Alex & MJ, professional nomads, filmmakers and photographers, quit their high-profile jobs in Toronto and left everything behind to travel the world full-time. Their shared passion for travelling and video production allows them to explore the world while inspiring a growing community of aspiring photographers and videographers.
Even if they are always on the go, Alex and MJ took a short break to introduce us to their nomadic lifestyle, which they happily embraced three years ago.
1. What Do You Do for a Living to Be Able to Travel so Much?
“Basically, we earn our living through video production and teaching video production, two things we can do from anywhere in the world. We produce content not only for our own social networks, but also for businesses around the world. We also had the opportunity to produce about 200 videos for TV channels like TFO and Évasion.
Over time, we began to receive many questions about how to make quality videos and how we make money doing what we love. So we decided to put together a French online program called “Filmmakers On the GO” in which we teach, from A to Z, how to make professional videos and make a living producing video content.”
2. What Drove You to Adopt a Nomadic Lifestyle?
“We needed a change! We had been working for few years for a TV network in Toronto (MJ was a director’s assistant and Alex was a TV host) and were living a normal 9 to 5 life. Because MJ was already an avid traveler (she had traveled to over 30 countries) and Alex had always been an entrepreneur at heart, we decided to leave everything behind to travel the world.
But, we did have one specific goal in mind: launch our very own YouTube travel channel “Alex & MJ – On the GO” and share our adventures with thousands of people on a weekly basis. Initially, we didn’t know we would adopt a nomadic lifestyle, but three years later, project after project, that’s what happened, haha!”
3. How Does Your Entourage Perceive Your Lifestyle?
“Everyone supports us! As our job is to produce video and photo content of our travels, our friends and family feel like they’re there with us. In fact, thanks to our work, our families see us more often than when we lived in Toronto back in the days!
In the end, we only have one life to live. We must admit that on our side, there are always times when we miss our loved ones… it’s not always easy to be far from home!”
4. Which Countries Have You Visited so Far, and Which One Is Your Favourite?
“Together, over the last three years, we’ve visited 22 countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), France, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand (Chiang Mai), Indonesia (Bali and Java), South Korea and China (Beijing).
Our favorite destination is the African continent. The safaris, the culture…it’s a unique world over there! We really hope to go back in 2019!”
5. What’s Your Life’s Motto?
#alwaysonthego
“Our goal is not to fall back into a routine. So, by always being on the go, every day is different. We wake up in the morning not knowing what will happen. And that’s what we wish for everybody!”
6. What Advice Would You Give to Anyone Wanting to Travel Long-Term?
“Over the years, we’ve come to realize that we love the concept of slow travel more than traditional backpacking. And to us, it’s the magic recipe if you want to travel long term. Rather than always having to move around, we like to settle in a city for a few weeks or even a few months. For example, in 2018, we spent one month in the same apartment in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and three months in the same apartment in Canggu (Bali). We had time to appreciate where we were, we got to know the rhythm of life of the locals, to have a favorite restaurant, etc. When we’re constantly moving, we don’t have time to do all of that.
Always having to move, find new places to sleep, eat… it’s exhausting. Especially when you have to work at the same time! So for us, slow traveling is the best option to being able to travel and work long term.”
7. What Can We Wish You for the Future?
“New adventures! Actually, we’re taking on a huge challenge for 2019: to produce a new video every day for 365 days. We’re really excited to see how this project will unfold for us!
We will also keep on growing Filmmakers On the GO. The goal is to help hundreds of people so they can adopt a lifestyle similar to ours. We want to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and enjoy everything the world has to offer!”
Follow Alex et MJ On the GO on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!
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