There are many of us budding travelers out there that would love to quite our 9-5 jobs in some boring cubical office, get on the nearest flight out with a ticket to anywhere and start traveling the world. Sounds great right? However as most of us already know this is much easier said than done and so we assign it to wishful fantasy or place it in the category of ‘things I will do someday’. The truth is that for most of us the best we can do is a rushed 2 week trip to some resort we have saved for all year for.
So why don’t we just pack up, quite our day jobs and go on that extended one year or more travel experience. Well unless you just won the lottery, came into some inheritance or are a member of the 1 percent. The problem is MONEY!
The World of the Digital Nomad
Modern day life is expensive, but traveling around the world might not be as expensive as you think and you may be able to earn the money needed as you go. Welcome the world of the Digital Nomad. This is someone who basically lives a nomadic lifestyle and conducts their work remotely. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection. Some digital nomads successfully travel and live around the world and experience country after country on as little as a thousand dollars a month. There are also those that run very successful businesses while traveling and has become a popular lifestyle choice for young entrepreneurs starting up a new app or tech company.
Digital nomads often work as freelance travel writers and bloggers, photographers, affiliate marketers, software programmers, online Skype teachers, web and graphic designers. Basically any type of job that can be done where geography or physical location is not a factor in being able to complete work or find customers. The internet has revolutionized how and where we work today and it is now possible for the average person or backpacker to combine work with the freedom of travel.
Before you become a Digital Nomad
Before you get started there are a few things to consider when becoming a digital nomad. Firstly, does the lifestyle suite you? Are you an independent person who can get out on the open road without the support of friends and family? Can you adjust to constant change and any challenges the unknown will throw at you? Remember when things go wrong you will be in a foreign country where you’ll most likely don’t speak the language and have very few rights to protect you from any legal abuse.
Secondly, It might be difficult to find and maintain international health insurance, obtaining work visas (if required) and there is also the issue sorting out taxes in your home country. You will also need to master a valued skill that you can do remotely. I would suggest trying this skill out first at home. See if you can keep to deadlines and if it’s possible to make money before finding yourself penniless on the other side of the world.
Well nobody said becoming a digital nomad was easy. It still requires hard work and resourcefulness but for us that have chosen this lifestyle the pros completely outweigh the cons. But to be a successful at it you need to be honest with yourself and take those first steps with your eyes wide open. If done right the world is yours and is the beginning of an amazing journey.