into the country must be able to invest a minimum of $900,000 that is lawfully sourced and creates jobs for 10 U.S. workers. For further details visit uscis.gov
EB-5 Investor visa
10. Get married: Most countries grant you a visa or a citizenship if you are married to a citizen of that country. If you’re dating someone, it might make sense to pull the trigger and hit 2 birds with one stone. If you don’t have prospects, you can look for people who are open to dating people from other countries on sites Interpals and Fairytrail which give you exposure to people outside your country.
11. Join The Military: Although this might not be the most sought after option, it is quite rewarding isn’t it? Joining the military comes with incredible perks; Great income with paid housing, travel, food and opportunity to be an active participant in defending your nation! Opportunities to see different parts of the world are endless! Supposedly, the navy is the military branch that travels abroad the most, but refer here to see what branches you can join and what benefits they come with.
12. Do mission work:Your faith in god just might lead you to wonderful destinations. The simple way to find out about mission work is to ask your local church if there are opportunities for mission trips. It is no different than any other volunteer program other than the fact it is more faith-based and gives you a chance to do humble work while being surrounded by a group of people who practice the same religion as you. Check out The Best Mission Trips.
13. Be a House sitter/ pet sitter:Similarly to being a nanny, sometimes people just needsomeone to safeguard their home and animals while they are not actively there. How simple is that? When doing this, it is important to have a good understanding of your destination and the house owners’ guidelines and expectations. The best and most reputable place to find house/ pet sitting jobs is TrustedHousesitters.com.
14. Be a WWOOFER:WWOOF Stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. These are humbling opportunities to connect with others while simultaneously giving back to the earth we walk on and learning skills that make for a more conscious, sustainable, and eco-friendly lifestyle. If you don’t mind getting dirty and love learning, this is the way to go! A word of warning, it can be isolating depending on the experience.
15. Become a diplomat/ embassy personnel: Being a diplomat can prompt for a very wide range of responsibilities, but all of those responsabilites having to do something with representing on behalf or your country while communicating and collaborating with other countries; “They use personal relationships with officials and citizens of the hosting country to advocate for U.S. interests, to work together on common causes, and to explain U.S. society and values”. – The National Museum of American Diplomacy
The National Museum of American Diplomacy also noted how various a diplomats scope of work can be:
“Our diplomats support Americans living or traveling internationally for positive events (such as registering a birth of a child) and in times of stress (assisting a jailed American citizen or helping to evacuate Americans from danger.) They ensure a level playing field for American businesses overseas. They support joint counter terrorism cooperation and criminal investigations. They decide who has a legitimate reason to travel to the United States and issue visas accordingly. They work to ensure the safety and security of international flights to the United States. They fight pandemics and deliver humanitarian aid to those in need. They assist governments to respond better to their citizens’ needs, making countries more stable and secure. They link emerging leaders in government and civil society to American counterparts to foster relationship building and collaboration. Also importantly, they provoke interest in foreign students in pursuing U.S. higher education. This is far from a conclusive list of diplomatic priorities, but it gives a flavor of the varied work of U.S. diplomats”.
In short, if you are someone who has great communication skills and is willing to negotiate, mediate, network, and enforce policy on your country’s behalf, you might be a great fit for being a diplomat. If this is something that may interest you and you have a bachelors or masters degree in a field of study that is correlated to the tasks of diplomatic work such as international relations, political science, sociology, or foreign policy, check out the requirements and roles of being a diplomat!
16. Work for the National Forest Service/ be a park ranger abroad:Globally, there are 3,044 national parks to explore, and each one of those national parks is subject to having dozens of resorts, campgrounds, wildlife conservations for visitors to explore and for you to work at. Many opportunities for expansion in these settings and it’s a great way to explore the nature-scape of different land. The U.S. alone has 419 national park sites, so if you live in the U.S., you won’t even need to travel outside of your country to work and live in a new setting. But if you desire to do national park work outside of your country, there is plenty of work for that as well. Many opportunities are seasonal and accommodate housing and food, (which may be deducted from your pay). Also, if the National park you are interested in does offer housing, it is more than likely that you will have to dorm with other people, which is a great way to network and meet others!
17. Flight attendant:If frequent flying is something that doesn’t phase you, this is a great way to make money and travel for free! Just like any occupation, being a flight attendant has its ups and it’s downs,(literally), but it is a very easy field to get into and can open up many opportunities to see different parts of the world! Check out How to Become a Flight Attendant to Work and Travel For Work to see how to get involved!
18. Be a cruise ship hand: Although there are many positions you can fill being a cruise ship hand, if you are someone who doesn’t get sea sick, you are automatically a shoe in for all of the work positions! The Cruise Lines International Association, 32 million passengers were set to travel on cruise ships in 2020, which is up 30 million from 2019. More demand means more job availability. The major cruise line corporations are Carnival Cruise Corporation, Holland American Line, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Check out All cruise jobs to find the latest opportunities!
19. Peace Corps:Not all countries have the best access to food, clean water, and proper medical care. If you have a background in the medical field, agricultural studies, environmental studies, education, youth development or community development and are itching to do humble work, this is a way to use your skills to serve the greater good and see different cultures. Peace Corps is a competitive organization to get into simply because their standards for volunteer participants may be higher. Check to see if you possibly meet the minimal requirements!
I hope this article, at the very least, has opened your perception to how many ways there truly is to live abroad. The world is more full of opportunities than it isn’t, you just have to be willing to look beyond your normal environment!
“Women who reported sitting for more than 6 hours during their leisure time had an approximately 40% higher all-cause death rate, and men had an approximately 20% higher death rate.” – American Journal of Epidemiology
“Women who sat more than 7 hours a day and women who did no physical activity were more likely to have depressive symptoms than women who sat less than 4 hours a day and who met physical activity guidelines, respectively.” – American Journal of Preventative Medicine
“According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause to global mortality. Being a freelancer who primarily earns an income from my laptop, this puts me on the frontline for chronic diseases and that terrifies me.” – Fairytrail member
What’s even more scary, as I am writing this article, I am strengthening these statistics. Chances are that you, as the reader, are too.
Somewhere between the lavish lifestyle blog posts and “how I trained for my first 5k” video tutorials, a critical piece of information is silenced; the gruesome amount of sedentary hours that freelancers face.
Considering that there are over 57 million freelancers in the United States alone, this is a topic that needs consistent attention. To bring consciousness to the potential long term affects of a sedentary lifestyle, we must observe some of the short-term symptoms.
Here are some physical health struggles that freelancers regularly experience:
Joint pain / stiffness
Weight gain or unhealthy weight loss
Bad posture & back pain
Slow metabolism / digestion issues
Easily fatigued from exercise
Most of these issues are simply caused by the excess of sedentary tasks and restrictions of range of movement. Whereas, 9-5 jobs in food service or hospitality require you being active on your feet for long hours. And considering that we are collectively experiencing the restrictions of COVID-19, those who regularly did their due- diligence of attending the gym are hindered as well.
But overcoming adversity is what fabricates the best entrepreneurs, right?
These burdens are not enough to counterbalance the benefits of being a freelancer, they are just conditions to note while entertaining this way of living.
So what are some ways to incorporate health & physical activity into your busy life?
1) Modify your tasks
That zoom call you have in 20 mins?
Maybe no one will mind if you are on a brisk walk during the call, or chime in between sets.That is if you use mute as needed that way no one is a victim to your awkward heavy breathing.
Just starting to brainstorm ideas on a new pitch or project?
Put down the pen, close the computer and brainstorm on the go. Get your blood moving and as ideas come to mind. Open up notepad on your phone and type or voice record them so that the can be marveled on later.
Don’t have time?
You are 100% right! You don’t have time, that’s why you have to make it.
I know that is a broken-record statement, But in all honesty we operate in a trifecta of the Mind, body , and spirit. This trifecta works like turning gears, and when one gear gets neglected, it isn’t a long grace period till the other gears suffer the ache as well. Lucky for you, being a freelancer demands being creative.
And MOVEMENT fuels CREATIVITY.
A study conducted in 2014 by Stanford University suggested that “out of the 48 participants, 81% improved their creative output while walking”.
As far as each individual goes, their creative juices are enhanced by 60% JUST BY WALKING. The experiment further claimed that extending your activity to the outdoors can expose even more benefits.
