Who Are The Goats?

Find out all about us Goats and our team, who we are, what we’re all about, why we started this blog, and more.

About Us

Get to know us a little bit! On this page, you’ll meet each of the members of our team and you’ll also get to know more about us Goats, the founders of this site, and how we came to be the bloggers you find on this blog now.

Thanks for stopping by to find out more about Goats On The Road! We’re Nick & Dariece, the founders of this travel and lifestyle website.

We’re a 30-something couple from Canada who have been travelling and living abroad for more than a decade.

We’re here to help you make money online (from home or abroad) so that you can be your own boss, live a freer lifestyle, and spend time doing things you enjoy.

Prior to travelling and starting this website, we were just your average couple, living “normal” lives back in Canada – complete with proper full-time jobs, a fully furnished condominium, a vehicle, and all of the other things that we should want at that stage in our lives.

But, we wanted more…

Our Travel & Digital Nomad Advice Has Been Featured In:

Since the creation of Goats On The Road back in 2012, we’ve expanded our team to include writers who are experts at what they do — whether it’s living or travelling to a specific destination, or ways to earn money remotely.

We pride ourselves on providing you with in-depth, useful, first-hand information. We only hire professionals who know what they’re talking about — no researched articles, “ghostwriters”, or spammy content.   

Learn more about the team behind Goats On The Road below, or if you’re interested in hearing the personal journey of “The Goats”, click here to jump down the page.

Goats On The Road nick and dariece
Steve Rohan Author Bio
Danny Mooers Author Bio Pic
Alex Bio Pic
Megan Churchill Author Bio Pic
Leo Bio Pic
Nicola Rae Bio Pic
best freelance websites for beginners to work abroad
online teaching backdrop ideas
sasha grateful gypsies
Tara Bio Pic

The Goats On The Road Team

Our Professional Travel Writers


Our team of travel writers, digital nomads, house sitters, bloggers, and world explorers share their expertise here on the blog.

They only write about places, jobs, experiences, and advice if they’ve actually been there and are experts on the topic.

Nick & Dariece

Goats On The Road Founders

We are Nick Wharton & Dariece Swift and we are the founders of Goats On The Road. We started traveling in 2008 and it completely changed our lives. Since we left Canada, we never looked back. We then started this blog back in 2012 with the intention to help others to travel the world and live a life of freedom, travel, and adventure. We’ve since helped thousands of people to find work online and remotely, leave their conventional lives behind, and hit the road indefinitely.

Steve Rohan Author Bio

Steve Rohan

Freelance Writer & Full-Time Traveller

Steve Rohan is a writer from Essex, England. In 2015 he moved to China to teach English where he lived for over six years. He has lived and taught in the cities of Harbin, Luoyang, Sanya, and spent a few months in Hong Kong, before returning to England in 2022.

He has visited over 60 countries to date and usually opts for overland travel (yes, even between the UK and China). Steve has traveled extensively across China, and Central Asia.

Having lived much of his life within a 50-mile radius of London, the city is his second home and he knows it like the back of his hand. He has also spent a significant amount of time exploring Cornwall.

Here on Goats On The Road, Steve contributes his expert travel tips and advice for visiting England, and in particular London and Cornwall.

Alex Bio Pic

Alex Tiffany

Freelance Travel Writer & Fulltime Digital Nomad

Alex is a former lawyer and lifelong lover of off-the-beaten-track travel. Having grown up in England, he spent summers exploring many destinations in Europe. He is the founder of Just Go Exploring, a blog that aims to make adventurous travel accessible to all.

As well as blogging on his own website, Alex works as a freelance travel writer, personal trip planner, and travel consultant. He has a Law Degree from Oxford University and is a full-time digital nomad.

When he’s not moving around every couple of days exploring new cities and sights, Alex puts down temporary roots in various cities around the world. He has lived and worked in many places including London, Oxford, and Mexico City.

When it comes to travel, Alex has spent lots of time in France, Italy, Mexico, and England — destinations he knows very well.

Here on Goats On The Road, Alex shares detailed articles and guides for traveling to the above-listed destinations. Plus, information on living in Mexico City as a digital nomad.

