Celebrity digital nomads like Mike Elgan and Tim Ferris make everyone crave their lifestyle. The pop culture digital nomad is a person who takes lots of vacations, rarely works, and is ever on Instagram, posting pictures from beautiful beaches and exotic restaurants.
Gentle reader, beware, digital nomads do work, and they pay bills and taxes. Anyone that tells you otherwise is a liar. And yes, it’s an amazing lifestyle, but it’s not all hunky-dory.
As a digital nomad, you won’t be on vacation 24-7-365. You will have deadlines, and you will have clients to answer to. At Found My Spot, we welcome digital nomads who want to write about how they found their spot in life and in fact, we do host a few digital nomads here (in fact, here is a great article from one of our digital nomads), so let us share some facts with you.
Who is a Digital Nomad?
A digital nomad, also known as a nomadic worker or tech-nomad, is anyone who can work from anywhere in the world (in Seychelles, Bali, Nairobi, Buenos Aires, etc.) thanks to the internet, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
As a modern nomad, the digital nomad travels from region to region and from country to country while telecommuting to earn a living. Teleworkers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs are examples of people who work exclusively online.
Who Can Become a Digital Nomad?
As a digital nomad, your work should be done online, as mentioned above. You must then have good organizational skills since you will be traveling a lot.
To achieve your goals or be productive, you must also improve your self-discipline (because you will have the privilege of managing your time as you see fit, which can be a double-edged sword). You should also be prepared to work under pressure because traveling is undoubtedly fun, but it is also very tiring.
The Advantages of the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
The digital nomadism lifestyle piques the interest of workers who operate in the traditional 9-5. And for a good reason, because this new way of life has significant advantages:
The freedom to move
Geographical freedom is the main advantage of the digital nomad life. Indeed, the nomadic worker can move everywhere and travel as he wishes to discover the world and even change his place of life as many times as possible. All this without having to sacrifice work and thus ensuring perfect professional stability.
Lots of time
The nomads digital are entirely free to set their work schedules and availability. This helps to improve the quality of life significantly. Digital nomads who manage their schedules well generally have a calmer pace of life. They, therefore, live less stressful.
Working for different clients
Unlike a salaried job where you have to do whatever your boss asks you to do, as a digital nomad, you have the freedom to choose who you want to work for. Lengthy contracts do not tie you down.
The Disadvantages of the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
However, despite the great freedom enjoyed by the digital nomad, this lifestyle has some drawbacks:
Income irregularity
Income varies according to your experience and especially according to the availability of customers. As a result, you might be turned down for a bank loan.
Non-existence of an attachment point
Changing cities and even countries each time can create real instability in the long term. In certain moments of life and particularly in the worst moments, such as when one falls ill, for example, the presence of relatives represents a real motivation that can accelerate recovery.
Isolation
A digital nomad experiences notable difficulties in forming lasting friendships due to frequent moving and traveling. Loneliness can take a toll on morale, leading to depression and even other health problems.
Family life as a digital nomad
Family should not be an obstacle to digital nomadism. It is possible to travel and work around the world with family. Here’s our two-pence:
Don’t be a helicopter parent
While digital nomadism gives you more time with family, it’s essential that Mom and Dad know how to let go now and then. Indeed, being constantly on the backs of your children will only stress them and, to the same extent, irritate you. Allow your kids some space and freedom.
Choose the right activities
Everyone in the family, including children, needs to have a good time when you travel with them. For the experience to be as pleasant as possible, it is vital that everyone has fun and have a good time throughout the trips you make. Your best bet would be to find entertaining activities that you and the children can enjoy together. Among the activities most popular with traveling families, we can mention visiting parks and nature reserves.
Schooling
You can consider international schooling for your child or use home-schooling as an approach to opt them out of mandatory schooling requirements in your home country. Online-schooling is another excellent option.
