How To Become A Digital Nomad In 2022: Step By Step Process For Beginners
Have you seen all these amazing people who're working from anywhere in the world i.e. whilst travelling to places like Colombia, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia), etc.?
And you wonder, how they manage to do all that staff?
If so, then this post is for you.
In this article, l will share with you a step by step process that you can use in order to become a digital nomad i.e. whilst running an online based business.
After reading this post, you'll be able to go out there – and start your own digital nomad journey i.e. using some of the strategies shared in this post.
Thus, read till the very end if you want to learn more about this topic.
Steps Covered
Without further ado, let me jump straight into more detail.
1. Come Up With A Clear End Goal In Mind
The first and most crucial step is to come up with a clear end goal in mind.
Be honest with your self i.e. what kind of lifestyle do you want to live whilst being a digital nomad?
Do you want to hang around a busy city like New York – or you want to move around cool places that’ve a slower vibe like Bali?
Also, what kind of apartment(s) do you want to live in i.e. whilst being a nomad?
Is it a modern penthouse in Toronto – or maybe it's just a simple traditional home at the beach in Thailand?
What kind of food will you be eating i.e. will you be cooking/buying some fancy foods – or maybe you just want to stick to some simple dietary foods?
*The questions are endless.
But you should grab a piece of paper – and you must be really honest with yourself about what exactly you want out of your digital nomad journey.
NB: You'll realise that, some of the things that you write are not necessarily important. But just write them just in case – so that you wont underestimate your needs & wants.
2. Figure Out How Much It Cost
Once you've a clear picture in mind about what you exactly want, you should figure out how much it cost to live that kind of lifestyle (rough estimates).
There's a ton of websites on the internet that shows some average costs involved in living in different certain towns/cities i.e. in terms of accommodation, food, travel costs, etc.
Thus, you can literally go to these websites – and just search for your preferred city of choice.
This is so important because it gives you a clue on how much money you need per month in order to sustain that kind of lifestyle.
And do you know what's funny?
Most people realise that, they were overestimating the money needed to fund the lifestyle of their dreams – since they soon realize that it's much cheaper than they thought.
For example, in places like Colombia & Thailand, people are living a great lifestyle for just under a thousand bucks per month – which is far much cheaper than the cost of living in the US, Canada, UK, etc.
That's why most people are now opting to live in places like Bali – since the cost of living is far much cheaper that side – thus, allowing them to save a ton of money.
Thus, it's important to do some research on relevant travel websites – so as to get an idea on how much it cost to travel to your preferred locations.
3. Choose A Business Model (Vehicle)
Now that you know exactly the kind of lifestyle that you want – as well as its estimated costs, it's now high time to choose a business model (vehicle) that's going to help you achieve those dreams.
Are you going to become an affiliate marketer – or maybe you're going to be a drop shipper?
Are you going to be a freelance graphic designer – or maybe you're going to be selling digital products online?
It's so important to choose a business model that's ideal for the kind of lifestyle that you want – otherwise, your dreams wont come to reality.
Ideally, you should try to find an online based business – since that's the only way which you can work from anywhere in the world.
As Tim Ferriss mentioned in his best selling book, ‘The 4 Hour Work Week’, you need a ‘lifestyle type of business’ that gives you time and location freedom.
And just to be honest with you, you wont be able to become a digital nomad whilst working a traditional 9 to 5 corporate job.
Yes, you might be earning enough money to travel the world (financial freedom) – but you wont be able to have location & time freedom – because your boss wants you to clock-in your office/workplace at a specific time.
Thus, you should try to start your own internet based business – that gives you more time and location freedom to do all this staff.
I wont go into much detail about the best jobs that you can do as a digital nomad – since l have a full article that goes into more depth about that topic.
4. Find Role Models
Assuming you've found a business model of your choice, you should find some role models who're already successful in that field.
This is so important because, it allows you to learn from people who've already travelled the path – rather than just trying to figure out everything on your own.
You should immerse yourself in their ecosystem i.e. subscribe to their YouTube channel(s), email list(s), podcast(s), etc. – so that you can learn how they run & manage their businesses.
If possible, you should enrol into their mentorship programs – so that you can learn directly from them – so as to save time & money involved in doing trial & error.
A role model is also important as he/she acts as a source of motivation i.e. he/she is a living testimony that your dreams are possible i.e. if he/she managed to succeed, you can too!
But the key is to find someone who resonates with you – and also, someone who's genuine & trustworthy.
5. Start Grinding
Assuming that you've some knowledge about your craft/business, it's now high time to start grinding.
Now let me mention this real quick;
Don't fall into the trap of just consuming information without taking any action.
This will lead to info overload – since all that information might end up confusing you.
For this reason, it's important to implement the concepts as soon as you learn them.
Don’t wait till you have all the answers – because you wont be satisfied by the amount of info that you have.
Thus, it's important to take action as soon as you learn a new skill/concept.
Another thing to mention is that, you should be persistent with your grind i.e. don't give up too soon.
Building an online business is much different from working a traditional job.
With a 9 to 5 job, you get paid from the first month that you start working – since you'll be trading your time for money.
However, this is not the case with building an online business.
You'll spend a ton of time trying to build your business, but you might not see any results in the short run.
This ‘drought phase' might last for months – or sometimes, few years.
That's the easiest time to quit – since you'll start to get demotivated by the lack of results.
But if you push through this hard phase, you'll see your hard work come to fruition.
When Is The Best Time To Start Travelling?
Ok, so let's assume that your business is now generating some decent income, the next question that comes to mind is;
‘When should l start travelling?’
In my opinion, l think it's best to start travelling when your business is now generating some consistent income that's more than enough to cover your ideal lifestyle i.e. you should earn that amount (or more) at least 5 months in a role.
If you reach that stage, then you're now capable of travelling the world.
The reason why l said at least 5 months in a role is that, sometimes, online based business tends to have some unrealistic booms in some months – but then, they fall back to their usual threshold.
You shouldn't just rush when you see a boom in one month – because if you do, you might travel and get stuck in the middle of nowhere – because you'll be struggling to fund that lifestyle.
Thus, you should ensure that, your business is now stable enough to generate a steady income on a more consistent basis.
It's also important to have an emergency fund when travelling as a digital nomad i.e. you'll have something to fall back on i.e. if something happens to your business.
Wrapping Up
So that wraps up our discussion on ‘how to become a digital nomad'.
With the growth of the internet, more and more people are becoming interested in working remotely – through running online based businesses that gives them financial, time, and location freedom.
This trend was made more popular when Tim Ferriss published his best selling book of all time – ‘The 4 Hour Work Week'.
And since then, more people are now becoming digital nomads – since they've realised that, it's more fun than slaving away at a traditional 9 to 5 job.
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