Digital Nomad Tips from Other Nomads

Digital Nomad Tips: Find a Great Coworking Space like Livit in Sanur, Bali

Digital Nomad Tips & Advice from Other Nomads

I often joke that nobody likes advice. But I’m not really even joking. People hate advice. WHY though? Advice is helpful! Why try to figure something out on your own when lots of people have been there before you?? So before I set out on my new digital nomad lifestyle in September — if you missed it, I left London and am working from the road these next few months so I can save up for a down payment on an apartment — I asked other digital nomads for their advice. Here are some of the awesome digital nomad tips I received:

Choose Smaller Towns When You Consider Your Destination

Michelle C from Intentional Travelers shared this advice which I’ve been thinking about a lot as I’ve realized busy digital nomad hotspots like Canggu and Ubud in Bali aren’t really for me:

Since becoming digital nomads in 2014 and trying out various places to live and work abroad, we’ve learned an important lesson. Some of the big “digital nomad hubs” are not really our style. We’ve learned to be discerning when getting destination advice from our fellow nomads. Everyone has different tastes and different needs, so different places suit some travelers better than others. It’s important to think about your own values and personal preferences and weigh that against any recommendations you receive. We figured out what we like through trial and error.

We found that we tend to prefer staying in smaller towns with a well-preserved local culture. Many of the places we like have a decent sized expat retiree population because, like us, these folks often seek out places with an affordable cost of living that still has ample amenities (like wifi!).

Save Money as a Digital Nomad through House Sitting

Rob Tullis, his wife Tracey, and Son Makai from Expat Experiment are a Canadian family who have been traveling nomadically since April 2014. Their passion is sharing what they learn about the places they visit and the challenges and rewards of living an unconventional family life. Here’s are their digital nomad tips about house sitting:

The best way to save money while traveling the world as a digital nomad is saving on accommodation given that it is the largest ongoing expense.  Many digital nomads travel to ultra cheap locations in order to find the least expensive place to live. We have a different solution: house sitting!

Over the last 4 years we have saved tens of thousands of dollars by looking after other people’s homes and pets all over the world. We have visited Canada, the USA, Mexico, Belgium, France Spain, the UK and many more, never having to pay for accommodation. The last time we were in Europe we spent 5 months traveling through different countries and only paid for 5 nights’ accommodation. One of the biggest advantages of house sitting is that the home owner usually has great internet, so no more trying to find a co-working space or a cafe that has fast internet. This makes earning a living online much easier.Another benefit is you get to choose the amount of time you want to spend in a location.

If you want to slow travel, you can find longer house sits, if you want to see more, you can choose shorter ones. We have had sits that are as short as 2 weeks and as long as 6 months. House sitting is a great way to save money and see the world as a digital nomad!”

Live in Barcelona!

Ella Travels is French and has lived in many cities in many European countries. She enjoys responsible travel and writes about her travel experiences on her blog, Worldtravelable. She very highly recommends Barcelona for digital nomads. Here’s why:

1. Lifestyle: The weather was my number one reason to move to Barcelona. After living 6 years in rainy Ireland, Barcelona was such a great place to live! I discovered a very different lifestyle. The good weather allows you to spend a lot of time outside. The beach is easily accessible from the center. So if you want to get inspired while working, or simply take a break, just get your laptop and sit at one of the “chiringuito” available at the beach or one of the numerous terraces of the hotels with great views of the city.
2. Public transport: Barcelona has probably one of the most extensive public transport networks in Europe. You have everything you need to move around:sirport, train, metro, bus, tramway, Ferrocarril (local train). And it’s also very cheap. A T10 cost just about 10€ and allows you to do 10 single trips.The best thing is that you can use up to 3 different types of transportation within one single trip as they are all integrated.
3. Entrepreneurial spirit: The city encourages business minded people to meet, collaborate, learn, get informed. There is so much help offered and the best of all: It’s totally free!
4. International environment: There are people from all over the world living in Barcelona. The foreign community is getting bigger and it feels like a big family!
5. Health: If you eat the Mediterranean diet, do a lot of sport outdoor thanks to the great weather, you will see how healthier you will feel! And Spain has a very good health system in place. If you can’t have access to it, you can pay for a private insurance. It’s not expensive and easy to find

And don’t worry about what you hear on TV! The situation is quite under control with Catalonia. Just try Barcelona out a couple of days and you will quickly feel it’s actually the best city to live in, especially as a digital nomad!

Go with The Flow

Todd and Julie Bonner of www.TREKKN.co currently travel the United States and Canada full-time in their RV with three older kids, tracking down and enjoying every possible U.S. National Park. They wake up every day in awe of the fact that this is their life and with the intention to deeply enjoy whatever the journey brings. Here are their digital nomad tips which I’ve found particularly pertinent as I’ve tried to slow down:

When it comes to living the digital nomad lifestyle, you have to learn to go with the flow if you are going to have any chance of experiencing the type of life you set out to create.

