I’m two weeks into the Digital Nomad life and I’m loving it. The dream has always been to travel and work on my own schedule and I’m now doing that - yay!✨
Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Here’s some tips and tricks I’ve learnt so far. Hopefully the below can help you too if you’re looking to take the leap!
Before you go travelling:
Do your research
Visas
Visas can be completed, every country has their own process and offer many different types of Visas. So make sure to do your homework and understand what category you fall under. Check out Visaguide, it’s a great resource and has the latest news on worldwide visas.
First destination in mind
Have a brainstorm and plan where you want the Digital Nomad life to kick off. Where would be the first place to start? Understand what you’re looking for, will you be staying in the same place or will you be travelling around?
Insurance
Make sure you’re putting yourself in the best position, so you’re not caught out. Travel, health and electronic insurance is something that you should definitely have in place before you leave. There are a number of companies who cater specifically towards the Digital Nomad market - SafetyWing, Genki and World Nomads.
Learn the language! (as much as you can!)
Learning the basics will get you far! The locals will really appreciate you making the effort. So download Duolingo and get learning.
Financials
Tie up loose ends
You don’t want to be travelling and still be paying for your monthly gym membership, no thank you. Run through all your outgoings and filter through what you can get rid of. Be brutal. Are you going to watch Netflix whilst exploring and working? Probably not. This money can go towards prolonging your Digital Nomad life. Change that mind set.
What type of Nomad life do you want?
Take a step back and figure out what type of life you want. Do you want a certain level of luxury? Are you happy to jump from hostel to hostel? Decide on what works for you and if it’s realistic. You may want to live the dream, but can the countries you're going to cater to that? Research into prices and go from there.
Have a plan
Having a plan and a routine will help you get your work done. The sooner you get everything ticked off the list the sooner you can explore! Of course, the plan can be flexible and it will have to be as things WILL change. But don’t go fully rogue. Have an idea of how long you’re staying in one place, where you’re staying and where you’re working.
Whilst you’re travelling:
Flexibility
As I just mentioned in the above. You need to be flexible. You may have a great plan in place, but with lots of different external factors, things will change. You’ll probably also meet other like minded people on your travels and you may want to join them on their journey too! So just keep this in mind as you go.
Finances
Check-ins
I highly suggest checking in on your finances each week. Travelling around will mean your outgoings will fluctuate as you go. So make sure to keep an eye out, maybe you need to stop buying that third coffee of the day...
Have a buffer/emergency bucket, just in case! You want to make sure you’re putting yourself in the best position as possible so you can go on for as long as possible.
Cash and card!
Have both on you so you don’t get caught out. Thailand are a big cash society. This threw me as I haven’t carried cash in years! So make sure to do your research.
I’ll be keeping you posted with my journey - if any of you are about to head off on your own, please let me know! I’d love to hear your recommendations and have a fellow Digital Nomad buddy. 🏝