For the second episode of the Nerd on Tour Podcast, I invited Guillaume Lorain – a digital nomad from France. He’s running a sustainable network of French blogs and provides web dev consulting. Microsoft branch in Paris was the place where Guillaume started, later on establishing his location-independent freelance gigs. That resulted in a great journey around the Australian coast and visits to South-East Asia. Learn more in this exciting episode!

Listen to the Nerd on Tour Podcast with Guillaume Lorain

The second episode of the Nerd on Tour Podcast

I must admit that producing these recordings is a very satisfying job. There’s a lot to learn about tools, standards and best podcasting practices. And that’s exactly the kind of challenge I want to be facing. My goal is to share stories about fellow digital nomads because we are collectively embracing distributed work model. Sometimes in odd environments – like in the case of Guillaume’s Australian trip.

We met in The Hatchery Place in February 2020, where we both stayed at the time. Guillaume flu to Bali right before countries started to impose lockdowns and decided to remain on the island for the time being. While this context is, without a doubt, historically significant I always want to keep the conversations as evergreen as possible. In this episode we talk about Guillaume’s web dev journey, establishing strong SEO position and keeping expenses low to travel long-term.

Who is Guillaume Lorain?

Guillaume is a Search Engine Optimization Expert, blogger and solopreneur that runs a couple of websites in French. He is one of many digital nomads that you’ll not see in news headlines because he’s not disrupting the world. Instead, he’s consistently building his SEO rank positions while maintaining a solid tech foundation for his sites.

He gained experience as a full-time employee in the French branch of Microsoft in Paris to then move to small businesses focused on pharmaceuticals and smartphones. These various positions allowed him to learn about the web marketing and advertising industry. Later on, he decided to switch to freelancing, so he can travel while working.

Now Guillaume is a location independent consultant and developer of multiple projects. The most successful site is RienAseMettre.fr which means “Nothing to Wear” in French. He develops it since 2012 as a recommendation blog focused on everyday fashion for people in France. The site’s business model is built around long-lasting affiliate contracts with selected clothing and accessories brands.

Between December 2018 and November 2019, Guillaume completed his first big adventure – driving along the coast of the whole of Australia. This was possible thanks to the Australian year-long visa, Guillaume frugal lifestyle and recurring income from his online projects. Since then he stayed in other popular digital nomad destinations like Chaing Mai in Thailand, Danang in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bali in Indonesia.

Sign up for Triangulation Tuesday email newsletter

Once a week receive an insightful email about all things digital nomad. This can be a short story, links to new blog posts, or podcast episodes. 

Once a week receive an insightful email about all things digital nomad. This can be a short story, links to new blog posts, or podcast episodes.

👋 Hey there! I treat the Internet as a giant and ever-evolving physical space. It takes a lot of time to explore it and find real gems. Therefore, when I’m very satisfied with my findings, I recommend them to others. Many of these products/services offer a commission via affiliate links. Of course, feel free to research and look for them your way. Still, if you decide to use my affiliate link – I’m truly grateful for your support. Thanks to you, I can further develop the Nerd on Tour website and podcast.

Selected links from the conversation with Guillaume Lorain

Connect with Guillaume Lorain

Twitter | Instagram | Personal Site

• Burgundy, France
• Dijon mustard
• Working Holiday Visa in Australia
• WorkAway.info – global portal with voluntary jobs
• HelpX.net – Help Exchange is similar to WorkAway but the website is not properly maintained
• Libraries in Australia are one of the best spots to get an Internet connection
• Microsoft France in Paris
• What is a Blog?
• Driving License in France
• Rien a se Mettre (nothing to wear in French) – Guillaume’s main business
• Macbook Pro 13″ 2017 – Guillaume’s device for work
• WordPress Oxygen Builder
• Yoast – established SEO plugin for WordPress
• Rank Math – alternative SEO plugin for WordPress
• Mihdan: No External Links – easy to use link cloaking WordPress plugin
• Freelancing and self-employment in France
• Guillaume’s shopping guide site (in French)
• Guillaume’s site about French grammar (in French)