Megan Churchill Author Bio Pic

Megan Churchill

Full-Time Traveller & Freelance Writer

In 2021, fed up with her job as a lawyer, Meg quit corporate life in England to pursue her travel dreams and became a freelancer.

Her blog, What Meg Did Next, focuses on slow travel, and her experience of being a digital nomad in various places around the world.

Meg loves the beach, animals, and learning the history of new places. She has traveled to many destinations, with the Balkans being her top choice at the moment.

Here on Goats On The Road, Meg contributes her knowledge of living in Cyprus and Albania as a digital nomad. Plus, detailed travel guides to those countries.

Leo Bio Pic

Leo Gichuki

Professional Tour Guide in Kenya & Nature Enthusiast

Leo is a writer, traveler, and local tour guide in Kenya. He was born and raised in the Kenyan hinterland. After a short stint working offshore as a seismic explorer, he returned to Nairobi and began his adventures around Kenya and Southern Africa.

From these wanderings, his blog the Kenyan Backpacker was born – to share his experiences and tales from the open road. Besides backpacking and traveling, he is passionate about hiking, history, and nature.

Here on Goats On The Road, Leo shares his firsthand, expert information about living and traveling around his home country of Kenya.

Danny Author Pic

Daniel Mooers

Freelance Writer & Outdoor Enthusiast

Danny is a Minnesota native living and teaching high school English in Phoenix, Arizona, while freelance writing on the side.

His breaks and summers are dedicated to traveling to any new place he can – preferably overland. Finding it hard to stay away from the mountains, Danny has explored the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Beartooth Range in Montana.

He enjoys finding a remote national forest campground or a random accommodation with mountain views.

With a passion for hiking and fly fishing, Danny has spent many months of his life exploring the United States, and in particular Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota in search of pristine views and solidarity.

Here on Goats On The Road, Danny shares travel guides and advice on traveling around the state of Montana, one he has visited on numerous occasions, and always finds himself returning to.

Nicola Rae Bio Pic

Nicola Rae

TEFL Certified Online English Teacher

Nicola is a former classroom teacher turned full-time traveler and online English teacher. In June 2017, she stumbled on an online English teaching gig that allowed her to travel anywhere with good WiFi.

Nicola got TEFL certified, packed up her classroom, and decided to take her job on the road to combine her two passions – teaching English and traveling! 

Here on Goats On The Road, Nicola contributes her expert information and opinions about TEFL certifications and teaching English online.

best freelance websites for beginners to work abroad

Krystianna Pietrzak

Remote Freelancer Worker

Krystianna has worked as a freelancer with graphic design and social media services for the past two years and loves not being tethered to a single location.

When not traveling or working, she enjoys sharing helpful tips and tricks with others who are interested in being self-employed and working remotely. 

Here on Goats On The Road, Krystianna contributes her knowledge and tips about earning money as a freelancer, working remotely from home, and creating your own online business.

online teaching backdrop ideas

Kacie Golliher

TEFL Certified Teacher Living in China & Teaching Online

Kacie is a TEFL certified ESL teacher. She started teaching English when she moved from the United States to China in 2019.

Since then, she has taught at two brick and mortar schools in China and has taught online with GoGoKid and Qkids. When she’s not teaching, she likes spending her time travelling with her husband and studying foreign languages. 

Here on Goats On The Road, Kacie shares expert information and advice on taking a TEFL course, and teaching English online.

sasha grateful gypsies

Sasha Savinov

Full-Time Traveller & Digital Nomad

Sasha is an expert in traveling the United States, Mexico, and Thailand. He’s also an online English teacher and a video producer. In fact, he studied video production at Michigan State University.

Together with his wife Rachel, Sasha has been living and traveling abroad for more than 10 years, with Mexico and Thailand being their primary bases. 

Here on Goats On The Road, Sasha contributes his expert, firsthand advice on living and traveling in both Mexico and Thailand. Plus, a few articles about what it’s like being a digital nomad. 

