Ariadne
Nomad Tales is written by Ariadne McGuinness. In 2007, I left the United States permanently to see the world. I ended up in Prague for 5 years where I owned a bar for 3 years, got married, and managed to travel Europe whenever I could get away from work. In 2012, I sold the bar and left Prague to travel full-time with my husband. We travelled around Thailand and Cambodia for a few months and then returned to Ireland to bring the Little Nomad into the world. Travel continues, albeit with fewer late night cocktails.
I love exploring archaeological sites and cities with an underground (tunnels, etc.).
Young Nomad
Previously known as Little Nomad on this blog, back when he was a toddler who could spot a playground from a speeding tuk-tuk at a distance of 200 yards.
Now he is 9 years old and turning into a veteran traveller, with 22 countries visited so far.
Young Nomad is interested in filmmaking, stop-motion animation, and Kaiju monsters.
Micheal
Micheal is originally from County Leitrim, Ireland but he didn’t stay there long. At the age of 20, he moved to Switzerland, beginning a life of travel. Micheal has lived in 4 countries (Ireland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Thailand) and visited 35.
General Travel Questions
What countries have you visited?
As a family (24): Czech Republic, Ireland, United States, Morocco, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Kingdom (and Gibraltar), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine, Andorra, Poland
Just Ariadne (25 total): all of the above plus Mexico
Just Micheal (36 total): all of the above plus Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Latvia, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica
What languages do you speak?
Ariadne: French (intermediate), Spanish (very basic but trying to learn), Czech (basic with bad pronunciation).
Micheal: French, Czech (basic with better pronunciation).
Young Nomad: English, understands some very basic Czech words.
Money
How do you afford to travel so much?
We both work online while travelling. Micheal is a web designer. I work part time in digital marketing (mainly setting up PPC and Facebook ads for companies). Micheal works 5-6 days a week and only gets to see the cities we visit in the evening or on weekends.
Do you pay taxes?
Yes, we pay taxes in our current home base of the Czech Republic where our business is registered.
What about paying social security? What will happen when you retire?
Micheal and I both pay into the Czech social security system. Theoretically, these credits could also transfer back to his home country of Ireland, which will entitle him to a state pension when he turns 66. However, we think it is smarter to also make monthly contributions to a private pension fund. Who knows where we will be living when we are 66.
Travelling With a Toddler While Working Online
What do you do about childcare while working?
Micheal watches Little Nomad for two hours in the morning while I work. Then I take over and Micheal goes to a co-working space or cafe to work for the rest of the day. I also work after he has gone to bed. Sometimes I take L.N. to an indoor playground in the afternoon and I can get an extra 30-60 minutes of work done on something that does not require 100% concentration. If one of us has extra work that needs to be done, they get to work Saturday morning.
Will you stop travelling when Little Nomad is old enough to start school?
That depends. I plan to homeschool our son through the primary years, what would be kindergarten through 5th grade in the United States. After that, it will be his choice as to whether he wants to continue homeschooling or enroll in a more traditional school. Either way, his education will be supplemented with private tutoring in music, art, languages and any academic area that he wishes to pursue. We will make these decisions as a family when the time comes.
Have more questions?
Ask me (almost) anything in the comments below or email me at ariadne at nomadtales.com