“Think about it, they are called creative juices for a reason, right? When you exercise, your heart rate increases, which sends more blood flow to the brain. As blood flow increases, your brain inherits more oxygen. Physical activity is not just for your body, it’s the key ingredient to helping your brain be a well-lubricated machine.”
Any movement is better than none. As long as you are getting your heart rate up in some way to increase your blood flow, you will benefit. Use your creativity to innovate ways to weave movement medicine into your everyday life.
If you can find wiggle room, use it to wiggle!
2) Make movement your first priority.
We have all been there; Setting the alarm for 5:45 am in regards to squeeze some morning cardio in before you start your day. You turn to respond to your alarm and one of 2 things happen:
You hit snooze and sleep in past your goals
You find yourself knee-deep in emails and internal pressure to start crafting new content, completely putting AM movement on hold.Staaaahp. Don’t do this.
Remember a great benefit to being a digital nomad is having more time to yourself and not having to be rushed into a workplace everyday that has overhead.
Don’t let your phone or laptop be that overhead.
Your body is the vehicle that drives everything in your life and business. Don’t put it on the back burner.
3) Set the pace for the day.
As soon as your eyes open in the AM, your cortisol levels rise. Why not use that flight response to fuel a good morning workout? (which in return, will REDUCE overall stress). Not to mention, if you give yourself too much time, your entrepreneurial ego will negotiate “more important” things you can be doing with your time than tending to your health. Also, if you get your physical activity out of the way first thing in the morning, you will have the rest of the day to be working more effectively with a clean conscience knowing that you put your health first.
Benefits of A.M. workout include:
You will burn up to 20%, due to being in a fasted state.
No problem! Everyone is different. If A.M. workouts come with too much resistance, then that may not be your peak hour to work-out.
“I have found that my workouts are more effective in the morning, but honestly some people feel they reap the most benefits from their workouts in the evening. A great way to determine whether your workouts are most efficient in the morning or evening is to listen to your body and journal your energy levels throughout the day. Whatever times of the day you’ve documented that you were the most energetic, try and plug in some physical activity during those times and see how you feel.”
Your body digests food a lot better when it knows that it is going to actively need it, but if you are sedentary for most hours, your digestive tract may become sedentary as well.
If you are going to be sitting for a while, is it necessary to eat dense foods such as pizza and steak that digest slower and will sit in your stomach like a log? Fuel your body as necessary to your activity level. That way you dont experience a calorie surplus resulting in weight gain or calorie deficit, resulting in fatigue.
“Energy input should equal energy output – that’s the key! Know that your body is going to be using whatever you are putting into it. If you predict a slower-moving day ahead of you, adjust your food consumption accordingly.”
Chew slowly and thoroughly to ensure that your lax-day compensates your digestive system. Possibly drink tea or just warm liquids to nurture your metabolism throughout the day.
5) You don’t need a gym or equipment to have a killer workout.
Whether you are a freelancer who doesn’t have space for equipment during travels or a gym junkie who is deprived due to COVID-19 , it’s time to get innovative with your exercise.
Here’s a tip, YOUR BODY IS YOUR BEST DUMBELL. And no, i did not just call you dumb.
Your body is with you wherever you go (duh), might as well use it! Here are 50 bodyweight exercises that you can perform literally anywhere. If you want to add a little more heat, resistance bands are flooding the fitness industry. They are perfect for light traveling and can be used anywhere in multiple ways. If you are someone who is is interested in using technology as a fitness tool, check out out article on our recommended best fitness apps.
“ I have a good feeling that because of the coronavirus, people are going to start taking it upon themselves to integrate fitness into their everyday life rather than strictly going to the gym 2x a week. Gyms are amazing, but you don’t need them to get a great workout in. There is TONS of free workout content all over the internet that require very little space and no equipment. Most of them can be done in under 10 minutes! If you are someone that needs a little more guidance I suggest you find a fitness influencer that you truly vibe with and support them. You are helping them as they are helping you.” – Bella Gonzalez
James had a similar response when asked “what effects do you think this pandemic will have of the fitness industry?”
“I think people are going to come out of this quarantine feeling better than they did before. Overall, for some people, this was a very necessary pause to reset their mind, body, and spirit. A pause that has given them the time to consider what they value in their daily routine and to integrate activities to look after their well-being. You really only need a small space to perform a decent workout at any intensity level.” – James Leung
6) Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.
“It’s important to keep your ‘mindful movement-toggle’ turned on in all circumstances. When you are traveling, find ways to marble physical activity into your vacation, that way you are not taking away from your experience nor are you neglecting your body. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. It could be as simple as walking to your next tourist destination rather than Ubering, squatting with your backpack on, a short jog on the beach, taking the stairs to your hotel room rather than the elevator. Yoga mats and resistance bands are lightweight and you can use them anywhere. Seriously ANYTHING to get your blood pumping and to remind your body that you are always being mindful by finding ways to take care of it.” – Bella Gonzalez
“It’s easy to slip into an unmotivated mindset. But if you look around, you will find inspiration everywhere. If you are conscious of the science-backed reasons of how physical activity greatly improves your overall wellness, it becomes a no-brainer as to why you are going to do it despite any outside factors. Bruce Lee says, ‘think and you shall become’, if you think with a wellness mindset, a wellness lifestyle will start to surround you.” – James Leung
There will always be a way that your mind will try and convince you not exercise, but none of those reasons are valid.
Without your body & it’s optimal health, you wouldn’t be eligible to experience all the greatness life has to offer.
So rather than putting your health last, put it first!
James Leung is a traveller, wellness-teacher, trainer, and content creator for BALM. James is using his past education and inherited skills to apply them to his passion: Living and promoting a wellness lifestyle from anywhere in the world. When not travelling, James predominantly resides in London. Although he enjoys all things wellness related, he highly enjoys martial arts in yoga.
Next destination: Thailand.
If you would like to get to know James better, you can find him on instagram @jamesjleung or @balm.welness
Bella Gonzalez is a free-spirited freelancer/yoga teacher who uses her knowledge as a graphic designer to supply income and connect with the world while fulfilling her dreams of endless exploration. All-in-one package and a true go-getter.
Big news! We’re the first dating app to offer people the ability to match and go on virtual adventures powered by Airbnb, Walk, and Viator (part of TripAdvisor).
Here’s how it started.
The Coronavirus is lockdown is really getting to me and everyone on the Fairytrail team. Many of us are feeling like we’re going crazy– gaining more weight and developing more anxieties from the lack of social support and interaction.
This is unlike normal remote work conditions. As a remote workers, we could go to to the beach. Hang out with friends. Go out on dates. Go to the gym, fitness classes, and church. Travel.
We’re not alone.
With travel restrictions and shelter-in-place, nearly half of Americans report that the coronavirus crisis is affecting their mental health. And an alarming projection from the national public health group Well Being Trust estimates that 75,000 Americans could die from drug or alcohol misuse and suicide related to COVID-19. “You’re having feelings of isolation and loneliness like you’ve never had before,” says psychologist Dr. Kevin Gilliland.
Virtual travel dates.
Viator launched live virtual tours a few weeks ago as a way to keep travel alive in some way.
At first we were hesitant, but reviews from people who have done it reminded us that travel isn’t just about seeing the site and taking photos. It’s also about the stories, history, meeting people, and experiencing cultures.
Here’s one review from a person who went on a virtual tour:
“This was my first ever virtual tour and I had no idea what to expect. It was essentially a super-interactive conference call with a super host. Lula was very energetic and knowledgeable guide. Although you are just sitting in front of your computer for the whole thing, he kept the experience very engaging and informative. Great value for money and a really nice way to spend an hour.”
– Mairt, Magic of Film Themed Virtual Tour of London
Could this be a novel way for people in lockdown to connect, be entertained, and build a relationship in this challenging time?
These virtual adventures allow us to learn new things, meet people from different cultures, and experience something live and fun with people we like. They start at only $6 and are available worldwide.
So we decided to add it to our app. Video call dates are great, but can just talking all the time can get stale, especially for those who have been talking for weeks.
How our app works.
Single people make a free profile on Fairytrail and match with each other (just like on Tinder or Bumble).
Once users match, Fairytrail recommends different virtual tours to them from Viator and Airbnb based on their profiles. Users aren’t able to talk at this stage. They simply choose the tours they like.
