The Travel Bug // Pt. 3

I could go on and on about this topic, but it needs to be wrapped up and I will do so by following up with the story to date. In my previous 2 posts, I wrote about how I was bitten by the travel bug. It started off with an internship for my university degree which I completed in Thailand, which on its own got me fully hooked on Asia! That was then reinforced by the following month of travels which left me with what seems like a lifetime of experiences! This was the 2nd part of my travel bug story, in which I wrote about the influence that backpacking in asia had on me and my overall mindset. To sum all that up, travelling made me feel more experienced, more intelligent, and overall just a lot more happy with a continuous sense of fulfillment.

One of the first photos i ever took in Thailand! Taken on Koh Samui, this fully represents the mood i get from good travels!

So what happened next? Lets get to part 3 – this is a continuation of my travel mindset, and a testiment to the last 20 months of my life, in which my seeming future has taken a massive turn for the better in my opinion! 20 months ago exactly today, on the 24th of October 2017, I left Denmark. I had sold everything I could get rid of to try to scrape as much money together as possible for this trip. I didn’t know all too much about photography just yet, and looking back it was quite insane to think it would be possible, but I thoroughly believe that the strongest motivation in life is yourself and your belief in yourself, because no one can take that away from you and it is up to you to prove this to yourself!

Throwback to the first month on the journey! En route To the incredible Kawasan falls in the Philippines

Anyway, I had worked ridiculous hours for 4 months at a brainless job in a warehouse, working after uni classes and when I wasn’t at my other part time job, to save up enough money to buy a drone. I also took out a loan from my best friend (the same person who was with me the summer before in Asia), to buy a camera that would be able to produce content of high enough quality to essentially sell as professional content to hotels around the world. This was my goal in the beginning, to get enough recognition and develop my skills enough as a creator to be able to work with hotels, starting in Asia as that was where I would be able to make my money last the longest. I honestly expected to be gone for 4-6 months, but was obviously hoping to be able to make that a lot longer.

One of my favorite beaches in Asia! Sai-Nuan in Koh Tao, Thailand

@thefreedomcomplex on instagram was at about 400 followers after 1 month prior to taking off, and within 3 weeks of being in the Philippines, which was the first stop, this had doubles to 800. I was posting every day religiously, doing all the necesarry location and hashtag targeting research, etc. Doing all the grunt work is really the behind the scenes success story behind it all, as it truly pays off in longevity of your social accounts and exposes you to the audiences you are trying to reach, and this is something I learned very quickly and therefor dedicated a lot of time to. This coupled with the compelling need to develop as a creator to build a name for myself and gain authority as a content creator, had me working every single day, while still enjoying paradise in South East Asia.

Secret beach behind towering limestone cliffs in El Nido, the Philippines

My first job happened after 2 weeks, where I was staying at an airbnb in El Nido, paying $12 a night. Trying to save money, and seeing room for improvement, I offered the host a full revamp of their airbnb page to give them an advantage in a growing competitive accommodation market in El Nido. I offered 20 photos of the rooms and a full written makeover, in exchange for $5 discount on the room for the next 10 days, so I saved $50 on a $120 expense for 10 days of accommodation, and I was happy! It was a check in the professional portfolio, and that $50 I saved was enough to feed me for the 10 day period, so ultimately I felt like I had done well!

This just goes to show that everybody starts somewhere and I was sincerely proud to have just been able to use my camera to assist in covering the basic needs of living, it blew me away!

Beach Paradise in El Nido, the Philippines



After this I never turned back, and before I knew it I had spent 6 months in Asia, seeing some of the most beautiful waters, landscapes, topographies and cultures in the world, and there were no signs of stopping yet! I started meeting more and more people who were trying something similar and networking with other travellers, coupled with a “go-getter” attitude and yes mentality, lead to more opportunities. After 7 months I found myself fully based out in Bali, shooting and creating every day, meeting new photographers and expanding the network of possibile collaborators and friends. Its insane to look back at now and think how things just fell into place. I had gone through so many ups and downs at this point, but once again I found myself fully in love with travelling and who I had developed to become because of my love for travel and experiences!

Mornings in the northern parts of Bali, Indonesia

As mentioned, I could go on and on about this but I am going to round off soon! I returned to Denmark after 11 months and 7 days of being on the road, to surprise my family which was awesome! So much had changed, and I ended up leaving again 10 days later and being gone for another few months! Now I have spent the last 6-7 months based in Europe (mostly between Copenhagen, London and Amsterdam when I haven’t been elsewhere for content trips). I have made more friends in the community than I ever thought would have been possible, I have visited more countries and destinations in the last year alone than I could have ever hoped for in a decade, and my calendar is completely full of more travel plans to the point where its hard to fit in any other opportunities! Can’t believe how this has all happened, but all I can say is this – work hard at it and anyone can do it. It is all possible if you believe in yourself and force yourself to beat on your craft. Provide value to others in any way possible, and be willing to do extra work for relationship development. I believe this is true for every aspect in life, and will continue to live by these personal guidelines as they have proven to be very effective and lucrative in experience for myself.

Chasing the Dune angles in the Sahara Desert, Morocco!