Living your dream

The book on free spirited travels

Learn more about Sunsurfers’ lifestyle: all the pros and cons, useful tips and life hacks for your own adventures, and inspiration to make the first step towards your dream life!

Living Your Dream — The Guide From #Sunsurfers community

Be an explorer, not a tourist. Free guide from #Sunsurfers community

We conducted a survey among hundreds of free travelers and gathered a lot of practical information. Afterwards, a team consisting of 15 Sunsurfers spent a few weeks carefully systemizing this information and mixing it with their personal experience. Eventually, they composed an interesting, highly practical manual that we’ll keep regularly updated.

The project has 3 main goals: provide more information about Sunsurfers’ way of life and show its pros and cons; hand out practical advice and life hacks on self-guided travel; motivate newcomers to travel and improve themselves by giving them a «magic kick.»

We sincerely hope that this book will find a place in your heart and inspire you to make positive changes in your life.

This book is for you if:

You dream about travelling on your own
You believe that travelling is difficult and expensive
You want to travel on a limited budget or for free
You don’t know how and where to buy tickets and insurance
You don’t know what to pack
You want to get inspired and take action

The book’s content

We tried to cover the most important issues when planning independent travel. Gathered information will be more than enough to start travelling.
1
#Sunsurfers community
Who are Sunsurfers? Why did this community appear? What does the name "Sunsurfers" mean?
2
The most popular countries among Sunsurfers
How do we choose countries for traveling? Thailand, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal — features, pros and cons, and the best time for visiting these tropical Asian countries.
3
Visa issue
Where and how to obtain visas? Countries with hardest-to-get visas. Useful life hack: transit visas!
4
Travel expenses
3 types of travel lifestyles depending on your budget. Price overview of the most popular Asian countries.
5
How we earn
Internet-based work, the most popular and demanded professions. Local work. Passive income.
6
Which insurances so we use, and do we need any at all?
How to choose the right insurance company? What’s an assistance company and why is it important? Bank insurance. Bike insurance. Where to buy an insurance certificate?
7
What we pack for a travel
Functionality, weight, and dimensions — three key principles. The list of useful (must have) things from Sunsurfers.
8
Communication
Which smartphone to take on a trip? Do you need a local SIM card in a foreign country? Apps and ways of communicating with each other.
9
Travel mobile apps
Five essential Sunsurfers’ apps for smartphones. Offline maps, translator, messenger, social network for travelers, and online banking.
10
How we buy cheap airline tickets
Websites for finding flights. What to focus on when choosing airline tickets? How to track airlines’ discounts and promotions?
11
Where we live and how to book accommodation
Looking for accommodation when you have zero reservations. Booking hotels and guest houses. Apartments and houses for rent. How to live for free?
12
How do we volunteer
Pros and cons of volunteering. Where to find volunteering opportunities? How to find a job through WorkAway? Overview of volunteering opportunities complete with relevant links.
13
Deriving spiritual knowledge and practice
Meditation centers. Vipassana meditation courses. Monasteries and ashrams. Yoga retreats.
14
Finding vegetarian food
Life hacks on finding vegetarian restaurants and cafes; plus, tips for cooking yourself. Mobile apps for vegetarians.
15
Money issues when you are on the road
Cash or cards: which is preferable? Best currencies.
16
How to communicate with local people
Do you need English to travel around Asia? Important things to know when you talk to local people.
17
Other travel-hacks
Tips not included in other chapters that are all based on personal discoveries of experienced travellers. Useful tips regarding documents. How to book a ticket without paying for it? Travel safety.
18
Where to find like-minded people
Sunsurfers’ events. Russian-speaking & English-speaking Sun Gatherings. Co-working retreats. Free travellers Universities.
19
Travelling with children
How to travel with children? Which country is the best bet for a winter-stay with kids? Life hacks concerning flights, general tips and tricks.

The book contributors

Marat Chasanov
head editor
Traveller, yogi, and the founder of #Sunsurfers community. He has been traveling non-stop for 7 years and visited 55+ countries. Inspires thousands of people for positive changes. Teaches yoga. Earns money remotely without working.
Vitaly Safronov
executive editor
Traveller who has visited 70+ countries. Vitaly has been to all Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei and East Timor. He has bought land and built his own house complete with Russian sauna in the Philippines. Earns remotely.
Elyna Gordeeva
the cover designer
Illustrator. Draws all the best in this world: God, angels, yoga, flowers, vegetarianism, animals and happy families. The architect. Builds beautiful houses in Bali by principles of Vastu Shastra.
Tatyana Syutkina
internal pages illustrator
Graphic designer, artist, and illustrator. Lives in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Creates design for the web and for printing. Also, she created the corporate identity.
Sasha Postovar
the layout and website designer
Traveling web designer and developer. Sasha has visited 25+ countries. He is a blogger and the author of Lifelongtravel project, an online magazine about traveling, self-development and people.

Download the book for free

We updated the book on February 5, 2018. Please enter your email to get your book. We’ll send you the download link right away. Enjoy!