Tara Bio Pic

Tara Burgess

Full-Time Traveller & Digital Nomad

Tara is a full-time writer, traveler, photographer, and lover of street food. Tara has travelled to over 40 countries and in particular, is an expert on living and working in Germany, China, and Italy.

When she’s not sharing her advice online, you can find her sipping a glass of wine or slurping a bowl of hot noodles! 

Here on Goats On The Road, Tara contributes her advice on living as an expat in Germany, China, and Italy. Plus, information and tips on getting working holiday visas, and making money online and abroad.

Mia Bio Pic

Mia Hargrave

Professional Proofreader, House Sitter & Blogger

Mia is a Canadian with a passion for hiking and exploring the world on foot. She currently lives abroad in Japan, where she works remotely as a freelance proofreader and runs a successful travel blog where she shares her tips and guides for traveling and hiking around the world.

WE STARTED TRAVELING IN 2008

Our Story

We weren’t satisfied with the routine of waking up, going to work, coming home, eating dinner, watching TV, going to bed…and repeating. We felt bored with our lives in Canada and were tired of not having enough time to spend with one another. We were tired of being tired. So, we booked a typical 1 week, all-inclusive vacation in Mexico together. A vacation that gave us the travel bug.

Read more of our story from Mexico

About a month later, Nick came home from a brutal day of work and said: “If you could travel anywhere for a year, where would it be?” Dariece’s immediate reply was: “Southeast Asia”!

Fast forward 8 months and we had sold our home, our car, most of our possessions and booked a flight from Vancouver to Bangkok. Our travel dreams were about to come true.

We backpacked through SE Asia and the Subcontinent for 13 months. A trip that truly changed our lives forever. We met new friends, learned about new cultures, tasted new foods and experienced things that we never thought possible. From that point on we looked at our lives in a totally new light.

about us our first trip
Us on our first backpacking adventure in 2008

Read More About Our Time in Southern Asia

It Was Time To Hit The Road

We Need To Be Traveling

After that 13 month trip, our bank accounts were dwindling and we needed to return back to Canada to make some more cash. We were very fortunate to get our exact same jobs back after being away for so long!

But upon returning home, we felt like strangers in our home country, and struggled to fit in. Events and conversations that we used to enjoy and that we used to think were important, now seemed irrelevant to our perspective on life.

The trip had changed us and we knew that we needed to save as much money as we could to set off on another longterm adventure.

about us surfing
Surfing in Lombok, Indonesia in 2009

Read More About Our Time in Canada

Read About Our USA Travels

This Time Will Be Longer

The 16-Month Journey

After being back in Canada for just 13 months, we had saved enough money to set off on an even longer trip than the first one. This time we visited Europe, Africa, The Middle East, Southern Asia, and Northern Asia.

Read More About Our Travels in Africa

Read More About Our Travels in The Middle East

Read More About Our Time in Europe

It was somewhere around our 15th month on the road, in the Philippines, when Dariece had a total meltdown. She was thinking about the prospect of returning home in just over a month when the funds would run out.

We needed to figure out a way to earn money on the road – going back to regular jobs in Canada simply wasn’t an option.

about us in the philippines
Sunsets in the Philippines

Read More About Our Northern Asia Travels

Let’s start a blog

Travel Blogging

During the meltdown and trying to think of ways to continue our travels, Dariece read an article online about a guy who made $2,500 from travel blogging each month. So, we figured we should learn how to start a travel blog, choose a travel blog name, and hopefully make money from it to keep traveling 😀.

Fast forward to today and this travel blog (and the jobs that stem from it) earns us six figures each year. Starting a travel blog was definitely the best thing we ever did, which is why we aim to inspire and help others (you!) to start one too.

In fact, if you start a blog using the link in this post, we will send you our blogging course and pro blogging eBook for free.

travel blogger lifestyle
Blogging from a hotel that we were working with — in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Read More About Our Digital Nomad Life

A NEW TRAVEL JOB

Teaching English

While traveling, we met many people who had taught English abroad as a way to make money and stay on the road. After we volunteered teaching in a village in Myanmar for a week, we started to think that we would be great English teachers.

