Who is a digital nomad?
Telecommuter. Remote worker. There are many names for people who work from home. And recently, another one has emerged: digital nomad.
Digital nomads are people who work virtually, often from various locations, even around the world. One day you might actually be working from your home office, but the next you might be in a Starbucks, a park, or even on the beach in the Bahamas. Sounds exciting, right?
A digital nomad leads a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place and staying digitally connected. Digital nomads use technology and communication tools to work remotely in order to travel within the country or around the world.
Some working nomads stay in one place for a while, putting down roots for a few weeks or months before moving on. Some choose to change cities or countries more frequently. They work in cafes, hotel rooms, airplanes, coworking spaces, and even travel trailers.
Regardless of the desired configuration, the lifestyle of digital nomads is based on working remotely to easily finance any travel.
Digital nomad vs location independence
Although these two terms may seem interchangeable, there are some differences. A digital nomad with remote work is a location-independent employee, but travels almost full-time. They likely sold their house and live on the go.
A location-independent employee typically has a home base, but may travel for a few weeks at a time. Their work does not tie them to a specific city, state, or country, but they likely reside in one place.
How to become a digital nomad
Before making a final decision, it is a good idea to research and find out what it’s really like to be a digital nomad. While working while traveling may sound romantic, in reality, combining a career and global travels is not for everyone.
Set your budget
To become a digital nomad, it will be necessary to estimate expenses and set a budget. Think about whether you will still have rent or a mortgage to pay off while traveling. How much will you spend on hotels, hostels, and so on? What about food, transportation, and internet?
Whether you have a full-time job or are freelance, consider how becoming a digital nomad will increase your expenses and whether the income you generate each month will be sufficient.
Decide on your goals.
The world is your oyster! Seriously, as a digital nomad, you could be in Thailand today, Japan tomorrow, and surfing the waves in Bali two weeks later.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of traveling and working at the same time, you can always join a coworking space or try a organized co-working retreat – coworking retreats for digital nomads. Working on your laptop every day isn’t for everyone!
Improve your skills.
You need to make sure you have the necessary skills to effectively work from anywhere, such as the ability to manage workloads, meet deadlines, and maintain good teamwork with colleagues, even if they are thousands of miles away from you.
Excellent communication skills are of great importance because you will never work with your boss or colleagues in the same office. And technology should be one of your best skills because it will be a lifeline for your work and colleagues.
Investigate the „work from anywhere” job market
A nomadic lifestyle involves two-way engagement between the employee and the employer. In other words, employers must be just as committed to the idea of working from anywhere as the employees.
When looking for a job that you can do from anywhere, pay attention to companies that have shown their commitment to supporting work from anywhere.
