Who hasn’t dreamed of working with a laptop on their lap at the beach instead of the nine-to-five office grind?
Gone are the days when commuting to work every day, or sitting in the office until the end of the workday was necessary. Thanks to remote work, countless online job opportunities, and technological advancements, for most of us, the digital nomad lifestyle has become an achievable way of life.
Who is the digital nomad?
A digital nomad is a person who works remotely, leveraging today’s technological opportunities, regardless of location. Therefore, the digital nomad is often an entrepreneur, freelancer, or remote employee equipped with a laptop, who performs their work from various locations around the world, while traveling frequently.
Today, if you have the right skills and find this lifestyle appealing, you have every opportunity to join the ranks of the nomads.
How can you become a digital nomad?
As a first step, you need marketable skills that allow you to work remotely.
As a second step, whether as an employee, freelancer, or entrepreneur, you need to secure a stable income in either active or passive forms. These are the three activity forms through which you can ensure continuous livelihood while working location- and time-independently.
Step 1
Acquiring Marketable Skills
If you’ve decided to try out this lifestyle, then the first step is to acquire knowledge that will allow you to work from anywhere. If you’re already doing this kind of work, then your task might be easier, but most people will need to educate themselves to reach this point.
Whether you work as an employee, freelancer, or entrepreneur is entirely up to you. I’ll discuss these options in more detail in the next step.
So, even if you currently don’t have the skills for location-independent work, there’s no problem. Among the plethora of online and offline courses available today, you’ll surely find something that suits you, and with minimal investment, it can be immediately useful.
Step 2
Employee, freelancer, or entrepreneur?
If you want to become a digital nomad, there are three paths ahead of you. Either you work for a company where you have the opportunity to work remotely. Alternatively, you work as a freelancer for others or take on assignments. Or as a third option, you start your own business.
Employee Digital Nomad
This is perhaps the easiest way to become a digital nomad. A stable job at a company that prefers remote work. Numerous international job portals are now specializing exclusively in remote jobs. It may be worth checking them out. These include, among others, https://weworkremotely.com/, https://www.workingnomads.com/jobs, or https://jobspresso.co/.
Freelancer Digital Nomad
In the freelancer lifestyle, you aim to find your clients, and by fulfilling incoming assignments, you generate income.
It’s somewhere between owning your own business and being an employee.
The characteristic feature of the freelancer lifestyle is acquiring work through freelancer platforms. Some of these platforms include https://www.upwork.com/, https://www.freelancer.com/, https://www.fiverr.com/, and https://www.toptal.com/.
The Entrepreneurial Digital Nomad
Perhaps this is the form of being a digital nomad that offers the greatest freedom, but here you are almost entirely reliant on yourself (and your employees).
There is no longer a paycheck arriving in your account every month, but hopefully, there is a good chance you won’t have to hunt for assignments either.
How to Acquire Clients, Customers as a Freelancer or Entrepreneur?
To sustain the digital nomad lifestyle as a freelancer or entrepreneur in the long term, you need a stable income. This can be achieved by ensuring that you can demonstrate enough high-quality inquiries or purchases depending on your activities.
There are many ways to acquire new clients or customers online or offline, but it’s equally important to retain existing ones.
Own website:
The cornerstone of online presence is your own website. This is where you direct visitors, introduce yourself, showcase your portfolio, and can be contacted. It’s worth starting with creating or having your own website created. APK Web Solutions will help your website be competitive in the global market. Check out our portfolio here.
Social media:
Target platforms where you’re likely to find your target audience, be it Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
Social media ads:
Besides organic use, most social media platforms offer the opportunity to display ads, allowing you to reach even more users faster. The APK Web Solutions will help you to achieve your goals fast. Check out our portfolio here.
Search engine optimization (SEO):
The essence of SEO is to achieve a higher position among Google and other search engines’ results by developing and optimizing your website and content for specific keywords.
Search engine marketing ads:
Another alternative regarding search engines is tools like Google Ads. With this software, you can display ads on various platforms owned by Google, thus appearing above organic search results.
Email marketing:
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing tools. The essence is to collect visitors’ contact information to build a database, and then regularly send messages to these email addresses.
Word of mouth: WOM
WOM is when one person recommends your business to another. I have to mention this because if you provide adequate service, eventually WOM will kick in, and previous partners can bring you new ones.
Step 3
Transition to the digital nomad lifestyle
The following steps are recommended to be followed to ensure a smooth transition and sustainable lifestyle:
Reduce your expenses
During the initial period of the digital nomad lifestyle, you’ll need to adjust to many new circumstances. It’s worth reducing your expenses as much as possible.
1. If you have any, reduce your debt as much as you can.
2. Save for the upcoming period. I usually recommend setting aside at least enough money to live comfortably for six months.
3. Cut down on your expenses. Try to eliminate as many recurring expenses as possible. While traveling, you might not need subscriptions like Netflix or Amazon Prime.
4. Monitor your finances. Apps like Spendee are very helpful for this. They gather all your account balances onto one platform, allowing you to see exactly how much you’re spending on what.
Continuously improve your skills
Find a good accountant
Choose a suitable financial service provider
You should consider opening a dollar or euro-based account since your income will often arrive in these currencies. With Revolut, you can convert your money to all major currencies, open sub-accounts in different currencies, and receive a Mastercard or Visa card for free, making it easy to pay in most parts of the world.
As a digital nomad, you’ll be working from numerous countries – during your travels, don’t forget to consider currency exchange, insurance, transportation, who will handle your packages and mail while you’re away, and being aware of accommodation costs in the destination country.
Essential equipment
There are several things you will need to work from anywhere in the world. These include:
– A great laptop,
– A good backpack,
– Charger and cables,
– A great phone with a local SIM card,
– Wifi, and personal hotspot
– VPN (Many websites are inaccessible in certain countries. However, you can easily bypass these restrictions by using VPN software.)
Join digital nomad communities
The easiest way is to search online for communities that suit your destination. There are numerous Facebook groups, Discord servers, and online forums waiting for you to join.
Have a Plan B
Always be prepared for an extra expense or unexpected event.
Step 4
Choose your travel destinations properly
To choose a destination, you should consider the following factors:
- Stable internet connection
- Cost of living
- Safety
- Quality of life
- Weather
- Healthcare situation
- Entertainment options
- Language
- Size of the nomad community
- Attitude towards foreigners
There is a mandatory website for digital nomads: https://nomadlist.com/ Here you can filter cities around the world based on numerous criteria, making it easy to find the ideal next destination.
Once you have your chosen destination, it’s time for planning and execution.
The digital nomad lifestyle, thanks to new working methods, is becoming an increasingly accessible alternative to traditional employment.
It has the potential to completely change your life, but it requires a preparedness to dive into it.
If you possess valuable skills, and if you are capable of detaching yourself from your location, then definitely give it a try.