While we were traveling around China, Nick sent off our resumes to some schools he found online, and from adverts we saw in hostels.

The response we received was overwhelming! We couldn’t believe that so many schools wanted us, especially because we had no formal training or experience at that point.

Within 2 weeks, we had secured ourselves a job at Shane English School in Yangzhou, China.

about us teaching english
Teaching English in Yangzhou, China

We taught at that school for a year and had one of the best years of our lives. We made numerous foreign and local friends, learned about Chinese culture, tried some seriously strange foods, and best of all, we loved our little students.

During that year, because we only worked 20 hours a week teaching, we had plenty of time to get GoatsOnTheRoad up and running. The year was spent teaching English for part of the day, and working on our website for the other part of the day.

After one year of teaching, we had saved enough money to travel for around 5 months.

about us yangzhou
The City of Yangzhou, where we lived for a year in China

Read More About Our Time in China

WE GO WAY OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH

Central Asia & The Silk Road

When we were living in China, we looked at a map and figured that the next logical trip would be to head north through Mongolia and Russia, before veering into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

We ticked off an item on our travel wish list – the Trans Mongolian / Trans Siberian Railway!

This whole trip was quite the adventure, filled with camping, trekking and fishing. This is one of the least touristy regions of the world and we loved every minute of it.

about us uzbekistan
Gorgeous architecture in Uzbekistan

Read More About Our Time in Central Asia

A NEW WAY TO STAY ON THE ROAD

House Sitting & Pet Sitting

When we were in Uzbekistan, we decided to create a profile for ourselves on the website Trustedhousesitters.com. We were trying to find ways to supplement the income earned from our website (which at the time, wasn’t all that much), and house sitting seemed like a great way to do just that.

Within a month of putting up our profile, we had received a message from a homeowner in the Caribbean. She wanted us to come and take care of her divine dog named Spare. The job was for 7 months, with 1 month off in the middle.

Read More About Our Time in The Caribbean

It was perfect, and we said “Yes” right away.

about us house sitting
Nick with our fur friend, Spare Dog

Read More About Our Time in Grenada

WE KEEP HOUSE SITTING & TRAVELING

6 Months House Sitting & 6 Months Traveling

During those three years of pet sitting in Grenada, we spent half of the year house sitting, and spent the other half traveling.

We visited Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Barbados, Puerto Rico, New York, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Prague, Berlin and Istanbul.

about us macedonia

Read More About Our Time House Sitting

TIME TO GET BACK TO NOMADISM

2017 – The Year Of Freedom

We decided that 2017 would be our year. Although we love pet-sitting, we wanted the year to be as spontaneous as possible. We were ready to travel when we wanted to, for as long as we wanted to – without any future commitments. Plus, we wanted to be free to go on any press trips should they arise.

We’re really glad we made that decision as we ended up forming some great partnerships with tourism boards in Greece, Argentina, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan.

Had we been “tied down” with pet-sitting jobs, we wouldn’t have been able to partake in those incredible marketing campaigns.

2017 brought us to South America for the first time and we loved backpacking around Colombia, road-tripping through Argentina, chilling out in Uruguay and trekking in Chile.

Read More About Our South America Travels

trekking in el chalten argentina

We flew business class for the first time to attend a blogging conference in Istanbul — what an experience that was!

The conference was followed up by a road trip through the UK with family, our 10 year anniversary celebrated in Greece, plotting new trekking routes in Kyrgyzstan, scuba diving & living in Indonesia, and travelling around Japan for Nick’s 33rd birthday.

Finally, we rounded off the roller coaster year in Manzanillo, Mexico with almost every member of our immediate families coming down for a visit.

Follow Along

Each Year is Different

Every year we have a look back at what the year brought and give you a full update on what we got up to. You can find all of these annual updates below. We hope you enjoy!

WE HAD A REALIZATION

It’s All About Lifestyle Design

Since starting out in 2008, we’ve traveled to more than 65 wonderful countries around the world. Our passion for culture and adventure has driven us to find numerous ways to make money on the road so that we can continue this life of full-time exploration.

about us prague
Exploring the city of Prague

We’ve chosen this freedom-filled, unconventional way of life and we feel that we are completely stress-free, happy and alive. We don’t worry about nine-to-fives, bosses, planning for retirement, mortgages and most importantly… we have no debt.

