Becoming a Digital Nomad
Digital nomads work remotely, leveraging technology to earn from anywhere instead of working from a specific location. As a result, digital nomads travel conveniently to different destinations, driven by the curiosity of exploring the world.
While becoming a digital nomad gives you an exciting lifestyle with tons of benefits, you need to know the important steps to take and things to consider before becoming a digital nomad. Read on to learn all you need to know about becoming a digital nomad. Here’s everything from the benefits of working remotely to choosing insurance and what to consider when choosing your travel destinations.
Benefits of Having a Remote Job
Remote jobs started to be embraced globally even before the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many employees to start working remotely. Based on Forbes estimates in 2018, about 50% of the United States workforce were found to work remotely. Best known for its flexibility of working from any location and at any time, remote jobs come with tremendous benefits.
A few places you can find remote job positions:
The Flexibility That Helps With a Healthier Work-Life Balance
Having a remote job translates to having flexible schedules, meaning that you get to choose when to start and end your work, as long as you complete your work and get excellent outcomes. Being flexible allows you to design your lifestyle on your own terms. As a digital nomad, you’re location independent, which means you’re flexible and can travel to different destinations and work from different locations.
Getting Inspiration From New Environments
Remote working allows you to get inspiration from different environments when traveling to different locations. Being a digital nomad and having to create routines that work best for you allows you to have different patterns which can enhance creativity, leading to innovations. Apart from feeding your soul, you’ll find yourself thinking outside the box, making unexpected changes in your life, and even discovering new opportunities career-wise.
Increased Productivity
Having a happy and healthy work-life balance ultimately leads to increased productivity. Stanford conducted a study comparing the productivity of conventional and remote working groups. The work productivity study indicated that remote workers showed a productivity boost equal to a full day’s work. In addition, there was a 50% reduction in employee attrition.
Selecting Travel Insurance as a Digital Nomad
Before becoming a digital nomad, consider the travel insurance you choose for yourself. You can choose to take a general travel insurance policy that covers everything or take travel health insurance that covers your medical bills. You don’t necessarily need to take travel health insurance if you’re taking travel insurance.
So, why do you need travel insurance? If you’re injured or get sick while traveling overseas, the high chances are that the domestic medical insurance plans will not function in foreign countries. Not investing in travel insurance means that you pay for your emergency medical bills out of pocket. Benefits of having a travel insurance policy include:
- Having travel health insurance helps you travel in peace and be more productive as a digital nomad, because you don’t have to worry about catering to emergency medical bills.
- Travel insurance helps you get immediate assistance when you become a victim of theft overseas.
- Most travel insurance ensures you have international assistance for emergency medical evacuation or evacuation due to political unrest in a foreign nation.
- Travel health insurance ensures you have comprehensive financial coverage against many kinds of health risks during your travels.
We recommend that you compare insurance quotes from several insurers. Most of them offer free insurance quotes on their websites. Generally, when choosing travel medical insurance as a digital nomad, the insurance caters to routine care and emergency healthcare expenses. Be sure to consider different factors such as coverage limits, pre-existing conditions excluded, and other exclusions if applicable.
Choosing a Credit Card With Travel Benefits for a Digital Nomad
Before you even think of becoming a digital nomad, you need to hunt for a credit card that caters to your needs as a frequent traveler. Having a good credit card that caters to your needs makes a big difference. What makes a credit card suit your digital nomad lifestyle? Here are factors to check out for when choosing a credit card:
A credit card with no foreign transaction or conversion rates. Be aware of the dynamic currency conversions because this is where you’ll see your home currency and pay, only to discover that you got sucked in and paid up to 10% more. Currency conversion fees apply even online, so ensure you select the specific local currency to avoid being tricked.
Travel benefits or rewards: As a digital nomad, you’ll undoubtedly be traveling more often than an average cardholder. It makes sense to get rewards or benefits that can help you pay for your expenses, such as travel tickets and accommodation. You can also look for any bonus categories that can make you earn points.
Choosing Destinations as a Digital Nomad
After choosing travel insurance and a credit card that works in your favor as a digital nomad, the next step is to choose your destinations. With the luxury of mobility comes the responsibility to pick suitable destinations to suit your digital nomad lifestyle. Important factors to consider when choosing destinations as a digital nomad include:
Cost of Living
Before going to a location, determine your budget and compare it with the average cost of living. Keep in mind that the general cost of living of a digital nomad who’s constantly traveling between cities is different from one who’s planning to settle in a location for some time. Lastly, be aware of the currency exchange rates and take them into consideration.
Quality of Life
What is the quality of life in the location you’re considering working as a digital nomad? Can you access decent healthcare services? Can you access a strong internet connection? Lastly, can you find WiFi-connected working spaces, cafes, or any other outdoor working space? As much as a destination can be alluring, it’s crucial to look out for the presence of infrastructure that will help you thrive as a digital nomad.
Coworking Spaces
One of the main hotspots for digital nomads includes shared workspaces or coworking spaces. Having a common area with like-minded people will help you have meaningful interactions and networking, which is a great opportunity for growth. However, be careful not to let the chit-chats in coworking spaces interfere with your tasks.
Community
The community has a significant impact on everyone’s life, regardless of your work. As a digital nomad, choosing a destination where you can find a culture with like-minded people will help you create a home away from home. Consider a destination with coworking spaces and cafe shops where you can work and interact with people.
Types and Number of Activities Available
Are you an outdoorsy person that likes to have fun? You should probably check the activities available at the destination you plan to visit. Then, choose a destination that you’ll enjoy exploring. For instance, if you get frustrated with the slow pace associated with living on most islands, then selecting cities with bustling lifestyles rather than tropical havens will do you justice.
Learn More About Working as a Digital Nomad
Remote work is being embraced worldwide, with many countries working towards accommodating digital workers, which means that working as a digital nomad will only get easier in the coming years. So, if you’re a digital nomad or remote worker looking forward to exploring, the future is bright for you!
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash