- Carolina Villaferte travels around the world offering online therapy.
- She gets her work done by coming to work early in the morning and always having a reliable internet connection.
- She said having a steady income allows her to travel without a strict budget.
This told essay is based on a conversation with. carolina villaferte, 32 years old, clinical psychologist who has been backpacking since December 2022. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
I was the youngest in my family and was used to everyone taking care of me. Leaving my small town in Ecuador at age 30 wasn't easy.
But so many reasons forced me to move. I was inspired by people who visited my hometown to become digital nomads. I also felt that the best jobs in my country were working in the government and that it was difficult to get those jobs without connections or bribes.
Before immigrating, I became friends for a year with a European couple who had moved to my hometown. They taught me everything I needed to know to build an online presence, including how to use hashtags, get followers, and find content that people are interested in. I was studying to become a clinical psychologist, so I used their advice to build my online therapy business.
Once I had a certain number of patients, I got a one-way ticket and left home to travel the world.
I left in December 2022 and have since traveled to Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, and most of Southeast Asia.
I have 20 patients and work 20 hours a week. I also spend time each week planning and reading diaries that clients send me. I primarily work with people who suffer from anxiety, depression, and burnout, and I charge $50 for a one-hour session.
All my clients are Latin American. This is because I feel that it is not just the language that is important, but whether or not you can empathize with their culture.
Online therapy has some limitations. Unable to handle children or the elderly. Most of my clients are between the ages of 24 and 46.
Life with limited flexibility
My patients are all over the world, so I have to work unusual hours.I work 3 days a week from 4am to 1pm
Previously, the day would end at 5pm and we would stay in the same place for several days, leaving us with little room to explore. At the time, I didn't know how to set up a hotspot or plan my day by working early in the morning.
As a digital nomad, there are things I always worry about. I'll never be one of those backpackers who says, “I don't care if I sleep in a tent, I don't care if I can't find a hostel” because I always need internet.
I travel with my laptop because a phone isn't enough to store all my patient archives. I'll also bring two batteries.
I plan all my trips and activities based on my phone. Booking flights at the last minute makes your trip more expensive. I'm from Ecuador and I need a visa for most places, but there's no guarantee when I'll arrive.
It's hard to be constantly on the move and sleep in a different place every night. You'll make a lot of friends who go backpacking, but you'll never see them again, so the connections aren't deep.
It's been a little over a year since I started backpacking, but I'm already getting tired.
have a stable income
I have a recurring income so I won't use up the $10,000 I have saved for emergencies. You also have the leeway to set a strict budget. I eat wherever I want and don't always choose the cheapest hostel.
If you feel like your social battery is drained, book a hotel where you can get your own room. On my last trip to Vietnam, I had enough money saved up to be able to take a three-week vacation.
I'm currently in the Philippines, but I'm planning to go to Vietnam for a month to relax before deciding on my next destination.
