Have laptop, will travel - and earn

Janak Patel and Nalisha Patel during their travels around the world.

Working from home has taken on a whole new meaning for one Kiwi couple, who have spent almost three years doing so from 35 different cities around the world.

Nalisha Patel, 33, and husband Janak, 36, have been running their online weight-loss business from various apartments, coffee shops and even sandy beaches around the United States, Europe and Britain.

They travel to a city, rent an apartment and stay for anything between two weeks and two months, before moving on. Among the places they have called home are California, Orlando, New York, Miami, London and cities in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Germany and Hungary.

"We just basically travel and work as well," Mrs Patel said. "The only difference is that we get to explore a new city every few weeks ... and see new sights."

The couple were both born and grew up in Auckland - Mrs Patel on the North Shore and her husband in the south, in Manurewa.

They decided to leave Auckland indefinitely in August 2011, after an earlier trip to the US. Mrs Patel had also been inspired by a book she had read, The 4 Hour Workweek, which encourages people to escape the ordinary nine-to-five job and use the internet to create a better life.

"We packed all our belongings into storage ... and left for the United States on a six-month visa, a one-way ticket and two laptops to run our business. We had gotten so bored of being in New Zealand ... we decided to take the plunge with an open ticket and see where it took us," she said.

In each new place, they rent an apartment. Most apartment buildings are furnished, so all they bring are two suitcases packed with clothes and a few luxuries. They spend a week or so getting used to their surroundings, taking in a city's sights and working on their business.

Without specifying their website earnings, Mrs Patel said: "We are making more money now than we had been making while we were living here with the typical nine-to-five job."

They are back in Auckland for a wedding and will spend the next few months here, but "we'll definitely be on the move again soon".

Her advice to others with the same idea is to stop thinking about it and do it.

On the web
www.nalishapatel.com