Five Tips For A Successful Career As A Digital Nomad

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Five Tips For A Successful Career As A Digital Nomad

Digital nomadism is one of the biggest trends of the 21st century. Just about any professional who has found a way to do their job independent of any particular location can become a digital nomad. It’s a lifestyle that has been adopted by consultants, affiliate marketers, programmers, designers, writers, and more.

Working and traveling at the same time can be awesome. However, being a digital nomad has its fair share of downtime and difficult moments. Here are a few tips to help you manage the pitfalls and succeed as a digital nomad.

Stay Informed about Your Destination

Before you go, pay attention to seasonal changes, weather, annual festivals, situations, and local events in the city you are staying in. Local political events, for instance, could lead to protests or demonstrations and make your stay in a particular city difficult.

Take Your Time to Explore

Take enough time to explore your destination. Spend several weeks in your temporary home to get the most out of each place. You will enjoy your visit and discover all the best spots to work and be more productive at work.

Save Money by Traveling Slow

Travelling slowly will also help you save money, especially on accommodation. In most cases, renting accommodation by the week or month is far more economical than letting by the day. Check out Airbnb for long term local listings.

Subscribe to a VPN Service

As a digital nomad, you will be mostly working from cafés, airports, and hotels using public Wi-Fi. Hackers can intercept financial account information, passwords, and other confidential data on unsecured networks. Many digital nomads have a trustworthy VPN installed on their device. The app encrypts your online activity and keeps your data safe from online threat actors, even on public networks.

Connect with Fellow Nomads

Connect with fellow nomads and expats in the city you are visiting. Reaching out to the nomad community is a great way to find people you can collaborate with and get information about the best coffee shops or apartments. You can make use of platforms like meetup.com to meet people who have similar interests and passion.

Being a digital nomad can be fun and fulfilling, but it’s not always easy. There are downsides to everything, including working and travelling at the same time. Follow these tips to overcome the pitfalls of digital nomadism and make the best out of your travels.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.