The ultimate guide on how to become a Digital Nomad 

Travel
Written By Nina Botzen .

Recent years has seen a surge in digital nomads. The digital nomad lifestlye is very tempting so many people want to become a digital nomad themselves. But how do you become a digital nomad? And what things do you need to know to be a digital nomad? This article gives you an ultimate guide to becoming a digital nomad and offers plenty of tips and valuable ressources to set you up for your nomad life.

become a digital nomad

What is a digital nomad

A digital nomad is a person that makes a living online by relying on digital technologies for their work. As the word suggest digital nomads are location-independent, so they frequently switch locations as their work enables them to work from anywhere. Being a digital nomad is more than a job description – it is a lifestlye and comes with a community.

The benefits of being a digital nomad

  • Being a digital nomad allows you to live life in your own terms and enjoy (almost) ultimate freedom.

  • Being a digital nomad automatically makes you part of a community of like-minded people.

  • As a digital nomad you get to explore many different countries and cities and can call the world your home.

  • Travelling is enormly enriching – it helps you to open up, broaden your horizon and to get a new perspective on things.

The downsides of being a digital nomad

  • Digital nomad communities often exist separate from local culture – This inhibits one to fully dive into a culture. Digital nomads unfortunately tend to stay in their own bubble.

  • As a digital nomad it can be hard to maintain relationships – interpersonal as well as romantic ones. Unless you make a friend or find love in someone who pursues the same lifestyle, it can be challenging to nurture relationships.

  • A digital nomad lifestyle can feel lonely sometimes – Even when in most places you will find that you will make friends easily and find easy access to a community, there still will be moments and places where you experience loneliness.

  • A digital nomad lifestyle can feel tiring sometimes due to the many location changes, the constantly new experiences and the new people you meet.

How to become a digital nomad

Best digital nomad jobs

There are several job options you can pursue as a digital nomad: You can either have a full-time or part-time remote job for a fixed company, be a freelancer or contractor for many different companies or be your own boss when being self-employed with your own project or start-up. Generally, the most popular digital nomad jobs will fall into the following categories or job descriptions:

  • Copywriter and content writer

  • SEO

  • Digital marketing (content, social, paid): Ads manager, community manager, social media manager

  • Webdeveloper, IT

  • Webdesigner

  • Online language tutor

  • Translator

  • Transcriber

  • Virtual assistant

  • Surveys

  • Data entry

  • Blogging

  • Affiliate Marketing

  • Network Marketing

  • Crypto Trading and Investing

  • Coach

Non-online jobs for nomads

However, you don't even need an online job to live nomadic – There is also plenty of jobs on location that allow you to switch countries often and work and live abroad.

A few examples of jobs include

  • Yoga teacher

  • Surf instructor

  • Waiter/Waitress

  • Hostel and hotel staff

  • Language teacher

  • Housesitting

  • Nanny/Babysitter

  • Petsitter

  • On-site contractors (people who provide their services for a limited period of time for a fixed contract)

Resources for non-digital jobs

House- and petsitting

Employment contract forms

As a digital nomad there are three different forms of contract

Employee: The company you are working for has a legally registered branch in the country of your current residence and can locally take care of taxes

Contractor or Freelancer: You are self-employed and you are responsible for paying taxes.

Third-party or middleman: There are several companies out there, mostly payroll companies, that work as a middleman between an employer and employee. They sign the contract as a representative for the company and take care of local taxes. This is called an Employer of Record (EOR).

You can find more information on the different employment contracts as well as their specific pros and cons here.

Your current job doesn't allow a digital nomad lifestyle?

Your current education or job doesn't allow you to become a digital nomad? Don't worry, there is always a way!

Find out your strenghts and passions

Before changing your career path to pursue life as a digital nomad you need to chose a path of course. How do you approach this? First of all, become clear about your skills and strenghts: Is there something you are already reasonably good at? Naturally, we are drawn to things that we have an inherent talent for.

Then of course also reflect on your passions: Is there something you are particularly passionate about? Something that will motivate you to develop new skills on the field and improve?

Finding a job that suits you is always a good mix between your skills and your passions. However, also remember that skills can always be worked towards and if there is enough passion and drive you can develop the necessary skills.

