China Eastern (International):
China Eastern proved to be a hassle-free airline, providing me with the peace of mind I needed. With two included bags, I didn't have to worry about my travel backpack exceeding the limits. Their straightforward approach made the $280 flight from San Francisco, California to Manila, Philippines a pleasant experience.

Jetstar:
Budget airlines like Jetstar can be a double-edged sword when it comes to baggage policies. To avoid surprises and additional charges, it's crucial to thoroughly understand their processes. By familiarizing yourself with their baggage policy and check-in guidelines and traveling light, you can explore the world for several hundred dollars at most.

Cebu Pacific:
Flying with Cebu Pacific Air from Manila to Dubai presented its own challenges. With a restriction of one bag under 7kg, I had to employ some clever tactics. At the check-in counter, I discreetly placed my bag behind the counter, telling the attendant it was a backpack only. Luckily, they didn't weigh it, but I was prepared to remove heavier items if necessary. Keep in mind that this is just one example, and it's important to be aware of each airline's unique policies.

Singapore Airlines:
Though not a budget airline, Singapore Airlines offers a top-notch flying experience. With excellent customer service, comfortable amenities, and included bags, they are worth considering, especially when you value a more luxurious journey. While finding a good deal with them can be challenging, the overall experience is often worth the investment.

Traveling the world with a heavy oversized backpack doesn't have to drain your wallet. You can travel smart by understanding and adhering to airline policies, being proactive, and staying attentive, you can minimize or even avoid baggage fees altogether. Remember to research the baggage limits and guidelines of each airline before your trip, and pack strategically to travel light. With these tips in mind, you can embark on your adventures with peace of mind, focusing on the incredible experiences that await you. 

This was all travel that occurred before covid, so don't be shocked if you're not able to find some of these same prices.  Nowadays the economy is so expensive, and there are more business deals.  In June 2023, I was able to find a business flight across the pacific with a 17 hour layover in honolulu (yes, I did stay a night and go surfing with friends while there) for $1700, where the best economy deals I could find were $800-900 for the worst itineraries (multiple layovers, airports that were not directly on the way, etc), and the ones with more direct routes and one not-so-terrible layover were already approaching $1300.  Don't forget to check business if you think economy prices are feeling absurd, though, isn't the price of everything nowadays... at least in the US.

If you're seeking valuable travel tips and tricks to make your adventures more affordable and enjoyable, look no further! Contact me for expert advice and insights on navigating airline policies, packing efficiently, and saving money while exploring the world. I'm here to help you travel smarter and make the most of your globetrotting experiences. Bon voyage!

John Lennon and the Beatles Museum many of my friends would love to see and wow there's also the International Slavery Museum to bring back any lack of gratitude you have. 

​Here's some footage of us exploring in dirty clothes with unbrushed teeth wearing smiles to hide our true hatred of TUI airlines. Additionally is featured drone footage captured before the Museum guy came around and said you're not supposed to fly drones (you're never supposed to tbh. ever. anywhere). Just like you should never take off your face mask. Ever. Anywhere.

Per the promo at the end of the video please learn about @delegatin here.  Or give a follow on Instagram.

Let me share my personal story about almost 4+ years of what many would classify as a 'digital nomad'.

I have a dear friend, Mike, who knows how to hard sell when he needs to.  It was Thanksgiving 2017 and I had gone through a break up, and he said that I should come with him and his buddy to visit Tokyo.  Like many Americans who have not traveled abroad much or very far, I had tons of excuses. 

"It wasn't the right time."  
"How much is it going to cost?" (If only I knew at that point how cheap all this travel ends up being if you need it to be. Way less than traveling inside the US.)

Blah blah blah, anyway, as you can see I was convinced and I went with them to Japan and saw 3 cities in 5 days. And, if I was going to be in Asia, i needed to also visit Philippines since I had worked with my virtual assistant for two years on my at-the-time newer company, Handshaking.  

Anyway, for about 2 years, I backpacked and visited 20 countries and spent about half my time in the US and half abroad.  It was exhilarating.  It took me 30 years of living to really go and experience different cultures and learn many different ways to live a life, but I'm completely hooked on it.  

After those 2 years, I realized how much work it is to constantly be on the move. Despite so many stories on Instagram with signs in different languages and landscapes I had never seen before.  

I enjoyed it, but that was enough.  I was ready to MOVE ABROAD. Of course, I picked the Philippines due to having staff there. And, I moved there 48 hours before the Covid-19 lockdowns started.  Perfect!!

I'd say ever since Covid-19, paired with restrictions, that the quality of digital nomading has decreased.  It requires much more research and risk to travel about the world freely.  And that's with an American passport.  Those who need to apply to visa's to visit many countries, which you can research on Henley--see how strong your passport is.

Regardless of hassle, traveling around and living amongst different cultures is both a thrill that leaves you with lifelong lessons and perspective.  And sometimes the hassle is part of the journey. 

