The archetype at the core of the digital nomad identity is that of the backpacker or traveler. So you might say: earn like an entrepreneur or freelancer, and live like a backpacker or traveler and boom: digital nomad.

The idea is that cities send signals through a variety of means – from overheard conversations, to architecture, to how residents decorate their living rooms. Like great books, great cities whisper their messages subliminally.

The real numbers will obviously vary from person to person, and from task to task. But, for me, I’ve always preferred working on big screens.

For me, few things are as pleasurable as neatly arranging all my possessions in just 2 bags, and heading off to the airport for another adventure.

Last week I cancelled most of my phone calls, dusted off my copy of Freedom app (to turn off WIFI capabilities on my laptop), and caught a flight with my fellow blogger and coffee enthusiast James Clark. We were headed to the capital city of Vietnam-- Hanoi-- a place I always thought had a bookish vibe.

My friend, DCer, and all around super nice guy Tom planted the idea of home exchanges in my brain a few months back. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Internally, we’ve been using all sorts of terms in the same ballpark as “passive income”: location independent, leveraged, automated, online, recurring, scalable, residual, info-income, etc.

I read that the dish Filipinos miss the most when abroad is pork sisig. I can understand why. Crunchy and fatty pieces of pig face chopped and served on a sizzling plate with onions, chilies, raw egg– and if you are lucky– a little chicken liver. Masarap! Oh my gulay what a perfect dish to accompany a few beers.

My friend is a really smart guy with a lot of varied talents and passions. He’s got his MBA. He’s got a high paying consulting job that isn’t very intense or stressful. He’s got the power to make whatever he wants with his life.

I set out to make a ratio. How much more valuable is location independent money than “job” money? My gut told me that if I could generate 20K in income from working on projects I had equity in from anywhere on the planet that would be equivalent to 100K made at my job.

I made the jump to location independence before it made sense. My business wasn’t ready, neither were my friends, family, or business partners. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was ready.

I love the idea of baselining your expenses and going into hardcore “start-up” mode. My whole business could blow up in my face and I could stay in a place like this for years before having to get a job.