Who are you and what did you do?
Hi all! My name is Matthew Karsten, and I run the popular adventure travel & photography blog called The Expert Vagabond. In it I share budget travel tips, photography adventures, and advice for becoming a digital nomad to help inspire others to get out there and explore their world. I’ve been working as a professional blogger & content creator for the past 9 years. I currently live in Italy as an expat, but am a citizen of the United States and Ireland.
How is your work space set up?
As a minimalist, my workspace is pretty simple. At home I use an adjustable height IKEA desk set in front of a window, a 13″ Macbook Pro, an SSD external hard drive, a Dyson Pure Cool air filter/fan, and some Sony noise-canceling headphones. I also have LED video lights on stands for recording YouTube videos.
What does your typical day look like?
I wake up at about 6AM to feed our 4-month-old baby and the cat, take a shower, eat breakfast while watching international news, then make a 2nd cup of coffee and get to work around 7:30AM.
With the new baby, my wife (who also works from home) and I take turns watching him while the other works. usually in 3-4 hour shifts. Sometimes we’ll hire a babysitter and will both go work at a local coffee shop. The workday is pretty fluid, and we may take a few hours off to do family stuff, or work into the night. I work anywhere between 4 to 10 hours a day depending on what else is going on.
When I’m traveling, my work schedule depends on what activities I’ve got planned. If I’m out all day shooting photos/video, I’ll work in the evening or early in the morning from my hotel or a coffee shop. If I’m hiking in the mountains somewhere, I’ll cut myself off from the grid and postpone any work until I return to civilization.
What hardware do you use to make your content?
13″ Macbook Pro
Sony A7RIII Camera
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone
GoPro 7 Action Camera
RRS TQC-14 Tripod
Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Mic
What software?
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop
Final Cut Pro X
WordPress
Where can people find you online?
My blog: https://expertvagabond.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/expertvagabond
YouTube: https://youtube.com/expertvagabond
Twitter: https://twitter.com/expertvagabond