If there’s overlap in the tours picked, Fairytrail connects the users to talk and show them the cheapest matched tour. They can message, video call, and even book the matched tour.
Examples.
Pick adventures from this screen.
When you tap an adventure, you see the details.
We’re excited. Looking forward to you guys trying it out! Let me know your thoughts. Download the app here.
By the way, you can still match on destinations for future travel. We haven’t removed that function.
Maintaining physical fitness may be more of a struggle now that gyms are closed due to COVID-19. If this is something that rings true with you, keep on reading!
It’s easy enough to say to ourselves that we are going to make the best of these wild times by getting in shape or trying out those new healthy recipes, but actually doing it is a whole different scenario.
Some people are more “fitness savvy”. Knowing the best workouts, equipment, and fitness apps comes naturally to them.
If you are like me, you are more prone to moving your body aimlessly in hopes of looking like Jennifer Lopez by summertime.
We live in an age where anything we need guidance with is right at our fingertips, including fitness!
Here are the best health and fitness apps for staying well during this pandemic.
What kind of person would I be if I didn’t start off with a biased opinion?
This is the app I use EVERYDAY and in my opinion, surpasses the other apps I am about to mention. It helps me track my calorie input and output, which is vital during this pandemic because boredom snacking is a very real thing.
This app is extremely customizable to your current health state, your goals, and how much activity you are willing to put into to reach your goals.
It has TONS of free workouts based on whatever you are trying to target. Both step by step and video routines are available.
The best part is the massive food database you can use to track your food/calorie intake. It has over 6 million food entries you can add to your food log as well as having the option to customize your food entries yourself.
The only downfall of the large food database is most all of the entries have been made by other users, so you might have to fact check if the calorie numbers seem off.
There is also a barcode scanner in the app for instant access to food item details.
Annnnddd… IT’S FREE.
For 9.99 monthly of 49.99 yearly, you can get premium features and track your macros more accurately. I find enough satisfaction in the standard but if you do desire to upgrade, premium on MyFitnessPal is significantly cheaper than other apps!
What makes this app COVID-19 worthy is that you can virtually compete in workouts with friends! Most of the workouts are short spanned, high-intensity focused, and can be done anywhere with no equipment! Free with in-app purchases!
Don’t let the name fool you, men can definitely break a sweat from these workouts too. This app is flooded with questions but rather simply gives you an option to answer questions for customization, or simply skip to the workouts. This app is easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.
The best feature is that the main home page features workouts based on;
Difficulty level
Body targeting
Time of workout
HOW MANY CALORIES ARE BURNED?!
That’s pretty rad. If you eat a cookie that’s 46 calories, you can burn it off in 10 minutes!
Want to try something new that will calm the chaos of the coronavirus? This app is straight to the point for the user; main page featuring what the user might be seeking. Whether it be winding down for bed or toning your bum, it has it all. App made by the same designers as Workout For Women, thus having a similar format of displaying workouts’ traits front & center.
One month ago, we alerted our community about the dangers of COVID and strongly advised against traveling before lockdowns began. Since then the world has changed dramatically.
Although our community has always embraced remote life (93% of our members are fully remote or aspire to be), it seems the whole world is talking about it now.
3.1% of US workforce are fully remote (4.8m US digital nomads 2018 / 155.76m total US workforce 2018)
In 2018, only 3.1% of the US workforce considered themselves digital nomads (aka fully remote). The Coronavirus is accelerating the adoption for remote work.
We are glad more people are learning about remote work. This means massively more opportunities and support for us.
Online Events
Here’s a list of things now available to us as our world becomes remote friendly. Perfect for those looking for jobs, learning, and networking.
Running Remote’s Remote AID 2020 is a free, virtual workshop event on April 20th at 8AM PST. It’s designed for companies and people struggling with emergency work-from-home policies during the coronavirus outbreak. My friend Anna just did a 9-hour rehearsal of her charity event! It’s going to be amazing. Reserve a spot.
My friend Joe Blair’s Remote Startup Expo is on Thursday, April 23rd at 10AM PST. A virtual summit featuring 20 top remote startup CEOs/founders! 100% free, 100% remote. This is not a webinar. There will be ample time for networking via Remo. Reserve a spot.
We got tickets and will be there. GET FREE TICKETS!!
Fairytrail Update
Our virtual dating concept is now being talked about by mainstream media as one of our members explains on NBC.
Entrance fee is coming next week (assuming Apple approves our app update), so invite your friends to join Fairytrail now while it’s free.
Today, Covid-19 was officially designated as a pandemic by WHO.
We strongly advise not to travel for your own safety, to minimize the disaster impact, and to be considerate to those who are most vulnerable.
Here’s some basics:
Coronavirus can stay in the air for 30 minutes
People can infect each other from over 14.7 feet (4.5m) away
Coronaviruses can survive on surfaces for 3 days (the flu only survives for 24 hours)
Incubation period is typically 5-14 days but can be up to 27 days
Why do we care?
At Fairytrail, we have been following COVID-19 daily since it started in China. Companies such as Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Warner Brothers, and many others have asked or required their employees to work from home. The world is adjusting to quarantine, and many people are experiencing remote work for the first time.
Most popular dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel are very old school, connecting people for offline dates which isn’t safe nor healthy in the Coronavirus period.
People are now more isolated and in need of meaningful, loving connections than ever before.
As a startup, we don’t have that much money to donate or pathology expertise, but we do have a video dating product and a social community which helps people with their romantic and social needs.
We’re designed for remote workers, people who are isolated. We allow them to connect with other people in the same situation, so they can develop meaningful connections and loving relationships. Dates happen over video chat.
Fairytrail is a video dating app.
Since the Coronavirus started, we’ve seen a significant reduction in travel. Planes are flying nearly empty. Conferences and festivals cancelled.
We’ve even seen a reduction in our app usage.
This is because many users mistakenly believe they need to be traveling or travel to use the app. This is untrue and probably due our our travel-focused marketing.
Travel is not required to create connections.
Our main value comes from video chat. The truth is users will spend most of their time video chatting with people they like. They may go on 5-10 video chat first dates before they feel enough conviction to start thinking about meeting on a trip together. If and when they meet is completely up to them.
The biggest value we add to people’s lives is to connect them to like-minded people they like but would otherwise never meet.
We allow users to conveniently date from anywhere– living rooms, airports, Ubers, hotel rooms, and conference rooms.
Scheduling and logistics are much easier when you don’t need to commute to the date or wait until you’re in town again. It’s like Netflix, not TV– it works around your life. And it’s free. And it’s safe.
The future.
The Coronavirus pandemic is real and serious.
If you feel alone, isolated– don’t despair. There’s people who are like you out there. There’s no reason why you should have to feel emotionally isolated just because you are physically isolated.
Here are the things we believe at Fairytrail and serve as our guiding principles.
1. The world is a beautiful, magical place.
We see what we want to see. There’s beauty in our world and we choose not to let it pass us by. That’s not to say the world isn’t a cruel and dangerous place. That’s why we focus on safety. We just prefer to be surrounded by others who also see beauty and feel grateful to be alive.
2. It’s better to be in the present.
We don’t want users to miss life’s magical moments by focusing on a glowing screen thinking it will solve all their problems. We want to focus on gratitude and improving our lives today– in the moment. Life and time are precious. That’s why we show you amazing people non-invasively and limit daily usage.
3. People are the doors to opportunity.
We believe in putting people first. All else will follow. Unlike other travel companies that focus on destination first, we believe who you travel with is more important than where you go. Who you match with may open a door to a completely new world.
—
Fairytrail lets people match and make friends online for dating before meeting on real-world, group adventures. Campfire is a community for digital nomads, world citizens, and world explorers. LittleQuest is the company behind the products.
Fairytrail Campfire is meant to let nomads and world citizens help each other achieve their business and personal goals (aka make dreams come true). Some of us want to have the freedom to be anywhere which means having a job that lets them work remotely.
People often ask us how they can have a remote lifestyle. In fact, 42% of our community aspire to be remote. There isn’t one path to it, but perhaps the best way to begin is to simply to read about people who have done it.
But there are so many digital nomad and travel bloggers out there, where do you start? We spent the last couple of weeks researching and creating this list of our favorite bloggers. We ranked our list based on qualityofwriting, photography, blog content and originality.
