5 Reasons To Become A Digital Nomad

Digital nomadism: what is it?

A digital nomad is a category of people who live and work outside the office. This phenomenon appeared in the 21st century and is associated with the progress of information technology.

You can describe the concept in scientific terms for a long time, but the essence remains the same: remote work. This is the main perks of digital nomadism.

In a world where digital grows faster than ever, digital nomadism is using the advantages of our electronical devices when it comes to our work. Basically, a digital nomad is someone who works from the place he or she prefers. He/she can do so thanks to a special type of jobs that do not require him or her to be at the office in person. For example, jobs like developer, writer, freelancer, online english teacher, video editor, designer, and so on, do not require you to be at a special place at a special time. Those jobs only require one thing: an internet connection. Some of those jobs, like designer for instance, also require a regular contact with the customers, but this is totally possible via internet nowadays. Some digital nomads’  Jobs are so easy   that anyone can take them.

One drawback of the digital nomadism lifestyle

It would be wrong to only present you the advantages of becoming a digital nomad. Hence, here is one point to make sure you understand the whole shift this decision will provoke to your life. Indeed, digital nomadism does have its drawbacks. If you are attached to your hometown, becoming a digital nomad may not be for you. You will probably have to leave your family for a long time if you want to choose a digital lifestyle. I see digital nomadism as a pact. You trade freedom for your possessions and some of your relationships. The choice is in your hand. To make the right choice, we must now present the advantages of this lifestyle. Let's see the 5 reasons to become a digital nomad.

Useful resources you will encounter during this article:

• Why is bali the dream island for digital nomads?
  
• The 4 best digital nomad jobs anyone can pick up
  
• 5 working from home tips for staying productive
  
• Top 5 destinations in asia for digital nomads
  
• The pros and cons of being your own boss
  

The 5 reasons to become a digital nomad

Reason 1: you can work from anywhere you like

Of course, the most obvious thing is that you can work where you want. It can be at home in your hometown, or at the beach on a remote island (laptops don’t like sand, be careful with that last option). You can also work at the hotel, it's up to you. Digital nomads usually choose their new workplace thanks to their desires. If they are mountain people, they will choose to work in Peru, India, or Hawaii. If they are island lovers, they will choose Bali, Jakarta, or Hawaii once again. It really depends on your personality.

Reason 2: you can schedule your time

This is the most powerful reason to become a digital nomad. We all know that time is our most precious resource -even more precious than money- and that we have a limited amount of that resource during our life. Well, i have good news for you: becoming a digital nomad means that you possess that resource. The 5-day a week workweek is over! You are free with your time and you are free to organize it as you wish. Maybe you will work 7 days a week instead at the beginning, but only in the mornings. Or maybe you will do the exact opposite: give online English courses 3 days a week in order to earn enough money and travel the rest of the week. If you feel like you will never be earning enough with this strategy, i recommend that you read the fourth reason.

Reason 3: you do not have a boss

This is true for most of the digital jobs, but not for all of them. However, even if you have a boss, he or she probably knows about your situation -you are at the other side of the planet- and he/she will not disturb you any time of the day. If you really don't have a boss -which is the case for most digital jobs- you will be able to experience work differently: you are your own boss. You must choose your tasks, your schedule, your work hours. If you are afraid of being your own boss, i recommend that you check this article about  The pros and cons of being your own boss.  

Reason 4: living in a “poor” country

The adjective “poor” does not mean that 90% of the population live in the streets. This adjective was used to talk about countries where the local currency has a lower value than USD. Indeed, digital nomads usually make the choice to live in places where the cost of life is lower than the power of their currency. The most common thing is to earn USD with your digital job while paying all your necessities in another -lower value- currency. This is the reason why a lot of digital nomads choose Bali to live their life. Not only is Bali an incredible island, with outstanding landscape, and secluded beaches, Bali is also a relatively cheap country (for now! The prices may get higher if digital nomads keep going there). If you want to go further and discover the magic of Bali, I recommend that you read this article about  Why is bali the dream island for digital nomads?  

The general idea is usually to follow what we just mentioned: earn a strong-value currency and pay with a low-value currency. To learn more about that, i recommend that you read this article about the  Top 5 destinations in Asia for digital nomads.  

Reason 5: we live in the digital era

We live in the digital era. It means that digital jobs will get more and more common as the time goes on. Digital nomad jobs value will increase with time. If you choose to become a digital nomad right now, you will be one step ahead from the others, which is something important to consider. Working from home is the future for a part of the office workers. Getting used to it as soon as possible will help you to organize your home workspace, to know what works and what doesn't for you, and generally help you to be more productive. In order to do so, you should read this article about the  5 working from home tips for staying productive.  

[Bonus] Reason 6: you can settle where you like

While the dream of becoming a digital nomad usually is about moving constantly, in reality it is mostly about having the ability to be staying where you like – and where you can according to your  travel visa   possibilities and personal finances.

However, whenever you’ll have found a place where everything seems to feel right, you can then simply stay there as long as you like… Most of the long term digital nomads are staying for months or years at a place, while the ones starting are moving as much as possible.

Digital Nomadism Questions and Answers

• Do digital nomads need work visas? They don’t as long as they operate business and are declared outside of the country.
• Do you have to pay taxes if you make money online? You do, in the country in which you are declared as resident and in which your digital nomad business is open.
• What kind of jobs do digital nomads do? Digital nomads are usually working on online jobs such as customer service or web development for example.
• How do you make money as a nomad? To make money as a digital nomad you have to find clients or companies that accept a remote business partner and that will be willing to pay you even if you are not physically reachable and eventually in a different time zone.
• How do you lead a nomadic lifestyle? The nomadic lifestyle isn’t necessarily about moving constantly, but mostly about the ability to do so should you ever want to.

Guillaume borde, rootstravler.com

Guillaume borde is a french 19-year-old student who launched his website rootstravler.com to inspire people to travel and share his values. Interested in minimalism, he also writes books during his spare time.