If travelling the world is your lifelong dream, and you’re looking for a way to make a living on the road, then becoming a digital nomad is your best option. However, there are certain things you need to know and do in advance before taking this step. In this read, we’ll show you how to become a digital nomad in small actionable steps.

But first, what’s a digital nomad?

A digital nomad is a remote worker who gets their job done online as he/she travels regularly. Freelancers, bloggers, online entrepreneurs, and full-time remote workers are all examples of people who could adopt a digital nomadic lifestyle. 

How to Become a Digital Nomad? 

#1 Figure out what you want to do for a living

Have you taken the decision to work and travel? That’s good, but what exactly are you going to work in order to make money and fund your travels? 

Is your boss open to the idea of you working remotely? Or are you starting your own online business? Maybe you’ll start offering a service as a freelancer? A good starting point is to decide what you’ll be doing for a living when you quit your 9-5 job and become a digital nomad. If you want some ideas for the top digital nomad jobs, click here.

#2 Make a business plan 

In case you won’t be working for someone remotely and you’ll be doing your own thing, then most probably, you’ll be needing a business plan. If you’re starting your own business, you definitely need one. And if you’ll take on freelancing as well, you might want to consider a few things like how you’ll be promoting your service or how you’ll be pitching to clients. Even if you’re starting your own blog – if you want to monetize it, then you need to make some strategic decisions and start treating it like a business.

#3 Come up with a transition plan from your 9-5 

Even if you settle on what exactly you’ll be doing for a living, it’s not really wise to quit your stable job that provides you with a steady income without having a plan. Conduct a feasibility study, start saving, and see how much you need to save in order to quit and start doing your own thing. Do you have the time and capacity to start your side hustle while working your 9-5 temporarily? If not, then have you calculated the risk? Do you have a safety net or a back up plan? All of these are things you need carefully put into consideration before quitting your job and becoming a digital nomad.

#4 Think about the resources and tools you need

To know how to become a digital nomad, you need to think of all the resources, tools, and skills required to achieve your goal. Do you need to invest in a new laptop? Or maybe take a few courses to improve a certain skill? Do you need to buy a subscription for software that’ll make your job easier? Or does your job require certain gadgets or gear?

You also need to consider the skills you need. For instance, to become a digital nomad, you have to be tech-savvy since all the work will be done online. Time management is also crucial so you’d be able to balance your life, work, and travel. Certain occupations might even require more technical skills. For example, bloggers should have some SEO knowledge, photographers need to know how to use editing software, and so on.

#5 Do your research 

At this stage, you have to start digging deeper – this is in case you won’t be working a remote full-time job for someone else. In case you’ll be running your own startup or small freelance business, you need to do market research, which is a step you’ll be doing earlier anyway for your business plan. However, there are other business aspects that you’ll have to do further in-depth research about.

A great example would be the legalities of your new situation. What kind of paperwork do you need? How to make sure you’re paying your taxes? What does the law in the country of residence say about becoming a digital nomad or remote work? Bear in mind that it could be illegal to work remotely in some countries, so you make sure you do enough research before deciding on your next destination.

And speaking of next destinations, of course, you’ll have to do research about your new temporary home every time you travel to somewhere new. Where to stay, the average cost of living, what kind of visa is required, whether or not the whole environment is digital nomad-friendly, and so on. 

#6 Test the waters

Before executing your plan, you need to test it first. Like we previously mentioned, it’s not wise to quit your job when you’re not sure if you’ll be making at least the same amount of money you’re already earning. 

So, if you’re starting a freelance business, test the waters first by starting with a couple of clients. And then when your business kicks off, and you start getting more clients than you could take besides your full-time job, consider quitting. The same goes for starting your own business or blog – work the extra hours and only when it starts showing potential, it would be safe to quit.

#7 Take a leap of faith

Believe it or not, but this is by far the hardest step of all. After all the research, planning, and hard work, many find it difficult to take the risk. At the end of the day, becoming a digital nomad is pretty unconventional and may even sound crazy to the majority of people. That’s why you need to take a leap of faith and take the risk towards reaching your big dream. 

So, are you ready to embark on your new adventure? Then get you’d better get started! Do you still have any questions about how to become a digital nomad? Drop us a line and we’ll gladly try to help.