From ex-bankers to TV personalities, all of these bloggers have one thing in common: they’re endlessly passionate about seeing the world and are willing to sacrifice their normal routines to make it happen.
Most of these bloggers are also very friendly and kind, so feel free to reach out to them. We’re pretty sure they’d love to hear from their readers.
Fairytrail Campfire’s Top 50 Travel Bloggers List For 2020
Taylor Taverna has conquered the world, having explored over 60 countries on her journey. She’s scrappy, too, building her own business by creating itineraries and sharing her knowledge to get more people out there to see the world for themselves.
Jules’ website is like a perfectly crafted folk fairy tail, with eloquent words and photos that look like the ending scene of a feel-good film. Her site is the perfect place to scroll until you’re lost, fully submerged in travel-envy but also seriously inspired to book a flight and pack your bags.
Erik brings travel writing back to truth. His stories are gritty and real, and his writing allows you to step right into his adventures. He paints pictures in his storytelling (and he actually paints real pictures, too) with incredible, eloquent detail and stunning photography to match.
To sum it up: Glo crushes life. She went from fearing travel to being a full-time digital nomad while managing a six-figure blog. She’s energetic, full of life and channels all the good vibes you can imagine to create a fantastic life for herself. Her writing is majorly motivational—you’ll find yourself trying to manifest destiny by the end of an article.
After living a normal life for 25 years, Melissa decided a conventional lifestyle wasn’t for her. She packed everything she owned into a Nissan and left to travel the country, vanlife. On her blog you’ll find travel guides, travel stories, and inspirational thoughts for those looking to travel in the United States.
Liz is a great writer, plain and simple. She’s relatable, witty and her insane adventures make for great content, too. She loves solo traveling because it allows her to do exactly what she wants when she wants. Her articles are entertaining, but also make you think twice about what you’re after in life.
Matt has been all over the world and created a life for himself on the go—he’s even started a family amidst his adventures. He’s got tips for everything from proper gondola rental tactics to run-ins with the Mexican cartel. His writing is personable, his photos are enchanting and his tips are perfect for all sorts of travelers and nomads.
Brooke has been venturing by herself since 2012 (she was just 20!). She’s since conquered the world and collected an enormous amount of stories along the way. Her site is beautifully done with vintage vibes and endless trips to explore—she even has a whole section on traveling alone and the things she’s encountered along the way.
Five years ago, Dan ditched his restaurant job to travel. He practically fell into blogging, but his passion for seeing the world kept him motivated to sharpen his skills as a photographer and web designer. He’s met tons of friends on his journey, and his humor really shines through his writing.
Despite graduating from university with straight-A’s, Victoria didn’t want to settle into society. She kicked off the nomad life exploring Bali, and has lived around the world since, writing really unique articles from the inspiration she’s gotten by traveling upwards of 70 countries.
Caroline is a full-time travel blogger and a total foodie—her personality basically pops out of the computer. Her website is beautiful and covered in “how did she take that” type-photos. Her articles are charming and easy to read, especially if you’re a woman looking for inspo as a solo traveler.
Matt took a leap for the nomadic life ten years ago and has never looked back. With over 100 countries visited, his knowledge for the world is practically limitless—he even put all those factoids together to write New York Times bestseller How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, which has inspired millions of people looking for a lifestyle change.
Alyssa is slowly but surely checking off her entire bucket list as a solo traveler. She’s already been to all 7 continents, seen all 7 wonders, and visited over 100 countries—oh, and her photography is off the charts. Her articles will give you guaranteed wanderlust envy but very well worth the read.
Alex lived a conventional life for many years with an unrealized passion for travel, but like most of us couldn’t find the financial means to travel the world with a good backup plan. Being the real-life version of Alice in Wonderland however, she threw reality to the wind and started traveling the world. Discovering how beautiful the world is kept fueling her inner fire, working odd jobs for years to keep traveling while building her blog to the success it is today.
Kate’s been traveling solo for close to a decade, cranking through all 7 continents and close to 100 countries. As a young woman in the world, she focuses on safety tips in an educated but very digestible way. She’s a great writer and can really recreate the essence of a place through her words—you’ll be intrigued the whole way through.
On her about page, Kristin leads with her mission: to empower women to be brave and confident in her abilities. This mindset seems to echo in her articles and downloadable courses. She writes with a genuine passion to see people live out their dreams of becoming international travelers.
Media personality and travel junkie Oneika has collaborated with numerous big-name brands around the world while living with the mantra of inspiring people of color to see the globe. She’s articulate, genuine and hits upon topics that we tend to overlook, making for an eye-opening read.
Nadine originally made her mark as a vlogger (and a very well known one, at that), but her website is worth equal praise. She’s been globetrotting for 9 years now, making waves as she goes with her upbeat vibe and thrifty tips to make the most of each adventure.
While his blog gives off a no-frills vibe, Earl’s adventures speak for themselves. He’s been a digital nomad for over 2 decades and has visited 117 countries. He has posts and guides for just about everything including small tour groups—he’s basically a walking knowledge bank for nomads everywhere.
Here’s a secret: Her last name is not actually Teacake. Alice, in general, exudes spunky energy and enthusiasm. She’ll leave you saying “Yeah, I got this” to just about any obstacle in your way. She’s all about women empowerment and covers the bases for traveling in a quick, quirky and digestible way. In fact, she’s launching Anxious to Adventurous, a coaching program for women to combat anxiety and embrace adventure.
Mel blogs all the stuff that everyone tends to forget about—like sleeping in an airport, or the struggle of applying for a visa. She’s also been to pretty much every off-beat place ever, having been on the road since 2014. Her articles are super real and relatable—they break the facade most people try to create about their trips and traveling.
Shubham has been traveling full time for 5 years as a writer and consultant, he has an amazing backstory and now focuses his expeditions on sustainable and responsible tourism. His passion for eco-friendly travel makes for some amazing, off-beat stories, lots of backpacking, hitchhiking and pauses to appreciate a simpler way of life.
Jackson is semi-new to the nomad life, having only been traveling full-time for 2 years, but you’d never know it. His photography is outrageously beautiful, and his thrill for taking risks seems endless. He’s always posting about unique places and uncharted territory—while jumping off every cliff he comes across along the way.
Lili’s posts are basically mini-stories, filled with emotion and great energy. In between the lovely little blurbs are equally stunning photos she takes along the way, weaving the perfect tale every time. She’s so good at recalling her day in such passion-filled detail that it’s hard to not picture her typing away in the middle of a safari or ocean adventure.
Chris is a British bloke who has been bouncing around the world since 2009. He’s down to earth and up for a good time, his articles are about how to be scrappy and travel cheap, while jumping into an array of adventures like snorkeling, surfing and hiking.
Kiki’s perfectly crafted site will keep you engaged for hours, with options to indulge in an article (or six), book a trip from her self-made travel business, or learn about proper tips for packing and dressing for any country. She’s all about female empowerment and her site practically gives women step-by-step guidance on how to get out into the world.
Shivya has been featured on some of the world’s biggest publication companies out there, and for good reason. Well into ten years of full-time travel, she seeks the off-beat, the unique and the local. This is a great site to explore if you’re looking to make a difference through veganism, sustainability and doing your part.
Jen’s a solo traveler and (plot twist) a full-time lawyer. She managed to fit 20 international trips into one year while maintaining her career—and she wants to help people do the same. You’ve got plenty of places to find inspo from her, including her articles, the book she’s written, or even the TEDx Talks she’s done.
Jeremy dipped out during the economic crisis in 2009 and has been a nomad around the world ever since. He started off by picking up random jobs along the way, and has since created a successful online entrepreneur business. TravelFreak now has an international following and has been featured in everything from National Geographic to BuzzFeed.
Clelia ditched her job at Burberry London to see the world—and she’s done just that. She’s got a ton of countries under her belt, and you can tell she spends a lot of time researching and writing about the best things to do, she also looks for the unusual and unique as she goes.
Ashley not only travels solo, but she truly lives and immerses herself into a country, rather than jumping around from place to place. Not only has she visited nearly 50 countries, but she’s lived as an expat in France, Uganda and Argentina, racking up knowledge that only locals can uncover.
At the ripe age of 15, Dave said so long to the UK and headed for Finland with the pennies he had saved along the way—oh, and he hasn’t stopped since. He got into blogging before it was cool (his mom requested a daily update because he was so young) and has since studied and lived all around the world.