#justsomethoughts 

PS visit my Instagram, Delegatin, to learn about how travel has influenced my professional career.

The way this works is easy.  I send you your domain, which I already won and paid for, and we've already started gifting, you can see this example to my good friend Chris Clavio, he had a special request for his last name only: 

You can see the above domain was gifted to my friend Chris Clavio, who needed to claim it quickly before it expires, and then the transfer is complete.  He is pretty deep into blockchain and crypto, in fact so much so that his company is called Level 3 Crypto, so it was easy to transfer. 

After two years your domain will expire, unless you add more Handshake Tokens ($HNS), which are NOT related to my company Handshaking.  Ironically, I am into domains, crypto, and own an online business, but Handshake.org and the registrar Namebase are a completely different entities than my business, Handshaking.com.

My team and I will be bidding on the Handshake domains all month, and will try to gift as many as we can before Jan 1st, after that we will not be gifting or investing more time on this. But, still happy to share my experience with Handshake domains on your blog or podcast if you're reading this after Jan 1, 2022. If you are my Facebook Friend and we have successfully acquired your domain, please message me right away and I will gift it if we have it!

Again, Handshake domains are DIFFERENT than my company, Handshaking, but ironically.  We both appear to be online, blockchain friendly companies.  But we sell phone call leads from our lead generation websites, and they developed a blockchain where you can register your domain. When we bid to acquire my friends domains, we are competing with the public so there is no guarantee that we have your name. 

The different between going to them and GoDaddy is that Godaddy pays ICANN to register your .com, where with Handshake, your domain replaces the .com, so instead of mattholmes.io, i could have .mattholmes, which I do:

You can see above the beautiful thing about blockchain is that it's quite transparent. You can see two transactions, first I bid 2 HNS, but someone bid higher than me.  I quickly bought it from them via Buy-it-now for 32 HNS.  

Anyway, this project will only be a success if it's able to convince browsers like Chrome, Firefox, etc to adopt and resolve the domains to a website.  Currently, they are not supported by Chrome, but surely by the time they are, someone else will own your domain name if you're not lucky enough to be gifted one by a friend.  Good luck!



Now, you read this far, what's in this for me?  
-Increased support for Handshake.org will increase the value of my domains and any $HNS that I hold
-Friends who I refer I will earn $HNS on their transactions
-You might think of me as someone who can help you with crypto questions, although I have no business built around that. 
-If you think this is cool, please link to this blog post or mention my company Handshaking.com (Dont' forget, it's different than Handshake domains)

Thanks for joining in on the fun!

​0:03+ Rio Celeste, Volcano Tenorio, Costa Rica Rio Celeste Water fall (and all the steps it takes to get there). 3 hours north of SJO airport in Costa Rica 0:39+ Rio Celeste River Inception The source of the river's distinctive turquoise color is not due to a chemical species but to a physical phenomenon known as Mie scattering.

Check out our video for a quick timelapse to one of our favorite songs from the Handstep Playlist.

Celeste River is fed by two colorless rivers, the Buenavista River and Sour Creek. Buenavista River carries a large concentration of aluminosilicate particles with a small diameter. Sour Creek, as its name implies, has a high acidity due to volcanic activity.

When these two streams mix to form Celeste River, the drop in pH causes the aluminosilicate particles to aggregate and enlarge to a diameter of about 566 nm. (You can see at 0:50 the river has not mixed yet on the bridge we crossed) These suspended particles produce Mie scattering which gives the river a strong turquoise color.

0:57 The Rio Celeste 'Lagoon' area, which is a bit bright during sunset, but beautiful on the morning. 1:09 many shots of the "Baird's tapir" super common when hiking in most locations in Costa Rica, the rest of the animals you'll want a guide like Jesus at sunrisetourslimon.com to guide you. TRANSITION TO NEXT TOWN (1 HOUR DRIVE) 2:07 a shot of Arenal volcano from the town of La Fortuna downtown area in Costa Rica!

2:11 Entry to Tabacon Hot Springs for the day ($85 including day pass + dinner). Their sales pitch? "the largest network of natural hot springs in Arenal, amid the lush vegetation to symphony of rushing waterfalls. Indulge in a renowned dinner experience."

2:23 Walking towards the Shangri-La gardens inside Tabacon Resort, La Fortuna, Costa Rica 2:46 5 seconds of Yoga immediately followed by cocktails before showers and dinner.

2:57 Day 3 (check-out) and hiking around arenal with the day pass. This includes the peninsula of La Fortuna which is simple 1200 meter walk, plus an extra 600 which you can add on for a steep hike through the forest. Visit mattholmes.io/travel to see more travel stories and adventures like this ​

​What is Smart Debt?
Smart debt is a loan (or line) that you pay according to the set agreement. This is the type of loan you take to finance something that will hopefully increase in value and one that will contribute to your overall life's productivity.

See more examples of loans that I'd consider good debt.

