Humans, like most other living species, are innately mobile beings. It’s part of the reason why evolutionists believe we evolved from four-legged beings to the upright, two-legged species that we are today. Throughout the years, our ancestors covered tremendous distances to find food and escape harsh living conditions.
However, as civilizations began drawing boundaries and inventing tools and methods to make work easier, most of us found ourselves trapped behind desks, spending most of our days stationary behind a computer screen and missing out on life.
But, there’s hope.
Being a digital nomad is one of the biggest perks of living in a digitized world. The ability to make a living while living out life the way it was meant to be is a dream for most people, but for digital nomads, it’s a reality. And it also doesn’t mean less money either. An Upwork survey found that about 59% of digital nomads made more money compared to what they made before becoming nomads.
But it’s not always fun and games. Being a digital nomad doesn’t excuse you from putting in the work – it only lets you integrate traveling, adventure, and nature with work. Check out the following tools and resources to help you become a better, wealthier, and more content digital nomad.
1. Finding a Place to Work and Crash
When Nomad List founder Pieter Levels first started the community-based list of locations for digital nomads, he didn’t expect it to grow into the huge platform it is today. Nomad List provides one of the most comprehensive one-stop shops for digital nomads, including co-working spaces, job listings, living options, and other resources.
Roam is another good resource for digital nomads looking for the best co-living spaces to stay while boosting productivity. Roam connects like-minded nomads looking for living spaces that are out of the ordinary. There’s also Teleport, a platform that helps you find the best cities to live and work in according to your pockets.
And because you’ll be living in a new place every other time, it pays to be careful and vigilant when you set up in a new location. Just because you’re a free spirit doesn’t mean care also flies out through the window. This ForRent infographic gives you the low-down of keeping your living space safe within different environments.
2. Finding Gigs
Just because you’re a digital nomad doesn’t mean you should settle for some low-paying gig to fit the profile. Working Nomads is a simple site that connects nomads with remote job opportunities across different categories, including sales, marketing, system administration, and development.
There’s also Hubstaff Talent, one of the few platforms on the internet that is free for use for both employer and nomad. It’s especially suited for nomads with startups that need to hire staff while saving cash in the form of fees and commissions.
3. Connecting with Fellow Nomads
Remember the security risk mentioned above? Well, being involved in a community of digital nomads – online or physically – is an awesome way to stay safe and informed. Plus, like-minded digital nomads can help motivate you into being more productive. A good place to start is the Digital Nomads Forum, an amazing platform that lets nomads share ideas, knowledge, and stories of adventure and conquest – all for free.
You can also join nomad networks and groups on social platforms such as Meetup.com and Facebook if you’d rather keep things simple.
4. Staying Productive
One of the biggest challenges for digital nomads is staying productive without supervision. You’ll need to manage workflows, client communication, stay on top of virtual meetings, and manage day to day processes without the convenience of an office assistant.
If you often work with multiple, long-term clients, Trello and Asana are very useful tools to help you stay on top of things. You can use them to create, delegate, and manage tasks, organize conversations, and even integrate important third-party apps such as Dropbox and Google Drive.
Clickmeeting also makes for a fine addition to a digital nomad’s toolkit, with plenty of features to help you set up virtual meetings with clients and colleagues without ever having to make a physical call or drive up to an office for a face to face. Some of its features include screen sharing, a digital whiteboard, meeting summaries, social media sharing, and other handy tools to help you be a more productive nomad while working with teams.
It’s never possible to exhaust the list of tools that startups and digital nomads can leverage for increased productivity. However, this infographic by ReviewsXp puts together dozens of tools you can choose from on your way to becoming a productive digital nomad.
5. Managing your Cash
As your money starts coming in, you will need to find the most efficient way to get your money without losing huge chunks to fees and charges. PayPal works in most countries, so be sure your account is set up and ready for transfers before backpacking. Transferwise is another neat option if you’re looking to save even more cash, though it would have to be supported in the country you’re working in first.
Plus, there’s also Trail Wallet if you want to keep track of your finances as a digital nomad. Trail Wallet lets you ditch those Excel sheets while giving you a complete picture of your monthly expenses in each location you spent time as a nomad, which helps you determine the most cost-effective locations on your map.
Bottom Line
The life of a digital nomad is easily one of the most rewarding, but only for those who get it right. If you’re already in the thick of it, these resources will help you get the most out of your professional commitments while enabling you to enjoy the full perks of life as a digital nomad.