What is a digital nomad?

A digital nomad is someone who:

• travels domestically or internationally while working a job remotely from their chosen device.
• uses their remote work to design their lifestyle outside of work. That could mean posting up in Thailand, Prague, or Amsterdam while maintaining their regular income.
• is often a freelancer. These freelancers find work through websites like Fiverr, Upwork, or their own personal network to grow the number of people they work with while traveling. The jobs these digital nomads tend to work are software engineering, online marketing, data science, design, website development, customer support, or any number of things.

As a digital nomad, we must subscribe to the scout’s rule of leaving places as good as or better than we found them. That might mean supporting locally-owned restaurants and cafes, staying in AirBnbs, homestays, or hostels that are opened by the local community. By being aware of the impact we are leaving we can take conscious actions to make a positive impact on the communities we visit.

If you aren’t a digital nomad yet but desire to be one, the first step is to lock in your income. Taking your current job with you is your best bet. If that’s not an option, take the time to peruse sites like Fiverr and Upwork to see what skills you can offer to others online. This will not happen overnight but you will figure out what to do.

Written for Lost & Lore by Trevor Carlson