More and more people nowadays aspire to become digital nomads, working in the most beautiful destinations and enjoying the freedom to work on their own terms. However, is the life of a digital nomad truly what you desire? This article will analyze the planning involved in becoming a digital nomad and explore its advantages and disadvantages.
Planning to become a digital nomad.
Stable savings or income source is essential
When considering becoming a digital nomad, one of the primary requirements is having stable savings or income. In the video “How to Become a DIGITAL NOMAD in 2024 (3-month plan)” by YouTuber Joose the Nomad, it is mentioned:
“Two years ago, I moved to Bali, having this dream of living a nomadic lifestyle. But the problem was that I didn’t have any online income, and I only had three thousand dollars in my bank account. “
“But of course, you need to make money, especially if your dream business or job requires you to be in Bali or live this digital nomad lifestyle in Asia or in Mexico, whatever. Of course, then you need to immediately make money to support that so you can build that business.”
Therefore, it can be understood from this YouTuber’s video that we need a long-term business to sustain our digital nomad lifestyle. By doing so, we can live long-term in our preferred environment, and the cost of living may even be lower than in our home country.
So, how much savings do we need before starting our digital nomad life? In the video “How to Become a DIGITAL NOMAD in 2024 (3-month plan)” by YouTuber Joose the Nomad, it is mentioned:
“if you’re super eager to start your digital nomad journey and you don’t have any income yet, I would recommend having at least three to ten thousand dollars saved before you come here. So it’s not gonna be too stressful for you in the first months to figure out how to make the income. But you also have a little bit of motivation because you know you need to go back home if you don’t make it.
So yeah, what is my situation after two years of living this lifestyle? After starting pretty much from zero, basically in the beginning, I made only like five hundred dollars, one thousand dollars per month. But after a few months, I started to make more like one thousand, two thousand, even three thousand. So I was super happy with that. But then after like four or five months..
I actually got a few months of not making much money at all, so yeah, that’s why it’s really important to have some savings. But yeah, from the beginning to this point, the income has been growing slowly and steadily, a little bit more and more. Now the average is around five thousand to six thousand dollars per month, and I really never expected to make that much money, so I’m super happy with that. ”
Cultivating life skills/developing a remote business
When it comes to starting the digital nomad journey, where do we begin? In the video “How to Become a DIGITAL NOMAD in 2024 (3-month plan)” by YouTuber Joose the Nomad, it is mentioned:
“I often get this question that I want to be a digital nomad, but I don’t really know how to get started. So what I would recommend is to first check the remote job option.
And while you do that, it’s really good to develop a skill or even before that, when you’re still in your home country, it’s good to save some money and learn some skills. So when you are coming here, you actually have many ways of making money because you never know, maybe you lose your job or maybe you don’t get clients anymore for one thing. So it’s good to have a few options.
So yeah, first maybe you can have a job, then maybe you can develop a skill, and maybe you can do some freelance work. And then the last step and the best option for a lot of people is to have your own business. So going in this order, checking all the options and doing hard work for a few months, I think a lot of you guys can be able to achieve a digital nomad lifestyle in Mexico or any of these little bit affordable countries quite fast.”
Compared to previous living costs
One of the main benefits of being a digital nomad is the ability to choose a location with a lower cost of living, allowing for a more comfortable lifestyle with fewer expenses. In the video “Why I STOPPED being a Digital Nomad” by YouTuber Nordic Adam, it is mentioned:
“I think being a digital nomad is kind of a very particular lifestyle, and I guess every type of lifestyle has its pros and cons. For us, some of the pros were that we would be able to live comfortably for a lot less than we would be able to here in Denmark. We were able to travel a lot, so usually, we would stay in one place for a long time, maybe a month or a few months, so we could have some kind of a home base in the area and then travel from there. We would stay in a place that had decent Wi-Fi and good basic amenities. Over these 18 months, we’ve made some insane memories that we’re just gonna keep with us forever.”
Advantages of being a digital nomad
The advantages of being a digital nomad are evident, and some of the main points include:
Freedom and flexibility: As a digital nomad, you have the freedom to choose your work location and work hours. You can work anytime and anywhere, without being confined to an office or specific location.
