The rise of digital nomads: A comprehensive guide to remote work and play

The glory of remote work has shaped work-life balance after COVID-19 because people were made to work from home and haven’t returned to the office.

The reasons for sticking to remote work are different at every company. Some companies want to appeal to potential new employees and some want to retain loyalty with current employees. 

Even those without office experience have been able to become digital nomads through their digital skills.

Digital nomads aren’t just remote workers, they are remote travellers and workers. Digital nomads work at companies that support job roles that can be done anywhere in creative industries. Jobs that require computer software, web developers, graphic designers, and content creation are popular among digital nomads. 

Their biggest benefit is allowing a good work-life balance while maintaining an easy income to live off to cover travel expenses, food, and accommodation. 

Digital nomads aren’t the only jobs that travel for their work. Of course, digital jobs make it easy to work from anywhere with Wi-Fi, but specific job roles also travel the globe for their work. Flight attendants, travel nurses, and tour operators all travel the world for their jobs, but digital nomads are the ones who can dictate where they go. Some unconventional job roles also offer the chance to travel as part of their work and are also a part of the digital community. Still, they aren’t considered nomads because they aren’t travelling to explore.

Professional online gamers, for example, often travel for tournaments. Their skills are usually digital playing on consoles and PCs and they compete in esports tournaments. This is similar to professional gamblers whose job it is to play in high-profile tournaments where they do sometimes travel.

In poker, there are many worldwide tournaments where well-known players compete in games like Texas Hold ’Em to win big amounts or even jackpots. Jackpot tournaments have different rules. They can be determined before the game begins from the first card draw. The prize money is determined and shared according to the tournament and depending on if it’s a knockout, heads-up, or a sit-and-go, the jackpot prize will vary.

Many competitions like jackpot sit and go tournaments don’t require travel because they are played online, but high-profile poker tournaments do. Players travel to cities with big gambling communities to play in highly-publicised tournaments.

While some jobs don’t always enable travelling, any digital nomad roles do. Here we have a comprehensive guide to the world of digital nomads and how they are successful.

1. Finding a remote/digitally approved career

As we said, the world of digital nomads and remote workers only applies to certain careers. The first step to becoming a digital nomad is picking a nomad-approved career. Any career that requires digital skills is a good place to start. Digital remote job sites can provide legitimate work-from-home positions, helping you avoid fake job ads. Becoming a content creator for customers is one digital nomad job that is in demand and is legitimised by employers.

Also, look into online courses for remote career skills. Courses in Digital Marketing and Web Design can be learned on online course sites like Squarespace and Google Career Certificates.

Also, use LinkedIn to network with remote recruiters and hiring managers. LinkedIn is great for networking because it is more than just for job boards, it helps you get to know a person’s work experience, interests, and employment history. Nowadays, LinkedIn is like social media, and if you use it right, it can land you a great digital nomad role.

2. Download the right computer software and tools for your job

Once you have secured a remote position,  you should download the right programs and software to your computer for work. 

Outside of software, make sure you have the tools for remote work on your computer. Have collaboration apps like Zoom, Teams, and Slack to discuss work. Also, have the required tools for project management on your Google Drive or cloud software. For your security benefit, have an active VPN to protect your work when you’re working in public. Some popular and reliable VPNs include Nord and Proton VPN.

3. Manage your money right

When you’ve secured your remote job and done your work for the month, you must have secure payment methods set up. Depending on your role, not all jobs will be willing to bank transfer, especially if your work isn’t full-time. Fees with payment apps like PayPal can make them unpopular with companies and nomads, but they are reliable. 

Therefore having a few payment systems in place is an easy way to ensure you get paid on time and protect your money. PayPal is good for short-form projects for digital nomads because payments are usually instant and the conversion and fees are worked out for you. 

Revolut is also good for international payments because you can use it in most countries, and for travelling digital nomads they won’t have sky-high fees when it comes to withdrawing money or accepting payments. 

Once you do start making a monthly income, set up a budget. Create a spreadsheet of your rough expenses and change it according to your location. Research any additional costs you might encounter such as taxes and visa costs. 

4. Become familiar with the visa process

A visa is the most important document. It allows people to live it up while working in a different country under specific conditions. The need for a visa is related to how long a person will stay or work in the country. Visas vary on a person’s reason for travelling and luckily, for digital nomads, there are now visas for that sort of thing!

Currently, over 50 countries have some kind of digital nomad visa. Some of the most popular include Germany, Portugal, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Of course, each country has its requirements, costs, and conditions, but it’s reassuring to know for nomads in the making.

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