Within this blog post, I’ll put together a collection of pros and cons of why the digital nomad life might or might not be for you.
Along with a selection of information full of tips which are perfect for those who are considering stepping into a digital nomad lifestyle.
The biggest pro of becoming a digital nomad is that instead of working in an office, you can travel full-time and explore different places, cultures, and experiences instead of having to commute to an office every weekday.
The world becomes your office and all you have to find is a good solid Wi-Fi connection.
You can become your boss and set your hours and work schedule.
Instead of working a set number of hours in a day, you can choose to work when you’re most productive.
Once you’re on the road travelling and visiting different places you can choose when it suits you best to get the work done.
The Con for this can be for those who are not good at productivity and time management as the work still has to get done.
You have to be able to ensure that you can motivate yourself and get the job done while juggling workloads with travel. Deadlines have to be delivered to keep the lifestyle balance in place.
Another pro is you can develop new friendships with people from all over the world as you travel which will expand your network and you will bump into other like-minded individuals also living the Digital Nomad lifestyle in popular hotspots.
You can start to design your lifestyle and choose the destinations you wish to travel to and adapt to the type of work that suits your personality and preferences a lot better than a standard 9-5 office job could ever do.
The Con is you have to be an outgoing person wanting to attend social meet-ups, and coworking mingles to create social opportunities to form these connections. You can be a hermit if you wish but connections are formed at after work socials in popular Digital nomad hotspot destinations.
One pro is self-development and learning by being productive in your free time. You can start to search and find better opportunities online. Discover a whole host of interesting work on the web which can be done remotely.
Take advantage of the many online courses you can find across the web. Read loads of books on your Amazon Kindle in your free time and Use your travel time to learn a new skill and expand your portfolio.
One Pro tip is reshuffling finances you would have used to commute to an office job towards your travels instead. Rather than going from A to B every day, you can shake up your commute to a more exotic location instead.
Enjoy the many benefits of being a digital nomad such as newly found freedom, a better working flow and heading out on endless travel adventures.
The Con is you will need to be on top of your money management as work can be unpredictable when working for yourself. Before heading off, you should ensure that you have enough work lined up, possibly six months of income in a savings account as backup incase anything was to go wrong.
Another Con, discover a better work-life balance that fits better for you with a Digital Nomad lifestyle. Don’t let your online work take over your travel experience. Use your free time more wisely and use this to motivate yourself to finish your deadlines and be more productive.
Find city hubs with good internet and a strong digital nomad community. Having a good network of like-minded people in place can help with the Digital nomad journey. communities are easier to find in hotspots and serve as useful places for friendships, support, and co-working buddies and are great for your free time and socializing.
Some Pro advice, would be to make sure you have the correct tools in place to be more efficient.
Invest in a reliable laptop which will end up being your workhorse. I’ve been happy with the performance of my Apple Macbook Air, which is both powerful and compact, making it perfect for travel.
A good work smartphone is also a must as you will want it to be reliable and rugged to use on the road.
Pro advicen, don’t skip it, pay for insurance cover whilst travelling, you never know when you might need it, and when you do need it, you will be grateful you have it.
I use SafetyWing as they offer flexibility and affordable plans to match my travels and they’re perfect for Digital Nomads. Be sure to check them out.
Travel insurance and health insurance are important to protect yourself from unexpected costs and emergencies so be sure to look into this before you travel.
Always keep learning, and never stop learning. The more you learn, the more you earn.
Always Keep up to date with the latest trends in your field such as reading newsletters and trade gazettes about your industry. For the Travel industry, I read the TTG for up-to-date information about travel so I can follow emerging trends in the industry.
Take advantage of online courses, endless podcasts, blog posts, and most importantly, good old books full of wise words of wisdom.
Surround yourself with people doing what you’re doing online so you can feel part of the community of digital nomads. Check out the Tropical MBA podcast for a good one to start with.
One book recommendation from last year would be Atomic Habits by James Clear. Give it a read.
See if you can seek free accommodation whilst travelling in exchange for looking after locals’ pets whilst they travel. One such website is TrustedHousesitters.
Seek a more local authentic experience by using platforms like Couchsurfing to find locals to hang out with in the destinations you visit.
Use Airbnb to find more affordable long-term apartments around the world.
Remember to focus on slow travel, and enjoy more long-term stays to enjoy the digital nomad lifestyle. This way you can immerse yourself better and enjoy the local culture, cuisine, and nature in every place you visit.
Always have a backup plan. Things will go wrong, that’s the beauty of travel, nothing is perfect. Plan for the unexpected.
– prepare for power outages by travelling with a power bank.
– Use Airalo to access E-sims so you can be connected on the go.
– Keep an eye on different countries’ visa situations and apply for E-visa when needed.
– Place an AirTag onto the luggage bag so you can track it across the airport.
– Learn a few basic words in each country so you visit you can be polite with the locals.
– Travel with an international multi-travel adapter.
– Always be prepared for the unexpected and you will be fine.
Hope you found all the above nuggets of information useful to making a digital nomad lifestyle work for you.
the most important takeaway advice I can give is to just have fun and enjoy the journey.
Meet new people, make new friends, step out of your comfort zone, try new things, explore the world and discover new cultures along the way. If this lifestyle is not for you, at least you gave it a go and that’s all you can ask of yourself.
