Are you starting your digital nomad journey, and need some resources to help you? I’ve got your back. I’ve been living the digital nomad life for three years, and it has been amazing.
I have travelled to dozens of countries, made friends from all over the world, and made money at the same time. I have worked from night buses and deckchairs on paradisiac beaches, on a picnic table overlooking mount Everest and a longtail boat to a remote waterfall in Laos.
It has been the most exciting of times — but that doesn’t mean it is always easy. For the first couple of years, I wasn’t really aware that other people were living the same life as me. That there were others needing only a laptop and a wifi connection to make a living. I felt isolated and ran into problems finding places to work or handling taxes and finances. Little did I know that there are countless resources out there to provide all the answers.
Here, I share a few of my favourite resources with you.
The Best for Picking Your Next Destination
While travel guides like the Lonely Planet can provide loads of useful information, they aren’t specifically designed for digital nomads. Luckily, Nomadlist has it all. From internet speed to air quality, this website tells you all you need to know to pick your next destination. You can see how many coworking spaces there are, how many nomads are there at any given time, read reviews and make a budget.
Sometimes the freedom of being a nomad is overwhelming — you can literally go anywhere. Nomadlist is great because you can find destinations based on your criteria. It may even show places you never even thought of! Plus, as a member, you get access to the Nomadlist slack where you can connect with other digital nomads to chat about taxes, relationships, or specific destinations.
The Best for Connecting with Others
Facebook groups are a great resource for finding other digital nomads in your area or in your field. You can swap tips and stories, find out about the latest coronavirus regulations or where people are planning to head for the next season. You can meet people already in your next destination, find a place to live or organise a meet-up. There are many groups, but I can recommend the following:
Digital Nomads Around the World
The Best for Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Being a digital nomad brings you freedom, adventure and excitement but it can also take a toll on your mental health. You may be lonely at times, the instability can make you anxious or you may get decision fatigue from moving around all the time. Or you may have underlying mental health issues that you need to continue to address while travelling.
There are various websites where you can find remote psychological care:
- BetterHelp provides online therapy — you get matched with a trained professional and can talk to them weekly by message or videochat. Alternatively, you can join Mindfulness programs online.
- Be Mindful was developed by the NHS, the UK’s national health service.
- You can also use apps for relaxation or mindfulness. I can recommend Headspace, Pacifica (which comes with Spotify playlists), or Happy Not Perfect.
The Best All-Round Toolbox
The Digital Nomad Girls Comminity has created the ultimate toolbox for working online. From productivity apps and hacks to SEO, branding and staying healthy, you can find it all here. Although the community is for women and non-binary folk, the toolbox here is useful for anyone and you are free to sign up!
Fellow digital nomads, I hope these resources help you! Let me know if you have any others to recommend in the comments below.
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