Exploring new cultures and places: Digital nomads can regularly visit different places, experiencing diverse cultures, landscapes, and customs. This spirit of exploration can enrich your life experiences and bring new inspiration and perspectives.
Increased work efficiency: Digital nomads often need to self-manage and self-motivate, which can drive them to be more focused and efficient in their work to ensure task completion and goal achievement.
Expanding personal networks: Working and traveling in different places provides an opportunity to meet people from various industries and build an international network of relationships.
Points to consider for long-term digital nomads
Unstable living and working environments
For digital nomads, frequently changing work and living environments can make it challenging to establish stable daily routines and work habits. Issues such as time zone differences, language barriers, and unreliable internet connections can also affect work efficiency.
In the video “The Digital Nomad Dream is Dead (and this is replacing it)” by YouTuber Stefanovic, it is mentioned:
“It can be quite challenging to find structure and routine in your day when you’re constantly traveling around, packing, unpacking, setting up my portable studio at every new place, living out of a suitcase, not really having an office desk or a monitor. “
However, there are different ways to address this issue, as mentioned in the same video by YouTuber Stefanovic:
“I solved this issue by having a very strict protocol while traveling, and it comes down to this: as soon as we arrive at a new destination, we only give ourselves one day to adjust and settle in. The next day, we would immediately find a new coffee place to work from, sign up at the nearest gym, and just try to keep the same schedule no matter where we are.”
In the video “Why I STOPPED being a Digital Nomad” by YouTuber Nordic Adam, it is mentioned:
“It’s also actually just a lot of work. We spent so much time doing research on places, booking flights, booking hotels, just travel planning, and the traveling itself—getting from one place to another, getting settled, and learning where everything is in this new place. It takes a long time, and it can also be quite taxing. You have to start over all the time when you get to a new place, a new location. It can also be quite hard to actually maintain good routines. Of course, it’s always a choice, but it’s a lot easier for us to keep good habits and routines if we are in an environment that’s kind of set up for us to do just that.”
Feeling of loneliness
Moreover, digital nomads often travel and work alone, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and a lack of a stable social circle. Being away from family and friends can also intensify feelings of loneliness.
However, there are different ways to address this issue, as mentioned in the video “The Digital Nomad Dream is Dead (and this is replacing it)” by YouTuber Stefanovic:
“You missed your family and friends. I mean, FaceTiming your loved ones from the other side of the world can’t really replace those precious moments like hanging out with the boys or having dinner with your parents.
And just spending Christmas together, with good company when you’re traveling around, it can get a bit lonely. But there are actually two easy ways to solve this. One, your friends come visit you wherever you are, which was the case with me and my girlfriend. We spent a month in a villa in Bali with some good friends and had an awesome time. We’ve had friends visit us in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, and spent a couple of months with good friends in Cape Town as well. So that definitely made it easier. The other solution is making new friends. I mean, when you’re traveling around the globe like a true digital nomad, you will meet so many new cool people from all over the world, which is awesome.“
In the video “Why I STOPPED being a Digital Nomad” by YouTuber Nordic Adam, it is mentioned:
“But some of the cons for us, though, is obviously not seeing our family and friends. That’s probably the biggest con of this lifestyle. You’re oftentimes on the other side of the world, so we would go long periods of time without seeing our family, our friends. We would miss big dates, birthdays, weddings—you name it, and that sucks.”
Aesthetic fatigue
When we are in a traditional 9-to-5 work environment, we tend to appreciate and find novelty in beautiful things. However, when we are exposed to stunning landscapes and various comfortable environments for an extended period, aesthetic fatigue can set in. In the video “The Digital Nomad Dream is Dead (and this is replacing it)” by YouTuber Stefanovic, it is mentioned:
“Trust me, after seeing the 26th temple, you’re kind of like, “Meh.” And when you’ve seen the 40 most beautiful beaches in the world, they’ll start looking the same. “
In the video “Why I STOPPED being a Digital Nomad” by YouTuber Nordic Adam, it is mentioned:
“I also think that towards the end, at least a little bit, we experienced numbness, if you can call it that, because we were doing so many amazing things and seeing incredible places all the time. It would just become the norm. We wouldn’t be that amazed when we would go to an incredible waterfall or stay in an incredible villa or something because now this was just the norm for us, and I don’t like that very much. I like, you know, kind of being amazed when arriving at a new place.”
