She travels the world without a permanent job: "People overestimate money and underestimate each other"”

Writer: Helena Bergström

How do you afford to travel so much? That's the question journalist and travel writer Heléne Katzman gets asked more often than anyone else. And perhaps it's not so strange.

In a typical year, she is home for about a month. The rest of the time, she finds herself somewhere between psytrance festivals around the world, family in Malaysia, and adventures and volunteer trips in Europe and South America.

But contrary to what many believe, she has neither a high salary nor a permanent job. ”People overestimate money and underestimate each other,” she says.

A visit to the houseboat

Heléne Katzman has been one of the writers at FREEDOMtravel for some time now and we have therefore had a lot of contact, even though she has mostly been in Asia.

We have ”met” via Zoom and talked about everything from adventures and report ideas to how to solve digital challenges on a WordPress site – Heléne has recently started a web magazine focusing on psytrance culture. Now, when we unexpectedly happened to be in Stockholm at the same time, we invited Heléne to the houseboat where we live.

A life between festivals and friends' couches

The past year has taken Heléne from Thailand to Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands. Then the journey continued to Morocco, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Turkey.

Heléne explains: ”My life is: A lot and very fast. I know what makes me happy. Traveling, dancing, listening to music and riding horses. I get bored of Monday-Friday and routines.”

My life is: Very busy and very fast.

For the past few years, a lot has been happening around psytrance festivals. "I want to listen to the music that makes something in my DNA vibrate. The people are open-minded and welcoming. They take care of each other. That's how you should behave in all aspects of life and everyday life," she says.

Festivals have become more than just events. ”It doesn’t matter where the speaker is, in which country. Home is where the heart is. I’m more at home in a country where I don’t speak the language than in a routine with a key to a door.”

It doesn't matter where the speaker is, in what country. Home is where the heart is.

”I have more time than money”

So how are things going financially? Heléne laughs a little at the question. ”I haven’t had a steady income since before Covid. I forgot that I could have a salary.” Instead, her livelihood is based on a combination of freelance journalism, research assignments, temporary projects and periodic student loans.

I forgot that I could have a salary.

She has also learned to cut costs in a way that many would never consider. ”I hold back on impulse purchases and count everything in airfare.”

She books the cheapest transportation, travels light, and often chooses the more elaborate solution if it saves money. ”I have more time than money. That’s when you have to be inventive.”

At home with people around the world

An important part of the puzzle is networking. Through festivals, volunteering and years of traveling, Heléne has built relationships across large parts of the world. She often stays with people she has met along the way.

Next week she's going to Belgium to visit a friend. Then Switzerland awaits, where she's been invited to another festival. "People want to help. They're curious. Many are inspired by my way of life."”

That doesn't mean everything always works out. Heléne tells of a less successful visit to Denmark where the host had enthusiastically invited her home and supported her nomadic lifestyle but then barely wanted to see her once she arrived. "Sometimes it doesn't go as planned. But most of the time it turns out very well."”

Freedom at the price of convenience

Heléne believes that many people are asking the wrong question. The question is not whether it is possible to travel a lot on a small budget. The question is what you are prepared to sacrifice.

She no longer has her own apartment. When she is in Sweden, she stays with relatives or friends, and she is prepared to sleep in a hammock if necessary. She has volunteered in hostels around the world in exchange for food and accommodation. She owns few things and is very selective about what she buys.

”If I were to increase my comfort level, I would probably have to take a more traditional job. There are no guarantees in the freelance industry. But knowing that my well-being is not based on possessions or modern conveniences means an enormous freedom and quality of life.” Taking a traditional job, however, is not very appealing. ”I don’t want to yearn for 48 weeks after four weeks of vacation.”

”I don’t want to yearn for 48 weeks after four weeks of vacation.”

Another way to look at wealth

For Heléne, travel is ultimately about something bigger than plane tickets and budget tips. It's about how you choose to live your life. "The value lies in the experiences. Material things are just tools to get there."”

She talks about when her phone was stolen during a trip. ”My friend thought it was a disaster. But I mostly felt that it was nice to realize that it wasn’t the end of the world.”

What she values most is meeting people. ”I trust people from the start. I don’t know you – why should I? not trust you?”

Freedom also requires responsibility

Many who hear about Heléne's life react with the same thought: Isn't it a bit irresponsible anyway? No fixed home, no fixed income, no clear routines. But she disagrees. "People may think it's irresponsible. But I think it's responsibility in a different way."”

For Heléne, freedom is not about avoiding responsibility, but about taking responsibility for yourself. ”I don’t report to anyone. You have to set your own boundaries and dare to trust your own ability to live without ’instructions’ – without following someone else’s instructions.”

At the same time, she describes her life as ”Friday all week” and laughs at the idea that Monday to Friday is some kind of natural law. ”This Monday to Friday thing – someone made that up.”

”This Monday to Friday thing – someone made that up.”

For Heléne, it's fundamentally about something else: doing more of what actually makes you happy. She keeps coming back to the same things – the festivals, the music, the people and the meetings. "I want to do as much of what makes me happy as possible."”

She believes that many people limit themselves more than they need to. ”People should do more of what makes them happy. When you feel good, it spreads to others around you.” She gives a simple example: ”If you like to knit but feel like you never have time – knit on the bus, in the bath or when the kids have fallen asleep instead of scrolling on your phone. Doing something that makes you feel good that also gives the kids a happier parent is not selfish, it’s necessary.”

”"Go! Just go!"”

As the interview draws to a close, she gets one last question: What advice would you give to someone who dreams of traveling more? The answer comes immediately. ”Go! Just go!”

Then she pauses for a second. ”A lot of people make up reasons why they can’t. But I haven’t won the lottery. I’ve just chosen differently.”