It’s that one thing you’ve always thought of doing, but you’re scared to do so. But, working remotely during this pandemic made you realize this could be the perfect timing.
Digital nomads are those who work remotely and travel at the same time. They can work from any country or any part of the world, as long as they have an internet connection. Their work is not location-dependent. Digital nomads usually come from the fields of information technology, education, consulting, coaching and research.
Living a digital nomad life has long become a phenomenon. There has been a significant increase in digital nomads. The study also shows that there were about 7.3 million digital nomads in the U.S in 2019. In 2020, the digital nomad population rose to 10.9 million. That’s a huge 49% increase in one year.
And now, you’re planning to become one with them. Given your passion for travels and your hate for routines, you want to explore how to live a digital nomad life. You have your laptop, your savings, and your passport ready.
The question is: where to go and how to start?
Where to Go?
Where to stay depends on the kind of digital nomad life you’d want to lead. Some digital nomads consider each place as a staycation. They settle in one area and work there for a long time. Meanwhile, some are always on the go and do not mind if they have to pack and unpack every so often. They love the thrill and the trip, and they never get tired. Some consider each travel as an opportunity to get to know the culture of a country. So, they stay in one until they get to explore every little island and town of it.
To guide you in planning your digital nomad life, considering answering these questions:
- Do you want to settle in one place for a long period?
- Do you want to hop in and out of a country week after week, month after month?
- Do you want to stay in one country and explore every part of it?
To help you in deciding, here’s a quick scenario of the kind of life you’d have as a digital nomad:
Settlers and Staycationers
These digital nomads settle and stay, as they say. They choose to stay in one country and experience living there like a local. If you choose to live in a country for years before moving to another country, you’d have to have your place. Either you’d want to rent a house or build your own.
You might want to build your own tiny and minimalist home. Tiny houses are single dwellings that are not more than 400 square feet in area. This could mean more work, though. You will have to hire a tiny house designer, concrete contractor, and other builders. But, having your place in a foreign country will be worth it.
On-the-go Digital Nomads
If you’re an on-the-go digital nomad, you’d most likely go to cheap backpacker hostels. Digital nomads find the cheapest available rates to budget their stay. So some would choose a tiny bunk bed for their entire stay. They would only be sleeping there at night away. In the day, they would travel around the city between working in cafes or coworking spaces.
These types of digital nomads do not intend to stay for too long. They are restless and would love to visit another country in a month or so.
Country Explorers
If you want to settle and explore a country for a long period, getting a cheap Airbnb apartment is ideal for you. Airbnb apartments usually offer discounts for long-term stays. You may rent a car to take you to different destinations in the day and go back to the apartment at night. Or, you may also rent a camper van that will serve as your home slash travel buddy for the next few months.
If you still don’t know where to go, you might want to know that there is a new digital nomad village constructed in Europe. It’s called the Digital Nomads Madeira Islands in the village of Ponda do Sol in Madeira. It is a village housing that can accommodate up to 100 digital nomads. It also has a coworking space and a magnificent view of Madeira’s beautiful beaches.
Living a digital nomad life is exciting. And, this pandemic has only encouraged more adventurous souls to live their nine-to-five desk jobs. The best way is to do extensive research on the country you’re planning to go to. And, make sure you have the resources to kick off this digital nomad adventure you’re diving into.
