Ditch the Desk: How to Become a Digital Nomad
How does this sound: sipping espresso at a café in Milan one week, lounging at a beachside bar in Bali the next, perhaps a few days in Singapore after that — all the while with your trusty laptop, earning on the go and working to your productive best. If only life were this simple! Too often, little things like dodgy Wi-Fi (and paying taxes) make for a different reality. Yet, with the right set of online tools and a certain kind of mindset, the digital nomad thing could work for you. Digital platforms can bridge the gap between work and wanderlust, keeping your workflow uninterrupted no matter where you’ve set up office. What is a digital nomad? l How digital nomads make money l Is the digital nomad lifestyle right for you? l Best places to be a digital nomad l Top Digital Nomad Visas l Navigating taxes l Making your plan l After arrival What is a digital nomad? The ability to make a living online has opened up new possibilities. This shift towards a more flexible work environment has been a boon for adventurous remote workers, offering the opportunity to work from just about anywhere. ‘Digital Nomad’ was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2020, defined as “a person who earns a living working online in different locations that they choose for themselves.” Working as you travel, not tied to any single location — it’s a lifestyle choice as much as anything. To succeed, you’ll be reliant on technology and the internet to stay connected and productive no matter where in the world you are. The global digital nomad population is now estimated to be around 35 million, with most aged between 25 to 44 years. Nevertheless, around a quarter of self-described digital nomads are over the age of 40.¹ ❝The global digital nomad population is now estimated to be around 35 million❞ And this new craze isn’t going away. The UK now has the second highest proportion of digital nomads (12%) after the USA (37%), with Germany a distant third (5.6%).¹ The digital nomad community is diverse and there’s a near-even split between genders. So what’s the difference between being a digital nomad and just working abroad? One key part of it is that most digital nomads spend less than four months in any one location. This isn’t a coincidence. Rightly or wrongly, many are working while on tourist visas that last 30 to 90 days. They should, therefore, still be paying tax back home. More on that later. Excitingly, the last few years have given rise to ‘digital nomad visas’. Valid for a full 12 months, these visas offer the chance to stay medium-long term, blending the flexibility of remote worker travel with the stability of traditional work. Almost 60 countries (and counting) now offer visas like these — and we’ll list a few of the best! How do digital nomads make money? According to Flatio’s Digital Nomad Report, the majority earn between €10-50k annually. Two-thirds of those respondents said that they pay tax back to their home country. There are essentially three main ways to make money remotely online: (1) as a remote employee, (2) freelancing, or (3) running your own business. Here are just a few of the most popular choices: Remote Employees Web Design: Creating and designing websites for clients globally.Programmers/Software Engineers: Building and maintaining software appsWriting/Editing: Producing written content for blogs, websites, and publicationsSocial Media Content: Managing social media accounts and strategies for businessesGraphic Design: Designing visual content for digital marketing, branding, or product designVirtual Assistance/Remote Customer Service: Offering technical or customer service support, whether that’s B2B or B2CFreelance Consultancy: Offering expert advice in your field of expertise, such as marketing, finance, or IT. It’s especially important for digital nomads to have strong portfolios to showcase skills and projects (and to prove you’re working, not at the beach!) Don’t forget to keep your LinkedIn and other career site profiles/CVs up to date. See also: Portfolio Websites for Creatives Freelancers, Side Hustlers Freelancing is well-suited to the digital nomad lifestyle. Many of the careers listed above are options for going it alone as a freelancer. With smart side hustles, you can add further income streams. Other ways of making money online include: Affiliate marketing: Earning commissions by promoting products Selling digital products: eBooks, courses, or stock photographyTeachers/Tutors: Teaching languages, academic subjects, or skillsVloggers/Youtubers: Creating and sharing video contentBloggers: Crafting written content to inform, educate, entertainInfluencers: As with bloggers, they might endorse brands and products, or perhaps sell ad space See also: 10 Passive Income Streams to Unlock Financial Freedom and How to Build Your Side Hustle on a Budget Online Business Owners Starting an online business is a great fit for the digital nomad lifestyle, offering the freedom to work on your own terms. This flexibility means you can adjust your business to match your needs, growing your range of products or services as you move around the world. Dropshipping to order (holding no stock) is one way to reach customers worldwide right from the get go. Selling digital products is also popular choices that allow entrepreneurs to set their own hours and work from anywhere. As your business grows, it’s possible to grow without being held back by physical space. See also: The 2024 Guide to Starting an Online Business Is the digital nomad lifestyle the right choice for you? Digital nomads often report high levels of satisfaction when it comes to work-life balance. Much of that can surely be attributed to the flexibility and autonomy the lifestyle affords. There are both good and bad points, though. Digital nomadism isn’t for everyone. Recent statistics suggest many of those who tried it post-pandemic have since returned home. This could be down to shifting policies — some bosses have ordered return-to-office mandates, for example. Brexit is another factor: us Brits abroad used to be able to live and work in the EU visa-free. Now, we need to clear off after 90 days (like Americans do). Nevertheless, the
Commuting the message – why domains are so important
