Trading All Over The World
Back in the spring time 2013 I took off on an epic journey across the United States of America. England was cold. It was February and I’d seen the worst of the winter but but craved a bit of warmth. So I decided to run to the sun.
Florida, to be specific. Great temperatures all year round and just a 9 hour flight flight away (just? that’s more than enough for me!!)
So I packed up my stuff leaving scarves and gloves behind and headed to the airport. I was travelling light. However, as light as it was, I did have something with me that most others didn’t; My Office.
Of course I didn’t have an oak desk, swivel chair and whatever else comes with the standard office setup, all I had was my trusty laptop.
Over a period of a about 8 weeks I racked up 8,000 miles in a rented car crossing 10 states, trading daily as I went.
Starting my journey in sunny Orlando Florida, I leisurely made my way across the huge country to where I would depart from in Los Angles California. I was lucky enough to see some amazing sites along the way.
From the baking beaches in Florida, to the tumble weed scattered roads of Route 66 in Texas, onto the jaw dropping views over the Grand Canyon. From there I headed to never sleeping Las Vegas and into my last state of California.
The whole trip was one big highlight but if you ever get a chance to visit California, be sure to drive south from San Fransisco on The Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1. The scenery is stunning! (check out the featured image at the top of the page)
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So How Was I Able To Trade Effectively Whilst On This Epic Adventure?
I’ve never been a Day Trader. Someone who sits at the computer screen during trading hours, opening and closing trades. This is more like a day job to me rather than a passive income. I don’t know of any successful day traders who are able to travel for weeks and months on end away from their office. If anyone out there does, then I’d love to hear from you.
I have designed my own trading strategy around my beliefs and objectives, and I think you should too.
While I was travelling, my trading strategy required me to check in with the markets during closed hours. I was trading just U.S stocks so closed hours were between 4pm and 9:30am EST. As I headed west across country going through different time zones, obviously trading hours changed. Other design features of my strategy included:
- I spent no more than 25 minutes each day placing and managing trades, and usually more like 10 minutes
- It was not necessary for me to look at the markets during open hours
- Entries, Stop losses, and profit taking exits were all automated
So I had a very effective and user friendly trading strategy in place.
All I had to do was find a Wifi connection for about as long as it took me drink a cup of tea, and then manage my trades.
My Favourite ‘Mobile Office’
I never had a problem finding Wifi in the States. Obviously, I had to plan around it sometimes if the hotel I was staying at didn’t supply it but that was rare. While travelling, my favourite places to get my Macbook online were the following, and I used each of these many times over:
- Hotels/Motels
- Starbucks
- McDonalds
- Libraries
- Shopping Malls
Quite often I’d even pick up Wifi, sitting in my car in the car park outside the likes of Sears and Home Depot.
My favourite? Starbucks! Good tea and coffee, good free Wifi and usually a great atmosphere. Opening early in the morning and not closing until at least 9 or 10pm in most locations.
I mentioned my Macbook. If it was just a case of getting online, accessing email and even placing and managing trades, then my ipad or even iphone would’ve worked. However, I use software to scan for stocks to trade. This is part of the reason my strategy is quick as easy to use. This software only works on a Mac or PC and not tablets and phones. I haven’t checked for a few months but if anyone knows of any stock scanning apps for the ipad, I’d love to hear about them.
But that was no big deal. Carrying a 13″ laptop isn’t all that much more bulky than carrying an ipad.
Since travelling the USA, I have travelled to the far corners of England, to Lands End, Cornwall, to the top of Mount Snowdon, Wales, across to Paris and down to the sunny beaches of southern Spain and Gibraltar, trading as I went.
How You Can Do it Too!
There’s nothing particularly special about the way I trade. Actually, it’s pretty simple. But what is unique to me is how I’ve designed it to work around my lifestyle.
If you like trading with charts and technical analysis and still crave those consistent profits. I suggest you think about trading a strategy that suits you and your lifestyle too!
So thanks for reading, as always don’t forget to subscribe for more cool techniques I’m using right now!
Jarrod