In most organizations and workplace settings, they required majority of their employees to report to work physically from 9 am to 5 pm. That is how things have always been done. However, the onset of the COVID pandemic significantly impacted the modus operandi of the companies. Digital nomad had existed before but we cannot deny that the pandemic transformed it into a growing trend as most organizations leveraged their remote work policies and the tourism industry did not sleep on it. The flexibility of employees working remotely from anywhere has since grown allowing people to work as they adventure.
Digital nomad had existed before but we cannot deny that the pandemic transformed it into a growing trend as most organizations leveraged their remote work policies and the tourism industry did not sleep on it.
The flexibility of employees working remotely from anywhere has since grown allowing people to work as they adventure.
If more organizations allow their employees to work from home, home could be anywhere.
Steri Tours & Travels
Who is a Digital Nomad?
A digital nomad is someone who adventures freely while working remotely, thanks to the advancements in technology and the internet. Usually as a digital nomad, you possess very minimal material possession as your life involves moving around in temporary housing, hotels, co-working spaces or even in recreational vehicles.
Digital nomads come in various forms, majority of them describe themselves as content developers but that is not the only case. Some of them are perpetual travelers searching for experiences the destinations they visit has to offer.
In 2020, a research study showed that 10.9million American workers described themselves as digital nomads.
What Qualifies You to Be a Digital Nomad
As opposed to the assumption that working remotely has to be someone locked up in their house with little lighting and sitting on a desktop hours on end, people have actually taken advantage of these virtual working environment to move up and about, travel, explore, and have fun while at the same time working. Finding a work life balance is important in maintaining your mental health, productivity, relationships with friends and relatives, and having a sense of fulfilment in your life.
The covid pandemic had a grater impact in terms of mobility and this transformed most of the traditional job holders into digital nomads as their organizations stopped requiring them to physically report to the workplaces everyday allowing them to subsequently travel while working. Therefore, if you can do your job online and have a stable internet connection, working remotely and travel the world, you qualify to be a digital nomad, enabling you to establish some sort of freedom, create new opportunities, meet new people, it could also be your chance to work with global brands and experience new cultures.
Nonetheless, before you make that switch, do consider that is not easy as you imagine it. The reality can look a lot more different. You might first need to factor in issues like location independence, the cost of living, climate, people’s diversity and available leisure opportunities. Also, be aware that you might face challenges like ability to cope with the local laws, tax complications and obtaining work visas. Additionally, do not forget that loneliness will also be your biggest challenge followed by burnout. You will not get to develop face to face quality relationships with family and friends and, sometimes you will actually make less money that you expected.
Lets Talk about Digital Nomad Visa
As a digital nomad, you need to be cautious of the work policies of the destinations you have travelled to. Research about the legal requirements and whether or not you require a work visa. One may be tempted to work while using your tourist visa, which is illegal. Most countries offer short term work visas to digital nomads that you may apply.
As the trend grew, most countries have adopted digital nomadism by offering digital nomad visas. Today, the list of countries offering them is quite long which is good news for digital nomads. To most of the countries, proof of income, duration of stay and remote work policy is required. Please note that there could be more factors to be considered during the digital nomad visa application thus you need to check with the respective country you are visiting.
Want to Become a Digital Nomad?
Once you have given it a thought to become a digital nomad, here are some of the few ideas to get you started.
a. Identify your skills set and strengthen them.
Outline clearly the values you will be offering in return for you to earn an income. Are the skills on demand? Equip yourself with more of self discipline, organizational skills, communication skills, sales and marketing skills, budgeting and decision making skills and plenty of digital skills. We recommend these since they are highly associated with working remotely.
b. Build a portfolio
This will allow you to create a profession and align it with your potential target clients. This kind of alignment will help you in selling your skills and experiences which you will later use as your extra source of income as you travel.
c. Start networking
The earlier you start, the better because it takes time to invest into yourself and build relationships with companies involved within your industries. You can reach out to other professionals in the digital nomad space and learn from them. At Steri Tours, we create such platforms where you meet fellow digital nomads and interact, exchange ideas as you do day tour safari experiences. Make use of such opportunities to network and become partners.
d. Join a digital nomad community
Joining groups of like minded people inspires you to pursue your goals further by learning new ideas and challenges and adventures to take on next.
e. Build your savings
Planning before you strike a move is good. Having savings to sustain yourself between 3 – 6 months without work is a good option. This will take care of your emergencies and unexpected expenses. Additionally, ensure that you also determine your budget and decide precisely on the locations that works with the amount of budget you have set aside.
f. Get familiar with travelers insurance
The common ones will be health, travel and life insurance for most of the destinations you will visit. If you intend to drive around, a car insurance and driver’s license will also be necessary. All these are legal documents required by the various governments and you should abide by those demands. Finally, research on the payment methods and banks for each destination.
Over here at Steri Tours, we have equipped ourselves to serve a percentage of the market share and it could be you.
Read Other Blog Posts: Barefoot Luxury – What exactly is it?
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