Things rarely go exactly as planned on the road, so having a plan B for things like internet connection and a workspace are a must.

But more importantly, loosening your grip on your need for perfection, or for things to look just how you might prefer, is absolutely essential to both your sanity and your overall happiness.

Ironically, if there is one thing that will torpedo your efforts to live a fulfilling and adventurous life on your own terms, it is demanding from life that your own terms and expectations are always met.

Loosening your grip gives you the opportunity to experience something far better than what your own strong preferences or demands might have led you to.

The Importance of Networking

Jodie from A la Jode had super great digital nomad tips about networking and making sure you have a support network:

Networking is something most of us dread, and networking as a digital nomad comes with its own challenges. But whether you’re looking for business contacts, travel buddies or life-long friends, getting to know people when you’re in a new place (constantly) can be tricky. Luckily, the thing that gave you the freedom to live as a digital nomad can also help you meet other digital nomads, travellers and locals. Yes, I’m talking about the internet!

Finding ways to meet people in the local area – and then repeating the whole process all over again when I moved – was the only thing I hated about this lifestyle for the first few months. But then I realised the answer was in my hand all along: Facebook. Or more specifically, Facebook groups.

Now, before moving somewhere new I always type the name of my next destination + words like “digital nomads”, “expats” or even interests such as yoga/writing/business meetups into the search bar. It can take a few attempts, but I’m yet to travel somewhere without a Facebook community of real people waiting to hang out when I arrive. And even if you don’t meet up with any of the group members, they can always point you in the direction of events or classes where you will meet some new friends.

Try Lithuania!

Mary is a travel blogger from the Philippines who has been working online and travelling at the same time for a little over three years now. She’s been to 20 countries and is not planning to stop anytime soon. You can follow her blog A Mary Road here. She has suggested Lithuania as a digital nomad destination…here’s why:

Lithuania is the 4th place I’ve lived as a digital nomad, I have been nomading for 3+ years now. I’ve lived in the top digital nomad places like Thailand and Vietnam – which was both amazing, however, it was too hype and mainstream. If you are looking for a less popular place with not so hot weather, in Europe but not crazy expensive, Lithuania is the place.

• Cost per month: $500 – rent, bills, grocery
• Travel: cheap flights around Europe
• Cities that are digital nomad friendly: Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipeda (by the Baltic Sea)
• Internet speed: minimum of 20mbps in the apartment, 10mbps in cafes
• Coworking spaces: Yes
• Best time to go: May-September if you want to avoid the winter

The young locals speak amazing English, the foreigner/expat network is in medium size and very helpful, and they also organise a lot of activities and events. I even met digital nomads in the hostels in Vilnius. The cities of Lithuania are not full of tourists even in the peak season, it’s very walkable, and the traffic is almost non-existent. The local government, especially in Klaipeda, is working very hard to make the city freelancer and digital nomad friendly. I cannot rave enough how I love living here as a digital nomad. I’m leaving soon and it’s the first country I actually feel very sad to leave.

Staying Fit on The Road

Rebecca Carr believes we are all born to move!  After over 15 years teaching and researching gymnastics and natural movement and raising three “natural movers” of her own, she has a lot to say!  Rebecca created InnateMoves.com to teach and inspire you to find freedom in your body to move the way nature intended! Here are her tips for staying fit as a digital nomad:

As a digital nomad, planning your next adventure can make you feel strapped to your laptop! Avoiding being on your computer too long is key to keeping your fitness levels up, and getting to explore new places.Let go of the idea that you can only work while in front of your laptop. Utilize audio recorders on your phone for notes while you are traveling from place to place. Go for a walk or hike to explore your area while taking audio notes for work or listening to podcasts of your upcoming destinations or work-related material.

Plan your work, or computer, time. Knowing that you only have two more hours to finish up an article or to find your next week’s hotel will put the pressure on to get it done. When your work hours are over get up and move around. Just the act of getting up is motivating!

Time you do need to spend on your laptop need not be sedentary time. You can set up a movement-friendly work station in most hotel rooms. Simply put your computer on your bed or a coffee table. Sit down, squat, or stretch while you are working. Try changing positions often. You can also try putting your laptop on a higher table. This works better than the floor when you are at a coffee shop or restaurant! Just stand instead of sitting to work.

Make sure to wear comfortable movement-friendly clothing and try to take a yoga mat when traveling. This way you can stop and get in a few stretches, yoga poses, or push-ups wherever you are!

Buy a Laptop Stand

As I’ve been traveling around to all the different coworking offices in Southeast Asia, one thing that’s struck me is the number of people using laptop stands. I had never considered one of these before but now I totally get it. These stands pull your laptop up to eye height and help you avoid “tech neck.” Honestly, this is one of my best digital nomad tips for you…protect your neck!

Digital Nomad Tips Summary

Thanks everyone for all your great digital nomad tips to help me along my digital nomad journey. If anyone has any other tips, please let me know in the comments. 

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