In part 2 of our Digital Nomading 101 guide, we'll take you through the entire process of planning a digital nomad trip including how to pick a place to go, arrange travel, and book the right place for your stay.
First things first... where do you want to enjoy your new found freedom?
Maybe you've dreamed of cracking open your laptop from a picturesque beach and firing off some emails. Or perhaps you envision working from a secluded cabin set amongst the trees.
When you decide to become a digital nomad, the world is yours to explore! Deciding where to go can seem overwhelming, but here are some tips that will help you decide where to go when planning a digital nomad trip.
Being a digital nomad can take a lot of planning to make happen, especially when you're just starting out. Before deciding where to go, it pays big dividends to do your research.
The best way to do this is by reading as many travel sites as you can. Some of my favorites are Lonely Planet and Atlas Obscura. They can give you a tons of ideas for strange and beautiful places to visit.
When its time to hone in on a specific location, reading travel blogs can help you get the insider info on things to do, sites to see, and a general sense of the logistics of getting there. There are literally hundreds of travel blogs with unique perspectives and vital information that can help you when planning a trip.
Some of the key things you want to research for a particular destination are:
Want to feel like you're getting an instant pay raise? Choosing a destination with a low cost of living is a sure fire wire to make your money go further than ever before.
South East Asia and Latin America have long been attractive to backpackers and expats for this very reason, and they can be just as beneficial to digital nomads as well.
Before I became a full time digital nomad, I lived in a tiny studio apartment in San Francisco, California. As one of the most expensive cities in the world, I'm almost ashamed to admit that I paid over $2k USD per month for far too many years for that little box.
The minute I decided that it was time to embrace the nomad lifestyle and give up that albatross of an apartment, my budget for living expenses was dramatically slashed. That meant more money to enjoy other perks while traveling.
In countries like Thailand and Vietnam, its not uncommon to find private accommodations for a nightly rate between US$20-30. Working out weekly, monthly, or longer term arrangements with hosts can lower your rental costs even further.
Cost of living savings don't just apply to your housing arrangements either. Food costs can be dramatically lower than what you are used to paying at home.
In Mexico for example, you can enjoy a plate of delicious tacos for just a few bucks. Good luck finding a plate like that at Taco Bell!
There may be no so such thing as a free lunch, but you definitely won't need to take out a small loan to eat out, as you would in more developed countries.
Perhaps the second biggest decider of your destination will be the climate that you are looking to enjoy (or escape from).
Escaping freezing temperatures and harsh weather is always a good reason to grab your laptop and hit the road. Or perhaps summer back home is just a little too hot for your liking, and you'd like to enjoy a cool mountain retreat for a few months?
Whatever your pleasure, be sure to look into the year round climate of any destination that you are considering to get a good idea of what the weather will be like during your visit.
Depending on your destination, be aware of rainy seasons, hurricane seasons, or any other adverse or extreme weather patterns that may threaten to make your trip more difficult.
Many destinations will ask higher prices for hotels and accommodations in the so-called "high seasons", but if you're willing to chance the weather, you can often find real bargains in the "off season".
Many of us have had our eyes on visiting that one special destination that we've dreamed about for years, but could never make it to see. Thanks to the digital nomad lifestyle, you can now take the opportunity to live that dream.
For me, Thailand was that place that I was called to see. After hearing several friends rave about their experiences in the land of smiles, there was no question that Thailand would be my first digital nomad destination.
There's a good chance that you already know exactly where you want to go as you read this... now is the time to make it happen!
If you're still not entirely sure where to kick off your nomadic exploits, consider seeking out popular digital nomad hotspots. The website Nomad List is a great place to do some recon on potential destinations to visit.
This site is a treasure trove of useful information about things like cost of living, climate, internet quality, and safety for hundreds of cities around the world. You can browse their listings for free, but to really dig deep into all they have to offer, you'll need a paid membership.
Determining the length of a stay in a particular city is a key skill for any digital nomad.
A lot of personal factors will go into this, but generally speaking, I recommend staying at least 1 week in a city thats midsized or larger. Within one week's time, you should be able to see the key highlights, sample the local cuisine, and of course, get some work done. Smaller towns or villages with less to see and do, you can get away with a shorter stay.
Generally speaking, you'll get a better rate booking a stay for at least a week. The longer the stay you book, generally the better rate you'll get. If you really want to sink your teeth into a city, look for stays 2 weeks to a month. Staying in one place longer also helps you cut down on travel days.
