The digital economy is rapidly reshaping just about every facet of daily life in the 21st century, but time-old wisdom about the alluring call of being a nomad still rings true these days, too. More and more often, young freelancers, aspiring entrepreneurs, and tech-savvy young professionals who want to see the wider world are beginning to adopt a nomadic lifestyle, fueled by the digital economy more than anything else. Becoming a nomad in the 21st century is easier said than done, however, and takes some knowhow if you don’t want to fail.
Here’s how to be a nomad in the digital economy, and what you’ll need to make it as a specialty traveling freelancer in the 21st century.
It’s about being profitable
Before you get carried away by dreams of wanderlust and a lazy lifestyle, it’s important to remember that being a nomad is anything but easy. Similarly, you essentially have to find a profitable venture of some sort in the 21st century if you want to get by in a meaningful way. Thus, it’s imperative to establish upfront that you’ll need to be generating profits that can sustain you while enjoying a nomadic lifestyle, which means you should begin searching for your niche. Everyone has specialty talents and skills that put them a cut above the rest, and exploiting that niche for your own benefit is a surefire way to become a modern nomad living off the excesses of the digital economy.
Try to do what massive corporations and immensely successful individuals alike do, and map out your competitive advantage in the market to determine your skills and how you can play them up to your advantage. Mastering your strengths is an essential step towards becoming a digital nomad, because you’ll need to find a specialty niche to draw income from while enjoying a mobile lifestyle around the world. Traveling and working at once is quite possible, and even easy once you get the hang of it, but it takes a commitment to find what you excel at and to become one of the best up-and-comers in your industry.
Only after you’ve figured out how you intend to be making an income while traveling can you actually get down to the brass tacks of planning out your schedule. You’d want to make sure you have the right documentation, particularly visas and work permits in countries you might need it. Many online services can help you do this quickly and with little fuss. It’s imperative that each trip you take is meticulously planned, as the nomadic lifestyle often means you don’t have much cash to spare. Learning how to review and plan a trip that’s not only fun, but also productive and relatively cheap, is an essential step on the path towards becoming a nomad in the digital economy. If you’re really ambitious, you can even plan a multi-country trip on a pitifully low budget if you have the knowhow.
To truly become a nomad in the digital economy, you’ll also need to become a flexible worker capable of tackling a diverse array of issues. Going from place to place, you may seldom encounter the same kind of work, coworkers, clients or bosses that you experience elsewhere, and will thus need to be prepared to adjust your working style to meet their demands. This is tough but doable, and flexible lifestyles get easier the more you practice them.
But it’s also about having fun
Let’s face it, there’s no point in becoming a nomad in the digital economy if you’re just going to be wasting your days away, trapped in a job you don’t care for. If you’re not having fun and experiencing exciting new things, then what’s the point of being a digital nomad anyway? One of the allures of this career is that it’s so diverse and exciting, meaning you’ll need to cordon off some time for yourself if you don’t want to go crazy.
Learn how to travel widely and enjoyably, managing your time effectively to visit local attractions while also guaranteeing you have the hours you need to get your work done. Meticulous budgeting is a must, but don’t be afraid to shell out a few extra bucks every now and then to treat yourself, especially if you’re suffering from the travel blues.
Finally, you need to know about the major risks of being a nomad in the digital economy if you want to escape woe befalling you early on in your career. Make sure your insurance is covering you abroad, given that many plans don’t, and that you’re well-acquainted with the local cultures of the places you’re visiting. Above all else, never stop reading the thrilling stories of other nomads in the digital economy; if you want to win, you’ll need to get by with a little help from your friends. In the end, a flexible lifestyle and the wondrous luxuries of being a nomad in the digital economy are attainable if you have what it takes to commit to an international and specialized lifestyle.
