Kristin M. Wilson has travelled to over 60 countries during her 20 years as a digital nomad. She reaches 130,000 subscribers on her "Traveling with Kristin" YouTube channel. She's also host of the "Badass Digital Nomads" podcast, recorded weekly from wherever in the world Kristin currently calls home.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started as a Digital Nomad 5

Chapter 1: Getting a Taste of the Digital Nomad Lifestyle 7

Defining the Digital Nomad 9

Seeing Who's Adopting the Nomad Lifestyle 11

Generations: Z, Millennials, X, Baby Boomers 11

People from many parts of the world 12

Meandering men and wandering women 13

Folks at every career stage 13

Employees from an assortment of industries 13

The have-lots-of-money, the have-some-money, and the have-little-money sets 14

Why roam? 14

Why now? 15

Busting Common Myths and Assumptions 17

Nomading isn't a job 18

Age is just a number 18

No tech skills necessary 19

Nomads aren't backpackers 19

Nomads aren't travel bloggers 20

Nomads aren't tourists, either 20

Nomads aren't always traveling 20

Traveling is more affordable than you think 21

Deciding Whether the Digital Nomad Lifestyle Is Right for You 21

Exploring the potential benefits 21

Recognizing the potential drawbacks 23

Chapter 2: Seeing Yourself as a Digital Nomad 25

Defining Your Passion and Purpose: Establishing Your Why 26

Envisioning Your Future as a Digital Nomad 27

Full-time nomads 28

Part-time nomads 28

Expats and settlers 29

Your type of nomad 30

Evaluating Solo versus Group Travel 30

Traveling with Kids 31

Discussing Your Vision with Family, Friends, and Colleagues 34

Breaking the news that you're pursuing your wanderlust 35

Addressing common concerns 36

Facing the Fear of Failure as a Nomad 37

Fear of failure is healthy (and normal) 38

When in doubt, start small 39

Picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and regrouping 40

Chapter 3: Setting a Realistic Budget 41

Considering Expenses and Income Needs When You're a Nomad 41

Calculating Your Cost of Living 42

Analyzing Digital Nomad Switching Costs 45

Time-related costs 46

Money-related costs 47

Creating a Digital Nomad Budget 48

Pre-departure budget 48

Monthly cost-of-living budget 48

Chapter 4: Keeping or Quitting Your Day Job 51

Deciding Whether You Should Keep or Quit Your Job 52

Evaluating the pros and cons of keeping your job 52

Considering the pros and cons of quitting 54

Approaching Your Boss About Becoming a Digital Nomad 55

Gathering your research 55

Preparing your case 57

Presenting your case 57

Negotiating rebuttals 58

Knowing when to walk away 58

Part 2: Making Money as a Digital Nomad 61

Chapter 5: Have Laptop, Will Travel (and Work, of Course) 63

Previewing the Routes to Becoming a Digital Nomad 64

Becoming a remote employee 65

Freelancing your way to freedom 67

Becoming an online business owner 69

Earning passive income 70

Combining multiple income streams 71

Considering Popular Digital Nomad Jobs 72

Accounting and finance 72

Affiliate marketing 73

Blogging and writing 73

Coaching, consulting, and teaching 75

Computer and information technology 76

Creating a personal brand as an influencer 77

Creative and design work 78

Customer service and virtual assistance 79

Digital marketing 80

Dropshipping and ecommerce 80

Medical and health 81

Project management 81

Sales 82

Social media management 82

Using Online Platforms to Find Work 83

Navigating the top remote jobs boards 83

Exploring remote jobs forums and Slack communities 86

Checking out Facebook groups 87

Attending virtual job fairs 87

Reaching Out to Real People 88

Going old school with cold outreach 88

Leveraging LinkedIn 89

Attracting employers through social media and content 89

Networking at conferences and events 90

Chapter 6: Creating Your Own Remote Job 93

Turning a Traditional Job into a Remote Job 94

Finding examples in your field 95

Mapping your job 96

Analyzing Your Skills and Expertise 97

What you think you're good at 98

What other people think you're good at 99

What people pay you for 99

Bridging a skills gap 100

Evaluating Your Passions 101

Leveraging what you love to do 101

Finding the limits of your passion's potential 102

Designing a New Job 103

