Becoming A Digital Nomad
Are You One? Do You Have What It Takes?
1. You’ll Learn Discipline (whether you like it or not)
If you already have discipline, then you have that one covered, but for a lot of people, this is new territory, new synapses are being formed in the brain. You may think you have discipline, just because you got up every morning robotically, to go to your 9 to 5. Maybe you’ve had a little taste of it from 2020 to the present (which is all there is by the way). It’s one thing to do it with a guaranteed payday, but it’s quite another to do it, when the payday depends solely on you and to do it from a foreign country no less.
Don’t let that scare you, I just want to set your expectations right. It can be difficult when you are in a beautiful location, but you can do it. I have a friend who is successful in real estate, he gave me an important insight to one of the reasons why he is successful, and that is this: He takes care of the most difficult things first thing in the morning. That could be phone calls with a difficult client, it may be a project with a deadline looming near. Whatever it is JUST DO IT…NOW (That’s Mantra #3 from 40 Ways To Make Money Online) Remember this, you DO NOT work as an employee for the client, it is OK to fire them! I’ve fired many over the years, but also remember, “Word Of Mouth” Is VERY powerful, so you need to find balance and communication, as with everything in life, is key!
2. Your Creativity Can’t Help But Get Better
FEAR IS A CREATIVITY KILLER…for the most part. It can make the juices of creativity flow too, it depends on you. If you’re afraid to leave a job that you hate, to try something that you’ll Love, you’re in quite a predicament.
If you are afraid and you do it anyway…schwiiing! THAT, is a confidence builder, your creative juices will start to flow, the possibilities will start to become clear and the fire in your heart will be ignited . Follow your heart, it will NEVER steer you wrong. When you get that telling feeling in your gut, DON’T IGNORE IT.
We are on this planet, in my humble opinion, to help each other, to have experiences that teach us what we are supposed to learn, to help each other experience so we can help others learn what they are supposed to learn! Those experiences and teaching/learning are different for each of us. It just takes one thing to embark on your Digital Nomad journey…the first step.
3. Enhanced Ability To Deal With Life’s Curveballs
You will be experiencing everything new, especially if you go to a foreign country. Start learning the language of the country you want to go to. A great site to start learning is DuoLingo.com, it’s FREE! Don’t say things like “I can’t learn a new language” “It’s too hard”…Henry Ford once said: “Whether you think you can or can’t, either way you’re right!”.
Traveling will also increase your awareness of the world, and hopefully shatter and preconceptions you have of other people and places. It should also increase your spirituality; if you travel solo, like I do, I’d say you’re spirituality will increase dramatically. For that to happen, you MUST shed any fears you have about anything.
The first thing, I can tell you right now, that needs to go is your fear of speaking another language. Everyone faces this hurdle…it’s almost like a narcissistic fear, because you’re afraid you’ll sound dumb, or seem foolish. Let me say this: If you and a friend went to a foreign country, you tried to learn at least some basic phrases, but your friend never bothered to learn anything. When you bother were trying to get directions or ask someone which restaurants are good, who do you think the locals will appreciate more? They will want to help more if you try to speak the language and learn the customs. In order to learn a language, you MUST practice speaking it.
Here’s a tip: On your smart phone, download Google Translate and then download the language pack that you need. That way you won’t need an internet connection to use it because it will be on your phone. Also ask your cell provider for an unlock code for your phone because you’re going to another country and you need to get a local number there.
4. Time Is On Your Side
Like the Rolling Stones once sang “Time Is On My Side, Oh Yes It Is…” Don’t let that deceive you, I don’t mean you should put your Digital Nomad lifestyle off until you get around to it. What I mean is, once you get to the point where things are happening for you and you’re starting to see the income streams producing, you’ll have more time for everything.
Another reason why Time Is On Your Side, is because you don’t have to wake up at 6 in the morning to get ready to sit in traffic to get to a lousy 9 to 5 job. You can work at WHATEVER time you want. There was a study done that proved that people are MORE PRODUCTIVE if they DO NOT wake up/start working until 10 AM.
Here’s an excerpt from Inc.com:
“The Best Time to Learn Something New
Learning is most effective when the brain is in acquisition mode, generally between 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. and then again from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.”
I think maybe as humans we innately knew this already, our Circadian Rhythm is set that way…that is of course unless you’re a Farmer.
