What Should You Consider When Becoming a Digital Nomad?

Approximately 4.8 million people consider themselves to be digital nomads, with 17 million aspiring to achieve this title by the end of their working days.

Being a digital nomad means working out of an office remotely, and usually incorporating some form of travel or exploration alongside work.

Digital nomads may work in a café in Paris or at the base camp of Mount Everest. The digital nature of a lot of work means that an internet connection and the right laptop allow this kind of remote working lifestyle. So, what are some things to consider when becoming a digital nomad?

Be Prepared for Travel-Related Setbacks

Being a digital nomad who travels brings with it the pitfalls that come with traveling – including missed connections. There are ways to prevent any long-term business or financial damage here by reclaiming anything lost. Flightright shows this with their information on canceled flight compensation, where you can even get compensation for a flight that was cancelled up to 6 years ago.

The site aims to assist users by ensuring they know their rights when flying, and explains that passengers may be able to claim if they are departing from or landing in the EU, with an airline whose headquarters is EU-based, and if they receive less than two weeks’ notice for the cancelation.

This covers cancelations and replacement flights with the departure time two hours later than the original flight and the arrival time four hours later than the original flight. So, any missed flights that drastically differ from the original.

With more than $300 million paid out over their 10 years of expertise in the market reclaiming compensation for canceled flights, this just shows how prevalent missed flights are.

When traveling for pleasure, a few hours might not make too much of a difference. But, with work deadlines dependent on a smooth itinerary, it’s important to consider that there could be travel-related setbacks in your nomadic life.

Business Not Pleasure

The most important thing to consider is that while you may be traveling the world, you are still working. So, fitting in your work is just as important as filling your passport with stamps.

The main consideration should be that you have flexibility when it comes to your finances. Ensure you still track your self-employment taxes and that you treat your business income appropriately.

The correct insurance for traveling the world while working – or to the next town along – is also important. Being insured for travel and for loss of your laptop or even inability to work could also save your business.

Clients may be forgiving for force majeure type moments, but carelessness on your part by leaving your laptop on the train doesn’t send signals that you are a professional and responsible business owner.

Be Professional

Working out of an office scenario and out of smart clothes can allow a casual attitude to creep into our professional lives. This can be detrimental to business success, especially if clients or customers expect us to handle important tasks for them. When embarking on a digital nomad life, it’s important to remain professional.

Don’t miss meetings just because there was a Full Moon beach party the night before, or because the hostel in the middle of the outback has a temperamental internet connection.

You may be traveling the world or seeing the sights, but you are still primarily working and should make sure this professional attitude can be felt by any clients or customers to add legitimacy to what you do.

Being a digital nomad means that you have the freedom to work from wherever you want. This does end up attracting many high-flying corporate types who are bored of the daily grind. Many digital nomads simply work from home with the occasional trip to a local bar or café.

The freedom benefits those who have the self-discipline to ensure the work is completed, or if a family situation means working remotely is more suitable. The key to a digital nomadic life is to balance work with play – ensure you complete your work and you’ll be able to enjoy the lifestyle that comes with it.