Reflections of 3 Years as a Digital Nomad

At some point in 2018, while staying in a backpackers hostel in Hong Kong, I met a British girl who spent the day on her laptop and joined us only at night. I didn't quite understand what she was doing on her computer all day while on vacation. When she explained, I knew it was only a matter of time, and in 2019 I joined the digital nomad community and set out to begin my journey in Panama.

Soon I will be making a change to this lifestyle, and before that happens, I thought I would share some insights and advice from my personal experience of life as a digital nomad 🌴

📍 Choosing destinations

In my case, it was relatively simple. I chose places where I could surf. This was both because I love the sport and because I love the atmosphere of surfing towns. Not all of the places I went to were "classic" digital nomad destinations, but that was a price I was willing to pay.

The main parameters I was checking were internet availability and whether there is a community of nomads/expats and not just tourists. I can compromise on everything else.
Many websites offer information on destinations (Nomadlist and others), but from my experience, they are only good for continental details (currency, language). To find out know what's really going on in a specific destination, I join Facebook groups and follow businesses on social media. A better option is to ask someone who is currently there.
For digital nomads just starting out, I would recommend classic destinations (Medellin, Copenhagen, Bali, etc.), but some of my best experiences were in completely different places. Overall, all you need is access to electricity and reasonable internet, and that's available in a large part of the world.

💰 Financial

This will likely bother you long before going nomadic. However, it is important to remember that even if it is sometimes more difficult to earn remotely, the ability to save more as a digital nomad is what's important. Living in cheap countries when your income is from high-paying ones allows you to save more or, alternatively - work less.

I recommend disconnecting the private account from the business as soon as possible. There should be a separation between the business's expenses (Online tools, new charger) and the private expenses. It easily gets confused while nomading.
Multiple Bank accounts and financial services - in my experience, the more, the better. I use Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, and a few bank accounts. Of course, don't just open if you don't plan to do anything with them, but each of them is better than the other for certain cases.
The longer you stay in one place, the easier it is to save. Fewer flights and trips, cheaper long-term apartments and coworking spaces, buying a surfboard or motorcycle instead of renting and simply getting to know the right places to visit.

📑 Discipline and routine

When there is no stable environment, it's better to create some habits that keep you sane. Otherwise, it is very easy to get lost.
I have a recurring task list that I do every day, weekly tasks, workouts, etc. I was not so organized before the nomads, but this order is my anchor in this dynamic life and allows me to keep up with work and personal goals. Discipline is stronger than Motivation.

I highly recommend task and information management software (I am in love with Notion), not only for business but also for my private life.
It, of course, depends on your work, but I strive to work "Async". I don't like having something fixed in my schedule, especially when there are time differences. I personally have days when I feel like working 16 hours, and there are days when I just wanna surf.

🐢🐇 Gomad/Slowmad

Those who are familiar with these two approaches know that there are nomads who move every week from place to place, while others stay for a year in the same destination. I found my truth somewhere in the middle. For me, two or three months is the perfect time in a certain place to be productive, make connections and get to know the local culture - but without getting bored.

💪 Fitness and nutrition

The bigger the expectation bigger the disappointment. In my opinion, it is important to understand in advance that if you choose to move a lot, it will be on behalf of something else. It is very easy to lose track of fitness and nutrition when moving between countries, and there is not always healthy food where you are (ahem, ahem, Philippines). My way of dealing with it is to try to keep reasonable goals.

I have a really, really simple training routine based on body weight and some rubber bands I travel with. That way, I don't depend on a gym that isn't always available or open, and I don't have an excuse not to keep up with the routine.
I try to find healthy food options wherever I go. Unfortunately, it's usually the western and more expensive places. In these cases, I try to find accommodation with a kitchen and cook.

✈️ Flights

You're going to do it a lot, so you better be good at it.

I do not recommend booking flights from third-party companies (Kiwi, GoToGate) of any kind, it might save a few dollars, but it's a source of trouble if there are delays/cancellations.
If the cheapest flights are those with a long ass connection (13 hours in Istanbul kind of connection), that's where you take advantage of the fact that you are a digital nomad and not committed to certain dates. Split the flight into 2. Book flight to Istanbul, stay there for a few days, and from there, book the take the next flight.
I try to book flexible flights. It costs a little more, but I don't like commitment, and sometimes I want to stay in a certain place longer. It's worth the peace of mind.
Sign up for all the Flight clubs and all the loyalty programs if you're going to fly a lot. It's worth it in the end.