• Mortgage: This is borrowing money from a financial institution to pay for your home. This is an intelligent loan since your house will be worth more by completing the mortgage payment. A house doesn't depreciate, so you can sell it for a profit a few years later once you have repaid the loan. Besides, once you become a homeowner, you have access to various tax assortment breaks, which renters cannot enjoy. 
• Non-excessive student loans: Getting a student loan can be an excellent example of good debt. Note that some students' loans have a lower interest than other loans. Besides, the interest paid on these loans is tax-deductible. Financing your education can lead to career opportunities that can increase your income.  When I was fresh out of college, I was even able to go years without making repayments, which was especially helpful when trying to finance my first company, Holmes Real Estate Group.  I needed to be saving for down payments, and now worrying about cash flow, which is exactly what Nelnet helped with, thankfully. 
• Business loan: A loan you get to start a business can be good debt. Nothing beats being self-employed. It is psychologically and financially rewarding. However, it is not an easy walk; it has risks, just like any other loan. Many ventures have challenges, but chances of doing well are greater than those of failing. All you need is to choose an industry that you are knowledgeable and passionate about.   These loans are actually hard to get from my experience in the 2010s, and you might have to personally guarantee it, which is scary since most businesses fail. 

Taking too much smart debt may not be the best decision although it helps you acquire something useful, learn more.

What is Bad or Broke Debt?
Bad debt is the loan you borrow and use to overpay for a depreciating asset that has a high interest rate and is not deductible. This type of investment will not go up in value or generate any income. It is also a bad debt if it is a loan that you will strain to pay.

Here are examples of loans that fall under broke debt.

• Credit cards: Generally, cards with high-interest rates can strain your finances. If you cannot complete the credit card payment in full each month, the interest rate will prolong the debt.  However, there are ways to use credit cards smart, but that often involves a time investment for research, outstanding credit, and a close eye on your balances. 
• Cars: A loan to buy a car can also be a lousy debt. The high rate of depreciation of vehicles doesn't help and often can lead to you being 'upside down' on your payment. If you have to take a car loan, get a low-interest rate and make sure you have a stable income.   It is true that some new cars have a 0% interest rate and some benefits, but make sure you get the care below MSRP, in fact, even below invoice. Here's how I helped a friend buy a Mazda Miata below invoice.  She took on smart debt, although cars are depreciating assets:

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Also, here's some tips I have on buying a used car, with many haters in the comments (enjoy):

Spotting bad debt isn't that difficult, sometimes its good debts gone awry, learn more.

Manage Your Debt
The effective way to get out of loans is by managing your debts. Managing your debts is one of the ways to lessen the intense financial stress you might be experiencing. Debtconsolidation.com experts is the most reliable way to manage your debts. These experts will look into your finances and debt and guide you on the best way to manage your funds. For more on debt consolidation experts and what they can offer, please visit their website.

​So like I was saying, things like this help remind me of a very important take away.

1. Wifi
2. Food
3. Water
4. Shelter (especially with a view of Golf Course)
5. Health
6. Phones & Computers
7. Fortnite (PS4 sponsored by Otherwordy.com)
8. Family & Friends
9. This $4 Online Monopoly App (looking for more entrepreneurs to play with)
10. The Team and Resources that help me run Handshaking

What else are you thankful for?  Let me know and I'll add to this list.

I think that the 'enhanced community quarantine' or lockdown in many places has already ruined businesses that have taken years to build, and is also resulting in many people around the world, including in USA specifically, Las Vegas, literally starve.

Anyway, I know that in most other areas in the Philippines, people got their quarantine long before I did. They've been a little bit relaxed with us here in Taguig City. I also know that the government passes food out to the LGU (Local Government Unit) and then that is supposed to be passed out to resident there.  However, I have not received any, and it's okay, I still have my online company and an income.  But, my staff have received theirs, and they also still have the income from Handshaking.

Additionally, here in Philippines, check out this problem where authorities are getting out of hand with their power instead of helping actually enforce social distancing, or at least in that example. 

Shocking News:
I learned from one of my friends that he was actually picked up by the PNP (Police) or Philippines Military and told that we're not supposed to be walking around. He was held for 45 minutes, along with many others.  He fortunately was prepared and has a Filipino attorney, but the rest of the people picked up had to stay longer.

So, I guess it's a good thing I got the quarantine pass because I'm supposed to carry that everywhere when I walk outside. SO, that's my update today.

I think in other homes where there's a big family or lots of people or lots of people living that they are assigned only one quarantine pass per household, which means that only one person can go do the grocery shopping. Earlier in this lockdown, the began requiring facemasks to enter and now you're on your own to carry all the groceries.

Before Enhanced Community Quarantine become stricter
I was enjoying walking around with my friend Joe, the CEO of Empire Flippers, and some other online entrepreneurs. We even found a place where we could order beer to go, and there was a seating area. But for the past week, since I heard about what happened to my friend who got picked up, I have not left the house much at all.

