“Digital nomad” isn’t just a job title; it’s also a lifestyle choice. Digital nomads use technology, whether it be a laptop, a smartphone, or some other digital device, to earn an income through remote work while living a mobile life. By learning the right skills and finding the right kind of remote online work to put them to use, you too can live the digital nomad lifestyle and travel the world as you work.
StepsPart 1Part 1 of 4:Choosing a Niche
1Publish online content if you have strong writing and editing skills. There are lots of remote jobs and means of earning a passive income that require good writing and editing abilities. Consider doing publishing and editing work that will translate these abilities into cash.Jobs that fall into this category might include online content creator, copywriter, and author.
2Create illustrations or graphic designs if you’re artistic. If you have an eye for color, love fonts, or just love to be artistic, you may want to consider working as a graphic designer or illustrator.Almost any company with an online presence has need of a graphic designer, which makes this one of the better areas of remote employment for finding work.In addition to artistry, you’ll need to develop certain skills involving digital design work, including familiarity with design software, typography, and layout optimization.
3Put your foreign language skills to use as a translator. If you’re fluent in a foreign language, or at least have a working knowledge of one, you might be able to work as a freelance translator. Although these jobs may be a bit harder to come by, they require relatively little extra skills for those already knowledgeable in a foreign language.You will have more luck finding work opportunities if you’re fluent in a less commonly spoken language, such as Arabic or an Eastern European language.UpWork and TranslatorsTown are 2 of the most commonly used websites for finding freelance translation work.
4Develop apps and websites if you enjoy coding. Some of the most in-demand skills for digital work include software and app development, website creation, and coding. Work in this area to be particularly competitive on the job market.Creating apps is also a good way of earning a passive income, or doing work once and then earning a continuous income from it over time.If you’re familiar with coding and programming, you may also consider working as a software engineer, although many software engineering jobs will require you possess a degree in the field.
5Work in online marketing if you have an active web presence. If you love being on social media, helping to make things go viral, or convincing people about the benefits of a product, online marketing is probably the best choice of work for you.You don’t need to have an active social media presence right now in order to become an online marketer; this is just something you’ll have to do as part of the job in order to be successful.BrandRep is an example of a leading internet marketing company you might be able to find a job with. However, any business or company that promotes products online, such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare, usually has need for an online marketer.
6Consider working in remote customer service if you have “people skills.” If working with people is more your style and you have a lot of experience in the service economy, doing customer service work might be for you.Note that working in a customer service job may require you to have a phone that works internationally.A wide range of companies hire remote customer service representatives, such as American Express, ActBlue, and Williams-Sonoma.If you’re comfortable working to resolve technical issues, you might also consider working in technical support.Part 2Part 2 of 4:Developing the Appropriate Skills
1Look into websites that will teach you a skill for free. Many of the skills that are most useful for online remote work, such as coding, are available to learn online for free in various places. Check out websites that offer to teach you a relevant skill for free to avoid spending money to becoming a digital nomad.Some of the more widely used free websites include Udemy, Khan Academy, Coursera, and Free Code Camp.If you’re not sure where to go to learn a skill for free, search “learn for free” in an Internet search engine and simply add the skill you want to learn (e.g., marketing).
2Enroll in university classes to learn a relevant skill, if necessary. If you can’t find a means of learning a relevant skill for free or at little cost, you might consider enrolling in an online college course or program to study and develop the skill you need.Many schools offer entire programs, or at least most of the classes required for certain accreditations, online. Don’t feel like you have to attend a brick-and-mortar college to get a college-level education.For example, coding and marketing are subjects that many schools offer online courses for. Arizona State University allows you to earn an entire marketing degree through online courses!
3Get a job that involves using a skill to gain professional experience. Before you jump into the digital nomad lifestyle, it may be helpful to gain some professional experience in the kind of work you’ll be doing. Try to find a job that involves the skills you’ll put to use in your remote work to earn experience before beginning your travels.For example, you might find a job in administration and get experience doing the kind of work you’d most likely do as a virtual assistant.Getting a job in a related field is also a good way to learn a relevant skill while also making money and building your resume.
