Living your life, according to your terms, is the ultimate dream. However, this might be the most challenging thing to do when you’re stuck in a nine to five job and paying off your never-ending student loans. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. With the rise of technology, workers are now more empowered to generate income from different streams, all of which can be done online.
With the global impact of the pandemic, more and more people shifted to online work. Now, you can work for companies and businesses remotely or become an entrepreneur and start your own online-based business – whatever it is, you get full control. People now realize more than ever the potential of making money by merely going online and without having to report to the office physically.
In the past decade, we’ve seen more millennials go after their dreams of packing their bags and traveling the world to explore. Many of these people have gone famous for doing exactly just that while documenting it, who we all know, later on, became travel vloggers.
These people are what we call Digital Nomads. If you’ve wanted to become a digital nomad, here’s our ultimate guide on how you can be one.
What is a Digital Nomad?
Digital nomads are the modern-day workers who are location-independent and can work from anywhere in the world. These people are usually travelers who work while traveling across the globe. There are many types of digital nomads out there - some are backpackers who fly from one country to another, some live on a sailboat, some own an RV and cruise around the U.S. and many more. Essentially, digital nomads have complete freedom to move from one place to another while still working online.
Benefits of being a Digital Nomad
You Can Explore the World
Traveling the world is the ultimate dream for most of us. However, we never get enough time to do it, or we don’t have enough money. There’s just so many things that stop us from going after this dream. Being a digital nomad enables you to eliminate these obstacles by enabling you to earn still while being mobile. Essentially, you’re still responsible since you still have work even though you’re moving from one place to another – you just removed all the obstacles that are stopping you. Hence, you don’t need to worry about your finances and time since you are still earning.
Save Money while Exploring
Living in a big city can mean a high cost of living. When you become a digital nomad, you can fly to countries with a low cost of living while traveling and living the life you’ve always wanted. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to learn how to surf, then how about relocating to Bali and surf every day? You get the same amount of money but a better lifestyle.
You Get To Chase After Your Real Dream
Being a digital nomad will give you more time to chase after your passion while still earning. Suppose you have an excellent job in the city, but what if you started your eCommerce brand and it immediately skyrocketed. Now go back to your reality. Will you be satisfied being stuck in that nine to five office job, or will you dive and go after your million dollar business idea?
Ditch Office Politics
One of the most toxic things in having a corporate job is dealing with office politics. When you become a digital nomad, you won’t have to deal with this stuff every day of your life anymore, and you can live your life the way you’ve always wanted without having to please anybody – and while continuously developing yourself.
Experience Different Cultures and Make Friends Around the World
In the corporate world, you see the same people every day, and your social life is limited to Pizza Fridays. Worse, you don’t have the energy to socialize anymore, so you spend weekends sleeping and sulking on your bed. This should not be the case since you’re only lowering the quality of your life. Being a digital nomad allows you to meet new friends every step of the way while learning about another country’s culture. The digital nomad lifestyle is exciting and can be a learning experience for those who have never been out of their comfort zone.
Examples of Digital Nomad Jobs
There are many available jobs for digital nomads. You can start your online business or work for a company, or look for clients to render your services. The choice is yours.
- Blogging – Best for people who are skillful in writing content about various topics. The pay is typically on a per word basis.
- YouTubers – Best for those who love making videos. The key here is to have your niche since some content is already saturated with tons of other bloggers like lifestyle, food, and make-up.
- Consulting – If you’re an expert in something, then it’s probably best to sell your services. Some areas for consulting services would be business management, marketing, process, and more.
- Bookkeeping – Nowadays, you don’t have to be an accountant to do bookkeeping services. There are tons of bookkeeping courses that you can enroll in so long as you have a good finance background.
- Marketing – Marketing is a subject with different aspects, so you will never have problems getting projects. Marketing encompasses social media, branding, events, and many more.
- Virtual Assistants – This job is perfect for those looking for clerical and administrative jobs that are simple and straightforward. You can earn up to $15 per hour with VA.
- Software Developers – IT professionals are also one of the highest-paid jobs online, including software developers.
- Website Designers and Developers – Since almost all businesses are shifting online, more and more people are looking for web developers to help them build and manage their websites. Hence, a good market for web designers and developers.
- eCommerce Entrepreneur – Starting an eCommerce business is a good jump if you want to be an entrepreneur. It’s a kind of business that allows you to start with minimal investment. It also has the potential for high profitability when done right. Here’s our ultimate guide to eCommerce to get you started.
- Online Teaching – If you’re an expert at something, you can probably teach other people by selling online courses. There are tons of online teaching platforms that can help you get started wherein you earn for every sign up with your subject. From baking to music to actual academic subjects, you will indeed find a niche.
How Can You Become a Digital Nomad?
Figure Out How You Can Make Money Online
So now that you’ve decided to take the jump, do you already know the kind of work that you can take on? Do you have a market? Does it pay well? This is when you should do your research if living as a digital nomad is viable with your skills and expertise. This is also the perfect time to boost your online resume and portfolio so you can get clients instantly. If you found an online job that’s a good match for your skills that pays well, then you should be good to go.
vUnderstand the Logistics of a Nomadic Life
Now, let’s get to the basics of a Digital Nomad Lifestyle. Before you can fully transition, you need to set up a few things like renting out or selling your apartment, registering your business, signing up for travel insurance and digital mail service, getting a credit card for your travels, and many more. This is when you should make sure that you have everything you need before leaving your home, and likewise, you’ve settled everything you will leave behind.
Plan Your Itinerary
Now that you’re all set up, the next step is planning where to go. Here is where the fun starts as you’ll be choosing where you want to take your adventure. These are some of the most popular digital nomad destinations: Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Portugal, Hungary, Spain, and Colombia. If you want to keep it local, you can get an RV and start mapping out where you want to go for your long road trip adventure.
Take That Leap
Once everything is all set, you can now launch your journey to the digital nomad lifestyle. Even if you already secured an online job, you still need to prepare your savings in case of emergencies. Plus, while traveling is not always expensive, you still need to have extra money at all times. Remember that you should not quit your day job instantly if you have not saved enough money for this giant leap. So, it’s always better to be wise before making big decisions like this. Now, if you’re sure you’ve got everything covered, then you can start your digital nomad journey!
Digital Nomad Lifestyle: Is it for you?
If you’ve always wanted to travel around the world, and luckily, you have a good skill set in making money online, and you have no current responsibilities at home, then you should make the jump. Remember that not all people are given this kind of opportunity. Being a digital nomad does not require much; you only need a few tools to get you started. I started small, and now I own several businesses that I’ve built while traveling.
