In 2020, Mike Swigunski was among millions of people in lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe. But instead of hunkering down with roommates or family, Swigunski was 6,000 miles away from home, alone in a foreign country.
Swigunski had only planned to visit Georgia, a small country that sits between eastern Europe and western Asia, for 30 days. But when Georgia closed its borders in early March to help curb the spread of the virus, the Missouri native was forced to extend his stay in the country’s capital, Tbilisi.
As Swigunski recalls, however, he quickly fell in love with Tbilisi’s old-world charm as well as its relaxed culture of good food and warm hospitality. Now, Swigunski, 33, is living and working from Tbilisi as a nomadic entrepreneur, a decision that has helped him live “a higher quality of life for a fraction of the cost,” he tells CNBC Make It.
If he was living in the U.S., Swigunski adds, “I would have to be working a lot more … now, I’m semi-retired.”
Tragedy, then wanderlust
Swigunski had always dreamed of traveling the world, and before he graduated from the University of Missouri in 2011, he found himself at a crossroads: pursue a traditional corporate job, or travel to Prague, where he was offered the opportunity to lead a group of students studying abroad.
Then, one month before graduation, Swigunski’s mother died from breast cancer. “I was absolutely devastated,” he says. “I was 22 years old, and I was confused on which path to follow … but I knew my mother would have wanted me to follow my dreams.” He decided to follow his passion and booked a one-way ticket to Europe.
Since then, Swigunski has visited over 100 countries, living and working in different locales for months, or years at a time: He’s been a travel writer in Korea, an advertising manager in Australia and a marketing and sales manager in New Zealand, among other jobs.
Four years ago, Swigunski decided to monetize his expertise in remote working and travel. His business, Global Career, is an online resource of job boards, workshops, coaching and more where people can learn about entrepreneurship as a digital nomad.
“These services are helping other people by inspiring them to create a different journey or start their own global careers,” he says. “I want to help other people become digital nomads in a faster path.”
Living in Georgia is ‘ten times’ cheaper than the U.S.
Swigunski’s annual income hovers between $250,000 and $275,000 — and thanks to tax benefits in Georgia, he gets to keep a lot more of his income than he would otherwise.
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