Digital Nomads: What Do They Say? Meet Guiselaine Capella

The 2020 Guest Blog For Innovationcur

I wrote this blog for Innovationcur in 2020. The guest blog is not online anymore that's why I am putting it on my website. In the original guest blog I wrote full names of people I met on my travels. My website version of this guest blog complies with the policy of my website and therefore the names are anonymized. I also gave the paragraphs without a title a title. Curaçao isn't part of my routine anymore and I am not a digital nomad anymore either.

The Guest blog

With our upcoming mini digital conference: Digital Nomads; What Do They Say, we approached various digital nomads and asked them about their experience. This time Guiselaine Capella from our own Curaçao tells her story on how and why she became a location independent worker. 

How I Started As Digital Nomad

I always loved traveling, but I didn’t have enough vacation days when I was working for a boss. I thought that that was what always was going to be my problem, to little time to visit all the places I wanted in the world.

Fast-Forward

Fast-forward to August 2012 when I started my own company, part-time, as a side hustle next to my regular hours. It was a blessing starting for myself. I was full of ideas and energy, but still thought traveling for a long time wasn’t possible. In February 2013 I was on vacation in Cuba and met a French guy who was on a sabbatical, and an accomplished Italian law academic and her sister. I had long talks with all of them about traveling and what we wanted from life over cocktails and climbing a mountain. Back in The Netherlands I started researching long time traveling while working and kept contact with the accomplished Italian law academic who inspired me to take the leap.

My Digital Nomad Journey

So half November 2013 I embarked on the journey called digital nomad and never left it. My first stop was Singapore and I loved it. So I never stopped being a digital nomad or like I call it, being a location independent entrepreneur. Most of my work can be done from anywhere. Since 2017 I chose to have a home in The Netherlands for convenience, and spend 2 to 3 months on my birth island Curaçao during the winters. The rest of the year I take shorter trips to other places or go for long trips and hikes. This year is different with COVID-19. I traveled mostly in The Netherlands and finished hiking the Pieterpad, a hiking route in the east of The Netherlands. A trail that runs 498 kilometers from Pieterburen, in the northern part of Groningen, south through the eastern part of The Netherlands to end just south of Maastricht. It was nice to see The Netherlands this way.

Location Independent Work

In the beginning it was hard to find work or clients who wanted to embark in the location independent work, because almost nobody had heard of the term digital nomad. But nowadays with COVID-19 most people are working from home so now everybody knows it is possible. I give Excel workshop online and offline via www.niksmetcijfers.nl and make WordPress websites for clients and have my personal blog www.wanderingguiselaine.nl. Through the years I build my own digital nomadic existence.

My Relation With Curaçao

I was born in the Caribbean, on our little Curaçao. I love the warm weather and the wind that is always blowing fresh sea air. It is one of my escapes from the European winters. My family still lives there so my ties with the island are still alive. But I always crave for travels, and more than the small island can give, so that is why I live abroad, but visit my island whenever I can, but now as a digital nomad.

Follow Guiselaine on her journey on Instagram as @wanderingguiselaine (deleted)

Pioneros

Guiselaine is one of Innovation Ç’s Pioneros, do you want to join our Talent pool and become a Pionero as well? Register in the following link and get published on the Innovation Ç website: https://innovationcur.com/pionero/ (doesn't work anymore)

*I hiked the camino to think about what I wanted further from life and Databeet, not to party like some do on the Camino. I talked while hiking with my fellow hikers, but did not party with them or others. I am not a party animal and liked the quietness and calmness of the camino.