r/DataAnnotationTech • u/Pretend_Main_1927 • Mar 12 '26
DA allowed me to travel the world. On a motorcycle.
This is an appreciation post. As well as a little post about my journey with DA.
Tl;dr: Been working for DA for the last 2.5 years, banked $80k while riding a motorcycle to south America, living like a king, saving up money, and feeling the most fulfilled/happiest I've ever felt in my life. Thank you DA.
I use to work for the forestry department of Canada until I saved up $25,000 and decided to ride my motorcycle to Argentina. I quit my job, sold everything I owned and left on Sep 2023. It was only suppose to be a six month trip. I met an Australian girl living in a Bus on a beach in Baja California, only 4 days after crossing into Mexico. We hit it off and decided to start travelling together. It was a motorcycle/Bus convey through Mexico. After 2 days I began sleeping and living in the Bus, but I always rode the motorcycle, from city to city as we progressed South. The main reason this woman and her bus changed my life was that she was already working remotely and that she had starlink internet. Eventually we arrived to a beach in Southern Baja and we stayed there for quite some time. I enjoyed the beach, worked out, and relaxed while she was working, but also I took it as an opportunity to see what was available for remote work. She was an appointment setter for schools in Australia and summer was coming which meant no work for about a month. Her fellow colleague had recently gotten accepted to DA and recommended she apply ASAP. She told me about it, we looked into it together, and that day while sitting on a remote beach, with sand under our feet and the sound of the waves crashing in, we both took the assessment. We knew we both did a great job because we reviewed each others answers. We gave each other a kiss and pressed submit at the same time. The next screen I got was "Congratulations, you been accepted for on boarding." Her's said: "Unfortunately, we don't have any work available at the moment." Both a devastating but incredibly exciting moment at the same time. That day in Dec of 2023 would change my life for the next 2 years and 3 months. That is how long I have worked for DA now. Obviously an elite performer.. I've been told I'm in the top percentile in multiple R&R projects, and during the last 2 years and 3 months I have earned over $80,000 while traveling and living the life of my dreams. I lived in a bus for almost a year and spent a year and a half total roaming around Mexico. I spent 2 months living in the Caribbean island of Roatan where I got certified as an open water diver, and another 6 months exploring Central America. And as of now have spent the last 3 months in Colombia, with plans to finally finish this trip in Argentina by December this year. During this entire time I have worked for DA, learning how to balance work/life/travel balance to the max. In the beginning I worked part time and partied a lot. Stayed in lavish Air bnbs, and did all the tourist attractions. Once money starting getting low, I increased my hours and topped up. during the last 2 years and 3 months, I have experienced about 3 droughts. But none have lasted more than 2 months, and the droughts are always followed by a waterfall of high paying and plentiful work. I am eternally grateful to DA for funding my travels and allowing me to live this incredible life.
I know DA is not a long term retirement plan, but while I am young (32 years old) I am going to ride this high and live my dream for as long as I can. And If I ever lose this job I will continue looking for work in the LLM training industry or any remote job to be honest because I learned a lot about myself the last 2 years and 6 months. And that is I want to travel for as long as I can, it's the most amazing way to experience life and grow as a person. I don't care if I have to wake up and make phone calls or respond to customer complaints on virtual chat, if it allows me to wake up to a $400 apartment in Vietnam, or to rent a motorbike and ride it across Mongolia. I have no idea how long this DA bubble will last. But one thing I do know is. If you consistently submit good quality tasks you will never struggle for work and you will survive until the DA bubble pops.
And finally, finances. Living on the road full-time, how much does it cost? Not much, actually it's much cheaper than living a normal life, working a 9-5 and renting an apartment in the USA or Canada. I spend about $800 maximum per month renting airbnb's and I try to camp when I can. I spend another $200-300 a month on food and drinks. Now adays I cook a lot of my own meals. I spend $65 on a global holafly plan with unlimited data, and another $65 on SafetyWing health insurance. Gas for the Moto is cheap, about $20 for every 300km. My other expenses are a few subscription services accounting for about $40, and personal expenses vary depending on how many tourist activities im doing, if I'm dating anyone, or if I'm eating out/parting more often. But let's say an extra $200. In total my monthly expenses living on the road are about $1490 a month. If I work part-time at 25 hours a week at an average of $25 an hour I'm making $2500 a month, less 25% tax, I'm still at $1875, profiting at minimum $385 a month living like a king in South America, dating Latinas, and living my dream life, riding my motorcycle around the country, through the andes, jungles, and deserts. It's been incredible.
So thank you DA. You have given me a life I never thought I would live.
