How to Become a Digital Nomad

With technology rapidly evolving so has the definition of “work”!

With the introduction of the Internet, location is no longer a factor in regard to doing business.

Then there are people who think working from home is simply not enough to live a satisfactory life. Some prefer hanging out poolside, making an income with a laptop connected to a nearby WiFi while watching the sunset.

These types of people are Digital Nomads. All they need is their laptop and some wifi to work.

For a digital nomad, work does not mean coming into the office or even working on a fixed schedule.

Who Are Digital Nomads?

Digital Nomad is the term used to describe individuals who make use of technology to earn a living independent of their location.

These tech nomads have the ability to live abroad for short stretches of the year. This lifestyle involves visiting different locales in the same region, working out of public spaces, coffee shops, or wherever there is a wireless connection. This enables nomads to be truly location independent.

The type of work also plays an important role in being able to travel freely. But that is not to say that only those who are self-employed can become one.

But is it a good choice for a career and can you sustain a lavish life while being on the move?

In a study conducted in 2018 on the digital nomad lifestyle, approximately 90% mentioned that they wouldn’t give up this lifestyle for any form of working.

Source: Buffer

Is The Digital Nomad Life For You?

This all sounds great but is this lifestyle work out for you?

Do you like traveling and have a strong work ethic. Those who want to become a digital nomad tend to look over how disciplined one must be. It is easy to give in to the temptation of being in a constant vacation mode.

Pros Of Being A Digital Nomad

• Freedom – You become the main driver of your life. You work mostly on your own terms and not on the fixed 9-5 work schedule. There’s no alarm to wake you up if you have already delivered your work.
• Travel – You get the flexibility to travel whenever you want without compromising your work.
• Newer Opportunities – You get on a different path than what people traditionally take. This means that you’re more open to different, newer opportunities that you never knew existed. It could even help you land in a TED talk to share your experiences, just saying.
• Improved Quality Of Life: Digital nomadic lifestyle makes you free of office politics and unhealthy office life. You get to choose where you live, what you eat, and most of the digital nomads use this opportunity to live a happy and healthy life.
• Personal And Professional Growth – This lifestyle makes you meet a lot of people and gain a lot of experiences which helps you grow both personally and professionally.

That’s the good part of embracing the digital nomadic life. Here are some of the negatives everyone should factor into their decision when making this lifestyle shift.

Cons Of Being A Digital Nomad

• Disturbed Work-Life Balance – You find yourself unable to distinguish free and work hours if you’ve got no proper timetable set up.
• Irregular Social Life – Since you are on the move for the majority of the time, it is hard to maintain a stable social life like you used to before.
• Isolation – Travelling frequently means you being alone most of the time. This could let the feeling of loneliness sink in, but can be easily avoided if you have a partner to tag along with you on your journey.
• Missing out on stuff – Catching up on family and occasions back home could be hindered due to you being on the other side of the continent.
• No permanent residency – Because of being on the move frequently, there’ll come a time when you’d just like to slow things down and have a place of your own.

According to MBO Partners State of Independence Research Brief, there are 4.8 million Americans living out as digital nomads.

Many try to become a nomad for the “travel” part of it, just to find themselves not being able to focus their work.

So how avoid just that and become a happy productive digital nomad?

Steps To Becoming A Digital Nomad

You can jump straight in if you are either a freelancer or self-employed or an entrepreneur.

In case you are employed at a company, make sure:

• Higher authorities are informed.
• You’ll be able to deliver while working remotely.

Once this is taken care of, here’s what you got to do:

Plan Your New Lifestyle

Consider what you want to achieve becoming a digital nomad.

Note it down.

What is it that made you even get down this far into planning to become one?

I know, it’s hard to just sit down and write how you would like to make it happen. Believe me, just as this saying goes – Well begun is half done, it’ll come to rescue in times when you feel a lack of motivation.

Reduce Your Expenses

Make sure you pay all your debts and reduce your spending on things you don’t really need. Start saving. Make sure all your loans are paid. It is also better to get a credit card without international fees. Better yet, start relying more on online payments services. Credit cards with international service charges tend to eat up on your earnings if you plan on frequently visiting and staying.

Reduce your physical ties

In case you own any property, you better put it up for rent or sell it if you’re not willing to follow up on it while on the move. Renting it out would be more preferable since it would provide passive income that could come in handy later on.

Have pets? It is possible to take your pets on your adventure but it is better that you find a long-term caretaker. You’ll be in a new place and having a pet, no matter how dear to you, is yet another variable to consider in a growing pile of variables.

Collect Your Tools

Here’s what you’ll definitely need:

1. A laptop or tablet
2. Wi-Fi Hotspot
3. A phone that is not locked to any carrier
4. Must have apps: Airbnb, Slack, Zoom, Google Translate, Skype
5. International Travel insurance

Join Digital Nomad Communities

Nothing beats the ability to be able to communicate and learn from those who already have experienced being a digital nomad firsthand. They provide you with valuable advice on being a digital nomad and coping up with the lifestyle. There are hundreds of communities and sites that you can join.

Here’s a recommended few:

• Nomad List
• Digital Nomad Community
• Find a Nomad

Start Freelancing

As seen before, most of the digital nomads are freelancers and that’s due to it being much easier to travel around and make a living.

You could be already employed at a company, but freelancing helps in earning extra income, and extra never hurts.

Interested? Here’s all you need to know about Freelancing.

With the demanding parts taken care of, it’s time for you to choose a destination to head to and start on your journey.

Choose The Right Destinations

Make sure you find housing before you arrive. This allows you to focus on other things whether it be your business or taking in the culture of the new destination.

It would be great if you just landed at a beachfront location on your first try to be a digital nomad, but to be realistic, this is what you should do:

• Start out with most digital nomad-friendly destination; get recommendations from digital nomad communities mentioned above.
• Get the hang of traveling and living out the nomadic life and improve on revenue generation.
• Once I get the hang of stuff and sure that my revenue can support it, I’d move onto my dream location.

The reasoning behind this is simple. You wouldn’t want to swim across a river when you’ve just learnt to swim the previous day.

You will be on your own and that doesn’t always mean it’s bad. Do note that there can be no skimping out on putting in effort from your side. You can make as a digital nomad it if and only if you’re fully focused.

And that’s all it takes in becoming a digital nomad.

Digital Nomad vs Freelancer

While it may seem that a digital nomad is no different from being a freelancer.

But that is not the case here.

While it is true that any freelancer can be a digital nomad but it’s not true the other way around. A person employed at a company could easily become a digital nomad while becoming a freelancer means following a different profession.

Being a digital nomad means that you are on the move, traveling from one location to another.

But being a Freelancer doesn’t mean you have to travel. You just have the option to travel. A freelancer could take his work with him when they go on vacation, but most of the time they are based off a single or particular location – such as their homes.

Can You Live and Work Like A Digital Nomad

Digital Nomadism is definitely not for everyone, but it is definitely worth giving it a shot if you have the passion for it. It may be the major break that you were looking for!