Trisha says it herself—if you’re looking for guides and travel inspo, her site isn’t for you. Sure, she has some posts about “the 37 things not to miss in wherever” but, more importantly, she talks about the raw, real struggles that people push far into the corners of their mind as they go through life. Read them, relate to them, take them with you.
Sarah has been traveling for nearly a decade, dabbling in careers as she goes—from writer to dive instructor to English teacher. She has limitless energy and thrives from spontaneous moments. She’s also got some incredible videos on her site (and a very awesome accent) that you can get lost in for hours.
While she was always a fan of traveling, Christine wound up solo by accident, caught the bug, and has been venturing on her own ever since. She’s got a lot of tips about traveling alone, plus, she was a reality TV camera operator back home so her videos and photos are top-notch.
After a decade of investment banking, Keith rebuilt his career from the ground up as a writer and marketer so he could pursue his passion for travel. He’s made huge successes with his Ebook and TEDxTalk while keeping inspiration and motivation high through his travels of the world (he just celebrated ten years as a world traveler!).
Sherry has been wandering around the world on her own since 2006 public speaking, blogging and inspiring people as she goes. She ditched her attachments (like a mortgage and other expenses) to be completely free as she explores the world, which is beautifully brought out through her photography and writing.
Jessie wants you to book the trip. To take the plunge. A decade ago, she dodged the pressure of society (and her family) by saying so long to New York and her 9-5 plans in order to travel. Today, she’s an avid traveler, plus she’s got all types of tools and classes to help you find an action-packed life.
Fran has done it all. No, really, she’s basically tried every career known to man. Her about page aside, you can tell she’s dipped into tons of cultures and communities by the way she writes, the unique lens she looks through life, and the collection of little details she includes as she explains each country.
Claudia grew up in Sardinia and she was brought up exploring cultures around Europe. When she started traveling more seriously in 2013, she began her blog to keep friends and family in the loop as she went. Her writing is a breath of fresh air because she’ll it to you straight as she tackles the world, country at a time.
Self-described as an adventurer that loves the offbeat and slower travel, Dev’s stories are thoughtful, unique, and beautifully written. His eclectic excursions always lead him to new friends and amazing photos—you’ll be inspired to break out of your comfort zone and take on the world.
Sabina has been all over the map, starting at school in Austria at 13! She prioritizes immersing herself in the culture, learning the language, embracing the weather, etc. She also has an awesome section on being a woman who travels, figuring out relationships on the road, and all sorts of deeper questions that come with traveling.
Sanne has been living abroad and traveling the world since she was 17. She’s creating her own happiness along the way by being a digital nomad. Her writing is honest and real, highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly of her experiences abroad.
Kami has tackled the globe, country by country. She started traveling at a young age and has challenged herself to explore cultures that used to intimidate her. You’ll get lost in a sea of fascinating articles, including eye-opening topics about the challenges happening internationally.
Lola is a published travel journalist who has written articles for big brands around the world—she also prioritizes vegan eating, responsible travel, and yoga retreats, which are highlighted in her writing and give audiences a more authentic visual of her travel priorities and passions.
Flora brings back the human aspect of travel. She welcomes and embraces life and all its imperfections through her writing in a very sincere way. Hang on tight as she weaves through the world, sharing her adventures and the awkward, vulnerable and challenging scenarios that follow.
Steph’s adventures haven’t exactly been smooth sailing. This PhD student has been surrounded by mishaps, but it hasn’t kept her away from traveling (plus, they make for a great read). Her articles are personable, super entertaining and perfect for thrill-seekers.
Juno ditched her mechanical engineering gig in 2011 despite her parents disapproval. Her blog has since caught a lot of traction—her writing talks about her personal growth through all the beautiful, breathtaking moments she’s encountered on the road that shaped her into who she is today.
Mollie hit the ground running at a young age. At just 25, she’s already started a tour operation and a shop tailored for all your adventure needs. Mollie strives to live with zero regrets, and it’s gotten her pretty far. Check out her articles for some great photography, amazing stories and helpful tips for a variety of destinations.
Chloe has been a full-time solo traveler since 2014 and her experience has gotten her tons of recognition by big-name brands. Her blog has been majorly successful because she’s always up for the adventure and leaves no stone unturned in her search to find the best things to do in whatever city she’s exploring.
So there you have it! Our 50 favorite solo travelers and digital nomads. We will continue to improve the article add more photos throughout the year.
We highly encourage you to get reading on all the amazing articles and adventures crafted by these inspirational individuals. Trust us, you’ll discover motivation to switch up your routine, plus you’ll have all the tools and tips needed to make it happen.
Written by Rachel Laiosa
Rachel Laiosa has been writing professionally for 5+ years as a creative copywriter—both on the agency and brand side of business. An avid traveler, Rachel writes about travel in her free time for a variety of companies and brands, and keeps herself inspired by adventuring around the world as much as she can in her free time.
On Jan 4th, 2020, Maggie from New York, NY and Jun Xiang from Sunnyvale, CA traveled to Denver, CO on a Fairytrail Adventure supplied by Airbnb. The Glacier Hike and Geothermal Cave Pools experience was led by Tyler, a local tour guide who started his tour company in 2019. The travel group size was 7 people plus Tyler.
A few words from the adventure leader.
“We arrived at the glacier and the weather couldn’t have been better. This was one of my first tours I carried sleds up to the top of the trail and all the guests seemed to love it. The whole group kept engaging in dialogue. It was one of the best groups I have had.”
— Tyler DeVries, Airbnb Experiences & TripAdvisor travel guide and Owner of Adventure Colorado Tours
The story as told by software engineer and world explorer Maggie Chan.
Part I. Connecting
Jun Xiang was my first match on Fairytrail after liking each other based on our dating profiles and then overlapping on a mutual interest in the adventure package to Quebec City. I broke the ice once the chat option opened up to see how this new app works and started a conversation with Jun Xiang.
We followed the encouraged protocol of setting up a video chat and connected on Facebook Messenger. This new way of approaching online dating was interesting to me and I wanted to see where it would go.
On our first virtual date, I went to a cafe in New York City with my laptop and met Jun Xiang streaming from his bedroom in California.
The first thing that stood out to me when he spoke was his accent. Honestly, it was never something that even crossed my mind going into this experience, so it was a wonderful thing to learn about him before meeting him in person.
I immediately felt like my world was broadening and it was an incredible privilege to be able to connect with a real human being on the other end of the stream.
He looked just as cute as his pictures. I immediately felt like my world was broadening and it was an incredible privilege to be able to connect with a real human being on the other end of the stream. I think this type of exposure to one another was critical in the beginning to form trust and a relationship with Jun Xiang. I felt like it was a good match because we were both on this app with the intent to both travel and date as single adults. You definitely need to be of a certain mindset to be open to this kind of unique experience.
As we began researching what it would cost to travel to Quebec City, we became a bit discouraged when the cost of flights during our mutually available travel time was over $1000 USD for each of us for a flight on such short notice. Fortunately, the creator of the app, Taige Zhang, reached out to us to ask if we had any questions or feedback. When I told him about the issue, he explained that we didn’t have to book the adventure we matched on, and that it is only a suggestion to get the conversation started. He encouraged us to choose any destination that would better fit our constraints.
We decided to narrow down a location within the US that we both wanted to explore. We settled on Denver, CO for an Airbnb Experience package that included a glacier hike, a local pizza stop, and a trip to the local hot spring caves. It sounded like an awesome adventure that neither of us had experienced before. Looking forward to this adventure together gave us both something to bond over and keep in touch about before our trip.
Fairytrail added a level of intentionality that required both parties to be actively involved from the beginning, and connect on a visual/audio/human level before ever meeting in person.
Part II. Previous Online Dating Experience
Prior to trying Fairytrail, I had been using Tinder to browse the local singles during my travels to Asia, and Hinge to find dates in my hometown when I returned to New York City. It was exciting and fun for me to connect with people on these apps, but more often than not, conversations would get stale and interest would wane before we ever settled on a meeting date. Fairytrail added a level of intentionality that required both parties to be actively involved from the beginning, and connect on a visual/audio/human level before ever meeting in person.
A change of pace from the half-hearted swipes on every other dating app that doesn’t prioritize actual human interaction over chats and match stats.
