Even though my life isn’t glamorous, and even though I haven’t traveled all around the world, I am a digital nomad.
So what is a digital nomad?
Digital nomads are people who work online to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles.
I’ve been working online from home since 2015 but It was only 2 years ago that I took the leap into being a digital nomad and let me tell you, it’s been a roller coaster.
Today on Lifestyle Lift, here are the 4 things I’ve learned since living this way:
1. The way I work is kind of hard to explain
Working from home is becoming the norm for many of us and people are aware of this possibility, but working online while traveling is still kind of unusual for most.
Whenever people ask me what I do for a living I find it hard to explain. I work from my computer is always my answer, but that answer always invites more questions like:
How do you work while traveling?
What kind of job allows you to do this?
So more often than not, I have to give a class on what working while traveling entails and also explain what sort of job (or many jobs) I have to be able to do this.
After all of it though, there is still that one person who just doesn’t get how this is possible and just looks back at you in confusion and doubting whether or not what you just explained is true.
2. I never know where I’ll be
Every day is different and I never know where I’ll be. Now, It’s not like one morning I’ll be in Japan and the next in Mexico, but every day brings different possibilities. I could be working in bed all morning and the next day be working all afternoon at a coffee shop.
That’s the kind of spontaneity that I’m referring too.
I do try to keep a certain level of routine to my days but being able to be flexible and change my schedule and work station is always fun and refreshing. One thing is for sure, It never becomes monotonous working like this.
3. Glamour is not included
Despite what many influencers will have you think, being a digital nomad is not all fun, glamour and games. You still have to work to be able to survive in this crazy world!
Of course it can be incredible, and exciting, but it can also be chaotic and stressful. Sometimes you do feel like maybe it would be easier if you just had to go to an office and work a certain amount of hours.
Being a digital nomad just means your job allows you to work from wherever but we all still have a job to do nevertheless, and clients or bosses to get back too on a regular basis. Don’t let Instagram or YouTube fool you.
4. Friends are never close
Being able to travel around all the time means you get to meet incredible people. Along the way you might make many friends, but that perk also comes with a disadvantage.
Because you are able to travel around all the time, your new friends will be scattered all around the world or country. This means you won’t see them as often. You will probably miss them and you will probably find yourself wishing they were close to you.
It kind of bittersweet thing really. Just as an example, I see my best friend every 2 years, because that’s the amount of time it takes us both to be at the same place at the same time, but I also have friends who I haven’t seen in 4 years or more, because of the distance and travel.
After learning all of this, Is living this way something you’d like to experience? Let us know!