We love this new lifestyle so much that we started this blog so that we can share it with others. That is why we put ALL of our best money-making tips, travel hacks and inspiration on this blog to show you that this kind of life is possible.

We don’t regret our decision to sell-up at home and live this nomadic lifestyle.

Travel made us realize the futility of material possessions now that we’re living out of our backpacks/suitcases. We’re happier than ever! Everything we own fits into a total of 110L of space.

We’ve gained a new outlook on the world and on life itself. Experiences are what bring happiness, not material things.

about us goats on the road
Happiness is…cooking in Grenada!

Read About Our Lifestyle

KEEP UPDATED

What’s Next?

We will continue with our digital nomad lifestyle for as long as it brings us joy. Right now, at this moment in our lives, we’re 100% content. We’re happy to be able to work on our laptops from anywhere in the world, provided there’s a decent wifi connection.

about us blogging

WANT TO TRAVEL MORE?

We Hope You’re Inspired

We are the architects of our own reality and we are here to inspire you to create a happier life for yourself. Happiness comes in many forms, but for us, we find joy through traveling, being our own bosses, and eye-opening experiences.

On this website, we share our financial tips, earning methods, and travel stories with you, in the hopes that we can inspire you to live a freer life.

We want to show you how to turn your travels into a lifestyle!

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us. We answer every single email. Also, make sure to follow our journey on our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

about us grenada
Beach life in Grenada

Keep your life on your back and get more back from your life – Goats On The Road

FAQ’S:

Q:  Why are you called “Goats On The Road”?

A:  Because no matter where we travel in the world, there seems to be goats roaming the roads! Since the two of us are also on the road, we have since decided to call each other “Goat”…therefore, we are Goats On The Road.

Q:  How can you afford to travel for so long?!

A:  For our first year-long trip in 2008, we sold our house and saved a lot of money from working at our jobs. For our second trip we put ourselves on a strict budget and saved up money from working for a year in Canada. We were able to travel for 16 months on those savings. After that, we decided to teach english in China for a year. We saved $21,000 in a year living in China and that supported our journey through Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia and Iran.

In 2014, a combination of free accommodation from house-sitting and the earnings made from Goats On The Road allowed us to travel and live abroad.

Since 2015, this website has been our sole source of income. Financially speaking, we haven’t needed to housesit since then, but we enjoy it 🙂

Q: How do you pronounce Dariece?

A: Der – iece. Like “piece” or “niece”.

Q:  Do you ever get bored with travelling the world?

A:  Absolutely not! There are times when we feel a bit exhausted or overwhelmed from trying to juggle travelling and blogging and need some down time…but no, we’re always excited to see and do new things each and every day. That’s the best part about travelling, there’s always something new around each corner.

Q:  How do you get around?

A:  We’ve probably taken every mode of transportation possible! Our favourite way to get around is by train or by having our own wheels – this is the best way to see the country and to meet people along the way. We often fly and take the bus as well.

Q:  What is your favourite country so far?

A:  We don’t have a clear answer for that one. Each country is beautiful in its own way and has something to offer. However, the ones that stand out in our minds the most are: Thailand, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Mozambique, Turkey, China, Mongolia, Mexico, Italy, Cuba, and Iran.

See a list of our favourites here.

Q:  What are the weirdest things you’ve eaten on your travels?

A:  Scorpion, maggot, toad, horse meat, duck’s blood, cow stomach and ox tongue.

Q:  Where do you sleep?

A:  We typically go for a hotel/guesthouse/hostel/hut or some sort of accommodation that is unique, and if possible, eco-friendly and locally owned.

We’ve also slept on plenty of planes, trains, cars and buses.

We’ve had to embrace the dorm room a few times when there were no other options, but when we’re in hostels, we always go for private rooms.

These days we like to travel slowly and find ourselves renting Airbnbs.

Q:  Have you ever been worried about your safety?

