Today I put together for you the 10 things I think every first-time digital nomad should know. Being a digital nomad can be a great thing, but there are some things that you should consider before starting your adventure.
1. Travel insurance
This is the most important thing to have when traveling. Is not that I think that something is going to happen to you. You shouldn’t think it either. But it is always best to be on the safe side.
Doctors and hospitals can be really expensive in other countries, and in case something happens it is always better to be covered. And in countries where it is not so expensive, they might try to rip you off. You never know!
Travel insurance usually also covers you in case of delays or luggage loss. This is great because no one likes delays and what better than getting something for it? And even worst, losing your bag is something that I hope you never experience.
Imagine getting to a country, going to the luggage band and not finding your luggage. You are in a new country with nothing but your hand luggage, if you had some.
So you would have to go to buy some clothes to survive your trip. What better if it is also covered by your insurance. If this happens to you on the way back home it might be not as bad. But it is never nice to lose your things.
And some countries ask you to have travel insurance when you visit the country.
2. Adapter
Different countries, different customs. This not only happens with the customs but as well with the plugs and sockets.
Sockets around the world can be very different. As a digital nomad, you don’t want your electronics to be out of charge. That’s your way of making money.
Your electronics are probably the most important thing you carry with you, and the ones that will allow you to keep traveling.
That is why I recommend carrying with you always an adapter. Me personally I would say at least 2. Nowadays we carry so many electronics around that you will probably need more than one.
The best option is multi-adapters. They cover all the different sockets that there are so that you don’t need to have one for every country. This way you are always safe and never really need to worry if they actually have a different socket and with one it is.
You always have your multi-adapter with you that has always been the perfect fit for you.
3. Internet Connection
The Internet is something that is now worldwide and can be found pretty much everywhere. Yet, depending on your destination internet might not be as good as the one you are used to.
This is a big problem when you are trying to earn money online. The Internet is the most important tool next to your laptop, and it has to allow you to work properly.
Everyone gets frustrated when the internet is not working the way we want, or if it just keeps turning off. This is not a good environment when trying to grow your business.
These are things that just don’t allow you to work the way you should. And especially when you are starting out, it is important to be able to work.
That is why you should consider where you are going and see if you are going to have a good internet connection. If you enjoy working in cafes or working spaces, that is also an option. But make sure that if the internet connection is not as good as home, you have options to work in other places.
Another option is to get a portable wi-fi device. There are several companies that offer internet connection everywhere (or at least a long list of countries). You pay for the days you want to use it usually, and you can buy or rent out the device.
If you are going to be on the road for a long time, and you want to be sure that you will always have internet when you need it I believe that it is a good investment to buy the device.
4. Don’t Travel Too Much
You might be wondering what are you talking about? I want to be a digital nomad to travel and you are telling me not to?
I don’t want to tell you not to travel. It’s just that when you are starting out it is usually pretty hard to actually start working and putting in the time necessary to make your business grow.
You will need to spend a lot of time starting it out, growing your audience, and creating great content. Getting to know your field, what are the other ones doing and what can you do better. This all takes time, and if you are going from one place to the other it is hard to take it.
For that reason, it’s recommended to start traveling, but slowly. This way you can get to know the place after work. Visit something every day or every second. Maybe work a couple of days in a row and then take a weekend. But it will allow you to focus more.
On the contrary, if you keep changing places you spend a lot of time traveling from one place to another. This is usually the time where you don’t work. And it also makes you tired, and after that, you need to recover.
Another thing is that you need to get used to the new place. You have to get to know where things are. You also want to see as much as possible because you know that you don’t have that much time, and work somehow happens to come last.
That is why I recommend traveling slowly. Take it easy at the beginning. Once your business is running you can speed up your travels. By then you might not need to put in as much time, or you will be more used to it and have better working routines already build up.
A business is not built from one day to the other. So take the time to make it grow and be profitable so that you can later have the time to spend it the way you want it.
5. Backup
When you travel you move a lot with all of your belongings. You might stay in hostels, hotels. Sometimes you might share a room. You will be traveling, by plane, bus or/and train. You might be in safe places, but not as safe as well.
All these situations can lead to the loss or theft of some of your belongings. And hopefully not your laptop, your working tool.
Another thing is that you are moving a lot and your computer can break down anytime. We don’t want these things to happen, but if it does at least have all the information backed up.
