Life as a Digital Nomad is an amazing adventure, but you need to be prepared. We put together the following guide to ensure you have all your needs met when pursuing this lifestyle.
You'll find everything you need from remote job boards to productivity tools. Follow these suggestions and you'll be well on your way to happily living and working abroad!
Note: For more information about the Digital Nomad lifestyle, check out our How to Be a Digital Nomad - Your Complete Guide blog post.
(Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. We get a small commission on these links if you sign up or make a purchase. You get quality recommendations at no extra charge to you, so it's a win-win!)
Finding Locations: The following sites provide insights into the best places to be a Digital Nomad.
Nomad List: Nomad List does a great job providing lots of stats on the top locations, from weather to cost of living to safety.
International Living: This site offers extensive information & research on the most desirable and affordable places to live around the world.
Budget Travel: Provides additional ideas for affordable overseas destinations.
Freelance Sites: A great way to earn a living (or supplement your income) is by freelancing. You can use these sites to find freelance work or to hire other freelancers:
Upwork: Upwork is a result of a merger between oDesk and eLance, resulting in the top freelancing site in the world. They offer jobs for designers, writers, translators, marketers, and much more.
Fiverr: While Fiverr is a smaller network than Upwork, it provides additional freelancing opportunities in design, writing, marketing and more.
99 Designs: Whether you're a designer yourself or you want to hire a designer, 99 Designs is the best platform for design work.
Remote Job Boards: These job board sites specialize in remote working opportunities:
We Work Remotely: This is one of the top sites for finding jobs that you can do remotely, from programming to customer support to copywriting.
Flexjobs: Flexjobs offers a number of telecommuting and freelance opportunities with a wide range of companies.
Working Nomads: Created specifically for digital nomads, this site curates the top jobs for working remotely.
Co-Working Spaces: Here are a number of options for co-working spaces where you can get access to Internet, desk space, and collaboration with other digital nomads.
Asia: The top co-working spaces in SE Asia include Hubud in Bali, Punspace and Phuket STASH in Thailand, and Angkor Hub in Cambodia.
Europe: Check out Impact Hub throughout Europe, Mutinerie in France, and Porto i/o in Portugal.
South America: The best option is Co-Work with locations in Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay.
Accommodations: Here are some great options for places to stay throughout the world.
Co-Work Spaces w/ Accommodations: Try these co-work places with full accommodation options -- Coconat Space in Germany, Mutinerie in France, and Surf Office in Lisbon, Canary Islands & Santa Cruz, CA.
Nomad Packages: Remote Year is a really cool program where you live and work in 12 different cities around the world over the course of a full year. Or check out Coworking-Camps which brings together digital nomads in inspiring & exotic locations.
Hostels: Another inexpensive option for housing are hostels. The #1 hostel locator is Hostelworld with over 30 thousand hostels in 170 countries!
Productivity Tools: Here are some of the best tools to help you to be more effective & efficient with your work:
Communication Tools: Some of the best ways to communicate with others is with Skype, Slack, Google Hangouts, and Viber.
Time Management: RescueTime is a really cool tool to show you how you're spending your time online and provides tools to help you be productive.
Internet: Use Boingo to connect to over 1 million Wifi hotspots worldwide.
Projects: Try Asana for managing projects and tracking work for teams.
Cloud Storage: Your two best options are Dropbox (free or pay for more storage) and Google Drive (free).
