Have you always dreamed of quitting your day job and traveling around the world? It’s something that I’m sure most of us have imagined at one point or another – probably while you are sitting at your desk on a glum Friday afternoon waiting for the clock to hit 5 pm! What was the main reason you gave up on this dream? The answer for many is usually that it would have cost far too much and there would have been no way they could afford never ending travel. But what if I told you there is a way you could genuinely afford it?

You read that correctly – there actually is a way you can afford to keep on traveling around the world. You just need to become a digital nomad! Working as a digital nomad has become increasingly popular over the past few years as it gives more people the chance to work for themselves and be their own boss. Plus, as it can be done remotely, you can work from anywhere in the world. So, it makes traveling while you work entirely possible!

Working while you travel may sound like the absolute dream. But it might not be as entirely perfect as it at first sounds. But, as long as you follow these great tips, you should find that it’s easy to make it work for you.

You Still Need To Budget

When we are traveling on vacation, we have often saved up specially for our time away so that we can splurge a little bit if we like. After all, you are going on holiday and deserve to treat yourself! However, things are different when you are traveling as a digital nomad. Sure, you can still have fun while you travel, but you also need to work to bring in plenty of cash to stay afloat. A budget will really help you with this. Make sure you set yourself a budget before you leave for your first destination, and try to stick to it no matter what. Otherwise, you might run out of money and be forced to return home earlier than you had originally planned.

Don’t Get Caught Out By Time Zones

When you are working and traveling, time zones will be one of your worst nightmares. Of course, if the company you are doing some work for is in the same country, then you won’t have to worry about this. But if you are helping a startup that is on the other side of the world, you could easily get tripped up by differing time zones. If you miss a deadline, you won’t be able to blame your confusion around the time zones, as you will be expected to be organized enough to work around them. But as long as you complete your work well in advance of the deadline, you shouldn’t have too much to worry about.

Live Like A Local

You might not want to stay in the touristy destinations while you are traveling as they can be very noisy and will have a lot of distractions to keep you from your work. Living like a local in the suburbs can help you get away from these noisy areas. Not only that, though, but it will probably be a much cheaper option for you. Plus, it’s a good idea to make some friends with the locals as they will have a load of cool tips for hidden gems and things you need to see and do off the beaten track! Ideally, look for an area or neighbourhood that has a few resale HDB flat and houses. These are often cheap areas, so you will find lots of cheap apartments to rent out. If you like the area so much that you want to stay, you could find some really great property deals in these areas as well.

Get Good At WiFi Hunting

If you don’t have any Internet in your accommodation, you will need to get out and hunt some down. This will be a lot easier in some cities and destinations than others. Generally speaking, most Western cities will have cafes that offer free broadband. Unfortunately, free WiFi in public spaces isn’t so widespread in Asia, Africa, Central, and Southern America so you might have trouble finding some when traveling around these places. It’s also worth looking for coworking spaces, though, as these will provide you with a quiet office space where you can get work done without any disruptions. These are also great places where you might meet some other digital nomads!

Set A Schedule

I’ve already mentioned that you need to set a tight budget when you are traveling as a digital nomad. That’s not the only thing you should set, though. It’s also important that you set yourself a strict schedule for work and play. When you are in a foreign country, you will no doubt want to get out there to sightsee and discover everything that is waiting for you. However, you can’t spend all your time doing this – you will need to find some time to squeeze in some work as well! So, it really is worth creating a weekly schedule. That way, you can plan plenty of time to work and have fun. Some digital nomads prefer to schedule in work for their mornings so that they get it all done before heading out for the day. That way, you won’t ever go out in the morning and accidentally eat into work time!

Let People Back Home Know Your Plans

Let’s just take a second to get serious. No matter where you are heading, it is always important that you let people back home know your travel plans. This is so they can raise the alarm if they are ever unable to contact you when you are in an area that is well connected with WiFi. It also means that they won’t panic when you go off-grid for an expected period of time. This is for your own safety!

Think you could hack being a digital nomad?