How to Live as a Digital Nomad

Living a life as a digital nomad hinges on the career choice. The career must be one that you can take with you anywhere you go. If you want to work on the beach, you can work on the beach as long as you have a good Wi-Fi connection. Most of the time, digital nomads sit in a coffee shop or hotel room, working as far away from tourists as they can and using the internet when it’s available.

Nonetheless, being able to take your work with you means you can see the world if you want. It’s also a way to have a great life without having to make a fortune. You can tailor your travel choices to your budget and move around as you can pay for it. The world is a big place, so you may as well see it.

Digital nomad working on the beach

Measure Your Experience

One thing you need to do before starting life as a digital nomad is measure your skills. Starting out, you may not be able to start a full-fledged online business. Many digital nomads take the step of becoming a freelancer in their spare time, so they can build solid portfolios that will help them keep work coming in consistently. It’s the quickest way to get things off of the ground because you can learn as you work and gain the necessary skills to expand your online operations.

You must also be willing to fail. Unreasonable expectations can derail you fast. There are going to be times when mistakes will be made or work may not be as abundant as it needs to be. Prepare for these moments by saving some money before you start moving around. The last thing you want to do is get stuck halfway across the world during a “dry spell” with no way of getting home or taking care of yourself.

Education is another thing you need. Before you start migrating around the world, you should take classes online or at a local university that teach the skills you need. In other words, it’s best to not be in a major hurry so that you can properly prepare yourself. You can also learn by getting a job at a company that can teach you the skills you need. You will get paid as you learn, which means you can save the money that will get you started with your nomadic lifestyle.

Pace Yourself

When you’re ready to start life as a digital nomad, travel a short distance first so it isn’t as hard for you to go home if something would go awry. If you want to travel further, try getting a job in another country. This will require a Working Holiday visa but could give you the necessary experience and the opportunity to save money for future travels.

There are many possibilities when it comes to working abroad. You can take any skills you have and put them to work. For instance, you may have worked as a lifeguard in high school. You can take that experience and become a lifeguard on a beach in Australia or on a cruise ship.

Find Remote Work

You can also find a company that will let you work remotely. There are more companies that are cutting their overhead by having their employees work from home. If you currently have a job where you sit in an office all day on a computer, you may be able to convince your boss to let you work remotely. Examples of jobs you can do using a laptop:

  • Website Design
  • Social Media Management
  • Freelance Writing
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Online Customer Service
  • Medical Transcription
  • Software Development
  • Virtual Assistant
  • Transcriptionist
  • Online Tech Support
  • Run an Online Store
  • Online Teacher
  • Virtual Tutor

Of course, you have to make sure you have an internet connection. Depending on the job, you may have to work the same time each day, which can take some of the flexibility out of being a nomad. However, the important thing is that you can still work from where you are. Jobs that require reporting the same time daily will also force you to plan your next migration very carefully. The same scenario exists for when you’re working on deadlines, such as a writing deadline.

Some popular companies that hire remote workers include Dell, Microsoft, Apple, Symantec Aetna, Comcast, IBM, and Cargill. Insurance companies, software companies, and cable providers are among those with large remote workforces.

Digital nomad working in a virtual office

Become an Entrepreneur

You can start your own online business to create passive income. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Having multiple income streams can help keep the money coming. For instance, you may want to go to Shopify or another similar service and create an online store quickly. You don’t have to have a physical inventory to sell items. All you need is a reliable supplier. It will take a while to get a store off the ground, so you may want to do some freelance writing, as well, or do tech support for a tech company. As long as you don’t overwhelm yourself, having multiple sources of income can make life a little less stressful.

You also want to ensure you have a system in place that helps you receive reliable payments from clients. It can be difficult when you have a customer or client not paying for services consistently. You may be expecting the money on a specific day and, the next thing you know, the money isn’t there. If clients are paying too sporadically to where you can’t make plans, then you either need to come to an agreement on pay dates or find new clients that will pay you consistently.

Using an escrow service can be a great way to make sure the money is there. If you are doing something like freelance writing, you can see that the client has the ability to pay. Once the job is finished, the escrow is released.

However, you do have to have a payment service in place that makes selling goods or receiving payment for services easy. Ozan is a service that you can use to store financial information, make payments, receive money, and convert currencies as you travel. It’s similar to PayPal and other payment services but unique in the ability to manage over a dozen currencies.

Make Good Decisions

Overall, it’s best for you to make decisions that are right for you. It can be exciting to become a digital nomad, but you have to consider your experience, education, the opportunities available, how much of the world you want to see, entrepreneurial possibilities and how to manage them, and ensuring that the money is there when you need it. When you weigh every option, pace yourself, test the waters without completely diving in, and have a little faith in yourself, you can live the life you want to live.