Determine the demand

Once you defined a job path that suits you also check the recent demand on the market. Because obviously it's important that once you are ready to take on your first gigs there are enough job offers around. Otherwise there is no point.

Develop and improve your skills

Luckily, in the digital age of the internet it's easier than ever to aquire new skills. There exist many ressources online that support a career path change and help you in developing new skills and knowledge.

A few websites to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge

How to find a digital nomad job

Job platforms

Finding a remote job should be easier than ever due to the recent shift to homeoffice in many companies. However, it can still be a challenge. It requires still some effort, time and patience. Keep an eye on relevant job platforms – many of them allow you to filter for a remote option. Also make sure to set a job alert that sends regular updates about relevant job openings directly to your inbox. You find a list of relevant job sites below.

Blind application

Make a list of companies that you know employ remote workers and send them an open application with a compelling motivational letter. Most companies are happy to receive open applications and will keep your application on the record and reach out to you once a relevant job opening appears.

Best websites for finding a digital nomad job

For freelancers

For remote jobs:

Visas and permits

As a EU Citzien you have the right to work up to three months anywhere within the EU without registering. However, if you are not an EU passport holder, many countries recently started implementing Digital Nomad or remote worker visas. A few of the countries include:

  • Czech Republic

  • Croatia

  • Estonia

  • Germany

  • Greece

  • Iceland

  • Italy

  • Malta

  • Portugal

  • Romania

  • Norway

  • Spain

  • Georgia

  • Barbados

  • Antigua & Barbuda

  • Bermuda

  • Cayman Islands

  • Anguilla

  • Montserrat

  • Dominica

  • Bahamas

  • Curaçao

  • Saint Lucia

  • Costa Rica

  • Mexico

  • Panama

  • Brazil

  • Dubai (UAE)

  • Taiwan

  • Sri Lanka (soon)

  • Mauritius

  • Cape Verde

  • Seychelles

You can find a comprehensive list and more information about specific requirements here. Nomadgirl also offers good complementary information on internet speed, visa costs and on countries which have a visa programme for digital nomads under development.

Apart from specific digital nomad visas many countries (e.g. Indonesia, Thailand) offer work visas under specific requirements, so there are ways to still be able to reside there as a remote worker.

Also, if you want to keep track of the latest digital nomad hotspots make sure to check out Nomadlist.

Insurance

Being a digital nomad you can decide to stick with you medical insurance of your country of (tax) residence and add a travel insurance coverage to it (if not already included) or to go for a digital nomad insurance. Also, some credit card providers like Mastercard Gold include Travel Insurance for a limited period of time.

Here are a few insurance options for digital nomads:

Make sure to read up on the exact coverage each insurance provider offers, some providers are also subject to age restrictions.

Finances

Being a digital nomad it is always a good idea to be signed up to an internet direct bank that easily allows you to manage your finances digitally. Some banks to recommend for digital nomads include:

These banks have the benefit of coming with either little to no monthly fees, easy account setup and free worldwide ATM transactions.

Taxes

Your country of residence – where you have your physical address or where your business is registered – is also your tax residency. Most countries have the rule that if you spend 183 days or more in a country you become a tax resident so you are required to pay taxes. Otherwise, if you don't spend anywhere that long, the country "with your strongest ties" will be considered your tax domicile. Lastly, if this also doesn't apply, it will be the country of your passport. For more information head to one of the following articles "Can Digital Nomads Legally Pay No Taxes?" or "Where Should Digital Nomads Pay Their Taxes?" or directly contact your local tax authorities.

Countries all handle things differently so there is no ultimate answer to this question. It just requires a lot of research and asking around since being a digital nomad legally is still not that well sorted out yet.

Housing

Useful Links and resources

  • Nomadlist: Helps you to keep track of the latest digital nomad hotspots as well as giving you an idea about the cost of living and the speed of the internet

  • Joinmytrip: A travel platform that also offers co-work trips

  • Workfrom: In places where there are no co-working spaces it might be a challenge to find a quiet place to work with a stable internet connection. Workfrom gives you an overview of the best cafés to work from when on the road.

  • Croissant is a flexible membership that allows you to work from multiple co-work spaces across towns and countries.

Nina Botzen .
Previous

Houseboat vacation –Trying out Houseboat life in Italy’s first houseboat resort
Next

What to do in one day in Galle, Sri Lanka