About

Hello and welcome! We are Robbert-Jan and Marlies, a Dutch 30+ couple that travel the world while working online. Robbert-Jan is a programmer with several companies in The Netherlands and I quit my office job after finishing an MBA in international business to start something for myself. As an experienced solo backpacker with working experience abroad I have traveled in more than 40 countries. With a lot of travel experience and knowledge I love to share my first travel blog was born!

In May 2015 we started our full-time nomadic digital life. We started in The Philippines and have traveled all around South East Asia for about a year. In 2016 we have been traveling from Sydney (Australia) to Los Angeles (USA) while island hopping in the South Pacific, from Fiji to Vanuatu. After some States we started our Caribbean adventure and we plan to explore some South American countries in 2017.

Maybe just a little bit CRAZY!

We travel super fast and we open up our laptop everywhere. More than two nights in the same place is an exception, we just keep moving and exploring more places - and we love it! Often we are 'online' until 3 PM and then we start moving to the next place by scooter, Uber or other transportation. Being constantly online and working many hours on the laptop in the most bizarre places is part of our life. We travel a lot but we also work full-time.

The term 'digital nomad' we take seriously. Forget about renting a desk at a co-working place - we just use the hotel room, lobby or a coffee shop. By now we are experts in searching deals on the internet. flights, hotels and things to do so we have got some great tips to share with you! We travel with two backpacks of 15 kg and a carry-on laptop bag with all electronics and other travel essentials - light and flexible!

We are traveling the world in a crazy way! From driving 6000 km on a three-wheeled scooter through Thailand and Laos to a month of skiing in Europe. With over 50 flights, 150 hotels and 500 restaurants every year I guess we can call ourselves nomadic!

Backpacking to the MAX!

While traveling in Vietnam and Cambodia some dear friends came along and saw our way of 'living'. "You are backpacking to the max!" is what one of them said as we ordered two double espresso to the hotelroom when even though we had free breakfast included... Flashpacking is a term which would suit our way of traveling better I guess and we love to tell you all about it for your own adventures.

Smart, flexible traveling with a higher budget and more electronics than traditional backpacking but very time efficient and cost effective. Traveling for days in cramped buses we change for a short flight to reach the destination within a few hours. Hiking for several days to a natural wonder is out of the questions since we need to be able to track online processes and fix the website or server when things go wrong. Package deals are out of the question, figuring out the details and organizing it when and how we like it (with an espresso break for example) is our style. Some highlights, some off the beaten track adventures and a lot of local experiences to soak up cultural differences are researched on a daily basis. Did I mention that we love a glass of draft beer and wine after a day or traveling and/or work? For sure we search for the best sunset drinks and restaurants and we do not mind sharing it with you!

What we offer you!

We are traveling to the most beautiful and remote places on earth while we need to be online. If you consider yourself a flashpacker, or just a 'smart' traveler - this is the blog to read! We give you efficient travel tips and comparable information about things to love, lessons learned, things we skipped (and why!) and a lot of facts about all the destinations we explore! Find this in the Destinations section.

Take advantage of this information for your own travel plans! You do not need to have a wish to become a digital nomad. You might just want to check some emails on your holiday or be waiting for an important message or call while abroad. Follow our fast, smart and crazy journey, get useful information for your trips and share a smile over the most hilarious you can encounter along the way!

Robbert-Jan & Marlies
Crazy Dutch Abroad