How To Travel Like A Digital Nomad

Ready to set out? Before hitting the road make sure to set yourself up for success so you can don’t go broke and you can maximize your time and resources $$.

Digital nomads do one thing well more than most… They prioritize a lifestyle over antyhing else and that means setting up your income stream to support this lifestyle.

In this article we’ll give you ideas on what some of those jobs might be, how you can set yourself up for long-term travel and some great ideas on where your first adventures might be depending on your goals.

What should you know about long term travel

Before we dive in, remember that it is always important to know your “biggest why” in doing a long term traveling.

We don’t want to sugarcoat because we know that long term traveling requires commitment to something new, spending big portion of your time on the road, and forgetting about your usual routine, so it’s worth to give a thought over it. Now ask yourself, why would you even dare to become a digital nomad?

On the other hand, being a digital nomad has a lot of good stuff to offer!

Keeping your lifestyle alive while making money anywhere, growing your network as you grow your net-worth, meeting tons of acquaintances, and lastly but not the least, indulging into never-ending adventures and activities that you will treasure a lifetime! So the best way to know whether you’ll like it or not, is to start your journey, and Hustle Pads is here to guide you all the way!

To have a good start, you need to know how to pack right and why you should pack less, so nail the perfect travel packing list.

Related: The Best #1 Rated Travel Packing List for Millennials

How can you make money anywhere while keeping your lifestyle alive

Rip up the old rules because it’s time for you to try something new!

Gone are the days that you have to settle for a “7 days or so” kind of a vacation due to a limited vacation leave incentives from the company you are working with, thanks to the digital age we are now for opening different opportunities where people are led to venture flexible jobs.

There are three common ways to earn continuously:

I. Full-time Remote Employee

Remote employment allows you to work from the comfort of your own home and goes along with the benefit of having location freedom. If you’re a full-time employee at a company with a corporate office, you definitely have the opportunity to become a remote full-time employee.

However, to persuade your employer, you’ll need to create a well-researched reason or business case that is particular to your function in the company and be prepared to discuss how remote working could benefit you and the company you’re working with.

In fact, in 2020, the number of traditional workers working as digital nomads grew 96 percent, from 3.2 million to 6.3 million.

On the other hand, there are also companies who are hiring full-time remote employees worldwide now because remote work also allows companies to hire from a more diverse pool of candidates, while also saving money on office space and supplies.

According to 2021 state of remote work research conducted by Buffer, remote work went from a niche decision some companies made to an inevitable and massive shift in the way that people work around the world, and 46% of respondents said that their company is planning to allow remote work permanently.

In 2020, the top fields hiring for remote jobs were computer or information technology, medical or health and project management, marketing, administrative, human resources were some of the fast-growing categories for remote work, each having increased 25%
from March to December.

To name a few, here are the samples of top companies that have switched to long-term and permanent remote work according to Flexjobs:

1. Adobe – a software company providing customer-focused solutions for web-based applications and content development. An innovative company with a broad range of products and solutions, the company is committed to creating a great place to work for its staff.
2. Amazon – as the largest online retailer in the world, Amazon employs nearly 92,000 employees all over the globe and offers traditional and e-books, furniture, household items, apparel, electronics, music, movies, and more.
3. Atlassian – Founded in 2002, a publicly-traded computer software business specializing in collaboration, development, and issue-tracking software for teams.
4. Capital One – Founded in 1988, Capital One is one of the nation’s top 10 largest banks based on customer deposits and manages nearly 45 million accounts. The company is an award-winning provider of financial services and products for commercial customers, small businesses, and consumers.
5. Coinbase -offers cryptocurrency services designed to facilitate transactions in open-source, peer-to-peer digital currencies like bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin.
6. Dropbox – Helps people and companies keep files in sync, and share and collaborate on projects anytime and anywhere.
7. Facebook – Founded in 2014, Facebook is the largest social media network worldwide, with more than 2.6 billion monthly active users.
8. Ford Motor Company – Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Company, founded in 1903, is the fifth-largest automobile manufacturer in the world and has evolved with a mission to create smarter technology, a sustainable environment, and stronger communities.
9. HubSpot – Since launching in 2006, HubSpot has emerged as the force behind the industry-leading inbound marketing and sales platform. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices worldwide, HubSpot provides software, support, and services to clients in more than 90 countries.
10. Lambda School– Founded in 2017 as a revolutionary alternative to traditional colleges, Lambda School trains students for high-tech careers with 100% online classes and no up-front costs.

Know more about the remote work plans of these companies and discover wider option of job opportunities at Flexjobs.