Giving This Remote Thing a Try and Telling the World What You Do 104

Communicating your core offer 104

Updating social media profiles 105

Finding Your First Clients 106

Your personal network 106

Posting on online platforms 106

Gathering Proof of Concept 107

Collecting case studies 107

Getting testimonials and referrals 108

Chapter 7: Adopting Best Practices for Success 109

Creating Your Work-From-Home Plan 110

Maximizing your peak hours of the day 110

Mixing up your work environment 112

Exploring Co-Working Spaces and Alternate Workspaces 114

Choosing a co-working space (what to look for) 114

Booking shared and remote offices abroad 115

Ensuring Smooth Cross-Border Communication 117

Finding your communication style 117

Becoming an expert in converting times across time zones 119

Collaborating on Remote Teams 120

Clarifying communication expectations 121

Remaining accessible (or not) 122

Staying visible and bonding with your remote team members 122

Sourcing Contractors and Virtual Assistants 124

Deciding whether you need support 124

Knowing where to find contractors and administrative help 125

Choosing Between Remote Work Tools 126

Part 3: Traveling and Living Abroad as a Digital Nomad 129

Chapter 8: Choosing a Destination 131

Dreaming of the Ideal Destination 131

Considering Key Factors 133

Border control 134

Climate and seasonality 134

Cost of living 136

Safety and security 136

Bucket list 136

Community 137

Lifestyle 137

Work environment 138

Scoping Out Regions of the World 138

Africa 139

Asia 140

Caribbean and North Atlantic 141

Central and South America 141

Middle East 142

North America 142

Europe 143

Oceania 145

Deciding Where to Go and When 146

Chapter 9: Creating Your Digital Nomad Relocation Plan 149

Finding Your Travel Flow 150

Batching your travel 150

Planning your travel in advance 152

Getting Your Finances in Order 153

Updating your banking services 153

Accessing your money with money transfer apps 154

Getting paid remotely 155

Applying for travel rewards cards 156

Accounting for Taxes at Home and Abroad 157

Deciding What to Do with Your Stuff 158

What can you trash? 159

What can you sell? 159

What to do with your house 160

What to do with your car 160

What can you donate? 160

What should you keep? 160

Getting Your Affairs in Order 161

Checking your health 161

Getting insured 162

Changing your mailing address 162

Choosing an international phone plan 163

Bringing your Internet with you 164

Tying up loose ends 164

Applying for Travel Documents, Visas, and Permits 165

Obtaining your passport 165

Knowing if you need a visa for travel 166

Applying for visas 169

Extending your stay 170

Golden visas 172

Digital nomad visas 173

Chapter 10: Finding Housing Abroad 175

Checking Out the Different Housing Types 176

Short term: Just a few weeks or months 176

Long term: Settling in for a few months or longer 177

Private: Having the place all to yourself 178

Shared: Back to college dorm life 178

Co-living: Living in a community 179

Travel retreats: Joining a travel tribe 180

Alternative housing: Boats, treehouses, and beyond 181

House-swapping: The modern take on trading places 182

House-sitting: Taking care of someone else's place 183

Pet-sitting: Loving someone else's fur baby 183

Homestays 184

Planning Your Housing Search 184

Knowing what to look for in a rental property 185

Learning about a location 187

Searching for Housing 188

Short-term vacation rentals websites 188

Finding long-term housing 190

Facebook groups and forums 191

Local classifieds listings 193

Search engine strategies 193

Property management companies 194

Real estate offices 195

In-person searching 195

Reserving and Booking Your Housing 195

Negotiating the best price 196

Paying for housing 196

Avoiding scams 197

Getting your security deposit refunded 197

Chapter 11: Managing Travel Logistics 199

Making Your Adventure a Reality 199

Purchasing travel and health insurance 200

Joining travel rewards programs 200

Checking health requirements 201

Booking your flight 202

Packing your bags 204

Traveling with pets 208

Preparing for Departure and Arrival 209

Downloading Digital Nomad-Friendly Travel Apps 210

Lining Up Essential Services in Your Destination 211