Now that we're so far into the lockdown, I wanted to give some opinions on some cultural differences. I've noticed people in the U.S. are demanding their freedom and getting upset and wanting to get back to work, which is kind of funny because here in the Philippines, I've not seen people complain as much about getting back to work.

Although, I think it's an even more important thing that people get to work here. I've talked with people I know here in the Philippines that have said they're more worried they're going to die of hunger than the virus. Although, I hope that they were joking while they said that, there's a little bit of truth in every joke or lie. I forget the quote.

Additionally, one of the first people I met whom I stayed in contact with is completely out of work, and also out of supplies that they received from the government.  They are out of food and income right now, and GUESS WHAT.

They do NOT think the lockdown should be lifted yet, even though the lockdown is what took away the income.  Mind boggling, right?  

Anyway, it's pretty cool being in a different culture than my own and learning to listen with both ears, because if i was just in the US I'd just be talking about my opinions, but those are less welcome here, which is fine, since I'm just a guest anxious to learn what goes on in the mind of Filipinos. 

Anyway, additionally, my application to receive any loans from the government has still not been reviewed. I also have not received my stimulus check. It's not really possible to call banks because it's in the middle of the night here, and hold times are typically over an hour.

In fact, Chase is completely unreachable, despite me having a few charges i need to immediately dispute, like my cancelled flight with Philippine Airlines, who also is completely unavailable and has not even spoke of a refund yet.  

I have been able to negotiate some benefits off my bill with T-Mobile and CenturyLink and also Ahrefs.com. They gave us a free month.

So there are some benefits to this. Thankfully our sales actually have not dropped, although, we might expect a decline in the coming months. Thankfully, our sales are actually up a little bit, and we've also made a commitment here, about how Handshaking pledged no layoffs for a three month period.

Anyway, I hope everyone is staying home and staying safe. I also hope that they loosen up the lockdown everywhere around the world because I think that people are smart and have learned from this, and we wouldn't go outside shaking hands with strangers right away.

That we would go outside with a newer mindset and with our face masks, avoiding physical contact and adhering to social distancing. I mean, it's possible to go do a lot of these things safely. More restaurants possibly could be open. Barbershops, I don't know how your social distance with a barbershop, but a lot of us need haircuts.

Let's see, restaurants and bars and nightclubs on the inside that might be a little dangerous, but there's definitely safe ways to do it so that we can stop kicking the economy's butt everywhere around the world.

So that's all for now. This is a very serious pandemic that's affected many of us and our friends and or family.

I'm sorry to everyone who's experienced a loss to this. But there's definitely a point where the economy is going to cause greater losses to us as we continue this quarantine and lockdown. What do you guys think? When should we end the quarantine? And if we loosen up the quarantine, what does that look like?

My next post, I'm thinking I'll write about surprising gratitudes I've learned in 2020.  What do you think I should write about? Tell me here.

Also, check out this music video about handshaking that was my project for April 2020 quarantine.  I'd love your feedback right in the comments!
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Handshaking is not the only thing of the past, toilet paper has also becoming extinct and unavailable. Whoever would've thought that there would be a toilet paper shortage?

We're pretty sure this wasn't what the term "hunter-gatherer" was intended for.

Next, let's talk about hand sanitizer. There isn't any. Everclear will also kill germs if you had time to hit your local liquor store. It is 190 proof and if it can remove paint from furniture and walls it can kill any germs on your hands. However, we don't recommend taking a swig. Once again, it's 190 proof (95%) alcohol!

...Then again, if you do take a swig the hangover you'll get will help you sleep through the never ending covid19 outbreak. I'm on day 14 here in Manila, Philippines, weeee!! 

There is no denying that the virus is contagious. Suddenly going outdoors got scary. There could be billions of germs floating in the air from your sneezing next-door neighbor. Then there's going to the store.

But fear not, we now have options when it comes to protecting ourselves from the coronavirus.

1. We can wear hazmat suits every time we go out. The only problem is that a hazmat suit is expensive. Takes weeks to ship and when you finally get one, it's hot and uncomfortable to wear. (PS Did anyone who's not in healthcare actually buy one?  Send a pic please, I know you're out there)

2. Wearing a mask is probably the best option. A hazmat suit does seem extreme. However, there is a shortage of masks and you certainly don't want to take one from a healthcare provider. If you do, they'll remember. And when you get sick, you'll be getting healthcare (or not) laying on your floor since the hospital is out of beds wishing you had remembered to treat others with respect right now, especially healthcare professionals! 

A pore cleansing face mask won't work, despite Matt's hopes below. 

1.  Everyone's first question is: Did you have to go through quarantine or health inspections at LAX?

No, when I departed Los Angeles on March 10th with Philippine Airlines, I only had to fill out a form stating I had not been to some of the most infected parts of the world (Wuhan, parts of Korea, etc).  However, I was in Las Vegas for one of my best friend's bachelor parties, the founder of Denver Muscle Therapy.  I was a bit worried about being outside and in public then, but thankfully I have passed the incubation period and feel great today.  So it's official I did not catch the coronavirus... yet.  

