I’m not the first person to write about location independence. Not even close.

It’s sort of a trendy concept these days, and it’s easy to see why. For the uninitiated, location independence refers to a situation in which someone earns a living without having to remain in a particular physical location.

A marketing consultant, for example, doesn’t have to live in a particular place to serve his or her clients. All consulting can be done via Skype, email, or a combination of both.

Whereas most jobs entail working at a single site nearly every day, location independent professionals don’t have to. It’s a phenomenon borne from the Internet age, and it’s becoming a more viable possibility for more knowledge workers all the time.

Why we do it

What’s to love about it location independence?

Lots of things. When you don’t have to live somewhere to keep your job, you can live anywhere you want! And for the more adventurous types out there, it means you can travel wherever you want, whenever you want.

As long as you’re still able to work, of course.

To be sure, a location independent career doesn’t work for most people. That’s because most people still want to get married, pay a mortgage, have kids, and hope like hell they can pay off their house and get a “free” residence when they’re old (unless you count all the money they spend keeping things fixed).

And honestly, that will probably be me one day. A long time from now. When I decide to slow things down.

But right now the desire to travel is just too strong to ignore. I actually designed my career so that I could live and work anywhere I pleased.

Instead of simply relocating to a city I’ve always wanted to live in, I’ll actually be traveling the world. Indefinitely. With just a small backpack. And my wife, of course.

That’s what location independence is about for me. For others, it’s simpler. Maybe they want to live closer to their parents or in a place with more desirable weather. Either way, it’s an arrangement that allows for total freedom of place.

You see, we don’t go where the job takes us – not anymore. Instead, our jobs go where we take them.

My “brand” of location independence

I’m a freelance copywriter. Assuming there’s a reliable internet connection at hand, I can perform 100% of my daily tasks from anywhere in the world:

• Writing: 15% of my time; only laptop needed
• Communication with clients: 40% of my time; only laptop + Internet connection needed
• Marketing: 15% of my time; only laptop + Internet connection + happy face needed
• Administration & Billing: 30% of my time; only laptop + Internet connection + uncanny stamina needed

For none of these tasks do I need to be in a particular place. If you’re wondering why “phone” isn’t up there anywhere, it’s because Skype lets me call anybody I want from anywhere in the world for less money than having a landline. It’s how I can be in Atlanta on Monday and Vancouver on Tuesday without my clients noticing a difference.

Again, this isn’t the best solution for everyone. It might not even be the ideal location independent setup.

But it works for me.

Doing without – and loving it

All location independent folks do agree on this: Mobile business models provide an awesome way to earn a modest to comfortable living without having to bother with…

• a mortgage
• car payments
• a daily commute
• a boss
• keeping up with the neighbors

It’s a simpler life, and it’s one that gives you more time to just… do as you please.

Granted, you could stay where you are and voluntarily abstain from all of those things. But if you don’t have to stay anywhere, why not hit the road and explore?

That’s the essence of location independence. The freedom to journey. To live the life you want to live – not the life someone else says you need to live (sorry for the cliché). And that’s true whether you’re a writer, a designer, a consultant, or something else entirely.

Musicians, anyone? Traveling bards?

Because when you’re mobile, you’re free. I think I speak for all location independents on that one.

Image credit: Nuno Rodrigues