How to become a digital nomad? This is often asked by those looking to make an exciting step of changing their careers or jump start it and enjoy the exciting world of living as international traveler. Can anyone become a digital nomad? Absolutely, and putting in the effort to achieve this way of life is within reach of anybody hungry enough to realize their dream lifestyle!
Ask Yourself if Life as a Digital Nomad Is for You
Before embarking on getting on the journey on how to becoming a nomad, it is imperative to self-reflect and recognize if this lifestyle it suited to yourself. People want to be digital nomads for many reasons—some are eager to get away from it all, understand the sacrifices and challenges that come with a nomadic life and sample what it actually is like to be a digital nomad.
Desperate To Get Away
A sizable amount of the population hate their jobs. They hate having to commute in to a 9-5 job every day, mingle with co-workers which can be daunting for the introvert and having to deal with the office politics that come with the job. It’s a feeling of being trapped, suffocated and a need to free themselves.
When these feelings take hold of an individual, then it is usually an indication that the life of a digital nomad is for them. The common adage goes that necessity is the mother of invention; these tendencies are signs that someone is ready to take the leap of faith and jump into the nomadic ship.
These individuals will do whatever it takes to achieve this dream and free themselves from the shackles of their jobs or the locations that they want to depart from. In addition to helping them fuel their goal of being a nomad, it will help them on their actual journey of their nomadic life when they are faced with headwinds and challenges and be able to persevere and overcome them.
Sacrifices & Challenges
A nomad lifestyle can be the most exhilarating and exciting way of life—to the outsider, the images conjured up are of someone sitting by the beach, sipping on a drink and drenching in the sun while working on their laptop. However there are many sacrifices that a nomad will need to make. A nomad typically leaves a life behind where they have had roots for years.
This could be leaving family, longtime friends and a way of life that they are used to including culture, food and a stable home. They are venturing into new lands that are completely foreign to them especially if their itinerary involves multiple destinations which may additionally have varying cultures.
Prepare for and Sample The Nomadic Life
If you have secured a career or lucrative opportunity that begins your journey on how to become a digital nomad, it may be wise to get your feet wet before deciding to fully venture into the way of life. Working from home is a great opportunity and it may be that some people will be content with only this adjustment but are perfectly adept at working in their home town or move to a new city where they will take permanent root rather than living a nomadic lifestyle.
In this way, you may be able to have a feel if the life of a nomad is what is desired. This sampling will also provide a foundation to get core skills that will set you up for a nomadic life like:
- Quickly establishing residence upon arrival at the destination.
- Setting up technology requirements that will allow you to have broadband internet connection, VPN network and cell phone access.
- Obtaining travel insurance which is usually a requirement with all countries that offer a digital nomad visa.
- Picking a bank that will allow international withdrawals and deposits.
- Saving money would do a great deal to help start the nomadic life. It is possible to live and travel cheaply but having a cushion to jump start the lifestyle is logical and gives peace of mind before venturing into new lands.
What Careers Can Help Someone on How To Become a Digital Nomad?
Choosing a career that can set you on the path to becoming a digital nomad may seem like a daunting task especially if you don’t have an established career path. It is easy for many people to feel disillusioned and think they may not have a chance at living the life of a digital nomad or that this life is only meant for some few chosen ones. The converse is true.
Determination can mean that even the least skilled individuals can land a job that can enable them to start their life as digital nomads—even as customer service representatives who require little technical skills. The refreshing news is that list will continue to grow as the dynamic world of digital nomadism takes foot.
Below is a list of careers that can set you on the path to leading a digital life and how to become a digital nomad. They are ordered from least technical to those that require advanced skills.
Careers For Beginners
These require very little skills to set someone onto digital nomadism and are a great entry point for those looking to make the leap.
- Customer service representatives
- Submitting name for companies
- Virtual assistant
- Taking online surveys
- Data entry position
- Transcribing
- Affiliate marketing
Careers For Those With Some Soft Skills
If you already have some skills or already working a job that can turn remote, then these positions can take your digital nomad career to the next level:
- Translations
- Tour guide
- Voice acting
- Email marketing specialist
- Copywriting
- Blogging
- Social media manager
- Language teachers
- E-commerce business
- Video production and editing
- Trader in either securities or crypto currencies
- Building websites
- Graphics design
- Tech support specialist
Careers For Those With Advanced Skills
These jobs usually require some type of advanced degree or adequate job experience and usually command high salaries:
- Website tester
- Data scientists
- Software engineers
- App developers
- Programming
- Radiologists
- Quality assurance (QA)
It should be noted that careers are not limited to this list, but are set to grow and more will be delved into in regular blog posts.
Identify Skillsets That Can Equip You To Be a Nomad (How To Become a Digital Nomad With No Skills)
Having skills that can land someone a job either as a remote worker, freelancer or entrepreneur are critical to be able to turn the life of a nomad into one that is lucrative and self-sustaining. The most pivotal and obvious skill is using a computer and the internet to tap into the digital nomad ecosystem.
Fortunately with the advent of technology in today’s world permeating every corner of the globe, this is a skill most people are already equipped with—even those in 3rd world countries. Past experience whether drawn from education or employment are good foundation to start.
Some skills that are on demand in the digital nomad space include:
- Writing
- Coding
- Marketing
- Engineering
- Computer design
- Teaching
Many who aspire to become digital nomads do so by finding freelance gigs or jobs that have the option to work remotely. Some who already have established businesses may choose to move them to an online ecosystem. It is also possible to cobble together several streams of income if one is proving to have too low of a reimbursement.
There is no set in stone path on how to become a digital nomad, every individual has their own situation—it all depends on the individual’s drive to succeed, how much they are willing to learn and what they are willing to do to achieve their dream of becoming a digital nomad.
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Digital Nomad?
There are several costs that are incurred when on the path on how to become a digital nomad as there would be living in a permanent place for those living in permanent domiciles. The cost of living as a digital nomad will largely depend on where someone wants to live as there is a different span of living expenses across countries or the kind of lifestyle that they choose—some are content with simple living, others want to spend time doing lots of partying and shopping.
Most conservative estimates have monthly living expenses falling in the range of US $1000- US $2000 which happens to be the minimum monthly requirements for many countries that offer digital nomad visas. This would cover a decent rental rather than staying in a hotel which actually becomes expensive in the longer run especially if there is a desire to live in a location for a few months.
With that being said, it all boils down to location and what one’s preferences are in regards to their lifestyle. Working in first world location such as New York or Los Angeles would set someone back on the wallet. However, those new to the nomad life who tend to have lower paying incomes are better off sticking to cheaper locations where their 1st world salaries can go a longer way.
Locations such Thailand and Bali in Indonesia are popular digital hotspots because they offer low standards of living, with beautiful lush beaches and green forests that free spirits would delightfully immerse themselves in. Some locations in Thailand such as Chiang Mai need as little as US $600 for monthly expenses—someone would have a decent life with this income. What’s more, these locations have descent infrastructure to support digital nomads such as high speed stable internet.
For more information about the different careers that can launch you into a digital nomad career or learning on how to become a digital nomad, visit our blog that regularly updates and delves into more details the choices that are on offer.