Who are Digital Nomads? | Can I be one?

You see people enjoying different counties and their cultures and often wonder how do they even do that? Don’t they have any work? Possibly, they are people who are digital nomads.

And yes, you can become a digital nomad. Good internet connection, a decent laptop, strong determination, and persistence are the key components to becoming one.

What else is important for Digital Nomads? Do you have it to become one? Read it here!

Who are Digital Nomads? 

Let’s put it in simple words. Digital nomads are people who work within their own comfortable environment. They are not bound to stay in the traditional 9 to 5 time frame. 

Digital nomads are not restricted to a cubicle of 4 by 4. Rather they can choose to travel the world and work on their schedule and place. 

Geographical boundaries will not confine you if you become a digital nomad. You can be sitting at a coffee shop or enjoying the surrounding of a tropical beach while working on your own projects. But be aware that the “work from the beach” cliché is partly true, but doesn’t paint the full picture.

What do Digital Nomads need?

For many years, it has been set in the mind that you need to be a doctor, engineer, or pilot to be successful in life. You need a degree to be something.

Undoubtedly, a college degree can help a lot, but you can stand on your own feet even without one. Also, since Generation Y people are not completely focused on status, money and career anymore. Things like work/life balance, doing something useful for the society and making experiences while working won a LOT in valuation over the time.

But then, how do digital nomads earn? They tend to have a monetizable skill and a plan to execute for sustained growth and consistent earning. We’ll get to that a bit further in the text.

And speaking of the things digital nomads “need”: The most important tool is of course the computer. If you want to know how to set up a real ergonomic workplace literally everywhere: Here is a complete guide to The Hardware Setup for Digital Nomads.

3 Types of Digital Nomads?

It is a lifestyle, and you need to be mindful before entering. Get your mind clear and set the intention of what you want out of it.

Basically, there are 3 types of Digital Nomads.

1. Remote workers

It is pretty much like your ordinary job. You work with a company where you are an employee. You might be thinking then, what is the catch here?

The main idea here is that you work from a location of your choice. Even though you are an employee, you are not bounded to come to the office.

2. Freelancers 

Freelancing comes somewhat in between the two categories. You can work for companies but not necessarily stick to being an employee instead you work with them to provide solutions and get paid for particular projects.

3. Own a Remote Business 

This is the last purpose of being a digital nomad. After enough experience, you can be ready enough to set up and run your business, not needing to stay at one location to make a living.

If you do it right, you can travel and enjoy your life with your business, making continuous money without working all the time. But any online business takes some effort, some more, some less.

One option is also to build a remote team to help you with your work. This is a hard task that takes a lot of time to master – but the better the people are who are working with you, the more you can detach from your business.

How do you become Digital Nomad?

The next question arises, can you become one? And the answer is simple, Yes! Anyone can opt to be a digital nomad. 

1. Learn about your skill

The first step towards becoming a digital nomad is to learn your best interests. What are the things that fascinate you, or you are good at?

Now you might think that you have no special skills. But think it through and you will find. “Find you passion” is a worn-down quote in the remote working area, but there is something true to that. Find something you’re deeply interested in, and think about how to use it to make money. Get skilled in that area. Every skill needs to be polished with practice, experience, and exposure. 

2. Join a digital nomad community 

The next step for you to get a better understanding of this digital nomad field is to find a digital nomad community and join it. 

A community will help you to get a better insight into all of this works and how you can better at it. You will find fellow digital nomads.

In a community other similar professionals share your experiences and provide guidance wherever you need it, that will not only make you feel at home but also prevent you from making the same mistakes as others. 

3. Decide a destination 

You need to find a destination where you want to fly to and start working. Look for places that accommodate digital nomads so that even in another country you feel at home. 

Some countries are also providing visas, especially for digital nomads. You cannot work on a tourist visa. So you need to find a country for you to work. 

4. Set goals and execute 

After reaching your destination, make a plan. Set your goals and make a strategy to execute them. Try to settle in with your work and grow it before getting into a luxurious lifestyle. 

Enjoy your stay abroad, but also make it clear what you want out of your work and how much it can support your lifestyle, and live according to that.

It takes balls to quit your job.

Quitting takes courage. 
Actually, one of the hardest things on the way to become a digital nomad is quitting. Quit your Job, quit your surrounding, quit what you did before. You need some balls to do that. 
People are afraid of change, want to stay in their known surrounding, knowing that the next paycheck will come. Stay in the "comfort zone".
Leaving that zone is not for everybody - but you have to if you want to become a digital nomad.

A good way to overcome the fear of change is thinking about the worst that could happen, and then if that is really so bad.

Most of the time, the worst case scenario is something like: “I’ll burn through all my savings and will have to move back to my parents for a while, until I saved up money again in my old job/profession”. Is that good? Of course not. But if that is the WORST that can happen, it can easily be outdone by the benefits of the new lifestyle:

What are the Benefits of becoming a Digital Nomad?

You will be surprised to know that there are plenty of benefits that you can enjoy by becoming a Digital Nomad, let’s have a close look at some of them.

1. You’ll be your Boss

You can enjoy the freedom of working wherever you like, whenever you like. You can work when you feel the most productive as most digital nomads set their own schedules.

2. Inspiring Environments

This kind of work really allows you the see the world.You are free to go where you want to. Just go there! As you travel the world, the beautiful sights can bring the best out of you. The breathtaking views can inspire you to have groundbreaking ideas for your projects and business.

In these days, you don’t even need internet infrastructure: A solar panel and Starlink dish make you able to work in the most remote locations.

3. Commute Ease 

Once you enter this domain, you can ditch daily travels to your office. Getting stuck in traffic and then getting late for work will be an old thought. Digital work makes you free of all these worries.

What are the issues you might face as a Digital Nomad?

Life isn’t harmonious, with all the goods there are some downsides. Let’s have a look at the problems that you might face.

1. Uncertainty

One thing that comes with being a digital nomad is that you are not certain of your plans. This lifestyle can take you to places. This might give an adrenaline rush to some, but might be intimidating for others.

2. Family life

You will surely be meeting people from different countries, but your family life might not be as good as one might want. You are usually on the go, so it becomes difficult to maintain lifelong relations.

3. Unproductiveness

Because of the location freedom, many digital nomads choose nice places to work from. And since those are places where other people take their time off, it can be hard to resist the vacation feeling and stay productive.

And even if you lock yourself down in a place without distraction around – It can be hard for many people to stay focused and force yourself to work. It’s easy to be lazy if you’re your own boss.

4. Burnout 

And then there’s the opposite: In a job, your working hours are generally fixed, but while you step into the digital nomad world, you might unknowingly exceed your limits and get burned out and feel tired most of the time. It happens a lot easier than you might expect.