The people you come across on Fairytrail are of a certain mindset, probably very similar to yours: Single, spontaneous, travel-bug-bitten adventurers looking for a new experience with a new travel partner. I love that these connections are two-fold: romantic interest and adventure-based. If the sparks don’t fly with your match, at least you have one person to join you for a new adventure, and possibly a new friend for life. Definitely a change of pace from the half-hearted swipes on every other dating app that doesn’t prioritize actual human interaction over chats and match stats!
Jun Xiang and I chose the most interesting adventure we could find in Denver, Colorado: A hike up a glacier mountain, local Colorado pizza (I didn’t know there was a Colorado style!), and a visit to the hot spring caves.
Part III. Booking The Trip
Fairytrail was the intermediate between Jun Xiang and I for the trip booking experience. Each of us added Travel Money to our Fairytrail accounts to cover a majority of the Airbnb Experience package cost ($120). Fairytrail generously covered the remainder ($30), as we were one of the first couples to reserve a trip through the app.
By putting our funds into Travel Money, Jun Xiang and I each made a financial commitment to our meeting and trip experience.
After each of us deposited the money into our Travel Money accounts, Taige and the Fairytrail team took care of booking the reservation for us. By putting our funds into Travel Money, Jun Xiang and I each made a financial commitment to our meeting and trip experience. This gave us both reassurance that we were both interested and invested in this new unique experience. Jun Xiang even had his airfare booked through Fairytrail while I took care of my own.
Part IV. The Adventure
Our experience on the glacier hike adventure was awesome! We met our tour guide, his sister the designated photographer, his friend who assisted as a driver, and other fellow adventurers at a Whole Foods in downtown Denver. Other people on the trip were a solo female traveler and a mother and daughter.
We briefly got to know each other before breaking up into two cars to make the trip to St. Mary’s Glacier for our hike. There was unexpected traffic and we arrived at our starting place an hour and a half behind schedule. Luckily, none of us had obligations after the scheduled end of our day trip, and we proceeded with the original itinerary.
Our tour guide supplied us with crampons (traction chains with spikes for hiking) for our boots, water and a snack and we set off on a slow and steady paced hike up to the glacier area where a lake was frozen solid. We stopped every few minutes so that everyone could get acclimated to the elevation and not get sick.
Our guide purchased new snow sleds to try, and after we made it to the frozen lake and snapped some photos, some of us climbed a ways up the mountain to sled down and skid freely across the frozen lake.
It was exhilarating! It was definitely a unique experience that I’ve never had before, and quite beautiful to take in the sights. Jun Xiang and I took some fun photos in the snow and enjoyed romping around on the frozen lake.
After the hike, we piled back into the cars and backtracked a bit back towards Denver and stopped in Idaho Springs for Colorado-style pizza (thin bottom but thick and fluffy crust!).
This part was not covered by our adventure package, but was a great break in the itinerary to try the local cuisine. The restaurant was nestled among very cute town shops that we were able to browse for souvenirs before and after our meal.
Jun Xiang and I rode in the same car together and our tour guide was aware that we were on a unique trip together through Fairytrail. When we were separated during the hot springs time, both of us were asked about our experiences using the app to book our trip together! Jun Xiang and I also bonded with other people on the tour and shared our favorite music and hobbies with each other over the car trips and lunch. The time we spent together was very fun and tiring. Being together at the end of the day, we grabbed tacos and drinks and kept our weekend long date going.
It was like we were almost an established couple, partnered up and taking on this new city, positive and open to new experiences and discoveries.
The next day of our trip, we wandered around Downtown Denver on foot to explore the shops, restaurants, and street art on our own. It was like we were almost an established couple, partnered up and taking on this new city, positive and open to new experiences and discoveries. I felt quite close to Jun Xiang and we mutually agreed that we got along very well as travel buddies. My Fairytrail Adventure was definitely worth it!
Part V. The Fairytrail Experience
Prior to going on my Fairytrail Adventure, I shared my plans with some friends who were incredulous but supportive! I’m definitely the more outgoing and adventurous one of some of my friends, so it was exciting to be able to try something new and continue to recommend to my friends!
I feel incredibly lucky to have matched someone like Jun Xiang that I felt very comfortable with and was easily able to build trust with, as we are both honest and straightforward people who also happened to work in different aspects of the same industry. I definitely would not have randomly met him outside of the app, as my typical dating location range is still within my own city, and Jun Xiang lives across the country.
Our hobbies are different but our personalities complement each other. I would encourage any adventurer friends of mine to give Fairytrail a try if they are looking for their next spontaneous trip and are open to meeting a new partner!
These are the magical words of Maggie Chan. If you would like to share your story, contact us.
When it comes to dating and relationships, personality is immensely important. Perhaps you have a certain “type” that you find irresistible. Or maybe you’ve had bad luck with one type and want to try something different. Here’s why we have Fairytale characters on Fairytrail.
1. Myers Briggs Personality Tests
Personality assessments like the widely-accepted Myers Briggs test determine your personality type by measuring how you see the world and make decisions.
Knowing which type you are and which types you have the most chemistry with is a shortcut on the road of dating. Why swipe through 100 random people on Tinder when you already know you just want to meet ENTJs? Just show me the money honey. (You can do this on Fairytrail.)
The problem is not everyone knows what those codes mean. In fact, it’s often hard to remember even after you’ve just taken the test.
What if there was a fun and visual way to represent your personality through something intrinsically human?
2. Enchantment Of Fairy Tales
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Jakob and Wilhelm, from a small town in Germany. Longing to preserve a disappearing German heritage during the turbulent Napoleonic Wars, they traveled throughout the land to collect fairy tales, part of a rich oral tradition − passed down from generation to generation, often told around the fire to pass the time during cold, dark European winters.
As the story goes, they collected tales from printed sources and verbally through friends, relatives, peasants, soldiers, and travelers.
Gathering whatever tales they could, the Grimm brothers published a collection of 86 unique fairy tales called the Children’s and Household Tales in 1812.
As captivating as they are to children, folk stories were not intended to be for children at all. Fairy tales are cultural artifacts expressed as cautionary fables, moral parables, stories of resilience, allegories of hope, and celebrations of wits and courage.
They were meant to warn, teach, and inspire us in a world fraught with hardship, deception, and brutality. Folk stories are not unique to Germany but, like the human smile, can be seen across all nations.
3. Stories Make Us Human
Native American folklore, Chinese myths, Icelandic legends, African fables, and German fairy tales. Stories are how cultures, languages, and values are passed down. It is what unites society. It’s how we communicate.
Yuval Noah Harari in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind writes:
“Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths.”
There is nothing that builds understanding, empathy, and relationships faster than stories.
And there is nothing more enthralling than a movie with a good story. So it’s no wonder, so many of these fairy tale stories have become movies.
4. Disney Effect
The most prolific and successful adaptations of fairy tales are by Disney through their popular films for children and adults. Those immensely successful films solidified characters from fairy tales in the hearts and minds of people across nations and generations.
The female fairytale characters, now simply referred to as Disney princesses, capture a variety of personalities. These princesses like us are strong, kind, open-minded, resilient, loyal, and smart.
5. Personality As Fairytale Archetypes
At Fairytrail we want to bring personality to the foreground because we believe character as important as physical beauty. That’s why we let users represent their personalities through fairytale archetypes in our remote dating and travel inspiration app.
In this era when cynicism seems to have driven out all the wonder and magic out of our lives, we still see the world as a beautiful place full of wonder and magic. And there’s no way, we’re going to let a bit of fun get past us.
Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing. — Camille Pissarro
Look through the fairytale characters to see which one best describes you or if you know your MBTI type, find your corresponding character.
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
Tribe Theory is a new category in hospitality. Their mission is to connect, inspire, and empower the world’s entrepreneurs and enable the creation of ONE MILLION businesses worldwide by 2030. Through their global hostel chain, they are aggregating talent and ideas from every corner of the world and building a full-fledged ecosystem for business services to become a global entrepreneurial platform on which we can fulfill our dreams.
“Tribe Theory empowers startup enthusiasts to build their dream startup while working remotely from their hostels. It enables collaboration and brainstorming!”, says Taige, the Founder of Fairytrail.