The Best Places to Live as a Digital Nomad
Bali, Indonesia
There are many international startups here, and you can expect a high quality of life and a low cost of living here. You will find a couple of WiFi cafes and high-speed internet. You can expect good weather, lots of sights, beautiful surroundings and lots of water sports. There are many coworking spaces, but there is also a lot going on here, so it might be an unsuitable place for people who want to work in peace.
Best places to visit are Ubud and Canggu, or Gili Trawangan and Nusa Lembongan if you like it quieter.
Tofino, Canada:
Tofino on Vancouver Island is the perfect mix of nature, relatively empty waves, and an amicable surfing community with no localism. From Vancouver or Victoria, you can get there by ferry and car in 4 to 6 hours and find a small cold water paradise for digital nomads!
Costa Rica
The capital San José is famous because of the beautiful nature and incredible beaches. These are great for surfers. The climate is good, the internet reliable, and there is a good infrastructure. Plus, the cost of food and accommodation is cheap. Where there are many tourists, however, it is expensive.
Colombia
Santa Marta and Cartagena offer cheap overnight stays. In the provinces, around 500 euros per month are enough. You can find your place in the capital Bogota, where there is plenty of activities, with fantastic weather all year round. The locals are friendly, the climate and internet are good, and there are many sights.
Cook Islands
Lonely, long sandy beaches, palm trees, and with a coconut in your hand, you relax in a hammock and do nothing else than dangle your soul and let your gaze wander over the turquoise blue sea. This paradise is in the Cook Islands, and you might want to stay here once in your life! Of course, these Islands are not as easy to get to as Iceland or the USA, but the long journey is worth it.
Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, Spain
There are many coworking spaces as well as a great environment with a huge range of leisure activities. The cost of living is cheap, and the internet is good. The climate is mild. Unfortunately, it is a bit damp and cold in winter.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Montevideo is around a 3-hour boat ride from Buenos Aires and is quieter and less crowded. The perfect place to enjoy the beach while still doing some work. The infrastructure and the internet connectivity are good. It is also easy to meet new people, but unfortunately, it is damp and cold in summer.
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
This port city with incredible panoramic views is cheaper than neighboring Costa Rica and has many leisure activities and internet cafés. However, the internet connection is not particularly good, so it is only recommended to a limited extent.
Best digital nomad jobs
Web developer
He/she creates websites and brings models to life. Responsible for assembling the pages in HTML5 and CSS3 from graphic models, the web developer integrates the content (texts, images, sounds, videos) into the code. He/she ensures compatibility with different search engines, sets up communication between client and server, and manages databases. In short, a web developer brings sites to life, from their structure (the back) to their appearance (the front).
If programming isn´t your speed, you can learn to build websites in CMS (Content Management Systems) like, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and so on. Over 25% of websites are built on WordPress, big names like, Microsoft, Etsy, Techcrunch and Found My Spot is built on it too, with a “little” help of Divi of course.
Web development isn’t just developing websites, you could also host your clients websites and create a passive income. Take it one step further and offer web management, social management and so on and soon, you’ll have range of products that are generating small income. Web development also ties in to the “Create an online business” section here below.
Freelancer
A large number of nomads prefer this option. Freelancing allows you to get started quickly and without the need for huge skills. A freelancer can get paid to create logos, write articles, create websites, edit videos, develop mobile applications, etc. To find assignments, a freelancer can use freelance platforms, leverage professional networks, or directly canvass potential clients.
Freelancers form the majority of digital nomads around the world. It is a recommended option to get started in the world of digital nomadism.
Create an online business
Going into entrepreneurship is much more difficult than starting as a freelancer from scratch. It is possible, but it will take you much longer to earn money. The goal is to create a business that can be managed 100% from the internet. You can have employees and customers but aim to be geographically free.
Examples of online businesses would be;
- Drop shipping
- Affiliate websites
- Etsy store or other sales platforms
- Digital services (hosting, SEO management, Social media management and so on)
Social media expert
Brands are constantly engaging customers on the web and social networks. In this context, the social media manager improves brand publicity on Facebook, Twitter, and others. The job description of the Social Media Manager is broad. He/she establishes the social media strategy, engages people with creative, viral, and recognizable content, develops and monetizes audiences, analyzes the organization’s impact and online reputation, or even manages internal communication.