2. Did they let you into the Philippines easily?

Yes, there was no tests.  I went through immigration the exact same way I have all the previous times I've entered the country.  Tons of people were wearing more facemasks, which is already way more common in Asia than the US.  So, it felt appropriate, not too shocking, and definitely felt like it was indeed 'coronavirus season.'


​

5. How do a transition my team from a physical office to a remote team?

I asked my friend and mentor here in Manila, Joe Magnotti, the Founder of Empire Flippers since they have a ~70 person team and have been doing the remote team strategy for much longer than we have here at Handshaking. 

​He summed it up in one sentence:

"Track all work objectively and compare results against similar workers."

Solid advice, the only thing you can measure with a remote team is results, since you can't really ever 100% measure their location, or working hours, like what physical offices are notoriously known for tracking. Give people the freedom, and make sure are specific with goals (tracking objectively), and compare against other workers to make sure you're not setting goals too high or too low--Thanks Joe! 
--> You should check out what they predict for 2020 in the industry around buying, selling, and investing in online businesses.

Aside from that, I found these two great posts that go into the details way more than I wanted to in this post, so enjoy:
-Transitioning to Remote Work in a Hurry
-Apocalypse post on Closing your physical office. Now.
- How To Set Up A Home Office

PS Here are some of the benefits we pay all of our remote staff in Philippines.  
-Invitation to 2 team retreats annually in Philippines
-Upgraded computer or smartphone
-Wifi Reimbursement
-Home office annual stipend

Anyway, i hope this helps, feel free to contact me with any questions. 

Additionally, there's tons of other apps that simply work in a bigger city because it is a bigger market, like food delivery, grocery delivery, etc.

Now, going into 2020 many of these apps and startups have expanded to the smaller cities and although Santa Fe only has a population of 70,000 compared to Denver's 3,000,000, there is still more conveniences.

With public transportation, I actually though that they are not competitively priced in Denver. For example, when going to the airport, a family of four from my house in Denver would have to each pay $9, walk to the lightrail, and go the long way to downtown, and then transfer to take the airport train. That's $36, where an uber that picks you up at the house is about the same. Public transportation is a great option, but only if itis priced competitively in exchange for the inconvenience of it not picking you up outside.
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To learn more about the cities I've traveled to, you can visit my travel page here.

1.  Killing someone

This is a desire I get several times per week when living here.  In the USA, it's a very very bad thing to be late.  Maybe there's an acceptable grace period of 15 minutes.  But if you're more late than 15 minutes, you're VERY sorry about that and you owe that person something if they stayed to meet with you.

In Manila, Philippines, it's incredibly common to disrespect my time and be late by 1, 2, or sometimes 3-4 hours!  To adapt to this, I've established a strategy to 'meet' someone about one hour earlier than when I plan to arrive.  And, I am generally only willing to meet somewhere walkable to where I'm staying.  But I've still almost killed someone due to walking downstairs and 5 minutes, to only find myself waiting another 1 hour.  And then another hour. 

Luckily, I bring my computer and hotspot and can remain productive, despite vigorous and consistent attempt to disrespect my time. 

If you travel to the Philippines I recommend you watch out for these common excuses that will trick you into wasting hours and hours of your time, over and over again:

"It was traffic." (yes, traffic is like the weather here.  "It's traffic outside," not "there was a lot of traffic.")
"On the way na."
"Booking Grab."

By the way, as I write this post, a date i agreed to leave my house at 7pm is still not here and it's 10:35pm.  And my old staff member who agreed to meet me at 9pm is still not here to turn in his old company iPhone. 



2.  My phone was dying.

I almost died, too!  Without data and information, you are probably pretty close to helpless as a foreigner in a new country.  When your phone dies, you can't search for the closest place to buy a power bank.  So, you might as well curl up in a bal l

Make sure to keep your phone charged to 100% when you leave the house, and bring a fully charged 10,000mAh power bank so you can charge your phone multiple times per day.  

When you leave the US, you might also leave your car charger or your charge you keep at work.  And there is nothing worse than hesitating to use your phone for information when you are in a new çountry when you need it most.


​
By the way, you can check out my travels here:

3. No connection

Another unexpected danger of traveling in Philippines was primarily outside of the Metro Manila area.  Which, by the way, did you know this fun fact about Manila:

​4. Couldn't get home

​This is probably to be expected in any new country.

Today, there are six team members that work for Handshaking (Check out our team page that we just launched). I'm one of those six, and when I paid over $100,000 (and am still paying) to receive my MBA, I'm not even sure if the word 'remote company' was mentioned throughout my studies.  

Thankfully, I met a few other entrepreneurs in the MBA program, and met many entrepreneurs back in 2014 when I graduated from Founder Institute. 