Fairytrail is proud to partner with Tribe Theory. Use code “Fairytrail” at checkout to get 10% OFF on booking your favorite startup hostel on Tribe Theory.
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
Stressing about holiday gifts and looking for alternatives to expensive toys for your children? We have exciting news for you. Gifting your children experiences coupled with bonding time might be better for their soul and mind rather than breakable toys!
In 2017, The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships surveyed close to 500 women between 18 and 93 years old and published a study. The women were asked to answer the question, “Most people feel loved when … ” — and guess what? The most popular answers had nothing to do with receiving tangible items.
“Our research found that micro-moments of positivity, like a kind word, cuddling with a child or receiving compassion make people feel most loved,” — Dr. Zita Oravecz, Human Development and Family Studies Professor at Pennsylvania State University, one of the study’s authors — told NPR.
Britain’s best-selling psychological author, Oliver James, in a conversation with The Telegraph asks “Do you have any idea what an extraordinary proportion of presents we give children aren’t actually wanted or valued?”
“Give a 2-year-old a present and she’ll get absorbed in the box instead. It’s similar with children and travel. We should let them explore their own ways of finding wonder in their surroundings,” James advised.
A British child psychologist, Dr. Margot Sunderland, wrote a piece for The Telegraph in 2017. “Aside from a potential boost to long-term happiness, vacations can make children smarter. What is less widely known is that vacations can also advance brain development in children. This is because, on a family vacation, you are exercising two genetically ingrained systems deep in the brain’s limbic area, which can all too easily be ‘unexercised’ in the home.”, writes Dr. Margot.
“These are the PLAY system and the SEEKING system (Panksepp 2016),” Sunderland adds, explaining that the brain’s PLAY system “is exercised every time you bury your child’s feet in the sand, tickle them on the pool lounger, or take them for a ride on your back. The SEEKING system is exercised each time you go exploring together: the forest, the beach, a hidden gem of a village.”
“So when you take your child on a vacation, you are supporting their explorative urge (SEEKING system) a vital resource for living life well, and their capacity to play (PLAY system). In adulthood, this translates into the ability to play with ideas — essential, for example, to the successful entrepreneur,” she added.
According to James, it’s worth noting that vacations “remove us, physically, from our highly pressured everyday lives where everyone’s focused on meeting targets. They are times when everyone can relax and be playful together.”
“This collaborative playtime — devoid of solo-focused toys and technology — is a crucial human experience, for children especially, but for adults too. Without it, life is very empty and lacking in joy,” he added.
About the pros of traveling with younger ones, James added – “Children see the world differently. Through consumption, for example, The way that French cafés have Orangina instead of Fanta is fascinating to kids, and details like that will stick with them for long after the vacation ends.”
When you travel, you gain richer experiences, create deeper relationships, and make memories that will be a source of happiness and stay with you forever. Read more about how traveling helps build relationships here.
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
We believe the world is a beautiful, magical place. And it’s no surprise, we are attracting those who think like us.
Through this app, I’ve connected with CEOs of tech companies, professional athletes, TED speakers, Google employees, Harvard grads, airline employees, journalists, doctors, college students, and even people who have lived in a small town their whole lives. What unites us is our passion to explore the world’s people, cultures, and places.
We made Campfire for positive, curious, and adventurous people like us. This Facebook Group is an opportunity to network and share anything related to your business, passions, and goals.
Life is full of magic. We’ll help you discover it. Contact us if you feel you could be a good moderator and help us shape the community.
Shoutout to Iceland and Australia for the most user growth last week!
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
We gave you the rundown of the Female Fairytrail characters; now we would like to invite you to get to know the Male Fairytrail characters. Interested in knowing which one you are? To read about why Fairytrail uses Fairytale characters to help people get to know their matches, read this article.
The Myers-Briggs and Enneagram Tests are widely adopted personality tests that helps people to understand more about themselves. It is also helpful for others to get to know your traits and why you do things the way you do. If you are new to MBTI or Enneagram, take a free test here to find out what personality type you are!
Compatibility is crucial for any relationship, but it can be difficult to know exactly the type of person you are most compatible with. Fairytrail requires each user to assign themselves a character that best aligns with their personality type. This not only allows people to get a better idea of how they might get along, but it also helps in figuring out which characters they seem to get along best with, and therefore which characters to look for in order to increase chances of success.
Aladdin
ESTP (Extroverted. Sensing. Feeling. Perceiving)
Enneagram Type 3 (Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious)
Highly adaptable, fun and charming; they possess boundless energy. Adventurous and enthusiastic, with an appreciation for material comforts.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
People of ESTP type are generally the first you’ll notice or become aware of in a crowd. They love to be at the center of attention and always have an impact on their immediate surroundings. They enjoy and are comfortable living under the spotlight.
They possess boundless energy and prioritizes fun, living on the edge with little concern for their personal safety at times. They push themselves and others to the max, taking risks with very little hesitation to get what they want. They are natural group leaders that bring an air of life and excitement everywhere they go.
Their enthusiasm and adventurousness make them really fun people to be around. There’s always something to do or somewhere to explore.
Here are some famous people that have the ESTP personality type: Jack Nickelson, Eddie Murphy, Madonna, Ernest Hemingway
John Smith
ENFP (Extroverted. Intuitive. Feeling. Perceiving)
Enneagram Type 7 (Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered)
Calm, cool, and open-minded. Quick to recognize another person’s strengths and weaknesses.
“It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool – for love – for your dreams – for the adventure of being alive.” – Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
Intuitively honest and effortlessly genuine, the ENFP type value true spirit, independence, creativity, and freedom. Their self-esteem is built on their ability to innovate and create solutions.
Thanks to their imagination and passion, they will not be beaten down by the stress in life. They know how to relax and wind-down from the little stresses of everyday life, transitioning from serious work mode during the day to free-spirited on the dance floor at night.
Adaptable and accepting, their intuition leads them to be in tune with their own emotions and allows them to connect emotionally with others; they really get to know and understand what inspires people around them, while also recognizing their strengths and weaknesses.
A relationship with an ENFP type is an enjoyable journey of mutual exploration and imagination. They seek to connect with a soulmate and are not afraid to fully commit.
Famous people you may know that are ENFP type personalities: Robert Downey Jr., Robin Williams, Quentin Tarantino, RM (Kim Nam-joon)
General Shang
ISTJ (Introverted. Sensing. Thinking. Judging)
Enneagram Type 1 (Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic)
Loyal, faithful, dependable, with a strong sense of duty. Operate in relation to internal beliefs and values.
“Associate yourself with men with good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
The sensibility and perfection of the ISTJ type mean that they like to get things done, and to do them well. They place great value on and pride themselves in their sense of duty and extreme loyalty.
Very much a team leader, they strategize to ensure minimal mistakes, but take full responsibility when things don’t go as planned; they hold themselves accountable for their actions.
The ISTJ type comes across as quiet and secretive; they really value their privacy and are slow to open up to and admit their feelings to others.
What famous people might you know that have this ISTJ personality type? Sting, Denzel Washington, Angela Merkel, Natalie Portman
Prince Charming
ESFJ (Extroverted. Sensing. Feeling. Judging)
Enneagram Type 2 (Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive)
Warm, caring, and compassionate; valuing cooperation, they are unpretentious, valiant and selfless.
“Encourage, lift and strengthen one another. For the positive energy spread to one will be felt by us all.” – Deborah Day.
Extraordinarily caring and always ready to help, the ESFJ type is highly sociable and popular individuals. They care deeply about their loved ones, be their family or friends. When it comes to romantic relationships, the ESFJ doesn’t mess around; they take things very seriously, rarely participating in anything that could be considered a casual fling.
Charming in the least pretentious way, they are widely popular and sought after and while they are good with and seem to enjoy the attention, they handle their popularity with a grace that keeps intact and holds true to their valiance and dignity.
Famous people that are an ESFJ personality type: Taylor Swift, Bill Clinton, Jennifer Garner, Steve Harvey
Peter Pan
ESFP (Extroverted. Sensing. Feeling. Perceiving)
Enneagram Type 7 (Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered)
Outgoing, friendly and spontaneous; always up for an adventure.
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you surely don’t deserve me at my best.”– Marilyn Monroe.
ESPF types are spontaneous, energetic and fun-loving. Playful and with a great sense of humor, they like to draw people out of their shells and encourage them to have a good time. Easily pleased, there’s nothing they like more than good times with good friends.
