The Young Traveler’s Network series showcases candid guest interviews of young people worldwide and the inspiring stories of how they navigate their lives and travels. They share their stories to educate, inspire, and empower others to see the world!
This week a Young Traveler named Jackson Groves, 24, shares how he moved to Hawaii with his girlfriend to travel and work remotely.
Having studied journalism Jackson loves writing, and his stories are often of people with an inspirational mission or cause. He also recently became interested in photojournalism—as you can tell by the stunning photos.
Jackson moved to Oahu, Hawaii over a year ago from his home in Australia. This summer he plans to go back to Australia to travel around the continent and then head on to South East Asia with no specific dates or bookings.
He's currently working towards having his total income earned through his remote social media management.
Having grown his social media platforms from the ground up in the last 7 months he's seen the good and bad and now wants to pass these first-hand skills onto his clients to help them succeed as well. Jackson enjoys freelance journalism and photography jobs on the side as well.
In his free time, he spends his days on full-out adventures, on amazing hikes, and exploring the island.
He shares his adventurous lifestyle with his equally adventurous girlfriend, Jessie.
They've recently created a travel blog called Journey Era which chronicles their world tour. Their niche is, of course, adventure and they share the most adrenaline-pumping, eye-widening places they visit, along with their personal experiences.
Being a young traveler at 24, Jackson acknowledges that he's had to make some sacrifices that the friends he grew up with haven't had to.
Seeing many of his friends in his hometown who own apartments, nice cars, and have steady careers sometimes shows the real contrast of the lifestyle he's chosen for himself. He also misses his family and friends and doesn't like having to leave them all behind with each new trip.
At the end of the day, he has no room for regret, as these are the choices that afford him his adventurous lifestyle and they've taught him to appreciate those things all the more. What keeps him going is his curiosity and adventurous spirit.
Jackson believes the important thing is to make every decision for yourself. That doesn’t mean you made the decision without asking anyone for advice—it means you made the decision. He tries his best to make every decision without wondering how he will be judged by his peers, by society, or by the world.
He says this:
“Sometimes think it would be great to stay in Hawaii, as we're creating amazing opportunities and networks here… But my insatiable desire to feel out-of-place in a beautiful, new location that makes me leave.
I need to wander through new streets and figure out how a society works, admiring the beauty of each new country. When that desire fades, will be the time that we decide to find a home base.”
Jackson Groves
Journey Era Facebook Page | Journey Era Instagram
Do you work remotely? How do you balance work and travel?
11 comments
What an amazing adventure they are having! That is fantastic that they are able to work remotely and be able to fund their travels. Living the dream that’s for sure.
Great job with the interview. He seems to really live the life HE WANTS TO LIVE, not what anyone else (society, family, peers) tells him to do. Love the spirit of adventure and willingness to go out there 🙂
I agree, his story is inspiring to me as well!
I really liked the interview style of this post Gabby. Jackson’s story is really inspiring and it seems that his girlfriend is a great partner.
Epic, and if you can do it, go for it. How stunning was the sunrise in Oahu
Very inspirational and wishing all the best to the blogging couple. I think when there is determination and action, nothing can set you back not to do what you wanted to.
Wow, I feel like this is some sort of Old Spice advertisement. There are some great action shots in there and I don’t blame Jackson for moving to Oahu. I just came from there a month ago for the first time and didn’t want to leave.
LMAO, Old Spice!
I’m 31 and turning 32 is like 10 months and feel like life is passing me by. I have always in the pursuit of adventures…since I was a kid but because of society and family, I had to go higher education and look for a corporate job, etc.
I work in social media as well and want to give up the corporate life, work remotely (but my nationality doesn’t allow me to do that) and go on epic adventures like him. I would love to meet him sometime.
I totally agree with Jackson! Some people see their accomplishment in material objects while expats and nomads count their experiences and travels as enrichment. I still miss my family but I wouldn’t trade my life for the world!
What a life! It is so cool that he is able to make money from social media – what a change from 10 years ago! Fingers crossed he is able to completely fund his travels from social media marketing in the near future 🙂