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Do you think you have what it takes to pack up your things and hit the road for an indefinite period?

So many people have done so already and embarked on life as a digital nomad. This is when you take your work with you when you travel. It gives you the chance to earn while you are on the go and, that way, you can afford to travel for longer and see more places.

Life as a digital nomad is certainly one big adventure, but it isn’t all just fun and games. In fact, there are a few common problems and issues that full-time travelers always run into. If you are able to overcome these problems, then you should be alright living the digital nomad life. Not sure how you would be out on the road? Here are some things to consider before you start a new life as a digital nomad.


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How Is Your Time Management?

Hopefully, your answer to this question is ‘impeccable’! That’s because, as a digital nomad, you need to be able to manage your time efficiently. If you get this right, you will be able to split your time equally between sightseeing and working. If you get this wrong, you might end up rushing your work in order to make more time to do all the fun stuff. And your quality of work might fall when you rush, and this could end with a client terminating your contract. One way you can improve your time management is to figure out when your most productive time of the day is. For instance, you might find that you can concentrate best in the morning. In this case, you need to plan all your work for in the mornings. You can then spend your afternoons exploring your destinations!


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What Happens If Your Work Dries Up?

The majority of digital nomads earn their money by taking on freelance work and projects while they are traveling. That’s because they just need a laptop and Internet connection to complete and submit their work. The most popular jobs that digital nomads take on include things like social media management, freelance writing, and remote project managers. These can be very lucrative, however, as they are only usually offered on a freelance basis, you don’t have much job security. And, if you take on short-term contracts, you might regularly have to look for new clients. Do you know how you will survive if you go through a period of not much work? You will be able to source online installment loans for quick cash injections, but it’s also a good idea to have some other options up your sleeves as well. So, it’s a good idea to start saving up some money before you leave for your travels. That way, you have a safety net to fall back onto.


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Where Will You Work?

If you are staying in a hostel for a few days before you find a more permanent place, you might not be able to work there. It could be very noisy and you might find that some of the other residents are quite distracting! One option is to find a quiet cafe that has WiFi. But it is a much better idea to see if there are any co-working spaces at your destination where you can hire a desk. As well as being professional spaces with no distractions, you will find that co-working offices come complete with many cool facilities.

Have You Considered Time Differences?

Depending on where you travel to, you might have to contend with a time difference. This is going to be a big challenge if you are in one time zone while your current client is in a completely different one. You will always need to remember about the difference so that you always file your work on time. After all, saying that you forgot isn’t a good enough excuse, and your client would be within their right for dropping you from their books. If possible, try to only take work from clients who are in similar time zones to you.


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Will You Miss Your Nearest And Dearest?

Of course, work and money aren’t the only two things that could cause you problems during your time as a digital nomad. You might find that you get homesick when you are out on the road. Generally speaking, homesickness isn’t something that you should be worried about as it often goes after a few days. Once the homesickness passes, you will feel as good as new and ready to get out exploring your new location! However, if you miss your friends and family home a lot and the homesickness doesn’t seem to pass, you might find that it has a bad effect on your mental health. There are ways around this, though. Firstly, you shouldn’t get in touch with people back home too much. Calling home once a week is fine, but any more could emphasize your homesickness. You should also try to busy yourself. Make sure you have something planned for every day so that you are preoccupied so that you forget how sad you were feeling.

What Happens If Something Goes Wrong?

Sometimes, things will go wrong on your trip. Unfortunately, some of these things will be completely beyond your control. So, it’s important that have a backup plan just in case things do start to go pear shaped. I’ve already mentioned that you need to save up for an emergency fund that you can use as a safety net – this should be able to help you out of a few different bad situations too. It is also crucial that you know all of the local emergency numbers, such as for the police and the ambulance service. That way, you can get help if you are ever in danger.

Do you still think that life as a digital nomad sounds like something you’d be interested in? What are you waiting for? Go for it and start your adventure!