Digital Nomad: Is It Really Possible To Have Location Independence?
One of my main aims is to become a digital nomad and achieve location independence so I can generate an income while I’m out and about with my family, at the beach or on the road to my next glamping or camping adventure. Let’s face it… who wouldn’t?
But we all have pressures to pay regular bills, so for many this is just a hopeful pipe dream… or is it?
Wikipedia defines a Digital Nomad as:
… individuals that leverage digital technologies to perform their work duties, and more generally conduct their lifestyle in a nomadic manner. Such workers typically work remotely—from home, coffee shops and public libraries to collaborate with teams across the globe.
It seems that technology has suddenly developed enough to do just that and it’s happening everywhere. As Timothy Ferriss pointed out in his book about escaping the 9-5
Have you ever wondered what you would do and where you would go if you could fund a nomadic lifestyle… even just for a short time?
Would you use the opportunity to be at home more with your family, would you travel or would you just seek out a better lifestyle?
Here are my top 5 tips from what I have discovered so far to help you with your own nomadic journey.
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Believe In Your Digital Nomad Dream And Start Planning It Today
This will give you focus and motivation to striving for your dream. Think about the detail, visualise it and plan it. Think about where you would like to be in 1.. 2.. 3.. years time and what you will need to do and learn to get there. Plot this on a wall chart and put it somewhere you can see it daily. It is also worth getting your family involved in your endeavours. If they understand what you are trying to achieve and why, they will be more likely to support you.
Pay Off Your Debts
Start by reducing what you owe. This will help to reduce your stress and allow you to focus on what you need to do to achieve your dream nomadic lifestyle.
Investigate Ways Of Saving Money
Being a digital nomad can be expensive at first. Setting up a remote office and sourcing your equipment can cost more than you have. However, with extra planning there is always money to be saved and grants available for certain types of activities.
Think Of Different Ways To Earn A Living As A Digital Nomad
Take stock of your skills and experience. Any skill in demand can be useful and you can often get a good idea about what you do that others need by thinking about what people (friends and family included) most often ask you for. This can be anything from writing letters, listing things on Ebay, writing resumes or teaching others different skills.
Make sure you have a varied portfolio with different income streams, so when one dips another will hopefully support you, and take the time to set everything up properly. For example, build an image of trust for whoever may want to use your expertise. Have professional business cards and a resume with references to hand. If you’re tight on time then there are always services such as Vistaprint, Moo and The Resume Writing Service to help you. If you think a particular skill would be useful to you, then get the training at the beginning of your venture. Finally make sure you automate as much as possible and have everything you need easily accessible online. After all, that’s what being a digital nomad is all about.
Get A Plan ‘B’
Thinking of how to fund a nomadic lifestyle is only a small part of gaining location independence. Being a nomad isn’t for everyone. It’s important to be prepared about what life is like as a freelancer and how much work is actually involved. From experience I can say you should think about how much money you want to make and reduce it by half, and think about how much work is involved and double it. So a plan ‘B’ is needed if it doesn’t quite work out for you.
In my next post I’ll be exploring the potential income streams available to digital nomads during this Internet working revolution.
See you on the site soon.
Smiles… Sarah x
