The history of Digital nomad

I knew that if I was going to write about the digital nomadic lifestyle, I needed to talk to the most popular of the world, which has caught the attention of numerous mainstream media and has traveled to more than 80 countries and territories, has flown hundreds of Thousands. Miles and I discovered that I did not need to be rich to travel.

No, Matt   Kepnes   , alias Nomadic   Matt,   he did not live on passive income when he embarked on a one-year trip that turned into an 18-month hike in distant lands.   However, upon his return in 2008, and two weeks after the warm glow of being back home in Boston had disappeared, he realized that traveling was his passion and that being back home was not all that he believed.

However, like other people who are interested in becoming digital nomads,   Kepnes   I knew I could not just throw caution to the wind.   I needed to find a way to make money while traveling.   He knew he needed to discover a way he could quit his job in the cubicle.   But how would he do it?

Kepnes   He reflected on this question, exchanging ideas, trying to discover how he could achieve his goal of traveling constantly around the world.   One day, he came up with the idea that he could become a travel writer.   That marked the birth of his website.   However, after 8 months of working long, long hours, it seemed to get nowhere fast.

What   Kepnes   realized, and what most others realize who is trying to start a blog, is that it is   extremely   difficult to build a significant number of followers.   It takes years and years of hard work.   It requires knowledge of online marketing and search engine optimization, along with a true passion for writing and transmitting value.

However, unlike most,   Kepnes in   reality what   exceeded   .   He remained in it.   And slowly but surely, it accumulated followers over time and generated a huge amount of interest from people seeking to participate in the travel budget and the digital nomadic lifestyle.   He found his vocation, created numerous best-selling guides and built a massive platform in the process.   Not many people can say that.

When I asked him about some of the most important lessons he learned while traveling over the years, this is what he had to say:

Lesson 1 - It's not that difficult!

Every day, people get up and go out the door to travel the world.   And they survive and prosper.   In fact, the travel industry has made it very easy to do so.   Just take that plane or train or bus.   Everything else will be solved alone.   Everything that I was worried about and feared I had before leaving was in vain: this trip is much easier than you think.   It's not like you're the first person to do this, there are also many recent high school graduates on the road.   If they can do it, you can too!

 Lesson 2 - You learn many good skills.

Traveling around the world has taught me how to be more social, adapt, be more flexible and, most importantly, understand nonverbal communication much better.   It has helped me to solve situations even when I can not understand them.   It has made me more independent, more open and, in general, just a better person.   There is no reason to be afraid that you do not have "that" in you.   You would be surprised at how often you can be surprised

Lesson 3 - You meet some of your closest friends along the way. 

Those times that I just want to relax and do nothing while I travel are the times that I have made my closest friends.   Whether on a boat in Thailand, or walking in a hostel in Spain, when I least expected (or wanted) to meet people was when I met the best.   And even if you do not see them for years, you still end up at your wedding, Christmas dinner or family celebration.   Distance and time can not break the bonds that form on the road.

 Lesson 4 - There is no such thing as an error.

No matter what happens on the road, it's never a mistake.   As it was once said, "   their   options are half possibilities, and so are those of all others. "When you follow the current and let the road unfold before you, there is no reason to regret or think that you made a mistake.   You make the best decisions you can and, in the end, the journey is adventure.

Lesson 5 - People are good.

Throughout the world, I have met incredible people who have not only changed my life but have done everything possible to help me.   I have been taught that the old saying is true: you can always depend on the kindness of strangers.   We grow in this culture of fear in the United States that is not realistic.   but   99.999999% of the people in the world are not murders, rapists or thieves.   There is no reason to assume that someone is one.   Sometimes, people are trying to be friendly.

5 steps   for   become a digital nomad

Whether you want to emulate the success of   Kepnes   , or just want to establish a long stay to see how you enjoy living as a digital nomad, there are five different steps you must take before embarking. your trip.   The more attention you pay to the details before you leave,   less headache   will have in general in your experience of the nomadic lifestyle.

Step 1 - Reduce and eliminate expenses

Keeping in mind that most people need a paycheck to ensure that their monthly needs and debt obligations are met, to travel the world and live like a digital nomad while still having the money to pay their bills " back home ", you should reduce and eliminate as many expenses as possible.

This includes things like gym memberships, subscriptions and any other odd debt obligations you may have. When you are on the road, those expenses will weigh you down. If you have to spend weeks or months without a stable income, you need to be able to cope with that storm, so to speak.

