There is almost no reason to work in an office setting anymore unless you actually want to. There are so many people working remotely that have realized that they no longer need to commute. There are a few of those remote workers that also realize that they don’t even have to live in one place to work. These are digital nomads and they live and work while traveling the world.
It is entirely doable to live this lifestyle and do things on your own terms. It takes a certain mindset to pull it off but there are also some practical things such as insurance to sort out, too. To do this successfully you’ll need to know what it takes. In this article, we will go over some of the basics to get you started as a digital nomad.
1 – Make a functional budget
It is crucial to have a budget that will give you a financial blueprint to follow so you can always be solvent when you live as a digital nomad. You will be spending a lot of money and if you run out while on the road then you will be in trouble. To make a budget you have to know what some of your expenses are.
The two main expenses will be your flights or transportation in general and housing. Most digital nomads only stay in an area for a few months at a time. Then they move on. This means that they will be paying for short-term furnished rentals such as these from DelSuites.
When you are moving around frequently then your transportation costs will be higher than if you stay put for years. Some nomads will plan their travel destinations based on their budget. In other words, if their budget doesn’t allow for a trip across the world, they will take a bus to the next destination a bit closer.
2 – Insurance
If you are planning to stay in the US and have insurance through your job, then you will have to make sure that it is accepted in every state that you plan to live in, even if it’s temporary. International travel is going to require that you have health insurance as well as travel insurance since you won’t be able to join the public options that a local has.
The type of insurance will be determined by the type of travel that you will be doing. When traveling to another country, your visa may also be dependent on you being insured with specific coverage.
3 – Know the visa rules
When traveling internationally, you can’t always just show up at your country of choice unannounced. You have to have permission to enter the country. This is called a visa and the requirements differ from country to country.
Americans can enter many countries in Europe without a visa but can only stay up to 90 days. Other countries require you to get a tourist visa. Some countries allow you to get one at the airport while others ask you to send application months ahead of your scheduled travel date.