5. You’ll Have A Whole New World, If You Can Take It
Your eyes are going to be opened wide, maybe for the first time in your life…like the line in the movie The Matrix, Neo asks Morpheus “Why do my eyes hurt?” Morpheus replies “Because you’ve never used them before.”.
The people you’ll meet, the places you’ll see, the things you’ll do will be life changing. If you ever go back to your “home town” or the place where you first embarked on your Digital Nomad Journey, it will seem very small and or very different and not in a good way.
If you’re wondering what you could do for work, check out our post 40 Ways To Make Money Online, I’m sure there’s something on that list that you can do, most likely there will be several. The list is just a starting point, a springboard. #41 on that list is not a way to make money, it will help you throughout your journey though. #41 is 4 mantras:
Become An Expert At Search – This will help you find anything you are looking for online.
The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Oil – No matter where you are or what you’re doing, if you shed the fear of speaking up, you will get what you want much faster. If you say nothing, you will get nothing.
Just Do It…Now – Stop procrastinating and making excuses, Just Do It…Now!
Think Outside The Box – Just because someone says something has to be done a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s the only way, Think Outside The Box and make it better. The Box in the context of this article, represents a cubicle, doesn’t it?
If you’re still not sure what you could possibly do, go look at 40 Ways To Make Money Online
I’m certain you’ll find something you can do on that list, but there is nothing that excites you, ask yourself these questions:
What Am I Passionate About
Can It Be Done Online
Is There A Market For It
Ask whatever questions you want. I’m sure you’ll get the answers you’re looking for. If you have an idea, do a little market research, ask at least 10 people if they think it’s a good idea, if you get more positive answers than negative, JUST DO IT…NOW!
Punching Through The Digital Nomad Placenta
Gross Right? Wrong? There’s nothing wrong with birth…or in this case re-birth. The placenta represents your warm, cozy, complacency. What did you have when you were born in your current incarnation? You had a cord that attached you to your mother, then the doctor slapped you and cut the cord. The doctor slapped you to get you to start breathing and to change your paradigm. Your warm, cozy, complacency was gone. From that point on, you had to start figuring things out, not completely by yourself, but you had to just the same.
Now is your chance to start breathing again, cut the cord, only this time you won’t be crying, you’ll be smiling! Last year almost 50% of workers in the United States worked remotely. This is a great thing because companies are starting to see that it works, where as before, I think there was a trust issue. The philosophical implications of this are huge, but that’s not what article is about. If we ever meet on the road somewhere, we can discuss it then. Until then, bust that placenta!
Are You A “Risk” Taker Or Do You Play It Safe?
Either or is ok. Personally, I’m a risk taker and I’ve done pretty well for myself. I left Los Angeles and took only what I needed and truly wanted. I fill my Ford Escape from top to bottom, front to back, left a ton of stuff behind, like a couch, 2 computers, some art work that was unintentionally left behind, but the idea is to take only what you need and ditch the rest…they’re just things.
I was making good money, I had started working for myself in 2008 and haven’t looked back. It’s a good idea to have money coming in or to have money to support your journey until you can start making more money. When you have the correct mindset, opportunities start to present themselves and at that point it’s up to you to pull the trigger!
Car/Health Insurance
To get insurance or to wing it? It’s a good idea to get insurance. If you get a car or drive your own car, so to Mexico, car insurance for a year is about $500 or less. I use Mexico as an example, because I have A LOT of experience down there.
If you get into a car accident and don’t have car insurance, if you can’t pay for the damage done to the other car on the spot, your car very possibly will be impounded.
I never had health insurance, but I’m sure it’s pretty cheap. I lived in Mexico long enough to get their basic insurance called “Seguro Popular”, but that only covers basic things. Medical costs in Mexico are MUCH cheaper than the US. Get the thought out of your head that the doctors aren’t as good. MANY Americans and Canadians and probably people from all over the world go to med school in Guadalajara, Mexico and in their final year they transfer to a med school in their country. I know about 4 people who have done that. The doctors in Mexico, in my experienced opinion are better than US doctors, in that they still believe in their Hippocratic Oath!
Do a search for insurance in the country you want to go to or for international health insurance. Mantra #1 Become an Expert At Search.
Money, Money, Money, Money Monaaay!
