How to become a Digital Nomad?
How to become a Digital Nomad? 😊 These are our thoughts, lessons and experiences as we've created this lifestyle for my partner and me.
There is one absolute truth about travelling - Once you start you will never want to stop. The world is a big place. There are countless places you can see, countless experiences to share with loved ones, and boundless potential friends to make from different walks of life. Finding yourself watching a pristine sunset on some random beach on the other side of the world are definable moments that can bring a sense of gratitude for everything you have, and everything has to offer in your life. These experiences have a funny knack of stripping away what really doesn't matter and allowing yourself to truly experience the power of now, right here, with us, and with your loved ones.
Although this article is titled "How to become a Digital Nomad", the audience is a little wider than just those with digital skills - Such a life is possible if you have any skills that are desirable around the world.
Travelling the world while you work is possible, home is where you want it to be. If this is the vision you want for your future, experiencing a quality of life that is grander than what you have now then please read on.
First step: A Ruthless Self Assessment
What are your passion?
Realistically identify your passions, desires and goals. This will be what pulls you to this life more than anything. Is it freedom from a monotonous 9-5 office cubicle? A Chance to explore? A humanitarian project close to your heart? Want to try new things? Trying to get out of your comfort zone? Experience new cultures?
What are your dislikes?
Just as important as your passions, what are the things in your life that you would like to phase out?
What are your skills?
Any marketable non-digital skills?....Trained Chef? Teacher? Native English Speaker? Check out our article on Top 12 places to teach English around the world. Farmer? Environmental Scientist? Mechanic? Certified Yoga Instructor? Artist? Photographer? Although I won't be talking directly about these skills, they are all very transferable to a nomadic lifestyle. We have met many individuals in each of these fields that travel from place to place leveraging their skills. Although these skills are not directly related to a digital nomadic life, many of them can work complementary to digital mediums to open up more opportunities.
What are your Digital skills?
- An Animator
- A Graphic Designer, Web Designer or UX Designer
- A Web Developer or Javascript Enthusiast
- An App Developer, Programmer or Full Stack Developer
- A Systems, Security or Cloud Expert (DevOps)
- Is Digital Marketing your forte?
Or are you into writing?
- A Journalist
- An avid Blogger
- A Content Writer
- A Professional Copywriter
Or are you an Entrepreneur? Do you have a great business idea? Can it operate globally and be run from anywhere in the world?
Success Story: My partner and I recently met a couple travelling through Southeast Asia, each with their own business. Pearly had created a swimsuit product. She had arranged a contract to make her product line in Vietnam by a lovely old Vietnamese lady at a fraction of what it would have cost her back home - She had to sell 10 swimsuits a month in order to fund her travels, and with a strong Digital Marketing Plan through Instagram using discount campaigning she usually met those targets within the first week of any month. Follow her on @opk.swim.Toran, her Partner, had created a Platform and network for households to quickly get quotes and hire Tradies (Plumbers, Electricians, Cleaners...etc) for home maintenance jobs. All set up to be a complete residual source of income with minimal overheads or oversight.
Second step: Make a Plan. Then Plan again.
Fortuna favet paratus - Fortune favours the prepared
Personal Advice: You don't need to be on the road to set yourself up as a Digital Nomad. Preparation is worth its weight in gold - even if it means holding off for 6 months to set yourself up. Make sure your plan has quantifiable and achievable goals...i.e. Build 3 websites within 3 months, save $6K first...etc.
Skill up
If you lack some of the skills required for your goals then it's time to make a plan to upskill yourself. And let's be honest, when your mind is set paired with diligent and dedicated time most skills can be acquired quickly. Procrastination is usually the killer, not an inability to learn. Have clear targets...you could spend the rest of your life "Skilling Up" with some skills. So set a target like "I can build a website from scratch".
If you lack writing experience then read up on it. Take some online courses. Write some blog pieces for $20 a piece. Technical skills specifically can often be daunting for individuals without technical experience, but it is still possible. After all, thousands of people around the world can do it, why can't you?
There are many (paid and free) courses available. Jump online for some webinars. Read Blogs on these skills. Follow an online tutorial on "How to create a Blog Site" - My Personal Suggestion is using "GitHub Pages" and "Jekyll" - or "How to create a Website" or "How to create your First Android App". Better yet, sign up for a course that ingrains these skills into you.
Some resources:
- The Odin Project : Learn Web Development for Free
- edEX : Harvard University's introduction to Computer Science
- Codecaemy : Learn to Code interactively, for free
- Udemy : The Complete Web Developer Course
- Viking Code School
- Udecity
- Torque Mag : 5 free courses learn Web Development
- Creating a Static Blog/Website with GitHub-Pages and Jekyll
- Code School
- Hour of Code : One Hour at a time
- Scratch : An MIT Invention to teach kids the basics of coding
- Copywriting for Fundraisers
- Guide To Free Online Copywriting Courses
- 7 Great JavaScript Resources
- StackOverflow : Answers to any question you could possibly have on HTML, CSS, and Programming
If you have a business idea then map out a skeleton business plan, and start fleshing it out. It will change over time.
Create a portfolio. Cultivate a network.
Some skills you may have no desire learning but still need them to achieve you goals while traveling. This is where a network of service providers becomes invaluable. They can be paid service providers for specific skills, but I personally recommend partnerships with like-minded individuals wanting to get involved in the project you're engaging in - As an example I have little UX design skills and the last thing I want is to pay every time I want a designer to tweak a UX Interface, so I found a UX Designer I trust that is happy to own a percentage of any product we work on together. Besides, it's much more fun when you have a team working on a common goal. New energy breeds new ideas, which breeds more new ideas.