Anyway, this is about lessons I've learned as a solo founder launching a bootstrapped startup that I hope will save you time and money as you grow your remote team with your online business. 

​2.  When you hire new team members, consider hiring more than one at a time, and make an effort to meet them in person within their first 1-3 months.

Make sure to use a tool to track their hours, like Timeproof with OnlineJobs.  This also helps them separate the hours they are 'on the clock' and 'not on the clock'

3.  Pick one country to hire in, and learn about what employees expect in that country.  Then hire primarily in that country. 

For example, in the Philippines the employees expect something called a '13th month' which is an additional month of pay, paid at the beginning of December.  I never learned about this until I visited in person and of course had full-time staff instead of just part-time. 

Complying and surpassing their expectations is the difference between your staff referring their smartest friends to work for your company versus your staff being embarrassed to mention their employer is ignorant of the way things work in their country. Take the time to learn about your outsourced team's culture as soon as possible!

I'm trying to write shorter posts so this is all for now!  Let me know if this is helpful and if you have any questions in the comments below. Or subscribe to get my next blog in your email here.

Having a domain has become expensive with the typical cost of a domain name floating about anywhere in between $5,000 and $20,000. Nonetheless, how costly is this in the grand scheme of things? 

The argument regarding why domains regulate so much worth merely breeds from an absence of recognizing concerning the worth of the hidden property, as well as possibly some envy. If your granny acquired an item of oceanfront residential or commercial property one decade ago for $100,000 and today it's worth $500,000 would certainly you question the worth of the building?

No, because real estate has a substantial, acceptable worth in our heads. Domains are appreciating as well as although a lot of them are owned by sharp domain investors (like myself) who saw the future worth of these assets and also merely monetise them by serving ads (as opposed to simply reselling) the majority of these capitalists should never be criticised or defined as squatters however smart people who were in the appropriate area at the correct time.

Domain squatting is illegal and most domain investors are not squatters.  They simply saw the value of a domain name, possibly one similar to the one you want, before you did. 

Someone has your name and they are holding on it?

Unless you have a trademark on the domain name or somebody is intentionally capitalising on generating income from a typo of your hallmark no one truly is a squatter in the domain name sector. What's even more fascinating is for those people who complain that "someone has their name," however lack a trademark or other lawful type of comparable usage, is practically the equal to saying that your granny possesses my desire house other than now they are inferring that your grandma is this bad natured females and also not a smart capitalist. UDRP possession serves by popular opinion and so ought to be domain name investing.

Of course, ask any individual around the domain industry as well as no one will certainly refute there is a specific sector who does traffic in brand name or try to offer domains much over what any kind of reasonable value the domain has but isn't every legit sector additionally home to some individuals that exercise the dubious areas of service. The utilized cars and truck market, precious jewelry business, monetary trading and basically every sector I can think about has their share of trustworthy dealerships and non-reputable ones. The method is to discover trustworthy people to deal with as well as possessions at a reasonable worth to you as well as your organisation plan.

Just how much is a premium domain name worth?

Realistically a domain can be worth any type of amount however most domain names sell for about $5,000 to $20,000-- premium domains, two word .coms and short domain names can conveniently command $100,000 or millions depending upon a large variety of reasons. This allows you to consider a $10,000 domain in perspective to traditional media.

Billboard Marketing

Advertising is several of one of the most expensive marketing around. In New York City City, for example, a rotating notice can cost you anywhere from $35,000 to over $600,000 a WEEK according to Clear Channel's online rate card.  So why don't you want to spend $5,000 to $20,000 to own your exact match domain name permanently?

Mobile Advertising and marketing

You recognize that advertising and marketing billboard which is basically lugged about on the back of a vehicle as well as drives around all day? $20,000 a month if you wish to market in the Atlanta Market (although gas cost is consisted of).

Radio Advertising and marketing.

Even radio ads can set you back around $200 typical per place and also you require at least a handful a day to make any type of dent in attracting organisation ... total monthly estimated expense $30,000 or more.
Currently the question is what do you possess after the thirty day period for the typical media resources over?  

Absolutely nothing.

If you spend $10,000 on a domain your only future expenditures are the $8.xx a year in enrollment charges-- not even $8 a month ... actually less than $1 a month.  We purchased Handshaking.com recently for almost 5 digits and are thankful to own it today.  It's very inexpensive to hold it. 

Naturally there are other expenses such as constructing a web site and also SEO but every one of these costs are costs which go directly to building worth to something you possess-- not airtime or billboard area you are leasing!

There are also intangible factors like authority which domain have that standard media can never contrast to. Envision owning a domain name like govote .com or compareautoinsurance .com. Domains like these are instinctive by summary and specify your function as an authority on the subject as well as domains similar to this are typically readily available as opposed to spending numerous dollars on the very premiums like vote .com or autoinsurance .com.