II. Gig-economy (Freelancer)

Nowadays, businesses hire freelancers or independent workers on a contract basis for short-term projects. A gig worker has the option of choosing his or her employer and, often, can set their own rates for the services they provide.

Study showed that 20-30% of the workforce in the US and EU-15 area countries is part of the gig economy and 78% of gig workers say they’re happier than those working traditional jobs, while 68% say they’re healthier.

Reading until here simply means you are interested to know what are the most ideal gigs you can start with to become a digital nomad, so here we go, here are some great top picks to get you started!

1. Virtual Assistant

Commonly known as “VA” and is one of the most popular work of a digital nomad. Being a virtual assistant, you will be able to provide help and support to anybody who hires you on a remote basis. Those who are in need of VAs’ are usually entrepreneurs and private employers who needs help to complete their projects, you’ll get to do whatever needs to be done.

Most Important Skills Needed:

• Computer Literacy. You need to know the basics of using a computer because you will be dealing with it for a bunch of tasks and it will gonna be the bread and butter of your career as a VA. You don’t need to be an expert but of course, literacy is always a plus point!
• Excellent Written and Verbal Communication. This is imperative especially if you will be working for a client from a different country, culture, and language to avoid barriers which may lead to misunderstandings.
• Problem Solver. At times, you may be required to deal with certain challenging tasks especially those which you are not used to do before, however as a VA, it is your job to create an outline and fill the gaps to complete the puzzle and make everything easy for your clients.
• Initiative. Get your tasks done without the need to be told what to do and lessen the need of bothering your clients if it is not necessary.
• Reliability. Trust is one of the foundation of this job and you don’t wanna let your client down, you gotta have a strong and reliable work ethics when tasks are lined up on your plate and you should do everything to meet your client’s expectations.
• Can-Do Attitude. There will always be challenges wherever and whatever job you are in, that’s why it is important to always stay optimistic, have the willingness to learn and deliver your tasks well, no matter what!
• Productivity. Meeting deadlines are good but staying on track an delivering your projects beyond expectations is a need, especially when you are expected to get the work done in a specific period.
• Patience. You are in your position as a VA to help a “busy” person deliver what needs to done, there will be times that you will have to work with challenges so you need a lot of patience. However, surpassing challenges means learning something new and surely, you will learn a lot along the way!
• Administrative Knowledge. This work is more into administrative tasks such as (but not limited to) data encoding, activities arrangement, handling of phone calls and emails, managing social media, customer service handling, making reports, it could also include accounting tasks or anything that meets your professional expertise.

2. Copy Writer

This type of work is essential for the marketing process of a certain company. Copy writers are the ones who create promotional texts, persuasive ads, slogans and like to deliver customers an engaging landing page which may lead them to grab the call to action such as buying a product, subscribing to a news letter, enrolling in a course, and more.

Most Important Skills Needed:

• Great writing skills. Writing should be your forte and a high level of skills for grammar, spelling, and punctuation is necessary.
• Research. Before you can write, you need to find out everything about the product that you will be selling even if it will require you to put yourself on the shoe of your target customers to know your exact selling points and be able to write a convincing copy.
• Content management. The most common digital content publication platform is WordPress, and you should be familiar with how to use it. There are companies that uses other types of platform but most writers are into wordpress and according to a wordpress statistics as of 2021, it empowers 34% of all websites on the internet.
• SEO knowledge. Copy writers are required to write effectively to rank the article in search engine or win placement on search engine results pages.
• Creativity. This may not be the most essential skill you need as a copy writer but you got to have a good taste of ideas, and interesting persuasive punches.
• Eye for details. As much as possible, copy needs to be error free and so being a copy writer, you need to master proofreading and spotting errors.

3. Content Creator

A content creator writes, improves and publishes content on websites, blogs, podcasts, videos, email marketing or advertising campaigns, social media and other various platforms.

Most Important Skills Needed:

• Social Media Literacy. You must be able to strategically use social media to grow your employer’s business, and this may include your ability to manage social media platforms, scheduling content calendar, and respond to customers as a company representative.
• Content Creation. Create and curate content such as infographics from your own idea or from any existing data. Creating contents includes video content, storytelling data, blog content, listicles, long-form content and more. If you’re a competitive graphic designer, this job may be suitable for you!
• Sufficient SEO Knowledge. Being a content creator also means performing competitor analysis, and deeply examine their own data to track performance metrics like reach, engagement, and overall ROI.
• Data Analytics. At this age of business world, it’s not enough for content creators to be creative only. You must be able to learn high level of data analysis skills to better understand your audience, optimize content, build a competitive advantage, and evaluate ROI through the contents you are making.
• Lead Generation. Knowledge on how to acquire, evaluate and generate new leads is one of the “must” skills of a content creator. Since the foundation of selling is knowing who your customers are, studying your target customers is imperative when you are creating a content.