Speaking of, it's also important to consider travel time between destinations. Getting from place to place is going to take time, especially if it involves air travel. Even if your next destination is only a few hours away by bus, you're still going to use a large chunk of a day traveling.
I've seen many would-be nomads and travelers try to cram far too many destinations into far too short a time frame. Be sure to give yourself some time to breathe, and soak in the beauty and uniqueness of each place you stop.
Remember, you're also working while you're on the road, so it might take more time to get to know a place than if you were truly on vacation.
Move at a pace that allows you to get the most out of a destination, before moving on.
Many of those who have adopted the digital nomad lifestyle have done so permanently, and are forever on the move. While that may sound like fun at first, it can become less so over time.
The hassle of constantly looking for new places to stay, navigating planes, trains, and automobiles, visa requirements, and other nomad things can certainly take their toll.
Thats not even to mention the challenge of adjusting to new cultures.
If you're considering testing the waters in the DN lifestyle, consider traveling for 1-3 months first.
This is a good amount of time to visit a few destinations, maybe scope out a specific region of the globe, and really determine if this life style is for you. Maybe taking several small nomad trips a year, and still coming home to your... home, is all that you need.
So you've picked a place to start your trip, and you're ready to get into the nitty-gritty of trip planning. Fabulous!
Now before you run off and start booking flights and hotels, the absolute first thing you need to do is check the entry requirements for each particular country you plan to visit. Here is how to do it.
If you don't already have a passport, you need to get one ASAP. Depending on your home country, this process can take months, so be sure to allow plenty of time before your trip to get this sorted.
In the USA, getting your passport will set you back $130.00, but it will be valid for 10 years. A small price to pay, for the privilege of a decade's worth of international travel.
Regardless of your home country, securing your passport is an important first step.
One thing to note, the US passport is offered in two forms: a passport card, and a passport book. Do not make the mistake of getting the cheaper passport card.
This card is used primarily for border crossings between the US and Mexico/Canada. It will not be accepted when traveling to overseas destinations. If you plan do any traveling outside of North America, you'll need the passport book.
Virtually any country you wish to visit will have certain restrictions on who can enter the country, and how long they can legally stay there. A lot of this will depend on what passport you hold. The strength of a passport lies in how many countries you are permitted to enter, visa-free.
According to this CNBC article, as of 2023, the Japanese passport is currently the strongest in the world, allowing visa-free access to 197 out of 223 possible countries.
If your passport allows this kind of visa free access to a country, you typically don't have to do anything else. However, if a visa is required, you'll need to apply for one before embarking on your trip.
Visa requirements are always subject to change, and the only real, valid source of information for visa questions lies with your country's embassy in your destination country.
There are 3rd party companies who make it their business to handle these details for their clients, but you can honestly do a little bit of research yourself and save a bit of cash.
Whether you have a visa-free entry or not, there will ultimately be a limit on how long you can legally stay in a foreign country.
For example, Thailand gives passport holders of many countries a 30 day visa free stay in the country. Depending on your passport, you may be able to extend this by a few days to a month or longer.
If you plan to stay longer in your chosen country, you may want to forgo any visa free entry, and apply for a longer term stay. This can save you the hassle of scrambling to extend your stay while you're already in country, and avoid the dreaded visa run...
Speaking of, the idea of "visa runs" are common place throughout the global traveling community, including digital nomads, so it's something worth mentioning.
A visa run essentially means that when your legal stay in country is coming to an end, you make a quick hop to a neighboring country, stay for a few days, and then return to the previous country, thereby "resetting" your visa eligibility. This is a pretty common practice for travelers in South East Asia, but is not something that we necessarily recommend.
While you're likely to get away with it a few times, repeated visa runs in a country like Thailand may soon result in you being denied entry at the border, which would be a major bummer.
If you really want to stay long term in a country, the best thing to do is get the proper visa allowing you to stay legally for a longer period of time. This way you'll keep your relationship with immigration nice and tidy, and not set yourself up for any nasty surprises.
Unfortunately, sometime in 2019 evidently a bat fucked a pangolin and everyone lost their shit and the world went into panic mode for a few years. This clearly had a pretty negative impact on travel, and many countries put into place some absolutely insane practices in the name of "safety".
While many countries have since rescinded or dropped their dictatorial mandates, it's always wise to check your destination country for any lingering covid restrictions before beginning your travels. Some countries might still require proof of vaccination or a negative covid test to allow entry, whether you have a visa or not. Figure this out before hand, so you're not subject to an unwelcome arrival when you get to your destination.