Alternatively, if you have developed a new skill, "Web Design" for example, you can try to get some pro-bono or cheap short-term contracts. Be prepared to work on the cheap, there are many places where customers can get these skills very cheaply so you may be designing a website for $50 that might takes you all week. But it becomes a stepping stone to build up your own portfolio and your reputation, which is invaluable. The next time you can charge $100 for a similar contract and it will only take you a day.
Steemit is the perfect place to use your skills: writing, making video, blogging, photography... and cultivates the perfect network around your passions & ideas!
Some resources for short-term contracts:
- Freelancer : Bid on Online Contracts - Coders, Designers, Copywriters
- Rent A Coder : Bid for Contracts
- ELance : Where Professionals can advertise for contracts
- Fiverr : Graphic Design, Animation, Copywriting and more
- Get a Copywriter : Buy and Sell services
- Copy Hackers : Buy or Sell Copywriter Services
Third step: Take the plunge
Ok, I'm not saying you should do anything rash - don't go in, quit your day job and buy a plane ticket just because you decided to become a Digital Nomad. However first steps will require some focused and concerted action on your part. Execute your plan of attack. Day by day, week by week....slow and steady wins the race.
On a Final Note
Common Excuses to stop you
- Security in having a 9-5 Job - Well not necessarily a reason to not become a Digital Nomad. It just requires a bit of planning. And maybe a bit of courage in exploring the unknown.
- Debt :
- Mortgage - Rent your house out. It'll help with cash flow on your mortgage.
- Car repayment - There are services to rent your car out for short term leases. Better yet, sell it.
- Student loans - Include the repayments in your plan. It doesn't mean you can't travel as well.
- Tenant Agreement - Sublet. Or wait.
- No savings - In this case I do suggest some savings before you travel. Include it in your plan of attack to have 6 months expenses (minimum) while on the road.
Best reasons to go
- You can begin to enjoy a minimalist lifestyle that puts everything else into perspective.
- Freedom to up and move village, town, city or country whenever you like.
- Set your own hours.
- See the world.
- Meet wonderful people.
In conclusion
Make a plan, believe in yourself, find your niche, be proactive and share, don't make excuses if it's really what you want, and go out and create the lifestyle you envision for yourself.
Are you ready to be a nomadic ? Please share with us your projects, your passions, your fears. We would love to know your story.
Hi @digital-nomads Interesting post with a lot of ideas. I am new into posting and find your comments a good start. I have a couple of questions though.
Being a nomad means travelling. Having lived abroad for many years a major concern is medical protection in different countries. What would be your thoughts on handling that?
Secondly, how would you deal with managing existing property business whilst being nomadic?
Thanks.
Thanks, @tomcarpenter, glad you are interested in the subject.
About medical protection, it depends on your home base country. In my case, I am a french citizen and declare my revenues in France as a freelancer, so I am covered there and got a long-term travel insurance.
If you can manage your business with a phone, wifi connection and a computer, it is totally possible to do it on the road. You just have to considerate the time zone to be able to reach your clients on time. Wifi was really good in most of the countries I visited, and if you need a quiet/working environment, you can find co-working place easily where they can provide you private desk, print, high-speed wifi... and other digital nomads to meet.
I hope I answered your questions. Feel free to contact us if you have more questions :)
Thanks @digital-nomads Interesting information. Yes I have medical insurance from when I was an expat, though it is very costly to maintain. I would need to make the minimum UK salary just to pay the health insurance premium. Travel insurance is an option, though that can be very costly for the "older person". Particularly if your travel plans include USA.
Totally true, I don't know why they raise the price for USA and Canada, the risk to be sick there is lower than in Asia.
When I was 19, I left my parents house in Colorado Springs, Colorado to ride my bike up to Banff National Park in Albert, Canada. The 6 and a half week, 1500 mile journey was nothing short of life changing;in short- I got the travel bug.
Ever since then, I've been working on businesses, nonprofits, books and my music, to create opportunities to travel while on the road.
Now that I'm wrapping up the web page design, for my company that teaches people how to pair essential oils with meditation, I'm ready to go on another bike tour to promote the site.
Soon enough, I'll be free to travel through passive income. But in the mean time, I'm going to make my bike Tour centered around selling oils, so i can write off Everything as a Business Expense.
Thanks, @scottiemac yes, road trips are fantastic and definitely change our point of view about life. I am interested in your company who associate essential oils and meditation, could you give me more details? I wish you the best for your next travel. Where will you be your bike tour?
My next tour will go from Denver to Durango, Colorado.
Have you ever heard of Pavlov's bell? The classical conditioning experiment, where a scientist rang a bell every time he served his dog food? Eventually, the dog would start to drool every time he heard the bell, regardless of whether or not there was food present.
Pairing Meditation with essential oils is similar.
There are various guided meditations I teach, each of which pair with a specific scent. Every time the Meditation is done, the relationship between the trigger (the scent of the oil) and the meditation (state of mind) get enhanced.
Eventually, you'll be able to simply smell the oil, and feel the same as you would after a deep mediation.
It's all about creating psychological triggers, to enhance our emotional well being.
You can learn more at Www.catalystoils.com
Nice click
Awesome post! I hope one day I have the courage to do this. Also I'm an OCD curator and i want to nominate this post to our daily compilation. This could get you more attention to your blog and maybe some extra votes. Reply if you accept.
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Thanks, @elteamgordo for your support. I am willing to let you share my post with pleasure. Just followed @ocd, really interesting! :)
Amazing post with a lot of good information.
I have long been interested in traveling like this and becoming self sustainable by means of digital income. Although I am only able to get so much into it at this point of my life it is possible big changes will take place soon and provide a way to be able to continue to pursue this desire!
Thank you again and good luck to you!
Thanks, @timbo, I wish the best luck to realise your dream, everything is possible!