Everything about life as a digital nomad

1. You will be more productive.

There is no time to waste when you travel to beautiful places almost every day. Exploring your new surroundings will motivate you to get your work done as quickly as possible. Adventure can be one of the best types of motivation.

2. You will have more groundbreaking ideas.

Creativity occurs when you combine seemingly unrelated concepts into a new idea. Neuroscientists call this synaptic play, and the more incongruent the concepts, the more synapses form in your brain. When you work in a different place every day, you gain a lot of different experiences that you can use to make those creative connections. And when your brain is full of these different inputs, your ideas are much more imaginative.

3. You become more adaptable.

Constantly traveling to new places pushes you out of your comfort zone. And in order to adapt to new environments on a daily basis, you must be willing to engage with other people and cultures. This will make you more open to new experiences in the future.

Traveling also improves the brain's response to change. When you travel, the stress of navigating a strange place causes dendrites to sprout in your brain. These dendrites increase your brain's capacity and attention in new and challenging situations in the future.

In short, traveling strengthens your desire and ability to learn new skills.

4. You will have more time for the things you love.

While work can be great, we work to live, not the other way around. When you finish work faster, you have more time to explore your surroundings, do things you enjoy, and spend more time with your loved ones.

5. You will make lifelong friends.

Adventures and memorable experiences create close bonds between people. As you embark on your journey, you will meet and become friends with other digital nomads. And if you travel with a friend or significant other, your relationship will be closer than ever.

Common jobs for digital nomads

Most companies today embrace telecommuting. 43% of American workers worked from home last year , and this number will continue to rise. But being a digital nomad and working at home for a few days are two different things. If you want to keep your day job while you travel, you'll need to prove to your manager that you can handle full-time remote work before you can work remotely. Justin Champion decided to work remotely for six months before even asking to travel.

If you are looking for a job, you should check out sites like Remote Scout Browse remote-only positions and ask potential employers if the position is suitable for your nomadic lifestyle.

Freelancing is also a common task for digital nomads. Before you embark on your journey, however, you need to be realistic. How will you be able to make a living? Answer the following questions to help you find out:

• What am I good at?
• What do I like to do?
• Is there a need for my skills?
• Can I do this job online?

Once you know how to make money, you can enter the gig economy by marketing and selling your services yourself or finding work on a freelance services marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr.

Whether you choose to work for a company or for yourself, becoming a digital nomad doesn't mean you have to commit to a specific role. Your job just needs to be completely digital. Below are some common tasks that lend themselves well to a fully decentralized lifestyle:

• accounting
• Customer support
• layout
• editorial staff
• Healthcare
• IT
• marketing
• Project management
• Quality Analyst (QA)
• Recruitment & HR
• distribution
• Software development
• Teacher/Tutor
• transcription
• Virtual assistant
• Write

As you can see, there are many different industries and tasks for digital nomads. Remote work is becoming more commonplace, which is exciting and beneficial for the workforce. But that doesn't mean everyone should be a digital nomad. It's still a big challenge. You have to be organized and disciplined, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy your travels - and that's the point of this lifestyle, right? So how can you set yourself up for success?

How do you become a digital nomad? 5 things to consider before you get started

1. Get rid of unnecessary expenses.

It's never ideal to pay for things that don't have a big impact on your life. That's why you have to get rid of all expenses that you won't need in life as a digital nomad. Things like gym memberships, subscriptions, and debt are all expenses that will weigh on you along the way. And if you're a freelancer, they're even more of a burden because you may experience periods of irregular income. Getting rid of these expenses and paying off your debt will allow you to fully focus on your work and travel.

2. Make sure you have an income that you can rely on for months in advance.

Whatever lifestyle you pursue, it's always smart to have a safety net. You never know when an emergency will arise. This is especially true for digital nomads, as they are usually on their own. You can't find comfort in a warm, cozy home or family, and when you're a freelancer, you don't have the luxury of a steady paycheck. To expand your safety net, consider selling anything unnecessary, moving the essentials into a storage unit, selling or renting out your home, and saving as much money as possible.