I am sat on a London Underground tube train on my way into London as part of the commuter morning rush-hour. I don’t do this journey often now but 15 years ago it was part of my daily routine. Boy has it changed! Back in the day, we (myself and fellow commuters) would sit staring into space, out of the window or into each others eyes. Sometimes a few would scan a paperback novel and the odd newspaper but mostly it was a time to reflect about the day ahead – or the heavy night before. Nowadays WE are all connected! Standing (the overcrowding issue hasn’t really changed) here tapping away on my tablet, I look around and think that an alien landing on earth for the first time seeing this scene may believe us humans are actually powered by electronic devices. All bar three people on this crowded train carriage, from what I can see, are plugged in, absorbed or certainly engaged with an e-reader, a tablet, an mp3 player. I can even see one guy turning contortionist as he attempts to type on a full-size laptop with less arm room than a corpse in a coffin. Even those flicking through the pages of he free commuter newspapers are all plugged in with headsets into another device hidden about their person. Some fight with reception as we dip in and out of tunnels and they optimistically attempt to continue their mobile phone conversation. It’s a modern world! Then I look further at our surroundings. The adverts in the carriage, the branded clothing worn by my fellow commuters, the bags they carry, the buildings flashing by outside the odd overground bits of our journey, there another wave of technology is becoming day-to-day with few consciously realising. Back in the day, I would probably have been one of a few on that train with a domain portfolio. Many probably hadn’t even used the Internet! Nowadays the domain name is as vital as your formally adopted name – indeed some even think more important! Domain names are everywhere…and quite rightly too. I am an information junkie and a domainer but I know I am not alone in getting excited when I see a new domain name, perhaps with a catchy ring to it, or an intriguing description built in. One of my domaining regrets is letting a batch of off-the-wall domains expire when I had a domain cull, because nowadays it seems the quirkier the name for a business the better, especially if it includes an animal. So back to my commuter train. You see, full domain integration into our daily lives is not far away. You can already have a full range of personal domain names, some people have even tattooed that onto their physical being in some form or other. On your way to work you will probably ‘see’ tens of domain names but you may not take them all in. Domain names are very close to becoming a commuters norm as the electronic device has, but domains will become more powerful, especially for businesses. They will stand alone, with the catchy, memorable ones becoming etched on the minds of commuters, while many more will also be accessed during the commute via one of the multitude of connected devices the commuters handle. So there has never been a more important time than now to secure your domain name. Commuters love them, kids love them, even business entrepreneurs love them, so make sure it is your domain they are loving. A commuter train is not exactly the most obscure location for a domain name to be promoted, but is there anywhere in the modern world yet untouched by domain name fever? We’d love to hear the most unique place you have used or seen a domain name promoted.
Are you Olympic proof?
Love them or loathe them the London Olympics are set to have an impact on everything we do this summer and with just over three months to go until “London 2012” the impact on business is beginning to become clear. UK parcel delivery companies are already preparing to cope with traffic flow issues across the London road network. Many of the big name delivery companies are thought to be considering surcharges during July and August to help cover additional costs such as even sending staff out on foot to skirt around the disrupted transport networks. With nearly a fifth of all deliveries in the UK made to London-based addresses the forecasts suggest that the number of deliveries made per driver may even halve. Yet it is not just parcel delivery agents and couriers that need to be worried. Almost every trade and business is likely to be affected. Retailers will have to work hard on customer service to manage expectation of customers waiting for urgent deliveries that may not be able to get through. Transport for London (TFL) and Olympic officials have been consulting for years to assess the impact and have designed a 109-mile “Olympic Route Network” and “Paralympic Route Network” . The aim is to allow participants at the games to travel quickly between event venues, but with each network expected to cover 2.6% of London’s roads, the impact on the local and national communities could be massive. The route networks will add waiting restrictions, various checkpoints, traffic flow modifications and even complete road closures to non-event traffic. That may have a massive impact on people travelling to and from appointments, even commuters getting to work. While the roads are likely to be the most affected, the railway and London Underground network will be hard hit too, with While the main event only runs for 16 days days from 27th July, the disruption is likely to be from the day the torch relay his London on 21st July until the 10th September which is the day after the Paralympics closing ceremony. That’s longer than the traditional school summer holidays when Londoners normally heave a sigh of relief that peak-time traffic has dropped off. It’s not just Londoners who will be affected either. The parcel delivery issues will have nationwide impact, as will people’s movement restrictions in the capital, but in addition the Olympic torch relay will be travelling the length and breadth of the country from 18th May when it arrives in Cornwall, bringing with it days of local disruption too. So how can you Olympic proof yourself? Here’s a few ideas from us: Avoid the Capital If you don’t need to be in London during this time, it is probably wise to avoid it, the biggest disruption will be in the capital city. Be flexible If they are going to be affected by traffic issues, consider allowing your employees to work from home or at least work hours that will avoid the worst of the issues. Be pro-active Give your customers a heads-up that you may be affected, especially if it is not obvious – ie you are not located within a few miles of the Olympic park. Promote social media as a communication tool If you run into problems you will want to let your customers know as quickly as possible. Twitter and Facebook are proven to work in this regard so make sure your customers know about your channels and that you will be using them. Replenish stocks now While it may impact on cash-flow now if you rely on parts to be delivered on a regular basis you will save a lot of headaches in the long-run by buying ahead and stockpiling now, as deliveries in a few months time may not be able to service the demand. The same is true regarding your own offices stocks such as paper and ink. Think ahead and save time and hassle.