Digital Nomad: Overhyped Lifestyle?

The idea of living and working on the road may sound exciting and liberating, but it requires having financial security. You need to have a steady income stream, living in different parts of the world on an extended basis may require additional resources beyond your regular income in order to stay afloat financially. 

I started my adult life nomadically, and I still believe it's better to experience a nomadic lifestyle while you are young than never to. You only live once - see the world, meet new people, and learn about different cultures while making a living by doing what you want to do online. That's the true freedom that you can only experience while you are not committed to anything else (such as mortgage, marriage, etc). When you start feeling like getting settled, the nomadic life may end, though you may continue to work online from wherever you decide to settle.

What Is a Digital Nomad?

A digital nomad is an overhyped phrase that refers to someone who works online while traveling. They are often freelance workers or entrepreneurs who have location-independent jobs. The lifestyle has become popular, especially among people in younger age groups. 

The goal of many digital nomads is to explore new places while making money at the same time; for some, it's an opportunity to experience cultures beyond their own on a deeper level than traditional travelers can typically do.

Could You Be a Digital Nomad?

The life of a digital nomad can be both thrilling and daunting for you. On one hand, you get to experience the world while working on your own terms. On the other hand, you're working while constantly on the move, which can be tough to adjust to. People usually claim the same benefits such as;

• You're your own boss.
• You can work from anywhere in the world.
• You have freedom and flexibility in how you work.
• You often get to meet interesting people from all over the world.
• You get to experience new cultures and lifestyles.
• You learn to be very resourceful and adaptable. 
• Work-life balance is easier to achieve.

The challenging aspects of being a digital nomad are;

• Finding affordable, reliable, and quiet accommodation where you can concentrate on work, and staying in one place for a long time.
• Keeping up with changing visa regulations in different countries.
• There’s always the risk that your internet connection will be bad or non-existent, which makes it difficult to stay productive.
• You might feel like you’re missing out on the stability and security of a traditional job.
• You have to be very disciplined and organized, as there’s no one else holding you accountable for your work.

You Cannot Work "From Anywhere" - Visa Issue

Most countries allow you to work remotely with a tourist visa, as long as your main activity is sightseeing in the country.

For example, the UK immigration law says you are not permitted to work for a UK-based business or any organization, paid or unpaid. But if you are a US citizen and employed in the US, you can work remotely while in the UK, such as checking work emails and attending occasional Zoom meetings with your colleagues back in the US.

That's not the case in the USA. If you are a non-US citizen, you're not permitted to do any kind of work with a tourist visa. In theory - strictly speaking, you can't log on to Google Analytics to check your business website traffic, because that would be "work". So not everyone can work "from anywhere."

What Takes To Become a Digital Nomad

Essentially, becoming a digital nomad is a combination of the following;

1. Travel constantly and indefinitely.
2. Work online.
3. Work on your own initiative.
4. Keep earning enough money to travel.

1-3 can be achieved by anyone. If you're considering leaving your home country for a while, then you should already have a strong worth ethic and be able to work independently. You should already be organized and disciplined in your approach to work, as this should enable you to manage your time and workload effectively whilst working from home.

The question is, whether you can maintain the level of income online or not.

What Are The Best Places to be a Digital Nomad?

If you're asking this question, you're not there yet. Because you should be finding that out by yourself. 

Although some digital nomads say that their popular destinations include Bali, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Chiang Mai. Because these cities offer a great mix of culture, nightlife, and relaxation opportunities, as well as being relatively affordable.

The best places can be those that offer a good quality of life at a reasonable cost. This includes places with reliable internet access, good food and coffee options, and safe accommodation.

Other considerations include;

• The climate (for comfort and working conditions)
• Visa requirements (for long-term stays), and
• Availability of coworking spaces and other facilities necessary for work.
• How much you can afford.

All is up to you to experience and decide for yourself.

Isolation-Related Mental Health Issues

Traveling alone, fine. Working alone, fine.

But when you're having to manage your finance while on the move can be tough sometimes. The friendships you build abroad can often be superficial and there's no one to have in-depth conversations with. When you have an accident, injury, or illness, the feeling of isolation can be magnified and it can mentally hit you hard.

Even if everything's going smoothly, a solo lifestyle can make you freaky over a long period. 

With that said, if you see it as a mental-toughness testing time, it's not all a bad thing. Successful digital nomads manage it by balancing their daily activities and making sure they have an emergency fund. 