3. Get travel health insurance.

Traveling can give you some of the best experiences in your life, but it's not always a blissful, perpetual series of highlights. It's still real life. They get sick, have emergencies and accidents, and need regular checkups. You also need vaccinations to enter certain parts of the world. Your health should be your top priority when traveling, so make sure you have solid health insurance that is valid in all the places you visit.

4. Set yourself up for financial success.

Sufficient financial resources are the key to a successful trip. American credit cards usually incur a fee when used abroad, so ask your bank for an international credit card. You should also sign up for a credit monitoring service that will alert you if someone tries to steal your identity.

5. When traveling abroad, unlock your phone.

Most countries have different cell phone providers. So if you want to travel from country to country, you'll need to call your current provider and ask them to unlock your phone. You can use your cell phone in any country as you can insert a different SIM card into your cell phone for each international provider.

Once you have these things sorted, you can start your new life on the road. However, actually living as a digital nomad is very different than preparing for that life.

7 tips for life as a digital nomad

1. Create a budget.

As a digital nomad, your budget should be your bible. If you stick to it, you can live quite comfortably. To create a successful budget, calculate your living expenses, the cost of traveling to each destination, staying there, the activities you will do there, the cost of work, and how it will all affect your savings if You cannot earn a salary for a while.

2. Plan for the worst-case scenario.

When living abroad, it is important to have multiple plans in case of emergencies. Nothing really works as it should. Things happen. What if your truck breaks down? Or what if you're stuck in a foreign country with no backup plan? What is your plan B and C? You need to put these processes in place to deal with the inevitable bumps in the road.

3. Join a digital nomad community.

Digital nomad communities like Couchsurfing and Nomadlist help you learn the intricacies of digital nomad life and lower the steep learning curve. Other nomads will be happy to answer any pressing questions you may have about your new lifestyle and the areas you plan to visit. They will also teach you how to work effectively on the go. And arguably the biggest benefit of these communities is that you can connect with other traveling professionals, which can lead to new business opportunities, partnerships and friendships.

4. Make sure you have cell phone reception or WiFi.

If your employer lets you work remotely, show them and your team respect by being available online as often as possible. No WiFi or cell phone reception should never be an excuse to miss a meeting or not complete a task. The same goes for working with clients if you are a freelancer.

To ensure you always have an internet connection, consider investing in a cell phone booster and mobile hotspot Mifi device. Cell phone boosters can detect the smallest shred of cell phone reception and send the signal to your vehicle. Mobile Hotspot Mifi devices boost your mobile hotspot service so you don't have to rely on an intermittent, public WiFi connection.

5. Make sure you can communicate with locals.

Knowing the language of the country you are traveling to or knowing that the locals speak your language is crucial to a successful trip. It is dangerous to assume that there must be someone who understands English. However, if you need to travel to a place where you don't know the local language or where your language isn't spoken, use Google Translate or another translation app to help you navigate your new surroundings.

6. Research your travel destinations.

If you don't live in an RV, find affordable accommodation on AirBnB or Couchsurf before you arrive at your destination. Make sure your accommodation is close to a hospital, emergency room or clinic in case an emergency occurs. You should also explore the area to find safe places to live.

7. Withdraw cash from ATMs.

Airports are notorious for charging ridiculously high fees for currency exchange. If you need cash, withdraw it from an ATM. Your bank will charge you a fee, but it will be much lower than the fee at the currency exchange counter.

Before you leave...
If an adventurous lifestyle appeals to you, then living as a digital nomad can be one of the most rewarding yet challenging options. But if you arm yourself with organization, discipline and a desire to learn, you can enjoy an exciting and fulfilling life on the road. Just ask Justin and Ariele Champion. They are living the alternative American dream. And they never looked back.