Tips for Becoming a Digital Nomad in 2020?

14 points by OkiiEli 6 years ago | 6 comments

I have always been interested in traveling, there are many places in the world I'd love to see and spend some time exploring and I've made the decision to try it in 2020. I've been working full time on my side projects, currently, on https://visarequirements.site, all my side projects now generate around $3k in MRR I'm fairly accustomed to working remotely as over half my work I do from home, the other half being in coffee shops. I've never attempted to work around the world though and I'd love to hear any tips, tricks, warnings, or stories of other HN members doing similar things.

adamretter 6 years ago |

I did the digital nomad thing for 18 months, mainly around India, Malaysia, SriLanka, Maldives and Thailand.

Tips - 1. Travel as light as possible. You need much less than you will initially think. 2. If you have to work, then I would suggest that renting an apartment is better, hostel's etc are too noisy and transient. 3. Don't expect the internet to work anywhere you go, even if you are told that it will work ;-) Your best bet is a 4G SIM, Pocket 4G<->Wifi Router (or your mobile phone), and an unlimited data package. Or preferably, two SIMs from competing networks, as some places have much better coverage than others. 4. I tended to stay for a minimum of 4 weeks (occasionally 2) in the same place. Otherwise, the constant travelling and planning takes a lot of time out of your work days.

companyhen 6 years ago | |

Been nomading since 2017 and I agree with all of this. I typically stay 2 weeks to 8 weeks in a location depending on how much I like it. Start out with renting a place for 3-5 nights and then extend if you like it from there. Costs a little more, but saves headaches in case there are issues when you arrive.

I primarily stay in SEA where I never spend more than $1-2k/mo depending on how luxurious my apartment is (anywhere between $300 - $1000/mo). I stayed in a studio in Thailand for $150/mo my first time there 15 min walk from the sky train so super cheap deals can be found. Most require a 3-6 month minimum lease, but if you factor in the cost savings it's sometimes worth it even if you won't be there the full 3-6 months.

mtnGoat 6 years ago |

3k isn't much.

Try it for a couple months and see how you like it before fully committing, not a single person I know personally that has tried it, lasted more then 6 months. And the few stories I've heard of contacts that did last, ended up destroying their business by focusing on other things too much.

Good luck, I only lasted two months and realized a home base is nice to have.

batt4good 6 years ago |

I'm mostly stumped by how people find decent freelancing connections or opportunities. I've had seemingly great opportunities or work passed on to me from friends end up being absolute nightmares. Granted my approach to being a Digital Nomad would be finding some way to work for a handful of freelance clients while traveling. Been meaning to spend some decent time in eastern europe :)

textread 6 years ago |

If you don't mind sharing, is the MRR figure from that visa website alone?

BTW, $3k/month will get you a luxurious life in a country like India or Thailand. Let me know if you are interested in couchsurfing to try it.

iMario 6 years ago |

A stupid question if I may... how do you generate revenue from visarequirements.site? I have not seen ads or promotional content.. perhaps I did not look deep enough? What am I missing?