Online teacher
If you are passionate about teaching, you can offer online classes in subjects you are proficient in, such as math or cooking. Today you can teach any course online using software like Skype, Zoom, or WizIQ. You don’t have to have a teaching degree to become an online teacher. However, some platforms may require you to have a degree or certificate, especially if you plan to teach in tertiary education.
Geomatician
The explosion of geolocation services offers excellent career prospects for this specialist in fields that relate to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The geomatician creates databases that combine maps, aerial and satellite images, and text and statistics. With this data, they build thematic maps used as a decision support tool in geology, town planning, meteorology, environmental conservation, health, and transport.
Online reputation watchdog
A true investigator, the e-reputation monitor, scours the web on behalf of a company to track comments, opinions, blog notes, or forum messages sent by Internet users about the brand. He/she is helped in this task by monitoring tools such as Netvibes and must have a fairly precise knowledge of specialized search engines.
Blockchain Development
Programming in general is a really good way to work remotely. Good programming skills to have would be for example, Python, C#, C/C++, java, but if you really want something new and exciting, Solidity will have to be it.
As the cryptocurrencies are getting ever more popular, so are blockchains. Solidity is for many blockchain developers the best programming language out there (you can of course use C++, Python and so on). With this skill, you´ll be developing smart contracts, web apps as well as, optimizing blockchain protocols and so much more. This is truly one of the more exciting fields out there and very lucrative for those who really get into this. This job is truly something you can do wherever you are in the world, as long as you have internet of course.
This list of jobs is by no means exhausted, your imagination is really the limit when it comes to a digital job/s. If you can´t find a digital job that peaks your interest, then invent it, there is no limit. Then there is the trick of automating as much of the job/s so you can enjoy that 4-hour work week and use all that free time for some adventures.
How to learn these awesome skills?
So, what are the best schools to attend for up and coming digital nomad? Well, I´d like to argue that the best schools are elearning platforms like Udacity, DataCamp, Udemy and so on. These platforms are much more to the point, you´ll learn exactly what you need to know in a much shorter time, for a fraction of what a university will charge you.
With these elearning platforms, you can also learn subjects that you would never learn in university like, dropshipping, affiliate marketing, Google ads, Facebook ads and so on. You can of course also learn allot by watching Youtube videos and Google what ever you need to learn. Using Youtube and Google to learn will take you longer and it´s not as concentrated as buying a class, but you can learn what ever you want, bit by bit and for some, that is more comfortable.
Things to Consider Before Becoming a Digital Nomad
Discipline and efficiency
You cannot succeed without applying these concepts daily, especially at the beginning. You’re going to have to work hard to get things going, whatever your field. For some, it might seem difficult, if not impossible, to think that they will have the discipline to work alone and meet their goals without a boss hovering over their shoulders. Don’t be discouraged. Anyone can do it. This is a question of will-power.
Beware of discouragement
There are chances that family or friends will discourage you when you start on this path. It is easy to get influenced by negative people that want you to quit before you even begin, while it´s always healthy to listen, be sure to listen to what you want, don´t be discouraged, if you want this bad enough, you´ll be sure to succeed.
Getting social
It is crucial to meet people who have the same values as you. They may be freelancers or just locals in your travel destinations. Don’t live a lonely life; there are Facebook groups, Whatsapp groups, and digital meet-ups to help you feel less alone. Being social may also help you find new work opportunities whenever you travel.
The issue of dependents
The freedom to go where life takes you is much greater when you live alone, and nobody is dependent on you for support. Nevertheless, most people have children or elderly parents to care for, siblings that need help, or relatives in need of living assistance. If you find yourself in this situation, you have to handle it carefully.
Wouldn’t it be great to be a digital nomad? It’s a fantastic life with its fair share of ups and downs. At Found My Spot, we give you the space to share all your unique experiences and a chance to earn a little income in the process. Share your story!
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