THREE | 5 ways to achieve your dream of being a digital nomad (without taking a big risk!)

15 Sept

After the year we’ve all had, it’s no wonder so many of us are thinking about how we can reinvent our lives, and free ourselves from the daily grind.

One idea that’s gaining traction is to become a digital nomad — that is, to travel the world and work remotely, unbounded by any one location or job. But whilst digital nomading certainly offers an attractive route out of 9-5 mediocrity, it’s not one without its risks.

So, to help you achieve your dream of becoming a digital nomad, let’s dive into the five ways you can travel the world (and earn money, as you do it) without taking a risk too big to handle.

1. Have a defined goal

This might seem obvious, but before you embark on your nomad dream, you’ve got to actually have a goal. This means knowing where you’re going, what you’re going to do and how you’re going to look after yourself on your travels.

How are you going to earn money, for example?

Where are you going to live?

And what new countries do you really want to explore?

These are just some of the questions you’re going to need to answer if you’re serious about bringing your digital nomad dream to life.

A lot of this comes down to research — you need to know exactly what your goal is and what you need to do to achieve that.

Of course, spontaneity is a big part of living a freer and less restricted life, but a top-level view of what you want to do is essential when it comes to saying goodbye to the 9-5 for good.

2. Tidy up your finances

You can’t set off and live a life in the sky if you’re tied down by debt, rent and other extraneous expenses.

That’s why you’ve got to streamline your finances before taking off on your big adventure.

After all, living as a digital nomad is about living a boundless life, one that’s free from the daily grind and endless responsibilities that make life less full. That won’t be possible if your finances are all over the place.

So, if you’ve got debt, pay it off. If you’ve got rent to pay, exit your contract as quickly as you can. And if you’ve got lots of subscriptions that have mounted up over time, get on top of them and end what you no longer need.

This way, none of these responsibilities will be able to weigh you down when you’re out building your new life — and that’s why streamlining your finances is so important.

3. Create new revenue streams

After tidying up your expenses, it’s time to set up new revenue streams to support your nomad dream.

To do this, the internet (of course) will be your best friend.

Setting yourself up as a digital freelancer, for example, is a great way of securing an income on your travels. You’ll need a solid website to do this (which we can help you with), but the rest is pretty simple. Especially if you’ve already worked remotely, which we’d recommend you try out before jumping in at the deep end.

You could be an SEO specialist, a web designer, a copywriter, a graphic designer, or anything else that matches up to your skillset.

Whatever it is, once you’ve established a stable form of income, you can then work towards creating passive revenue streams — like affiliate marketing — that’ll allow you to slowly phase out the daily work you’ll need to begin with.

That said, there’s no reason why you couldn’t establish these passive streams before you set off on your travels, of course… but for those of you who are eager to jet off sooner rather than later, a few freelance gigs should do the trick.

4. Plan, plan, plan!

Much like having an initial goal — to avoid the risks of nomading, you’ve also got to have a solid plan in place, too.

This means…

Booking accommodation in advance
Researching different cities that are best for remote work
Checking up on local internet access (a real necessity!)
Booking flights as early as you can
And creating a checklist of local events and venues you want to visit

All of this is needed to hit the ground running, and to save a whole lot of money, when you start your new life.

So, put a plan in place, and your adventure (and bank balance) will be all the better for it.

5. Connect with other digital nomads

The internet isn’t just a great way to earn money, it’s also an even better way to connect with other, like-minded individuals who are on the same journey as you are.

On Reddit, Instagram and Facebook, reach out to groups of digital nomads and share your excitement, fears and experiences around travelling the world and taking the path less traveled.

When the going gets tough and you’re in need of a little guidance, having a community to lean on will make all the difference.

You could even organise monthly meetups with other nomads in your area to bridge that gap between online communities and real-life connection.

To nomad or not to nomad?

Now that’s a question only you can answer — but if nomading is your dream, grab it as hard as you can and make it happen.

And when it does come to life, don’t forget to check out how we can help you earn some money as you travel, with our custom web design services, ideal for jet setting nomaders on the go.