What is A Digital Nomad?

Laptop, charger, passport, clean clothes, toothbrush, hugs goodbye, potential tear or two and you’re off. What is a digital nomad? What are they up to and how do they do what they do? 

Here I’ll give you the sauce. 5 sections for you to peruse through: 

1. What is A Digital Nomad? 

2. Can I Afford It?

3. Where Do I Find A Remote Job?

4. Is It Lonely?

5. Will I Regret Not Going

What is A Digital Nomad? 

You’ve probably seen all over your Instagram or Tik Tok feed the thousands of people traveling the world and sharing pictures and videos of them working at beautiful coffee shops in your dream destinations. Midday breaks aren’t at your local starbucks, there spent catching waves in Mexico, driving through rice fields in Bali, or diving into the crystal clear waters of Puglia. 

A digital nomad, as defined by Webster's dictionary, is, “someone who performs their occupation entirely over the Internet while traveling.”

But how did they get their jobs? Do you need to be a multi-millionaire business owner to live this life? Are you stuck working under fluorescent lighting well the rest of the world is galavanting in posters on your office wall? 

Excellent questions, my friend! The answers, you will be happy to find out, are much more straightforward than you think. Most importantly, you do not need to be a millionaire to live this lifestyle, in fact, being early in your career is often more of a benefit to Digital Nomading than those a few years deep already. 

This view could be yours

Can I Afford It?

Probably the second most asked question besides, “what the hell is a Digital Nomad.” The answer is yes, you can more than likely afford it. Often, digital nomading is more affordable than living in many Western countries, especially the U.S.

This idea of traveling the world whilst working can really be traced back to the OG lifestyle hacker, Tim Ferris, except he never called it being a “Digital Nomad”, he referred to it as Geo-Arbitrage. The whole premise was to find places outside of the U.S. (where Tim is from). 

A quick comparison on cost of living based on my own research / experience traveling:

United States: Varies greatly by city, but generally $3,500 - $4,500 / month living close to the city center + going out 1-2 times per week.

Bali, Indonesia: $1,250 - $2,750 depending on where you live, if you have your own villa + eating out for every meal. Literally every meal. 

Alicante, Spain: $2,000 - $3,000 living near the city center + eating out 3-4 times per week

Buenos Aires, Argentina: $2,000 - $3,000 living directly in the city center + going out to eat every night for dinner. Rent here is incredibly affordable and you can often find lower prices the longer you stay. 

You should be able to deduce that life outside of the U.S. is generally more affordable. The hack is getting a U.S. salary whilst living abroad. But how does one do that?

You with all the cash you are saving by remote working

Where Do I Find A Remote Job?

There are many different work opportunities that exist, some that require more experience than others, and ones that simply require a degree + good communication skills. 

Here is a list of job boards where you can find various different paying opportunities. Some with more flexibility than others. Teaching / Guiding jobs typically require you to be in specific places, but the positive is that you are often going to some of the coolest places on the planet. 

Teaching / Guide Jobs

• Become an English teacher in Spain.

• Build and plan tours and list your service on Guruwalk.com this is a great way to bring in some decent income on the weekends if you’re living somewhere and have a passion for showing people around. 

• Obtain TEFL Certificate and apply for jobs all over the world (South Korea, Abu Dhabi, China, Italy, France) Some countries require native language requirements, but if you teach English, many schools will pay very well for your work.

Sales / Engineering / Design Job sites

• Angelist is a site where many startups and tech related companies post jobs that pay very well. Often they allow remote work, these opportunities mostly require previous experience but you can find lots of entry level sales gigs where you can earn whilst you travel. 

• Upwork is a great site for tasks more closely related to virtual assistant type work. Many of these jobs can be stacked if you’re savvy with AI + you are a great executioner so you can pull together a pretty decent salary if you’re willing to put in the work. 

• Dribble.com is an excellent job site specifically for designers. Post your work and clients will reach out to you. 

Farming / Miscellaneous Jobs

• Workaway A great place to find all sorts of jobs from farming to ad hoc manual labor. 

• Trustedhousesitters.com Probably one of the coolest job sites for those who love animals and living in incredible places. Rich people will literally pay you to watch their animals and live in their French chateau

Finding a job is not easy work, prepare yourself to apply for lots of jobs and be ready to receive lots of rejection. But don’t worry, it is doable to find a cool gig that helps you facilitate your dreams. The more jobs that get back to you, the more decision power you have to choose what suits you best. 

Behind the scenes of your computer setup whilst trying to find a remote job

Is It Lonely?

This is a big concern for those who are leaving their friends & family behind as they embark on this new adventure. I won’t beat around the bush, yes, traveling like this often gets lonely. However the beauty in digital nomading is that you don’t get used to the loneliness, you get used to getting out of your comfort zone to go and make new friends and connections. 

My best tips for making friends whilst abroad: 

• Look and join the specific reddit community for your desired city

• Search up language exchange activities if you’re going somewhere that doesn’t speak your language. There are tons of these and there you can find locals and travelers alike looking for new friends. 

• Join a gym or sports community. One of the best ways to bond is through a shared endeavor. Sports offer this unity. 

• Look for pub crawls if you drink

• Get comfortable with approaching strangers. People are way friendlier than you think and are almost always excited to help someone in need. 

Your future with all your new friends met whilst traveling. Digital Nomading is only lonely if you make it that way

Will I regret not going?

There’s only one person who can answer that question, but I can tell you that on my many experiences traveling abroad, I’ve never felt regret for a single adventure. Even the bad ones turn into a good memory. 

The world is full of immense amounts of beauty, to seclude yourself in one corner of the world is a disservice to what this planet has to offer us. 

Image of you taking the risk and going on that adventure

Get out there and have a blast! If you need an eSIM anywhere, you know where to go my friend. The one and only Globie has your back.