We are in the midst of the 4th industrial revolution, more commonly known as Industry 4.0. This era is defined by advanced manufacturing technology, advanced analytics, automation, and most notably, connectivity.
In the past, it was hard to communicate with someone from afar, making it almost impossible to do remote work. Nowadays, various digital innovations and inventions have allowed us to connect even from afar, making it easier to work productively from anywhere you like.
This is when the digital nomad lifestyle started to become popular, a type of lifestyle preferred by people who crave work-life balance.
It’s more than just remote working though. Let’s dive deeper into what a digital nomad lifestyle checklist looks like as you try your hands at this lifestyle!
What is a Digital Nomad Lifestyle?
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Digital nomad lifestyle refers to people who travel freely while making use of technology and the internet to work remotely. They live a nomadic lifestyle and constantly move from one location to another, maintaining their communication entirely through digital devices.
A digital nomad doesn’t always move from one country to another; sometimes they move from city to city for however long they want. They usually rely on coffee shops, coworking spaces, or other spaces that provide Wi-Fi to work.
To support this lifestyle, digital nomads have to be employed at a company that supports remote working. Luckily for them, remote working has been increasingly more accepted ever since the pandemic hit.
As people were initially forced to quarantine and learned to rely on the internet to keep their business going, some of them realized that being in the office wasn’t that important after all!
Read Also: Here Are the Top 5 Destinations for Bleisure Travel in Indonesia
Digital Nomad Checklist: Become a Traveling Digital Worker
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While it seems simple enough, the digital nomad lifestyle takes a lot of planning. After all, you’ll be traveling a lot. If not for extensive planning, you could end up wasting a lot of time and money.
To ensure that you’ll have a productive, safe, and overall great experience, here are some digital nomad checklists to refer to. This way, you can start your new lifestyle on the right foot!
1. Be Sure of this Decision
Being a digital nomad isn’t always fun and games as you’d have to leave the life you know behind.
When you start this lifestyle, you’d be alone as you travel from one place to another. Away from your friends or family, you won’t be able to see them as frequently as before.
This can get pretty lonely, so be sure that you’ll be fine with being alone before choosing this lifestyle.
Along with that, being a digital nomad means you would have to downsize your material possessions. Since you have to move from one place to another, it would be inconvenient to constantly move a lot of your possessions every other week or so.
Lastly, you’d have to be extremely disciplined to be a digital nomad. This includes managing your finances and to encourage yourself to work productively when needed.
When you’re constantly traveling, it can be hard to remember that you’re not always on vacation. You’d need to remind yourself that you have to balance the fun with work too.
If you’re sure that you can meet all these requirements, then it’s time to move on to the next point.
2. Manage Your Finances
Before becoming a digital nomad, you’ll need to make some financial preparations. Here are some tips on how you can manage your finances before pursuing this lifestyle:
- Get a remote job such as a freelancer or remote employee. Alternatively, you can start your own business. Make sure to not quit your current job unless you already have a remote job planned out.
- Have plenty of savings as a safety net in case of emergency.
- Settle your debts, or at least reduce them so you won’t have to stress over them later.
3. Say Bye to Commitments
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No, this doesn’t mean that you’d have to break up with your partner or entirely cut off ties with your friends and family!
However, there are other types of commitments you would need to break off before starting the digital nomad lifestyle:
- Resigning from your 9–5 job: It wouldn’t be ideal to do your typical 9-to-5 remotely unless it’s a remote one, in which case you can keep doing it!
- Ending your housing situation: This includes terminating your house or apartment rent, or renting it out so you wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance later.
- Memberships or subscriptions: Gym memberships or physical magazine subscriptions wouldn’t be of any use once you are far away from your hometown.
- Mailing: Be sure to redirect your upcoming mails to your family or friend. This way, they can open it or mail it to wherever you are.
- Reducing your material possessions: You won’t be able to bring along much of your stuff, so you can either donate, sell, or keep it in storage (the last option will certainly cost some money though).
4. Picking a Destination… and All That Entails
Now that you’re ready, it’s time to pick a destination!
Picking a domestic destination is easy enough; you won’t have to deal with customs, language-barrier, or currency issues. But it’s another story if you’re planning to go abroad.
Be sure to research the visa requirements before you go. After all, multiple tourist visas on your passport can raise suspicions at immigration.
Keep an eye out for forums or websites about visa run changes, and you can also check the embassy website for more detailed information.
After your research, you should also make sure that you have the required vaccinations, health insurance, and travel insurance to ensure your safety.
Then, make sure to have an accommodation booked before you go. Here are some tips on choosing accommodation for a newbie digital nomad:
- Pick an accommodation that provides a desk and Wi-Fi for more productive work.
- Make sure your accommodation is located near coffee shops or coworking spaces so you can have a change of scenery when working.
- Don’t stay near nightclubs as it can disrupt your work and rest.
5. Language & Cultural Knowledge
Last but not least on our digital nomad checklist: learn the language and culture of your destination.
English is used in many countries, but not everyone can speak it. Adding at least some basic terms and daily conversations of the country’s language will be useful down the line, especially the phrases you’ll likely use all the time such to ask about prices and directions, for example.
It’s also important to learn about their culture to remain respectful in your destination. By learning their culture, you can also avoid culture shock and thus adapt quickly to your surroundings.
Read Also: How to Cure Burnout and Start Enjoying Your Life Again
Bobobox, A Modern and Convenient Accommodation for Digital Nomads!
Bobobox is a convenient and modern accommodation for every digital nomad looking to stay in Indonesia.
Located in various iconic big cities of Indonesia, it’s just a short walking distance away from various culinary gems and tourist destinations. You can easily access public transportation and find many coffee shops around the area.
Made for a convenient and comfortable stay, Bobobox pods are powered by the Internet of Things. You can personalize your stay by adjusting the pod lighting according to your mood, and access a speedy Wi-Fi to support your remote work.
Download the Bobobox app on Play Store or App Store for booking and more information.