FUN FACT: carinsurance.com was one of the top domain name sales of all time, check it out:

​Numerous domain names can command $1,000,000 or more even in a fire sale nevertheless the quantity of fantastic domains still offered at expense well below yearly conventional media cost for just a SINGLE portion of your total advertising strategy is virtually unrestricted.  

The genuine inquiry is not just how much a domain costs however how much value the ideal domain name can offer your company.

Take a look at your marketing spending plan and also see what $10,000 acquires you. Not a lot after all-- well, at least anything you can possess for eternity at an one-time cost.

Those curious about learning about domain ought to begin by seeing areas like Domaining.com, DNJournal.com, DomainNameWire, or MorganLinton.com to recognize the extremely active domain industry that exists as well as why daily your dream domain is obtaining closer to being opted for excellent.  

​However, I still think things look great, mostly because I am receiving Ethereum in exchange for the space and electricity for a partner's mining rig, so I'm not losing money!  But in all seriousness, likely some cryptocurrencies will appreciate again. 
1.  I'm still bullish on Ethereum.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Ethereum is 1/10 of the price it once was. However the biggest piece does not matter, the amount of sustainability and other people vested in it success in addition to how usable it is is what makes me believe that the price of Ethereum will likely go up again. I don't know what it will settle at at the end of the day, but I'm guessing more than now. I am not buying Ethereum, but you can buy some here.  Or, maybe I should be buying some right now...

2. I continue to receive monthly Ethereum payments.

Many months ago my friends were mining Ethereum in there downtown apartment in Denver. When I stop by to see their place one day, I offered them to bring it to my office because number one electricity is included with my lease, and number two that way no one has to live with the machines making the somewhat loud White Noise. Ever since they moved the rigs in to the office, I have been paid almost half and Ethereum each month from them in to the office, I have been paid almost half and Ethereum each month from them.

This has been my biggest with 'with crypto' but really, it's just creative compensation in exchange for real estate.  #notacryptomillionaire

3. Binance is Annoying.

I had a reminder in my calendar to see how my bind and portfolio was doing one year after I opened it. When I went to login my Google authenticator had some have been removed from the phone I now use today. I had to go through the longest process write them notes, handwritten notes, take videos of myself holding my license, and jump through other stupid hoops that were 10 times more aggressive and intrusive than any banking password reset I've ever had to go through.  I did finally get logged in, so they're not a scam for me!  But, if you have an account and you give up, then maybe you will never be able to access your coins again.

Preface:  A word on the Jordan Pass
I bought the Jordan pass which allows yoou to not have to pay to get your visa to enter the country, but then they did not check my Jordan pass even once.  I was prepared to use it for experiences at the Castles, Petra, and more and they never checked it aside from at immigration when I arrived.

Also, I bought the Jordan pass at the airport after I arrived while waiting for the lines to go down.  They’re friendly as long as you have it on mobile (I’d also recommend a screenshot in case you don’t have data). ​

Speaking of data, I have T-Mobile back home in the US so I get free 2G data which is awesome to have when in a country for a short period of time, but 2G is incredibly painfully slow and sometimes my emails don’t even load.

​People have asked so here it is: A word on crossing into Israel from Aqaba to Eilat.
Before we crossed from Aqaba to to Eilat we needed to figure out 1. is the border crossing going to be a problem while we're there (long lines? does it close at a certain time? ask for a paper instead of a stamp?), and 2. Transportation to the border on the Jordan side and then transportation from the Israel side to hotel.

1. It was a very simple crossing, we went through the regular ongoing questioning about all the details of each of our trips.  Yes, many questions but just be honest with simple answers. Don't volunteer additional information unless requested.  And don't worry, unlike the border from Singapore to Malaysia, you can simply walk from one end to the other. 
​
2. Transportation on the Jordan side seemed to be a flat 10JD, and I was able to ask 3 cabs, then one accepted my offer of 7 Jordan Dinars.  On the Israel side, we were worried about how to get a ride to the hotel, but conveniently there was one cab that pulled up and we hopped in right away.  Not sure what we would have done if that cab wasn't there, plus, there was not a money exchanger so he got paid in JD which of course involved rounding up so be aware of that.

Always best to have the local currency.  And usually cheapest to pull out the exact amount you will need from at ATM with a card that pays for your ATM fees. 
--> Sign up for Aspiration if you need a free online account that pays for your ATM fees. 

Thanks for tuning in and good luck in Jordan!  If you'd like more posts, you can
--> Sign up for my personal email list here

First, the gig economy is growing in popularity due to the demand for a flexible schedule, the increasing ability technology has to provide consumers the 'just in time' service or product, and the increasing number of Americans wanting to get a piece of all these marketplaces that allow you to earn extra income.  Uber/Lyft, and Airbnb are some of the most popular ones.

If you haven't signed up, here's some credits for you:
$40 Airbnb Credit
$25 Turo Credit
​$5 Lyft Credit
 
Make sure to use those promos because if you're not a careful host/driver/gigger, you may realize some losses or not reach the original goals you set out when you went out to 'make some extra income.'

