Four Ways to Travel the World as a Digital Nomad

Just ten years ago, travelling the world and earning a living just with a laptop and a smartphone was virtually unthinkable. Thanks to advances in technology, superfast broadband and Cloud storage, we can now do just that. Every year, thousands of people live the digital nomad dream of working while travelling.

Why Become a Digital Nomad?

Are you fed up with the drudge of the 9-5? Changing attitudes to how we work, especially among millennials (though not exclusively), means people increasingly seek meaning in their work. They want work-life balance and are willing to surrender the financial stability of 9-5 to achieve contentment, adventure, and excitement.

Four Suitable Jobs for Digital Nomads

Travel Photographer

Travel the world, take stunning images and sell them to blogs, travel companies and tourism agencies. This is a dream job for most people as the carefree photographer is idealized on TV and in film. Depending on where you go, it’s also potentially lucrative. You never know what you’re going to capture with your camera.

However, photography is a saturated market; unless your style is unique, you will struggle to stand out. Professional-level cameras are now more affordable than ever and easier to use, but still expensive. 

Social Influencer / Lifestyle Blogger

Social influencers’ success is down to a lack of trust in traditional internet reviews. As a social influencer, you can travel the world, stay at hotels and even eat for free in return for a lengthy review, blog posts and promotional campaigns. It’s a great market with a potentially ready-made audience. It requires an outgoing personality and a willingness to meet lots of people and reach out to businesses; it’s harder work than it might first appear.

Writer / Editor

You can write about anything for anyone at any time of the day or day of the week. Writing is one of the easiest jobs to do as a digital nomad as you can work whatever hours you like. With so many niches and subjects, you will never run out of clients.

Writing is not as romantic as it’s made out to be. There is a lot of competition and you will need to stand out. Some clients will pay pennies for articles that could take hours to write. This creates a burnout risk; some writers eventually give up due to stress, the opposite of what you hope to achieve.

Virtual Assistant

Of all the job that you never thought you could outsource to the other side of the world, the Personal Assistant was it. Yet Virtual Assistants (VAs) are a digital nomad success story. You will answer emails, schedule appointments and carrying out typical tasks of a PA or secretary from a remote location. The downside is that the PA/Secretary is that you are always on call. It may be 10 pm where you are, but you will be expected to chase a client who has not turned up for a pre-arranged meeting. Also, most of the work of a VA is dull.

After reading this article, maybe you feel like chucking in the day job and hitting the road as a digital nomad! Probably best to consider all of the pros and cons first, but more and more people are embracing this flexible form of living and working, and enjoying the freedoms that it allows.