I take quiet vacations as often as I can. My employers have no idea where I am thanks to VPN tricks and my meticulous calendar.

Benjamin Fields is a Ph.D. student and a high school math teacher.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Benjamin Fields, a 26-year-old teacher, student, and business owner. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I attended Cornell University and double majored in global and public health sciences and sociology.

Based on my mother’s income, I received nearly $300,000 in grants to help pay for college. I also ran Division One track and field, which helped me travel to tournaments internationally.

Now, I balance traveling frequently with two teaching jobs. My employers have no idea.

After graduating in 2020, I entered a Ph.D. program at U.C. Berkeley, studying sociology

The first year was remote because of the pandemic, so I took classes online. After the pandemic, I moved to campus.

As part of my Ph.D. program, I must teach one class each semester and summer since I don’t have outside funding. I started teaching courses, and I also grade assignments and conduct office hours.

I’m supposed to be physically present there, but I do this work virtually and teach virtual classes. Professors don’t verify that I’m on campus — I do everything through Zoom.

I first quietly vacationed in December 2020

I had the opportunity to speak at a conference in Dubai, and the Dubai government funded my transportation and hotel.

I said yes because being in Dubai for five days was a good experience. I didn’t tell the university I was gone. After that, I was hooked.

I went to Colombia at the beginning of 2021 and the Ivory Coast later that year. I committed to myself to go on quiet vacations as much as possible.

In 2022, I went to Portugal, London, Barcelona, Sydney, and Ibiza.

My mom is a public school teacher, and the school district where she worked was desperate for teachers
After living on campus for a while, I wanted to move out of Berkeley because I disliked the university vibe. I knew nobody would know, and it was cheaper to live in Oklahoma.

I decided to pick up another job teaching math to 10th graders where my mom works.

I got the job as a public school teacher in 2022. I teach in person during the school year and travel during every school break. I take a big quiet vacation from the university during the summer.

I go on trips for professional development

I give an hourlong talk as part of my research on digital nomadism. After these trips, I take a quiet vacation.

At the end of 2022, I took an epic three-week trip to Antarctica. I used the majority of my leave from public school to go. Nobody at my university knew I was gone for that long.

In 2023, I returned to the UK multiple times and spent the summer in Vienna, Barcelona, Portugal, Seville, and Paris. I went to Corfu for one week in October, and in December, I went to Cameroon for four weeks.

I stay with my girlfriend in London and with family in Cameroon. If I’m not staying at a friend’s house, I split an Airbnb with friends.

Fields in Paris. 

I use 2 phones to quiet vacation successfully

One phone number is my personal number. I have another phone number that handles all of my business stuff. I use a VPN that puts my location in San Francisco.

I use Google Fi as my cellphone provider because it gives me WiFi tethering and up to 50 GB of data worldwide. I can easily run a connection anywhere I go.

There were two instances where I thought I might be discovered. I had to have a colleague cover for me for one class I couldn’t make, and another instance where I had to teach from a closet so no one knew where I was.

I’m a mix of a backpacker and a luxury traveler

I can afford the travel by working in university positions called readerships on campus. I get assignments, hold office hours, and get paid. I use the readership money to survive living in Oklahoma.

I use my salary as a teacher to travel. After tax, I get $3,000 a month, which I combine with credit card points and miles.

I also have a small boutique fragrance company called Maison Jila. The business makes me about $1,500 a month. I pre-pack the boxes, and each time I get an order, my mom slaps the label on and drops it off at USPS.

I also wrote some eBooks on personal finance, and I collect sales on those every two months.

I’m creating my dream life and have a meticulous calendar

I have about three hourlong classes, three times a week. There have been times when I’ve stayed up very late to attend a class from another time zone, but it could be worse.

After that, I have my teaching positions. We have to attend an original lecture for the class and then have the sessions we teach each week.

From there, I fill the time with marketing and creating content for my perfume business. I also have time set aside to write more personal finance books.

I plan to finish my Ph.D., travel, and build a business that fully supports my lifestyle

I used to work at Subway during the summer in high school for 60 hours a week. I dreamed I could one day own that Subway and set my own rules.

I didn’t know about places like Monaco, Colombia, Singapore, or Macau — all I knew was working jobs where people treat you poorly. I grew up knowing that would not be my life.

I want to own properties worldwide and build a work-optional lifestyle. I see my perfume business supporting me, and if I’m still teaching, I’ll use that money to pay for travel and investments. I like living life on my terms.