1. The word "gig" implies trading time for money.
According to sources like 5280 Magazine, it includes both airbnb hosts and uber / lyft drivers as 'gig workers'.  However, there's a big different between those two.  One is a real estate investor and the other is a private driver.  The real estate investor makes passive income after giving a guest access to the property once.  The investor is growing long-term wealth; on the other hand the private driver is being paid once per ride, once the ride is over, there is no additional income, yet the car is worth less over time due to wear and tear, higher mileage, and the driver's time.

At least the driver's may have accomplished their goal of a more flexible schedule.  Needless to say, I recommend using your time to explore Airbnb, or Turo (airbnb for cars) if you want to get started in the gig economy.  If you're scared about letting a stranger take your car out like a rental, read my blog post My Lexus was totalled on it's 2nd trip on Turo.  I promise it's a good read. 

2.  Giggers likely do not track their time or expenses.
How many Uber drivers do you know who can tell you their estimated depreciation this month, taking into account the additional miles put on their card?  How many can tell you their expected average monthly maintenance and repair costs for this year?  My guess is maybe a few.  Less than 25%.  

I will admit, I'm an airbnb host (become an airbnb host here), and at the end of each year, I cannot tell you how much in utilities extra guests cost me, but at least airbnb makes it easy to know how much my guest paid in cleaning fees.  However, sometimes I pay less and sometimes I pay more than the actual cleaning fee my guest pay.  I might be losing a small amount of money there without knowing.  Judge me. 

3. It's about making money today, not long-term wealth.
Great, a new Uber driver has created a flexible work schedule, but now has additional expenses that will be realized later. (selling a higher mileage car instead of a lower mileage car).  And after all of that there is nothing to show for it.  Maybe if you pay your car off that's something to show for it, but your cars value depreciates when you put more miles on it and have more wear and tear both in the interior and mechanically.


Here's what ridester.com says, "The other costs are unseen, unfelt, and for all practical purposes, invisible to the driver. They may not have to pay for then for several years, so on a weekly and monthly basis, drivers may be completely unaffected by them. However, the invisible costs WILL catch up with them eventually, because they are in fact very tangible and real."

I encourage you to read that entire article if you are or are considering to be an Uber/Lyft driver.  

However, the biggest reason is what has kept my investment strategy to invest in appreciating assets, and voice depreciating assets.  Both have expenses to you better pick the one that makes you more money long term.

Again, trying a shot at an airbnb host will give you a better chance at actually making long-term wealth.  Plus, you don't have to own a piece of real estate to try it.  Just have an extra bedroom or even couch if you are that savage or if you live in New York lol. 

For fellow entrepreneurs in Colorado, here my recommendation:  Take your first risk by renting a 2 bedroom apartment instead of a one bedroom and see what you can do with it.  It's much more of a commitment than being a private driver, but worth it if you have the time and risk tolerance to deal with it.  Try being an airbnb host, and then start investing in real estate after that.  

If you'd like to read more of my thoughts on assets and entrepreneurship, I encourage you to read one of the following:
Assets and Entrepreneurship:  Automotive
Assets and Entrepreneurship:  Real Estate
Assets and Entrepreneurship:  Online Assets

... on a scooter for 3 days.  See some pics below.  Stayed at Kanita Resort, a 4 star spot I found for $8/night, however, far from city.  I wouldn't recommend it, but did enjoy having to rent a scooter for two days, I wouldn't have done that otherwise. 

​Nov 9: Singapore, for another speech at Startup City Awards Conference (ask me for promo code if interested)
​
Dec 5-9: Dubai, vacation

I've been meeting some famous people here in Philippines, check them out!  Also pictured is where I'm staying, The Beacon in Makati City, which I definitely recommend!

​The purpose of my trip is primarily to work on Handshakin' alongside my remote team here in Philippines. As a fully online and remote company, I am exploring nearby countries while being primarily based in Manila.  In early December, I pack my backpack and fly to Dubai and haven't planned out more than the first 4 nights there. 

***Seeking fellow nomads for some of December and January travels***

Definite countries with flexible dates:
Dubai, 12/9 to Egypt, 12/12 to Jordan and Israel, 12/16 to Cyprus, 12/20 to London

Considering these countries if time permits after Christmas going into January:
Czech Republic, Greece, Russia, Budapest, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, 

In conclusion (only 33% done traveling as of today)
The goal is to fly back to the US on the East coast, since I departed on the West coast and close the loop, having flown around the world.  As of right now, my rough itinerary will have taken me to 28 places, throughout 150 days, and traveling over 28,000 miles. See my travel map.

Jan 28:  Las Vegas, to speak at Namescon conference again.   Any domain name investors want to join me at this conference?

Do you plan to travel abroad in mid December or early to mid January?  Email me! 
Want to follow my travels? Make sure we're friends on Instagram.