• Connect with other entrepreneurs on the road.
• Contact friends through video chat regularly. 
• Have enough emergency savings to fly home from wherever you are in the world and to have a post-nomadic life for a while in case your online income dries up.

The Productivity Struggle

An online business is not all rainbows and butterflies. It can be hard to stay motivated and productive when you're constantly on the move and working in new environments. You might find yourself struggling to focus or falling behind on work. What you can do to overcome the productivity struggle are;

• Create a routine and stick to it as much as possible. Try to wake up at the same time each day, eat regular meals, and set aside time for focused work sessions.
• Find a good workspace. It can be hard to focus when you're working in a coffee shop or your hotel room. Find a quiet place with good lighting and comfortable furniture where you can really focus on your work.
• Take enough breaks to review your lifestyle. If you're working all the time to neglect to explore your surroundings, that's defeating the purpose of digital nomadism. But be aware that you're only recharging yourself to get back on track.

The Financial vs. Motivational Challenge

When you think about managing your finance, the fundamentals are no different than working from home. You have to earn enough to cover the basic costs, otherwise, you have to find a job. You can only achieve what you want to do if the level of your regular income is maintained. 

If you don't normally have savings in your bank, you'll have to keep some before you leave your home country and put it aside in case;

• You have to fly home urgently and
• For unexpected outgoings that are not covered by travel insurance.

As you travel, you should start to build a travel instinct that avoids the worst-case scenarios. 

How your travel experiences motivate you can be challenging though. You may be happy by earning enough money to move from one place to the next. But you should be motivated to be more creative. After all, seeing new places and experiencing different cultures can open your mind to new ideas and ways of thinking. And what better way to earn more money than by using your creativity to its fullest potential? 

Less FOMO

Another good thing about digital nomadism is that you suffer less from FOMO (fear of missing out) because you're not tied to the set schedule.

With a time-limited vacation, you either tend to cram in too many things to do and run out of time or find a place boring and don't do much but wait until the next itinerary. 

You don't have to have any of that with a nomadic lifestyle. Journeys are full of surprises, so you can take time for what you want to take time. As long as you can afford it.

And funnily enough, when you know you can control your time, you'll rather focus on the present moment and enjoy what you're doing. No FOMO because you know you can always come back.

Digital Nomad Businesses Examples

Some online businesses such as e-commerce can be difficult to manage, as your travel schedule can disrupt the workflow. The constant change in location could leave you struggling to stay up to date with orders and customer service, which is vital for keeping customers satisfied. Additionally, things like delayed shipments and long response times due to being away from home can hurt your reputation in the long run. 

Freelancing

Selling gigs (skills) on Fiverr may be a way to make extra money and gain recognition for your abilities while traveling, but not totally ideal for a digital nomad for the long term because your schedules will be driven by customer orders.

With Fiverr, you can customize the services that you offer and set your own prices, giving you complete control of how much income you generate. You can also switch off availability when it suits your schedule, ensuring that you are never overwhelmed with orders or requests from customers. This allows you to manage your time wisely and only accept work when it fits into your daily routine.

But regularly making yourself unavailable means it's hard to build customer relationships. And when you're available, there's a good chance that you're not getting any orders for days (or weeks.) 

For the short-term, it is an option to make extra money though. Check what kind of skills you may be able to sell if you're interested.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an attractive business model because it truly allows you to work any time you want. If you want a full 3-day vacation period, you can do that and still has the potential to generate passive income during the period.

You can publish product reviews on YouTube or blog posts that include affiliate links. When customers click on these links and make a purchase, the affiliate earns a commission from the sale. This process is passive, meaning you can continue to earn commissions as long as customers are clicking on your links.

Running a Course

Selling your skills by running a course and/or recorded webinars is a great business option for digital nomads. By recording their course once, they can reap the benefits of having an automated product to sell multiple times with no additional effort on their part. 

This type of passive income stream also provides them with more flexibility and freedom than traditional jobs since they don't have to be tied down to any particular office-based work hours or location. 

If you specialize in teaching or creating courses can market your services worldwide through online platforms like Udemy and Skillshare, reaching students from all over the world. With minimal overhead costs, you'll have an opportunity to generate steady revenue while still living life on your own terms.

Digital Nomad: Overhyped Lifestyle? Final Words

Yes, the phrase "digital nomad" is definitely overhyped because the lifestyle is achievable by anyone as long as it makes to them. But if you have an unquenchable desire to work while traveling, and the desire is stronger than anything that you have, digital nomadism may be the perfect fit for you.

The most important thing is to make sure you're earning a steady income online before you even think about leaving everything behind.