On paper, digital nomad life sounds like the perfect work-life balance. You can spend half your time working, the rest exploring. Yet it isn’t always easy to stay productive while traveling. There are distractions. It can be hard to find suitable working conditions. Internet isn’t always available.
Freelancers like me have the added challenge of having to maintain discipline. Actually sit down and work. Find new clients. I’m so happy to be my own boss, but I must say my employee is a nightmare. She keeps disappearing into the jungle for three-day rave slash hikes.
When you’re a digital nomad, you have to make your travel life sustainable. You have to earn a decent living, while still finding time to see more than the inside of your hotel room. It’s a balancing act. Over the past seven years, I have learned a lot about how to make it work for me. So here are the tips and tricks I learned along the road on how to stay productive as a digital nomad.
1) Always get a local sim card
When you arrive in a new country, buy a local prepaid sim. This will allow you to make a hotspot and work from anywhere that has 4G.
It also means that you remain reachable by email even when you are out and about. If someone messages with an urgent request, you’ll know about it.
It is a good idea to buy a phone with a dual sim card. Then you can keep your permanent number from your country of residence. This is important for dual factor authentification or to have a permanent number where your clients can always reach you.
Alternatively, e-sims are a really convenient option, as long as your phone supports them. Then you can buy a data pack before you’ve even landed!
2) Charge your devices whenever you can
It is a good idea to charge your laptop, phone, battery packs, and other electronics whenever you can. This will save you worry later on when you need to work and realize you can’t find a socket.
It gives you more freedom to work from anywhere, whether it’s that cute hole-in-the-wall cafe, your car, or a remote bus station.
One of the rules you quickly learn when working and traveling is that a bit of planning gives you a lot more freedom in the long run.
3) Research before you go
Do some research before arriving in a new place:
- Message your accommodation to inquire about 4G access and wifi.
- Check that there is a table to work from in your room.
- Google Coworking spaces or cafés to work from.
When I am going on an adventure and don’t have to work, I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of traveler. I like not knowing where I will be sleeping that night. When you are working, however, this is more stressful than it is liberating.
Knowing that you will be able to work at a given time, without having to struggle with logistics, frees up more time to have fun.
4) Adjust your expectations, or adjust your plans
I went from being a backpacker to being a digital nomad, and my first few months were very hectic. I continued to do everything I used to do as a full-time traveler, free shots and full-day hikes included. And then I tried to squeeze work in, mainly at night.
You won’t be surprised to learn that this didn’t work. When you work and travel, you have less time to work, and less time to travel, than when you are doing one of the two full-time. You need, therefore, to adjust.
Either by working fewer hours, or by traveling more slowly.
Both are good options. Working less and dedicating more time to other activities is a great lifestyle.
So too is slow travel, where you stay several days, weeks, or even months in a place, working during the day and exploring in your free time.
The important thing is to adjust your expectations of what is possible or to adjust your plans.
5) Take time off to travel (or to work)
Just because you are traveling full time doesn’t mean you don’t get to have time off!
Sometimes, you’ll want to spend some time exploring a place, diving, snowboarding, caving, going off the grid, doing a volunteer project, etc. Set aside some time for side quests.
Conversely, if you have a big project due, you might want to find a nice place to stay and get some serious work done.
A coworking space where you’ll meet people with skills you need, for instance, or a remote cabin where you can write for days with no distractions.
6) Find digital nomads and coworking spaces
For the first years of my digital nomad life, the other travelers I met were mainly backpackers.
This didn’t encourage me to work because they often had all day to explore and all night to party. The FOMO was too strong to go and sit in a café while they had fun.
When you incorporate popular digital nomad destinations into your itinerary, you meet inspiring people who live a similar lifestyle as you.
You can make friends and find travel buddies.
You will also meet remote workers from the country you are in. This is a great way to get closer to locals with who you will have a lot in common.
I recommend not going exclusively to digital-nomad hubs, as they tend to be little bubbles, that aren’t always connected to the local community. However, including places like Bansko, Chiang Mai or Koh Phangang into your itinerary is a great way to find community.
7) Slow down
Digital nomad life has really led me to slow down my traveling. I don’t just fly in and out of places. I live there, getting to know local food and culture. I visit tiny, random places that locals recommend to me. I linger, taking full advantage of the fact that I don’t have a return date or a deadline.
The freedom to travel wherever you want is also the freedom to stick around in a place for longer. If you like the vibe, if you meet great people, or if your curiosity about a place isn’t yet quenched. Travel is not about ticking off countries or collecting stamps on your passport. It’s about human encounters and beautiful experiences.
I hope these tips help you combine work and travel! As I’ve adjusted my lifestyle to full-time working and traveling, I have noticed that the two complement each other perfectly.
Traveling inspires me, keeps me motivated, and prevents me from falling into a dull routine. Working keeps me connected, gives me a project to work on and a sense of purpose. And, crucially, it finances my amazing adventures.
I’d love to hear your top tips for working on the road! Let me know in the comments below.
Ellie x
The featured image was taken by Matan Hirsch.
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