If you have a car, think about selling it. If you rent a house, think about moving all your things to the store. Check all your trash and make a garage sale so you can simplify your life before leaving. In fact, you never know when you will return from your trip, so it is important to do your best at first before leaving.

Step 2 - Develop skills to work as a digital nomad

Anyone who goes out on the road needs some serious skills that they can use to work remotely. Without online skills and no passive income, you would only be working in the local economy, which is not the worst, but neither will it provide you with the adequate income to continue traveling and enjoying the digital. nomadic lifestyle.

Develop the right set of skills you can use to work online. You do not need to start a blog. In fact, doing that implies years of hard work. But you can write for others or find any other type of work online through sites like Upwork and Fiverr. In fact, there are many ways to earn money online, no matter where you are traveling.

The ideal skills would imply anything that can be done from a laptop, remotely. Keep in mind that you are likely to work from a very different time zone than you are used to, so if you plan to work as a digital nomad, you should be flexible enough to work when you have the time and not the restriction. yourself at about 9 to 5 hours.

Step 3 - Decide on a destination

Keeping in mind that most people need a paycheck to ensure that their monthly needs and debt obligations are met, to travel the world and live like a digital nomad while still having the money to pay their bills " back home ", you should reduce and eliminate as many expenses as possible.

This includes things like gym memberships, subscriptions and any other odd debt obligations you may have. When you are on the road, those expenses will weigh you down. If you have to spend weeks or months without a stable income, you need to be able to cope with that storm, so to speak.

If you have a car, think about selling it. If you rent a house, think about moving all your things to the store. Check all your trash and make a garage sale so you can simplify your life before leaving. In fact, you never know when you will return from your trip, so it is important to do your best at first before leaving.

Step 2 - Develop skills to work as a digital nomad

Anyone who goes out on the road needs some serious skills that they can use to work remotely. Without online skills and no passive income, you would only be working in the local economy, which is not the worst, but neither will it provide you with the adequate income to continue traveling and enjoying the digital. nomadic lifestyle.

Develop the right set of skills you can use to work online. You do not need to start a blog. In fact, doing that implies years of hard work. But you can write for others or find any other type of work online through sites like Upwork and Fiverr. In fact, there are many ways to earn money online, no matter where you are traveling.

The ideal skills would imply anything that can be done from a laptop, remotely. Keep in mind that you are likely to work from a very different time zone than you are used to, so if you plan to work as a digital nomad, you should be flexible enough to work when you have the time and not the restriction. yourself at about 9 to 5 hours.

Step 3 - Decide on a destination

You have to decide on an ideal destination as a digital nomad. Where are you going? What will be the cost of living in that destination? How much will it cost to rent an apartment or eat at a restaurant? It is important not only to decide the destination, but also to prepare a budget based on that destination.

There are numerous resources you can use to decide which is the ideal destination as a nomad. For example, sites like Nomad List and Momondo can help you narrow down your options. But it is better to do your due diligence and analyze security, safety and quality of life in each of the destinations on your short list.

Depending on the type of experience and budget you're targeting, any number of destinations from Eastern Europe to Asia and even Central or South America might work out for you. It all depends on what you're after. Be sure to do extensive research before setting out so that you know what you have in store for yourself.

 Step 4 -- Set Goals   And   Create A Plan

Goal setting is an important aspect of life no matter what our future hopes or dreams might be, but especially so for living as a digital nomad. You need to get clear about what you want. Not only where will you go. But how long will you stay and what will you do while you're there.

You need to figure out how you'll support yourself and what'll happen if you can't make ends meet. What's your Plan B? What about   your   Plan C? Things don't always work out the way that we want them to work out, but as long as we put the proper plan in place, we can achieve what we focus on.

There are so many concerns such as healthcare and insurance that we often fail to think about all the small details that can interrupt our trips. How will we communicate if we have to go to a hospital in a foreign land? How will we navigate the local laws and regulations to do just about anything in our intended destinations?

Step 5 Join to Digital Nomad Community

The final step in becoming a digital nomad is to join a community. Get out there and communicate with others that are already living the lifestyle. Their firsthand experience can prove to be an invaluable tool, not only in the planning stages, but also when you first arrive.

There are loads of communities that you can tap into, such as the Couch Surfing community and numerous others. These are all people that are living to travel and largely enthralled in a laptop lifestyle. What they might have to say could help you out in a number of situations.