A:  A few times. In Kenya, we were held at knifepoint by a crazy, homeless man. Also in Kenya, we were in an archipelago where Somali Pirates were kidnapping westerners.

Two other times Nick almost drowned – he fell down a waterfall in Laos and he was sucked out to sea by a rip-tide in Sri Lanka. We were also (possibly) stalked by a tiger while hiking through Periyar Tiger Reserve in India.

Q:  Have you ever had anything stolen or been robbed?

A:  Unfortunately, yes. We had $1,500 stolen from us during our adventures on the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan. We’ve also had a pair of sandals, an iPod Touch, and a dive mask stolen. Luckily, none of those things were forcefully taken from us.

Q:  How long will you keep travelling?

A:  We plan to continue to travel and live abroad for as long as we enjoy it. We know that we’ll never return to a normal lifestyle back home, that’s for sure.

Q: Are you going to get married and have kids?

A: You can read all about that in our post – Are we going to have a baby?

about us
Exploring New York on a press trip

Things We’ve Done:

Apart from quitting our jobs, selling our home and leaving Canada to pursue our dream of travelling, we have…

Snorkelled with Whale Sharks (Mozambique)

Gone on an African Safari (Masai Mara, Kenya)

Spent 3.5 weeks doing yoga and meditation at an Ashram (India)

Dove with Humpback Whales (Mozambique) 

Trekked to 5,416 meters through the Himalaya Mountains on the Annapurna Circuit (Nepal)

Went on a 4 day camel safari (Thar Desert, India) 

Sailed through the stunning Quirimbas Archipelago camping on deserted islands along the way (Mozambique)

Floated in the Dead Sea (Jordan)

Seen 6 Wonders Of The World: Great Pyramids Of Giza, EgyptPetra, Jordan; The Taj Mahal, India; Chitchen Itza, Mexico, The Great Wall Of China, Beijing, China, and Macchu Pichu in Peru.

Taught English in a rural village for a week (Naloy, Myanmar)

Dove the Blue Hole in the Red Sea (Dahab, Egypt)

Sailed up the great Nile River for 4 days (Aswan to Luxor, Egypt)

Stared in awe at the pile of rocks known as Stonehenge (England)

Seen the amazing temples at Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

Survived a deadly stomach virus (Monkey Bay, Malawi)

Discovered the most beautiful island in the world (Koh Rong, Cambodia)

Seen the prehistoric Komodo Dragons (Rinca Island, Indonesia)

Lived out our Robinson Crusoe fantasies on deserted islands (Mozambique & The Philippines)

Spent 3 days on a rice barge houseboat sailing the Kerala Backwaters (Allepy, India)

Trekked deep into the jungle to spot wild Orangutans (Bukit Lawang, Indonesia)

Went sand-boarding down massive dunes in the Great Sand Sea (Egypt)

Witnessed the migration of the Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales from 50 feet away (Hermanus, South Africa)

Seen the Parthenon (Athens, Greece)

Survived a Crazy Stomach Infection

Hiked a volcano for sunrise (Kintamani, Indonesia)

Wandered through the ancient ruins of Baalbek (Lebanon)

Went surfing (Lombok, Indonesia)

Attended an Indian Wedding (Rishikesh, India)

Rented a car and went on a 5 week road trip (South Africa)

Got tattoos in a foreign country (Koh Tao, Thailand)

Spotted rare Irrawady River Dolphins from a dug-out log canoe (Don Det, Laos)

Got a naked scrub-down from a complete stranger (Istanbul, Turkey)

Travelled for two weeks on the Pamir Highway through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Took a helicopter ride over the Pamir Mountains bordering Afghanistan

Trekked on foot independently for 8 days in Mongolia

Rode the Trans-Mongolian/Trans-Siberian Train

Went on a two day horse-trek in Kyrgyzstan

Road tripped through Albania and Macedonia

Island hopped in the Grenadines by cargo boat and ferry

Travelled independently around Cuba for a month

…And so much more!

Happy Travels. We hope to see you on the road 🙂

Nick & Dariece (The Goats)

digital nomad make money