Always be prepared, and do your homework before booking a trip!
Chances are if you've made it this far on planning your digital nomad journey, you've got your eyes on a destination thats pretty far from home. It's likely in another country, on the other side of the world... so how do you get all the way over there? It's now time to ride all the things!
As a digital nomad, you'll probably be racking up a lot of frequent flyer miles. Barring the sudden discovery of teleportation technology, you're going to be taking a number of planes to get to your first destination.
If you live near a major travel hub, like New York or Los Angeles, you might save yourself a flight, but you're still likely to be in for a long haul. A cross-Atlantic flight from New York to London will keep you in your seat for a good 7 hours or more. Crossing the Pacific will take much longer.
Our flight from San Francisco to Bangkok in 2019 took nearly 20 hours, over two flights. Tack on another couple of hours on a local flight, plus a ferry ride to get to our island destination, and it was a solid two days of traveling just to get to our first destination. Buckle up, and get ready for a long haul.
When it comes to finding flights, my first resource is usually Google Flights.
It's a great starting point to get an idea of the price range your flight will likely fall into. There are also a variety of tools and filters to make sure you get exactly the sort of flight you're looking for.
Being a nomad means being flexible, so try to take advantage of lower priced travel dates, like Tuesdays and Thursdays. Flying on these days typically means cheaper rates, and less people at the airports, rather than traveling on weekends. Other tools such as Hopper and Kayak can also help you price your flights.
Bare in mind that cheaper flights aren't always better. If I have the option to take the cheapest flight, but must endure 3 flights (and a long lay over or two), or spend $200 more to get a flight with only one stop and a short layover, I'm probably going to spend more money to get to my destination quicker.
Once you've found the flight you need, I highly recommend booking directly through the airline itself, and not through one of the many 3rd parties that sell tickets.
That is because should you encounter any issues with your flight or need to make changes, its much easier handling these issues with the airline directly. Going through a 3rd party to make changes is going to cost you more time and money, so be smart and book with the air carrier directly.
Its worth considering whether or not you need to book a round trip flight, or a one way ticket initially.
Booking a round trip can save you a bit of money, but if you plan on exploring a geographic region of the world, it might not make logistical sense to book a return flight from the same city you arrived at.
Consider planning a route that starts in one country and ends in another. That way you can purchase two separate tickets and begin and end where you please.
If you're planning to travel for an undetermined amount of time, just book a one way ticket to start. You can then book a return flight whenever you decide to come home.
Travel by rail is still a legitimate form of travel in many countries around the world, including throughout Europe. In your journeys as a digital nomad you're likely to hop a train from time to time. Rail travel may not be quite as fast as air travel, but as a digital nomad time may be on your side, allowing you to leisurely move to your destination. Travel by rail can also be a nice way to see a country, and if you're lucky, you may be able to get some work done on the ride as well.
Once you're on the ground in the country of your choice, travel by bus can be a great way to hop around different cities. For example, Mexico has a very widespread and easy to use auto bus system called ADO. These buses transport people through large parts of the country in relative comfort.
In many countries, over night buses are available that allow you to get a bit of shut eye while you make your way to your next stop. But be forewarned... overnight buses may feel more like nightmare buses at the end of your trip.
Once you really get going as a digital nomad, it probably won't be long before you find yourself aboard boats of all shapes and sizes. Aquatic transportation is common place in much of the world, and will play an integral part of your travels. Accessing almost any island destination will require a ferry ride or two. It can be a fun experience and provide some opportunities to see the area from a different vantage point.
Depending on your budget, renting a car may be the best way to get around once you've arrived. Having your own vehicle in a particular area can maximize your ability to see the greatest amount of sites and points of interest.
However, driving in an unfamiliar country poses its own challenges. Rules of the road may differ from country to country, as may the side of the road that you actually drive on.
Local drivers may move around the road in ways you are unused to seeing, and the potential for accidents is always something to consider.
If you plan on driving at any point on your journey, its highly advisable to obtain an international driving permit (IDP). In the US, you can get an IDP issued by AAA for about $20.
It should go without saying, no matter where you are, never, ever get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you are intoxicated in any way, shape, or form! It's never worth putting your life in danger, let alone the lives of others. If worse comes to worse, take a taxi back to your hotel and collect your vehicle later.
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of planning a digital nomad trip, is finding accommodations for your stay. We'll start by breaking down the types of accommodations you might consider.
