Changing societal norms and technological advancements have given rise to a new breed of workers redefining the term career. Industries are beginning to embrace remote work, and the digital nomad is part of that revolution alongside an increase of women in business. Digital nomads are pushing the boundaries of personal freedom, remote working, and entrepreneurship. With a laptop and a few other nomad work tools, they are all set to work and play! Let’s look at some of the truths of the digital nomad lifestyle.
Most digital nomads leverage technology to earn an income without being tied to a specific location. Unlike the standard remote workers who mostly work from home or in a co-sharing space, digital nomads can work from anywhere with internet. You get to choose where you want to work from and people to work with. You control your schedule and work from where you’re most productive, whether a café, your bed, or the local co-working space. This can a great transition for those looking to travel and work after finishing their college degree.
Stress is associated with many chronic illnesses, and most standard working environments are high-pressure and not conducive for a low-stress life. While some people thrive on routine and want a predictable and stable career path, some don’t relish the idea of working 5-7 days a week in a 9-5 job and dealing with long commutes and crazy demands of corporate life.
The digital nomad lifestyle allows you to avoid all these. You don’t have to commute to work or deal with egomaniacal bosses. You eat whatever you want whenever you want, take a break in the middle of the day, or even take a nap after lunch.
Flexible hours and location are the most apparent benefits of the digital nomad lifestyle for those that want remote work. As a digital nomad, there’re virtually no limits to where you can be. One week you’re in Bali; next, you’re in Morocco or Buenos Aires or on a remote beach in Algarve.
With flexible working hours, you can adapt your work schedule to fit in with what works best for you. You can move things around if you’re sick, or you’re friends are in town, or you simply want a day off without having to ask for permission from your boss. With flexible hours and more freedom, you can learn a new language, spend more time on your hobby, pick up a new one, or enroll in online classes. The potential is endless.
The standard working lifestyle doesn’t afford you many choices over your lifestyle and can sometimes feel like outside forces shape your life. As a digital nomad, you can design your lifestyle on your terms. You can invest in gold, and stocks to supplement your income. The digital nomad lifestyle allows you to take ownership over crucial life choices like where to live and how you spend your days. You can surf, go for a hike, workout, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and anything else you enjoy. You get to design your life around the people and things you love and incorporate unique experiences into your day-to-day.
Traveling motivates you to live a life worth living, to demand more from yourself, and understand the world a little better. As a digital nomad, you get to travel the world and live among diverse cultures experiencing life in thrilling and new ways.
Routine can make it hard to think outside the box or innovate, but seeing captivating places and overcoming cultural barriers lets you break those patterns so you can innovate more and be more creative. You also get to meet interesting people you otherwise wouldn’t have met. You’ll get a chance to form friendships and improve your cross-cultural communication skills, making you more successful in your career, especially if you work with multi-national clients.
The digital nomad lifestyle will satisfy your wanderlust but will also save you tons of money. Most digital nomads work from countries with a lower cost of living while working with clients with big budgets. By living in an inexpensive country, you can cut down on expenses, eat super-healthy foods, pay off your student loans, work less but earn more, and save money. You control your rates and increase them when you want, without negotiating with your boss for a pay rise.
The digital nomad lifestyle is full of endless possibilities. You can virtually do anything you want and take ownership of your life, investments and work. For instance, you could be investing in Africa while traveling Australia. You get to decide where to live, travel the world, experience different cultures, and step outside your comfort zone. The key is research, experimentation and having the right nomad work tools so that you can work from anywhere.
Keep up on the latest trends and changes in the lifestyle and ways to make money. For example, some nomads are now making money investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or NFTs. However, when investing consider getting cryptocurrency insurance to protect your digital assets. Things are always changing so follow blogs like this that help you keep up on the latest!
Do your research but take action and take the leap as so much learning really happens along the way!