They are born entertainers, sometimes seen as performers because they are energetic and have a contagious enthusiasm for life. Outgoing and spontaneous, they wish to live their life to the fullest. They enjoy being under the spotlight and are able to make their own stage anywhere.
Chatty and lovable people, they care deeply about others. While they may go too far and can be stubborn at times, their intentions are never malicious.
What famous entertainers do you have the same personality type as? Elton John, Marilyn Monroe, Jamie Oliver, Adele
Robin Hood
ENTP (Extroverted. Intuitive. Thinking. Perceiving)
Enneagram Type 5 (Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated)
Witty, creative and caring, they see the big picture and want the best for everyone.
“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy.” – Thomas J. Watson.
ENTP’s are generally smart and enjoy an intellectual challenge. If you want to argue with an ENTP type, prepare yourself for defeat against this natural-born debater – they are in their element when challenged. They are thinkers, more than do-ers.
Their knowledge and confidence to speak out make them endearingly charming. They use pre-existing knowledge in novel and creative ways. Energetic and enthusiastic, they take every opportunity presented to them to learn something new. Being a partner of a true thinker, life is never boring because they will have plenty of new ideas to surprise, entertain and even challenge you with.
Their cunning wit and desire for challenges and intellectual debate can come across at times as precocious and argumentative, but beneath the surface, they are generous and have good hearts; they really do just want what’s best for everyone.
Famous people that are ENTP’s: Adam Savage, Mark Twain, Sarah Silverman, Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic
King Arthur
ENFJ (Extroverted. Intuitive. Feeling. Judging)
Enneagram Type 8 (Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational)
A born leader; kind, reliable, inspiring, adventurous.
“Everything you do right now ripples outward and affects everyone. Your every act can open hearts and minds.”– David Deida.
ENFJ types are inspiring and natural-born leaders. A typical and passionate altruist, they stand up for what they believe in. They often focus on values and vision, caring about what is best for humanity. They value self-development and also the development of others, with high hopes of contributing to a brighter future for themselves as well as, if not more importantly, for those around them.
As a leader, the ENFJ type is reliable and tolerant. A good leader has to be a good listener, listening and accepting other peoples’ opinions, be they positive or negative. Their selflessness makes them much loved and admired by those that know them.
They prioritize others’ happiness over their own. They take relationships seriously, dedicating time and effort to show commitment in a relationship, making them reliable and trustworthy partners.
Do you see yourself as somewhat similar in personality to these famous people that are ENFJ’s? Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Ben Affleck
Beast
ISTP (Introverted. Sensing. Thinking. Perceiving)
Enneagram Type 4 (Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental)
Fiery, passionate, and adventurous. Always analytical and fair in their endeavors.
“Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” – Confucius
ISTP’s are fiercely independent, curious, loyal, and learn from their mistakes rather than playing by the rules.
Explosive passion can sometimes be perceived as hot-headed or stubborn. These people feel strongly about the things that matter to them, including their partner. Although they are sometimes quick to react, give them time, they will always return with the best solution possible.
The adventurous child inside them loves activities like sky diving, surfing, and riding motorcycles. They are fearless in their quest for adrenaline and always have to be doing something. Beasts get bored rather quickly, so they enjoy a partner who always keeps them on their toes.
Taking time for themselves is crucial for their mental health. Activities like reading inspiring books or fixing things around the house gives them a moment to process their sense of self and current dilemmas. Depriving them of this time will make them feel stubborn and detached from their core values.
Being in a relationship with someone who is an ISTP type is intriguing and exciting. Their love will feel intense & wild, just like your life together.
Famous people you may know that have ISTP type personalities: Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, James Dean, Michael Jordan
Conclusion
Now that you’ve discovered which Fairytale character you are, there is only one more thing you need to do to find your princess: join Fairytrail!
Get to know amazing people from all around the world, discover incredible places just waiting for you to explore them, and plan once in a lifetime trips with people that you like and have already connected with. Are you ready for an adventure?
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
Tired of underwhelming coffee dates and telling people about how many siblings you have? If you’re frustrated by the limited dating pool in your city, it’s time to shake up your routine by adding adventure and excitement.
Try replacing your usual date script with the unknown— find someone you get along with, and go travel together. Read on to find out what experts have to say about why traveling together can help you find the chemistry you’re looking for.
You Can Uncover Each Other’s Lifestyles, Values, and World Views
Just by choosing an adventure together, you’re already setting yourselves up for success. According to personal development consultant and New York Times bestselling author Mark Manson, it’s important to distinguish between compatibility and chemistry. He says, “Compatibility is about the long-term potential of two people. High compatibility between people comes from similarities in their lifestyles and values.” If you two are traveling together, you already share something hugely important—an interest in seeing the world, in expanding your horizons.
If you two are interested in the same kinds of adventures, all the better. Even by wanting to go on the adventure together, you and your partner have already established some major compatibility.
You Can Feel More Natural And Comfortable Around Each Other Modern Love Editor, Daniel Jones, said in an interview: “My best suggestion for a dating app? Go on a trip abroad, or on a backcountry excursion, with 10 people you don’t know. I bet you’ll fall in love with one of them.” You can avoid the usual awkward pitfalls of dating—lulls in conversation, overly-scripted questions, and the weirdness of not knowing what to do next—by doing something truly exciting together. As dating coach Eric Resnick told Bustle, “Good dates are interactive. Do something where you are both on your feet and moving around together… The point is that you have something to focus on other than the date. This gives you both a chance to breathe and be yourselves. It also provides you with built-in things to talk about if the conversation hits a dead spot.” Traveling together hits all the marks: getting you on your feet, giving you opportunities to be yourself, and offering something exciting to talk about.
Your Excitement Will Spark Chemistry
When you go on adventures together, you’re getting out of your comfort zones and, no innuendo intended, arousing your bodies. Why does that basic, physiological response matter when it comes to building chemistry? According to psychologists, when your blood pressure is up and you’re feeling short of breath, your brain doesn’t always know why. So, if you’re with a partner, and you’re both feeling excited, you and your partner might attribute that excitement to each other. Basically, your brain takes the excitement from whatever you’re doing and turns it into chemistry with the other person.
Photo Courtesy: Grace Chen
So, if you want to feel the sparks flying, do something exciting together. See a new place with gorgeous scenery. Try unfamiliar foods or exotic gourmet. Visit museums and art galleries. If you really want to use psychology to your advantage, get your heart racing. Go climbing or dancing, surfing, or horse riding.
Basically, if you’re looking to really feel a connection with another person, travel is an amazing way to start.
If you don’t want to sift through hundreds of profiles to find someone who is as passionate about travel as you, give the recently launched Fairytrail app a try. It’s a wholesome dating app that lets you match with a traveling partner on a fun, safe adventure.
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Written by Clara Olshansky
Writer at Travel + Leisure, world traveler, and frequent online dater. After graduating from Yale, Clara taught abroad in two different countries, lived with five different host families, and traveled to 32 towns/cities: 4 in Japan, 17 in Israel, 2 in England, 1 in Germany, 7 in Greece, and 1 in Turkey.
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
Starting today, Fairytrail travel agents will be able to help you plan and book your next adventure.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a solo traveler or already in a relationship. This service is available to anyone through the Fairytrail app.
Wait, why would I pay someone to book my travel?
You’re already paying a commission when you book your flights from an online booking agent such as Kayak, SkyScanner, Travelocity, Hipmunk, Expedia, and Google Flights. These sites make money on commission, and often airlines pay an extra commission when these sites “nudge” you to buy a more expensive flight or pay more.
With Fairytrail, you pay the same commission (to us instead of them), but you save a lot more time and get a price guarantee.
How are you able to do all this extra work and still not charge more?
We have a distributed travel agent team based in developing economies who are very knowledgeable about finding great deals. If you work as a software engineer, one hour of your time might be worth $70 so it makes much more sense to outsource the work to any of the Fairytrail travel agents who make $1.50 per hour. And you’ll be supporting a developing economy.
We have special agreements that allow us to buy the ticket for the same price as you would by yourself, but we get a commission on it which is what pays our bills.
Fairytrail is a travel adventure dating app that connects single travelers on group journeys and activities. Its mission is to help people explore the world’s cultures and places with someone they like.
