VIDEO 47: An Unbiased Digital Nomad Guide
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I’ve been on the road for about four months now, and a few of my friends have asked me for suggestions on how to live as a digital nomad. Personally, I feel the media hypes and glamorizes this lifestyle without discussing its realities. There are definitely benefits to being able to be location independent, but there are also some cons. In this video, I’m going to give you an unbiased digital nomad guide.
I can’t deny it; it’s an incredible lifestyle that I’m so happy I’m able to try. To be honest, being a nomad isn’t for everyone. It’s forced me to be flexible and patient in certain situations, like not freaking out when the Internet isn’t working. You experience situations that are way out of your comfort zone and you have to be willing to deal with them. For example, I was in Cambodia and had to spend three days with no electricity or AC when it was 40 degrees Celsius. You have to be able to let go of comforts we’re used to having back home and make it work. The best way to see if being a nomad is a good fit for you is to practice traveling solo first.
If you want to try and weight out if the digital nomad lifestyle is for you, here is how you can get started:
1) Pick a Location That Fits Your Needs : Before you hop on a plane, think about where the most appropriate location is for you and your business. Analyze your workload and find out how flexible your clients are. Ask yourself: How responsive do you need to be? Does your client require daily conference calls? Can the work be completed from a different time zone? Some things that are also equally important to consider is choosing a city that has reliable internet, has a community of like-minded people, has good co-working spaces, and has an affordable cost of living. Use tools like nomadlist.com so you can see a breakdown of all these characteristics of cities around the world.
2) Join Co-Working Spaces and Digital Nomad Facebook Groups: There are now a plethora of co-working spaces around the world: I have been working out of The Hive while in Bangkok, I’ve worked at BetaHaus when I lived in Berlin a year ago, and I was at FishBurners while in Sydney. These types of communities allow you to not only grow your network, but also to get a feel for what it’s like on the road. Join the Digital Nomad Facebook Group and gather as much knowledge as you can from other digital nomads in different countries to get a feel for what’s there before you go!
3) Look into Organized Travel / Work Tours: Nervous about going somewhere on your own? Try a travel or work tour. There are a few organizations out there that offer organized work / travel tours, and they’ll save you headaches by providing you with an itinerary, lodging, internet service, etc. It’s a great way to meet new people while ensuring you always have reliable internet, and it’s a preview of the lifestyle so you can try it on for size. Check out Nomadic Hub and Hacker Paradise for more information on these types of tours.