The title inspired by The O’jays song For The Love Of Money Your US debit cards/credit cards should work everywhere, but ATM fees can be expensive. In Mexico there are a lot of private ATM’s (Cajero – pronounced ‘Ca’ – ‘Hairr’ – ‘O’, don’t forget to roll that R, haha. The ATM’s at banks is much cheaper. You may want to consider opening a bank account in the country you’re in if you’re going to be there for a while.
Also, as a Digital Nomad you should have a card swiper that you can plug into your smartphone. That way wherever you are, people can pay you on the spot. PayPal Here is the PayPal program, but they may not allow you to do it from a foreign location. I had a VPN on my phone while in Mexico, because PayPal didn’t allow it from there. Then you figure out the exchange rate and you’re good to go. I use an app called XE – Currency Converter.
Essential Digital Nomad Smartphone Apps
Here are some apps we recommend that you use, we have to ties to them, it’s just we use or have used.
As I mentioned above XE
XE – Currency Converter – You can add up to 10 countries for free and then I think you have to pay, but you don’t need that many at once unless you buy and sell money…there’s another Digital Nomad gig.
PayPal Here – You plug the swiper into the earbud jack open the app and it’s good to go…but, if it doesn’t allow your location, you’ll need a VPN.
VPN – This will allow you have it seem as though you are in the US or whichever country you want, they’re very helpful.
HideMan is a good one that has free time on it, but the country selection is limited unless you pay, but all are like that.
Kaspersky is the one I use now and you can use it on all your devices. It’s about $30 a year.
There are many others, just do a search on Google Play or whichever app store you use.
Google Translate With Language Pack – Get Google Translate, it’s gotten really good over the years. If you download the language pack that you need, you won’t need WiFi to use it.
DuoLingo – Free language learning app. You can learn from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.
Tubi – This one is NOT ESSENTIAL, but if you have some down time and want to watch movies, Tubi has a lot of good FREE movies and shows. You can use it on your smartphone and laptop.
Skype, Google Duo, FaceTime – Obviously these are for making free video calls, but require an internet connection.
Bank Apps, US and Foreign – Another obvious one.
Photo/Video/Voice Recording Apps – There are many available and may come with the phone you have. These are handy to have to record your experiences to post on YouTube, your blog or wherever else to inspire others to do the same.
MagicJack – With Magic Jack you can call any US number from anywhere in the world.
More Digital Nomad Necessary Input
Change Your Mindset
Some like to live like a popper and live in the “what if” world, I for one, AM NOT one of those people. There is a saying by the what ifs that was first uttered by Benjamin Franklin and that is ”If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”. To me, that is a very negative and limiting mindset. Benjamin Franklin also thought the Turkey should be our national bird instead of the Eagle.
One of the core elements of becoming a Digital Nomad is breaking the chains of indoctrination that have been holding you back your entire life.
I have twisted that saying into its correct form for me: “If you make plans, you plan to fail”. If you want to change your mindset, check out this course: Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, this is where the authors of The Secret got there information from. This audio course is much more intense. Having the popper mindset, no matter where you are or what you are doing WILL NOT SERVE YOU.
I’m not telling you not to plan, obviously there are things you need to plan, but don’t let it limit you, you may lose out on some incredible experiences. If you’re a virgin to the Digital Nomad lifestyle, it may be a good idea to make more plans than if you’re more experienced. But don’t create a Digital Nomad cubicle.
Digital Nomad Communities?
There are Digital Nomad communities online and ex-pat communities in all over the world that you can get involved with. Two online are CouchSurfing.com and NomadList.com, those might be good for business opportunities, but what will you learn about a culture and a language if you don’t immerse yourself in it? While in Mexico, I made it a point to avoid the gringo clicks and to live in other pueblos where I was the only white person there. That increased my learning immensely. Total immersion is the best way to learn. I always wondered why a person would go another country just so could be around the same people they left in their country of origin?
Cell Phones/WiFi
Before you leave your country of origin, get the unlock code for your phone from your cell service provider. You don’t have to tell them why, but you feel so inclined, just say you’re leaving the country for a while and will need to use local service.
After your phone is unlocked you can get a sim card in the new location. Usually, you can pay for a certain amount of minutes or you can get a package that charges a monthly fee.
What I did while in Mexico was get the WiFi password from every business in the area so I could walk down the main street and be connected all the time.
Do Your Due Diligence
You really should research the place you want to go, you can probably find Facebook groups or other forums having to do with your desired location. Above all USE COMMON SENSE AND LISTEN TO YOUR GUT!