Are you tired of the 9 to 5 grind? Are you longing for a more fulfilling work life balance? Do you want to leave that draining office job to see the world and experience new cultures? Living as a digital nomad and pursuing remote work can give you the freedom and flexibility to live and work online anywhere in the world and follow your own schedule. With so many benefits, the lifestyle of a digital nomad is definitely worth exploring.
In this blog post, we are going to discuss 10 digital nomad tips for living your best life as an escapee who is now working online without having any fixed location or office space at all times.
Table of Contents
Create a daily routine that works for you.
If you want to be productive and organized, it is important that your daily routine works for YOU. Whether you are your own boss in your own business or work remote for a different business or many offices, you still need to a work schedule if you want to sustain your digital nomad life.
An effective way for most digital nomads is to create a daily routine where all tasks are completed in order each day. This is a great productivity tip that could help keep remote workers on track with all projects while also allowing enough time between meetings or deadlines, so you don’t get stressed out!
Make sure you have a good internet connection and strong power wherever you go.
Living a digital nomad lifestyle can be tough without the right tools. While it’s amazing to travel around the world, digital nomadism doesn’t mean stopping working your remote jobs or growing your own company.
That means you need to have reliable wifi and enough power to get stuff done from wherever you’re working! Digital nomads favor coffee shops and co working spaces since these typically offer good wifi and even power sockets.
For a more comprehensive discussion, check out How to Become a Digital Nomad & How to Live/Work Anywhere.
Pack light and invest in a good travel backpack.
We all know the feeling of carrying around heavy bags, especially after a long day. It’s no fun! To avoid this from happening to you on your trip, break up everything into smaller packages and take only what is necessary for each destination. Do NOT overdo it with souvenirs or other goodies that might end up taking up space in an already full backpack/suitcase combo. You’ll thank yourself later when walking through airports, terminals, and arrival halls.
Always keep in mind that the key to a successful trip is packing light. You’ll want your bag as small and portable as possible so you can move quickly and explore on foot instead of riding in cars or buses all day long!
Create a budget and stick to it.
Your budget should serve like a leash – you don’t want to get too far away from it or else your spending could spiral out of control. Mindful spending is one of the keys to financial freedom, especially as a digital nomad.
If you want to stay on top of your finances and save money, create a budget and do your best to only spend on things you planned for in advance. There are plenty of ways for you to get creative when staying within the realms of reality-based spending habits!
Just sit down with pen in hand, or better yet pencil—whatever works for your particular style. Start writing out all the things that are going into each category like groceries, transportation, accommodation, foreign transaction fees, travel insurance, and communication expenses. Accidents happen, so don’t forget about emergencies either.
Once those numbers are set, stick with them like glue because any change will throw off everything else if it isn’t intentional. Make sure that whatever money is going into the bank account has been planned for in advance, so you keep the surprises to a minimum!
Find like-minded people to travel and work with.
Travelling can often be a solo affair, but it can also be an incredible time for making connections, mingling with fellow travelers, and meeting other digital nomads every now and then. You can join online and offline communities of likeminded people to share travel tips and experiences. For example, you can search for Facebook groups that cater to like-minded fellow globe trotters or digital nomads for some company on future adventures or simply share tips about how not to get lost in any foreign country.
Explore, relax, and recharge.
Traveling and leading a digital nomad life don’t need to be an exhausting, whirlwind experience. It can also provide you with some much-needed rest and relaxation time to simply enjoy the traveling process and achieve a better work life balance.
Take this period to discover what makes your heart sing, such as an activity that can teach you new skills or attend local events. Find out what makes those endorphins going. You might even want get off the tourist trail or popular digital nomad destinations and go sightseeing at local hotspots that are visited less by others!
Document your journey.
I know that sometimes, like with memories or experiences (or both!), there is a feeling of fleetingness. As digital nomads, it’s easy to forget all the fantastic things we’ve seen in our lives when it happens so fast. Documenting your journey can help! It’ll ensure that each adventure you get into has its own place and turns into an unforgettable story.
Keep a journal of your adventures. Take pictures of the wonderful places as well. That way, you’ll be able to look back on all the different locations that molded you into the person you are today. These will also help you remember (or even relive!) what it felt like when things first started getting interesting in your journey.
Learn some basic phrases in the local language.
The local language is key to understanding the culture and making new friends in the community. Learn some basic phrases before you go, so that when people are trying their best to speak to you in English (which everyone mostly does), they’ll be pleasantly surprised by your effort and interest in their own language.
Be respectful.
Not everyone has the same experience or culture as you do, so be open-minded when you travel, attend events, and meet locals in a new destination! Remember that people are different. Embrace those differences rather than judge them. You will appreciate and learn more about people and yourself by being receptive to fresh ideas and new things.
Be open to new experiences.
What is the one thing every person should do before they die? It’s not eating chocolate cake, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs. The answer to life’s most important question — what makes you happy – lies within embracing new experiences. As cliché as it sounds: diversity really does = strength!
Learn about other cultures by traveling outside your comfort zone. The world is a fascinating place, and there’s no better time than now to explore it. You will learn about yourself by experiencing something new each day of your journey. Don’t be afraid to become untethered. This is how you grow and learn.
Whether you’re just starting your journey as a digital nomad or looking to change careers, check out our article on How to Become a Digital Nomad to help make your transition into this path easy, efficient, and successful.
Because no two digital nomads are the same, there is no one-size-fits-all solution and the learning curve can be different for everyone. However, a few general tips about the digital nomad lifestyle can make it a little less daunting especially in a new location. What about you? What tips can you share with the digital nomad community?