That is why it is important to back up your pictures, posts… or whatever is important for your work on a hard drive or a cloud.
The thing about hard drives is that if you lose your bag, or it gets stolen, that might be gone too. It is important to have it separate, but if it gets lost, all the information gets lost with it too.
If you have it on a cloud you have all the information online, accessible from everywhere with an internet connection.
Whatever method you choose, you should definitely have a copy of your important information, and the things you don’t want to lose.
6. Taking Care of Your Health
While traveling it is very easy to let go of important things such as your health. You eat often outside because you are out the whole day or you don’t feel like going grocery shopping for a couple of days.
Most of the time you will be probably looking for cheap places to eat. You might then find yourself eating a lot of fast food, fried food, or who knows what. This is not the best for your body, but either for your work.
This kind of food might not be providing you with enough nutrients and giving you the energy you need to be productive.
While traveling it is also possible to make healthy choices and make sure you take them. Of course, try typical dishes, eat some bad things as well, but always balance.
If you let go of it, you will notice that you don’t have as much energy and your business is the one that will suffer the most.
7. Know your Most Productive Times
We are all very different, and so are our productive times of the day. Some people work better in the morning, some in the evening, some at night.
Get to know when you work best. What are your most productive hours, when are you able to get the most work done with fewer amount of distractions.
Once you get to know them to build your day around it. Make sure that you have your productive hours free to work.
If you work better in the mornings try to get all your work done in the morning so that you can enjoy the evenings and get to know the places you are in.
If you work better at night, enjoy the morning or evening to do what you like and then work at night.
Especially during travels, this is important. You don’t want to spend the whole day getting some work done. You also want to see the places you are in. So organizing your free time and your working time is key here.
And if you fit your work into your more productive hours you will have more time to enjoy your trip because you will get things done faster.
8. Undestand That It Takes Time
Making money out of your blog or your own new business takes time. You need to first grow your blog or your brand. Make it big and let people know you exist.
Whatever way you want to do it (social media, mouth to mouth, advertising…) it won’t happen from one day to the other.
In the meantime, you might be living out of your savings, and as we know, they don’t last forever. I wish they would!
That is why I recommend having a side income. Something that is remote too.
There are many sites with freelance or remote jobs, just need to find what fits you best and get started on it.
I would recommend that if you can you start looking for jobs before leaving on your trip. Once you start traveling it might be harder, and it is always easier if you already have some income before you leave. That way you know that you are at least getting something each month.
9. Stay in Suitable Places
Staying in a good place is also a very important thing. You need a space where you will be to have your space to work.
Every person has different working standards, but make sure that you will be able to work in that place.
Don’t stay in the cheapest party hostel you can find, because that won’t be a good working atmosphere. It will be loud and with people just looking to have fun. Not that it is a bad thing, but more distractions are not probably what you need.
Instead, look for places where you can have a quiet time to work, and if you want to party afterward, you can choose to go to the loud places.
If you stay in better-suited places for workers you might also meet other digital nomads or people that are doing the same as you. Connections are always good.
Another thing to think about is choosing suitable destinations for digital nomads, especially if you are planning to stay for a longer time.
Destinations, where there are a lot of digital nomads, are usually because they have good internet, good working spaces such as co-working or cafes, or good prices.
10. Build Connections
And last, but not least, network. Your network is probably the most important thing that you have to grow and keep.
Connect with other digital nomads, with people that are above you. Not right away with the hope that they will help your business grow, but you never know when an opportunity might come. And it is much easier if you know the right people.
If you know people in the business and they like what you do they might want to help you or give you a push.
It is much easier to get help from people you know than from people you don’t know. That is why it is so important to make connections.
That is why starting out in places where there are a lot of people doing the same as you can be great. You can help each other in order to grow faster.
That is why co-working spaces can be so great. Not because it provides you with a good working atmosphere, but because of the people that are there. If you work in co-working spaces make sure you connect with the people that are there.
Go to cities where there are a lot of digital nomads and try to connect with them. Find out what groups they are in, where they meet, and tag along.
They are in the same situations as you or have gone through the same and it is always great to get some feedback or help.
Your network is your net worth. So make sure that you make great connections with people that are at the same level as you, or even better higher as you. This will help you grow faster.
I hope these tips will help you on your start as a digital nomad.
