Her advice about long-term travel, remote work, and location independence has been featured on the Lonely Planet, CNN Money, Business Insider, and Forbes.
Learn more about Dariece Swift on the Goats On The Road About Us Page.
- Local Of: Canada, China, Mexico, Grenada, Bulgaria
- Expert of: Greece, Portugal, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Grenada, and Argentina. Plus, being a digital nomad, teaching English, travel blogging, house sitting (and much more!)
- Travel Style: Luxury, Midrange, Foodie, History, Beach Bum, City Lover, Hiker, Culture Seeker
- Traveling Since: 2008
- Favorite Destinations: Argentina, Italy, Greece, Indonesia, Grenada, India, Thailand, Mexico
- Backpack or Suitcase: Both, depending on the trip
- Window or Isle: Aisle
- Bus or Train: Train
- Education: the World
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Dariece’s Expertise
Dariece has been a full-time traveler since 2008 and has been working remotely full-time since 2012. Prior to that, she was a real estate paralegal in Canada.
From 2012 – 2013, Dariece lived in China while teaching English to students aged 5 – 16. During that time, in 2012, Goats On The Road was created and Dariece has been the cofounder and owner since then.
During 2013 – 2017, she was a professional house and pet sitter around the world, and a freelance writer as well.
Together with her partner in life and business, Nick Wharton, she founded this website, Goats On The Road, plus two others. Her expertise has been featured on websites like Forbes, CNN Money, Business Insider, and many more prominent websites.
Dariece has traveled to more than 75 countries and lived in around 10 of those.
Dariece Around The World
Dariece’s #1 Travel Tip
While reading guidebooks and travel blogs is very important before heading off to a destination, I recommend heeding the advice of locals once you arrive. Things change, and you want the most current information. Not only to do with safety, but maybe there’s an incredible event happening when you arrive that you weren’t aware of!
Dariece’s Favorite Food
This is easy. My favorite cuisine is Italian, and my favorite dish is Neapolitan-style pizza – either margarita or diavola. No matter where I travel, I’m always on the lookout for an Italian restaurant that makes this.
Favorite Travel Experience
This is impossible to choose! But, one of my highlights of travel was when Nick and I backpacked through Central Asia for 5 months. We hopped around the ‘Stans – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and finished it off with Iran.
During that time, we were invited into many local homes, learned so much about the culture, and saw some epic mountain views and ancient sites. We were fortunate enough to return to Kyrgyzstan again in 2017 to partner with the Kyrgyzstan Tourism Board and USAID to plot new trekking routes in remote parts of the country!
That 3 days spent camping out in the middle of nowhere, painting rocks with bright arrows, and plotting hiking routes was a trip I’ll never forget…I’ll also never forget the brutal blister I got on my heel.
Where Have You Lived?
Over my many years on the road, I’ve lived in quite a few destinations. Here’s where I’ve spent the most time.
I spent a year teaching English and living in China, close to 6 years in Grenada (6 months on, 6 months off), 8 months in Lisbon (Portugal), 8 months in Playa del Carmen (Mexico), 3 months in Canggu Bali (Indonesia), 2 months in Koh Samui (Thailand), 2 months in Barbados, 2 months in Sliema (Malta), 3 months in Poprad (Slovakia), and 2 months in San Pancho (Mexico).
I’m currently based in Bulgaria and have been here for a year so far.
Funny Travel Quirk
The things I bring with me have changed over the years (as I get older!). These days, the random things I like to pack include a bed sheet, a mocha pot (for coffee), and an aerator for wine.
To this day, I still collect a money note from each country (unless it doesn’t have its own currency, like the euro), and a fridge magnet.