🛌 Accommodation

When I plan the next stay, I open three tabs: Booking, Airbnb, and Facebook.
Each one is good for something different and, of course, depends on what exactly you are looking for.

I do not recommend closing a long-term apartment in advance without being there. There are too many things that can go wrong. You can book a hostel for a few days, get the vibe of the destination, and then close for the long term.
I like to sleep in Dorms until I settle in a new destination. Maybe the fact that I studied in a boarding school helps. It's much cheaper, and you meet new people real quick.
If you are already booking Dorms - I recommend not booking the cheapest ones. For example, there are usually 12-person dorms and 6-person dorms. In many cases, especially in cities, the 12-person dorms will have somewhat dubious types. It's worth paying a little more to avoid that.
The trend of Co-Living has been growing recently, and for me, it is the perfect solution for digital nomads.

😈 Prepare for the worst

One day your laptop/cell phone will be stolen or broken, your Airbnb will be raided, or you will be robbed in Mexico. It's just statistics; when you travel around such places for a long time, there's a good chance it will happen. The best way is to be prepared by not depending on a particular device to be able to work.

Do not buy expensive equipment. If you are not a video editor or a super important designer, you don't need the latest Mac.
Everything is in the cloud - those who work in tech are used to it, but if you are from other industries, just get used to not working locally. Everything is on the cloud.
Passwords - I recommend deciding on one platform through which you are registered for all services (I use Google), and make sure you have an additional user for password recovery and a SIM that works for receiving SMS. In addition, you can print recovery codes that can be used to login from a new device.
Split between two bags - since only one bag will likely be lost/stolen from the apartment or the bus, I recommend keeping the backup or the printed codes twice, one in each bag.
Take this into account when preparing financially. Put an amount aside for a new computer/phone.

🏠 Family and friends

The most difficult thing for me in nomadism is the distance from family and friends. What has worked for me to keep in touch is to set a certain day of the week when I make calls/send messages to friends and family. It might sound a little forced, but so many things are going on, and it's easy to put it off and miss it.

😳 Loneliness

I remember my first Friday dinner (in Israel, we normally celebrate with friends/family) while traveling. It was Pad Thai in a cheap box on the sidewalk somewhere in Thailand, alone. I remember feeling terrible about it. Over time I realized that it was part of my choice to travel alone, and there is nothing wrong with that.

It's okay to be alone sometimes, even if it seems to indicate a social failure in our society. This is something I think we need to learn to overcome. It's actually quite fun.
It is likely that where you are, there are a few more "Lonley"s. You can try and find them if you feel like it.
Depending on what you like, there are many online communities in all kinds of fields. The advantage of joining such a community is that it's not based on a physical location, and it can be nice to talk there from time to time.

To forget about the depressing vibe of the previous paragraph, I will mention that traveling alone is much easier to meet people and join communities. In small towns, I go out and meet people, and in big cities, I use apps (Bumble, Meetup, etc.).

If you sleep in backpackers' hostels, you have to learn to feel comfortable not joining all the attractions and parties that everyone goes to every day, it's not always easy, but it's necessary if you want to keep your sanity.
I personally prefer to find two or three people I connect well with and spend time with them. It's tempting to get to know as many people as possible, and they're all beautiful and interesting, but at some point, I lose it and start to forget who is who.
The world of digital nomads is not that big, and the destinations are pretty much the same. There is a high chance that you will meet the same people in a few more places. So it's fun to keep in touch and try to arrange to meet somewhere else.

❤️️ Relationship

Well, that's a mess 😅

🤹 Work-Life Balance

It's nice to think of digital nomadism as a never-ending vacation - grab your laptop and work from wherever you want. But it also works the other way around. When everything gets mixed up, and every place is also a potential office, it can create a situation (especially for a workaholic like me) where every small moment is used for work "just to answer this email".
Recently, I decided that from Friday evening to Saturday evening, I do not touch anything related to work, not a single email and not a glance at Twitter. For now, it kind of works.

🏝️ What's next?

So the reason I will soon change my lifestyle a little is to fulfill a dream I've had for several years 😌
I bought a piece of land in one of the places I fell in love with right away - an island called Siargao in the Philippines.
I've been living there for the past 4 months, and even though there's no digital nomad scene there right now, I'm planning early next year to build one here with a Coworking space: Cococo.