4Consider visiting a digital nomad hub to learn from other nomads. If you have the time and money to spare, you might find it useful to hang around other digital nomads and pick up skills from them while also getting a taste of their lifestyle. Look into taking a working vacation to a location popular among digital nomads.For example, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Medellin, Colombia, are both common destinations for digital nomads.Use websites like couchsurfing and Nomad List to get in touch with other digital nomads living in the place you intend to visit. You may also be able to find a Facebook group dedicated to living as a digital nomad in a certain destination.Part 3Part 3 of 4:Earning an Income Remotely
1Find a remote job online to maintain a steady source of income. A lot of office jobs today can be entirely done from a laptop anywhere in the world. Look for a job you can work remotely to draw a steady salary and not be tied to any physical location.XSome examples of remote jobs include customer service representative, developer, software engineer, and technical support analyst.Use a job listing website like ZipRecruiter or SkipTheDrive to search for remote online jobs.Note that some remote jobs may require you to work a consistent 9-to-5 schedule, limiting the number of destinations you can reasonably work from. For maximum freedom and flexibility, try to find a job that lets you set your own hours.
2Sell your services as a freelancer to put your skills to work part-time. If you can’t find a job that supports a nomadic lifestyle, or you need additional income, do freelance work in your spare time to gain an additional income stream. Look for freelance jobs you can perform remotely and post listings on freelancing platforms to let potential clients find you.Upwork is one of the more commonly recommended freelancing platforms. Freelancer, FlexJobs, and iFreelance are also popular among freelancers.Freelance work might include writing, editing, coding, marketing, translation, or graphic design.You’ll need to be comfortable with actively promoting yourself and your skills to potential clients in order to be successful as a freelancer. Remember that you’ll be competing with a lot of other people for jobs.
3Create online content to earn a passive income if you can’t find employment. One of the easiest ways to become a digital nomad is to earn an income from doing little to no work at all. Create marketable online content that will make money for you to make living the digital nomad lifestyle easier.XFor example, publishing an ebook is a great way to earn a passive income from sales of your book after you’ve written it. Creating a blog and selling advertising or creating an online course are also good ways to earn a passive income.If you choose to publish an ebook, your best bet is to publish it through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program.Building an app is a good way of putting coding skills to work to create a source of passive income.Note that you’ll have to put forth some creative effort first before you can start earning a passive income. Unfortunately, you won’t entirely avoid working this way!
4Become a marketer to make money by having an Internet presence. Online marketing is a very lucrative skill to have as a digital nomad. Look for work as an online marketer to earn an income as an online middleman promoting other people’s products.XOnline marketing typically involves working for clients to promote their products or services online. This can involve web design, social media marketing, producing informational videos, or other forms of online promotion.For example, you might design infographics for a company that are meant to be shared on social media and that include pertinent information about that company’s products.This is a particularly good way to earn an income remotely if you have or can develop an influential online presence.
5Join the gig economy to earn extra cash in a pinch. When living as a digital nomad, you may find that freelance work or even your normal salary are not always enough to cover your expenses. Perform gig economy services to earn a little extra income when you need it.XFor example, you might find work driving for a ride-sharing company like Uber, delivering packages or food, or teaching your native language while abroad.In addition to Uber, popular gig economy employers include Lyft, Airbnb, and Doordash.Although not all jobs in the gig economy can be performed digitally, many of them can be performed without being tied down to any one location.Part 4Part 4 of 4:Cutting Your Living Expenses
1Sell or rent out your home to get rid of your biggest financial obligation. In all likelihood, your biggest expense comes from paying rent or a mortgage. Before becoming a digital nomad, sell or rent out your home to cut off this expense and be able to devote more money to the cost of living abroad.XIf your home is in a popular destination, considering renting it out instead of selling it to earn a more consistent income. Make sure to hire someone locally who can respond to issues your renters may run into while you’re traveling.
2Use a credit card with no international fees. If you plan to travel out of the country, you’ll want to avoid being charged additional fees for using a credit card while abroad. Make sure to bring a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees to avoid paying an extra fee with every purchase.XThe Capital One Venture Rewards Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card are both popular credit cards that don’t charge fees for international use.
3Cancel any subscriptions or memberships you won’t use anymore. You probably pay a certain amount of money every month or year for services and subscriptions you can use at your home but not while you’re traveling. Make sure to cancel these subscriptions to avoid wasting money every month while you’re traveling.Examples of subscriptions and services you won’t be able to use might include a local gym membership, a subscription to a print magazine, or a cable TV package.
4Pay off your local debt before leaving your home country. Before you begin your travels, you’ll want to be sure you aren’t leaving any financial commitments behind you. Pay off any debt you have in your home country so you can travel without that financial burden weighing on you.If you can’t pay off all your debts completely, choose some debts to pay off entirely and others to continue paying down while traveling. Although this isn’t ideal, it’s better than continually paying all of your debts as a digital nomad.You’ll probably want to prioritize credit card debts and any debts that have higher interest rates, as these will accumulate the most interest while left unpaid.