III. Digital Entrepreneur

Opposite to being a full-time and freelance employee, a digital entrepreneur is someone who is working to thrive a business by maximizing the potential of digital communication tools to expand their business by selling items and services to customers, typically while traveling from place to place. COVID-19 and the global pandemic has accelerated and amplified existing trends towards remote and flexible work and businesses are adjusting their operations to be more travel-friendly.

In 2020, the number of digital nomads exploded by 49% according to research of MBO Partners and the expectation is, there will be a surge of companies run by digital nomads over the next several months and into 2022.

It takes a lot of effort to be an entrepreneur and being a digital nomad entails taking that hard work and combining it with the opportunity to travel extensively and live in different places.

If you take an approach to understanding your level of perseverance in creating and growing a business, you’ll have a greater chance of balancing all of the opportunities and appealing options available for you as a digital nomad. Below are sample start-up businesses you can get engaged in:

● E-commerce (Affiliate Marketer)

This is a great income generating source for a digital nomad. You can potentially earn limitless by promoting someone’s business without the need to have it on-hand and when somebody is interested, you earn a commission. This opportunity is as good as having your own business.

● Service Provider

It doesn’t always have to be a remote job for you to earn while traveling as a digital nomad, but yes, you can also find remote business opportunities being a service provider. Your expertise, passion or talent can become your source of limitless income too, wherever you go!

Check-out the list of opportunities waiting for you at Hustle Pads as you travel on our very own platform and enjoy the life you have been dreaming about! Lesser expenses, never-ending adventure, working without walls, and lastly – unlimited passive income sources!

These are just the most common ways to make money while you are on the road but the list never stops here. You will surely discover more of your capabilities as you start to unfold every exciting day of being a digital nomad!

Related: How To Travel Hack For Less Than What You Pay For Rent

What sort of people can you expect to meet

Typically, there are different types of digital nomads you will possibly make acquaintance with, and these includes remote workers, adventurers, entrepreneurs, semi-retired person, and even the fully retired ones (including snowbirds).

Meeting new friends and spending time with people who are on the same wavelength as you is one way to avoid loneliness during your journey which is a not-so-secret part of digital nomad’s struggles according to a state of remote workers 2020 study.

The good news is, Hustle Pads has a fantastic community of like-minded travelers trying to live the digital nomadic lifestyle as you do!

You can expand your network based on your adventure types or hustle types, and you might even learn some new skills from your fellow travelers. Feeling lonely at times is just part of the deal of being a digital nomad but there are plenty of options at Hustle Pads which allows you to connect with the right people while enjoying a wanderlusts:

1. Same Adventure and Activities Interest

Hustle Pads will help you meet the right adventure buddies you preferred to join through the activities build at the sole purpose of gathering like-minded hustlers together. Hustle Pads is designed to promote a customized adventure experience to provide guests an opportunity to explore amazing places, craft their journey, and meet friends from all over the world!’

2. Same Events Interest

If you are not into extreme adventure and some outdoorsy activities, meet people with the same mindset as you do through hubs and events exclusively organized by Hustle Pad that are related to top business incubators, masterminds and other business themes.

3. Hustle-mate

Make good friends with people who have the same work interests, professional abilities and talent as you do. Whether your skills are innate or acquired, there’s surely still a room which you can continually develop it as you work with an ideal hustle- mate.

4. Tier-mate

Split the cost but not the luxury! Hustle Pads can provide you a great deal of convenience as you make yourself comfortably living with a house-mate at the same tier of preference.

5. Location-specific Nomads

Wander somewhere with a ready-made bunch of friends who typically are living outside their comfort zone at their favorite digital nomad hot spots round the globe. Find them in your target destination through Hustle Pads and satisfy your social needs!

How to grow your net-worth while your network is growing

When it comes to fostering professional and personal relationships, gaining clients, and forming partnerships, your network is essential. According to Porter Gale of “Your Network is your net worth”, seeking out and working in collaboration with others who share your interests and values will provide a stronger foundation, enabling you to reach a higher level of success than you would on your own.

True enough, your network is equivalent to the different opportunities that may come your way as a digital nomad. You can get clients, a job, or even build business partnership out of it and a lot more! When you level up your networking skills by leveraging your connection, you can surely get ahead of your career which will lead you to earn more. Fortunately, there are a plethora of different communities and opportunities for this at Hustle Pads.

Now that you’re into it, bring it on, pack right, and start your journey with the right platform, and be aware that planning is necessary before you start traveling – here’s a smart guide on how you can travel hack for less than what you pay for rent!

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