Turning Points to Consider
For digital nomads who are already experiencing aesthetic fatigue and loneliness, there are actually some solutions to consider. Apart from appreciating beautiful scenery and enjoying a comfortable environment, it’s also important to spend time with family and friends, as this can greatly increase one’s sense of happiness. These turning points in the digital nomad lifestyle can change our perception of it.
In YouTuber Stefanovic’s video “The Digital Nomad Dream is Dead (and this is replacing it),” he mentions:
“Last year, I hit a turning point in my life. Before last year, my life was focused on having as many experiences as I could. I wanted to travel to as many countries as possible. I wanted to meet as many people as I could. I tried all the side hustles as I went to all the parties. I wanted to taste all the foods from every different culture. I was hungry for everything life and the world had to offer.
But this slowly changed around the time I turned 30. You see, as I was constantly chasing new experiences, I started to get the feeling like I was just skimming the surface of life. I wasn’t truly immersing myself deeply in one thing, and it became clear to me that my focus in life was slowly pivoting from breadth of experiences to depth in experience. Rather than trying countless more hobbies and side hustles, I wanted to immerse myself and dive deep into my passions and business. I wanted to become the master of one or two of my crafts.
Rather than building many superficial relationships, I wanted to focus on creating deeper connections with the people I already know. Rather than chasing many different women, I’d rather start a family with just one I love deeply. And lastly, rather than visiting as many countries as possible, checking off all the tourist attractions as fast as possible, I want to stay in a country for a longer time, get lost, wander around.“
In reality, we need to consider the direction of the digital nomad lifestyle and what kind of life we truly desire. The digital nomad lifestyle can become a part of your life or serve as a turning point. In YouTuber Nordic Adam’s video “Why I STOPPED being a Digital Nomad,” he mentions:
“So, is it really worth becoming a digital nomad? And I think that’s a very personal question that only you can answer. But you will never know if you don’t try. Being a digital nomad is probably not as glamorous as it can seem when looking around online. But I think we went into it with pretty realistic expectations, just kind of knowing what we wanted to get out of it and what we wanted to do. Which is why I think we were not underwhelmed, and think we kind of knew what we were getting ourselves into.
And we also did a lot of research beforehand, just to figure out what we could expect, I guess. Because honestly, most days, we would just be sitting at home in front of our computer working. But at the same time, if we wanted to, we could go on an early morning ride to the nearest waterfall or a beach before coming back and starting our workday. We could go out eating every day, which is not something we do here in Denmark because it’s just too expensive. And we would quite often take a full day off or several days off and just go on some really epic adventure.
I think that’s the part that has really made it worth it for us, all the adventures and everything we have experienced while being digital nomads.”
Solutions
So, how do we find a balance between the digital nomad lifestyle and family life? In YouTuber Stefanovic’s video “The Digital Nomad Dream is Dead (and this is replacing it),” he suggests:
“Well, I came up with this brilliant new solution: A new concept that has never been thought of before, called intermittent nomading, which basically means have one or two bases around the world where you stay the majority of the year and then travel around for 2, 3, 4 months a year. For example, when the weather starts sucking balls here in the Netherlands. That way, you get the best of both worlds. You still have a base where you can visit your friends and family and grow a family, but you also still get to explore the world, visit a lot of countries, and still taste that digital nomad lifestyle. So, if master plan part one was about escaping the 9 to 5 and traveling the world, then my master plan part two is about building a base, growing a happy family, and still exploring the world as an intermittent nomad. “
Overall, embarking on a digital nomad lifestyle is an adventurous journey for everyone. You can choose the lifestyle and location that you love, but it also comes with its drawbacks and challenges. Hopefully, the solutions provided in this article will make your digital nomad life more comfortable and ideal.
This article references the following video sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJHkEx0Yotk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYXHVva0EAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBT1q82oJtM
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