For ages, the traditional hotel has been the most common type of accommodation for folks on vacation. However, as a digital nomad, you're not on vacation. In fact, you're liable to be staying much longer in town than someone on vacation, and the cost of hotel rooms can get rather pricey on a long stay. Depending on the country, hotels can cost hundreds of dollars per night.
Access to hotel facilities like gyms, pools, and conference rooms can be a big plus. Hotels can often provide concierge services, like ordering a taxi, laundry, or helping to book an excursion. Many hotels also include wifi, to help you stay connected to work. Regular room cleanings are also another perk of staying in a traditional hotel.
High cost per night can be a big hinderance, especially if the hotel is on the "nicer" side. Hotel rooms are often small and you can end up feeling cramped if staying there for several weeks.
If you are looking for a hotel, you can use booking apps like Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, and others to find accommodations in your chosen destinations.
Long a favorite of backpackers and young travelers, hostels are also one of the most popular forms of accommodations for digital nomads.
Hostels differ from hotels by typically offering very low nightly rates for a single bed in a dorm-like environment. Dorms typically house anywhere from 4-10 guests in a single room, with a shared bathroom and common areas.
Hostels are cheap. Super cheap. What you lack in privacy, you certainly make up for in economic advantage. Hostels can range from US$5 per night, up to $20 in "nicer" hostels. Hostels are also popular meeting spots for travelers of all kinds. You're likely to leave any hostel you stay at with a few new friends.
As you might have guessed, a lack of privacy is a big draw back for some. There can also be concerns for safety of personal items in hostels, though most will provide some form of safe or locker to keep your important items. Hostels also tend to be loud, with lots of talking, laughing, snoring, and yes, sometimes sex sounds emanating throughout the room.
Airbnb burst on the scene as an alternative to the traditional hotel market, by letting home owners rent out rooms, and even entire apartments and houses to travelers.
You can find some seriously amazing places through Airbnb. Places that you would never believe existed, let alone could be rented out for a week or two. Airbnbs are typically furnished, and can provide far more space to work from and enjoy, as opposed to a hotel room, and often have faster internet connections.
Hosts can also be awesome guides to the area, offering their local insight and suggestions for sites and sounds to take in. Access can also be super easy, with the ability to remote unlock doors, or with hosts providing the keys in a small lock box, making check-in a breeze.
Like hotels, Airbnbs can be quite expensive, depending on the city or country. Most Airbnbs don't include any cleaning during your stay, but they sure will charge you a cleaning fee on your way out. Airbnb itself also charges rather large fees when you book, further driving up the cost.
Booking stays online can be a great way to choose your accommodations, but its highly likely you'll end up over paying. Once you've got your feet on the ground, you may consider walking around in an area and looking for local short term rentals that can't be found online.
This is probably the best way to rent an apartment or small home for a significant amount of time at a good price. If you're planning on staying a month or longer in a city, this is the way to go.
Because you'll need to be in country already, you'll probably need to book a hotel or other space for at least the first few days while you look for a place. This can be somewhat nerve-wracking if you like to have all the details sorted before you travel.
For the more adventurous traveler, there are a variety of "non-traditional stays" you can take advantage of to minimize the cost of your accommodations.
A great example is the platform Couchsurfing.
This is an app that connects travelers with people around the world who - quite literally - offer their couches for free to guests to use for a few nights. Hosts can also be great local guides as well, giving you an insider's view of their city
Housesitting and petsitting are also options for budget minded travelers. A great site for this is Trusted Housesitters. Many people who are going on vacation need someone to look after their homes and/or pets while they're gone, which can provide you with an opportunity to score a nice place to stay for a few nights.
Work exchanges are also an option. Workaway is great site for this sort of exchange. People with farms or similar properties may need help from time to time, and will welcome travelers to stay with them in exchange for help around the property.
As a working nomad, just be sure that any work stay you accept does not interfere with your regular paid job.
This is possibly the best way to save money as a traveler, as many of these options are free or very low cost. Apps like Couchsurfing can be a great way to meet locals as well, and get an insiders perspective on a city.
Safety can be a cause for concern. Although these platforms do vet their members, you are walking into a strangers home and staying for awhile, which may or may not seem weird to you. Housesitting, petsitting, and work exchange will require you to have some responsibilities during your stay, which may conflict with your regular job. It's up to you to consider whether these issues are more hassle than a free or low cost stay is worth.
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what planning a digital nomad trip takes. Next we'll can move on to part 3... getting work done as a digital nomad!
