Life has changed dramatically in the last few years, and with it, life goals.
Where before almost everyone aspired to stability, people are increasingly opting for freedom. Fewer people are looking to settle down, to marry, to have kids and a home and a stable job.
Instead, people are turning their focus toward exploration. They want to get out and see the world and all it has to offer. They want to have a wide variety of experiences.
This doesn’t have to be you. It’s still completely ok if you aspire to own a home and follow a more traditional life path. If that isn’t you, that’s ok too. If you’re more interested in seeing the world than in settling down, you might consider becoming a digital nomad.
What is a Digital Nomad
Nomadic lifestyles are coming back into fashion. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in travelling not just as a vacation, but as a lifestyle.
Some people do it the old-fashioned way. They simply pack up a tent and a few tools and set off into the wilderness. They catch or grow their own food and live completely off the grid.
That isn’t the ideal for many people looking to get out and explore though. Instead, they opt for a more modern approach.
This is what’s known as being a digital nomad.
Digital nomads are people who travel around, typically in a van or other vehicle altered to serve as a mobile home. They still take advantage of many of the modern conveniences of society though.
They do this by working digitally. Thanks to the pandemic, remote work has become extremely commonplace in many different fields and career paths. This makes it easy for people to work anywhere they can get internet access.
Digital nomads use this to their advantage. They set up in coffee shops or use mobile hotspots to make the same living they would staying in one place.
The difference is, they do this not from a stable location, but while they move from city to city or country to country.
How to Become a Digital Nomad
If this lifestyle sounds appealing to you, you’re in luck. It’s never been easier to become a digital nomad.
The biggest to-do on your digital nomad prep list is to find a way to earn money remotely. There are a few options here.
One option is to simply land a traditional job that lets you work remotely. This has become pretty standard in a variety of industries. Everything from tech to customer service to sales has the potential to work from the road.
Another option is to become a digital entrepreneur. Small business is exploding right now. Thanks to the internet and e-commerce, people can launch businesses of all sorts with nothing more than their laptop and their passion.
Starting a t-shirt business online is a great example of how the internet has opened up new opportunities for digital entrepreneurship. With a little bit of creativity and some basic design skills, anyone can launch their own t-shirt brand and sell their products to customers all over the world.
This can be an incredibly freeing move, both mentally and geographically. If you start a business that can run from anywhere, you free yourself to travel to your heart’s content, making money wherever you go.
Once you have the finances sorted, all that’s left is to figure out transportation. Many digital nomads buy or build motor vehicles that serve as mobile homes. This is a great choice if you plan to explore slowly and want to stay on the same continent.
That said, if you want to explore more of the world, it might be worth it to simply purchase flights and train tickets or rent cars as needed. You’ll also have to rent accommodations wherever you go if you take this approach.
While this will likely cost you more, it can allow you to see more of the world.
Closing Thoughts
The beauty of becoming a digital nomad is that you can go wherever and live whatever kind of lifestyle you want.
If you want to explore multiple countries, you can hop on a flight and work in the air. If you want to live one giant road trip, you can get a trailer or outfitted van and live from there. The possibilities are endless.
The major key is making sure you have a source of income you can sustain on the road. The best way to do this is to get a remote gig or start a business you can run online.
This will give you the freedom to make money while indulging in all the travel you could ever want.
