What you need to know before becoming a digital nomad

Combining business and leisure, who wouldn't want that? The situation: you are (probably) spending four months in Indonesia. After the first three weeks of trips to Flores and Comodo, admiring the Burubudur in Java at sunrise, and taking some surf lessons in Lombok, you have landed in Bali. The first half of your day consists of a deadline for your Dutch client while enjoying a smoothie bowl, after the afternoon you catch some waves to improve your surf skills. Welcome to the life of the digital nomad.

Who are the digital nomads?

Digital nomads are often ‘millennials’ who sought themselves in Asia and found themselves. After an initial ‘wanderlust adventure’, this millennial often cannot find themselves in the dead normal life back in the Netherlands. The freedom, equality, and brotherhood of the nomadic existence on another continent outweighs the house-tree-animal idea in the Netherlands. Because why would you live and work in one place your whole life? That's why the digital nomad packs their bags and ventures into the wide world to live and work.

In 2020, it is possible to work from anywhere in the world. Especially if you are a freelancer and/or can schedule your working hours flexibly, the possibilities are endless. Whether you already have a lot of work experience or are just starting out, nowadays it is relatively easy to serve your clients from abroad. You determine your own workflow, focus on (self-chosen) projects, and there is a good chance that your creativity reaches new heights due to the immense inspiration you gain in another world.

As a digital nomad, you really don't need years of work experience to successfully fund your travels. You can, for example, take on assignments on the spot and gain experience. There are often enough ‘vacancies’ available for online customer service agents on travel sites or webshops, so you can earn digital money.

What do you need?

• What do you need to be a digital nomad?
• Plane ticket far away from home
• Passport
• Credit card
• Laptop
• The ambition to alternate your workdays with a surf lesson

How does a digital nomad (survive)?

Instead of going completely back to basics backpacking, the digital nomad usually opts for a slightly more luxurious variant: ‘flashpacking’. Flashpacking means traveling with a backpack, but allowing yourself more of the luxury you are used to in the West. This means you bring more capital with you or earn it on the spot while traveling. You no longer do this by picking apples on a farm in Australia for weeks, but from your laptop in a nice eatery. Of course, you still want to make social contacts, which is why you sleep in hostels as a flashpacker, but you allow yourself the luxury of a private room. Flashpacking is increasingly on the rise, especially because it is essential when you want to travel as a Digital Nomad.

What are the ambitions of digital nomads?

What is your ambition when you can travel the world while working? These are the most common ambitions of digital nomads:

• Traveling for a (un)determined time #finaldestinationunknown
• Having the freedom to work from anywhere in the world and set your own working hours
  Working for yourself and not being stuck in an office in a dreary Dutch climate
• Getting to know yourself in another culture, which also includes immersing yourself in the cultural and eating habits of the country you are in
• Freeing yourself from all the stress that life in the western world brings
• Seeing the world and also earning money: hello nearby nature trips!
  Achieving a healthy work-life balance, where life takes precedence over work
• Starting a workday with a healthy (cheap) smoothie bowl and finishing on time to meet (new) people or engage in a sporty activity (yoga/surfing/nature walk)
• Possibly returning to the Netherlands in a relaxed state of mind, where you are more in touch with yourself. You can learn to put things into perspective.

Every advantage has its disadvantage...

Although all of the above sounds fantastic, there are of course also downsides to the digital nomad existence. Working and traveling in your free time sounds like a great combination, but you do need to plan this work-life balance.

1. Unintended pressure that you really don't want:

• You constantly have in the back of your mind the idea that you have to miss things during your trip because you have too little time at a location, help: FOMO (fear of missing out).
• You constantly feel like you are falling behind with your work, also due to the feeling of having too little time.

2. Missing the western world in every way

Have you thought about the fact that things you never worry about at home suddenly become a ‘thing’ while traveling?

• Dramatically poor wifi is a huge mood killer, especially at times when you have a deadline and need to be on time for your booked excursion.
• You have to miss your own place with your familiar belongings for a long time. At some point, you will really hate that backpack, from the bottom of your heart.
• When you return to the Netherlands, you can actually be amazed at how well everything is organized here. Travel times in less developed countries are often much longer due to poorly functioning infrastructure. When you decide to take a taxi, the driver doesn't understand English and you are mercilessly dropped off because of your tourist appearance. The wads of cash you have to neatly stash away between your sweaty clothes also get old, but you have to, because in many places you can't pay with a card, let alone your Maestro bank card.
• Missing your friends and family. It is incredibly nice that FaceTime and Skype have been invented, but even a digital nomad sometimes wants a real hug instead of a digital hug.

Are you a freelancer or entrepreneur, but do you (still) have no ambition to become a digital nomad? Then check out the best flexible workspaces in Amsterdam.

Geschreven door: Women's matters