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 Buying a SIM card 211 Exchanging money 212 Part 4: Living a Full and Healthy Life as a Digital Nomad 213 Chapter 12: Maintaining Your Health and Wellness 215 Staying Healthy on the Road 216 Being insured 216 Practicing good hygiene 216 Using protection 217 Drinking the water (or not) 217 Minimizing jet lag 218 Maintaining Your Physical Health 219 Eating healthy 219 Sleeping well 220 Exercising your way around the world 221 Getting sufficient sunshine and vitamin D 222 Reducing your alcohol intake 223 Maintaining Your Mental Health 223 Staying mindful 224 Embracing human connection 224 Talking it out 224 Taking time off for rest and self-care 224 Cheering yourself up 225 Comparing and Contrasting Health and Medical Insurance 226 International emergency travel medical insurance 226 International health insurance 228 Local tourist insurance for foreigners 230 Keeping your home country health insurance 231 Travel medical and health insurance for seniors 232 Best practices for purchasing insurance 232 Navigating Healthcare Systems in Foreign Lands 233 Finding medical care abroad 233 Chapter 13: Finding a Productivity and Work Life Balance 235 Achieving Peak Productivity as a Digital Nomad 235 Determining how much to work 236 Planning your remote workday and daily routine 237 Designating a workspace 238 Optimizing your productivity 239 Avoiding common productivity mistakes 240 Establishing a Healthy Work-Life Balance 241 Avoiding and recovering from remote work burnout 242 Combining work sprints with sabbaticals 244 Chapter 14: Meeting People and Making Friends 247 Meeting People In Real Life 247 Daily life abroad 248 Finding local events and things to do 248 Joining expat organizations 249 Meeting fellow travelers 250 Volunteering 251 Meeting the locals 251 Meeting People on the Job 253 Networking abroad 253 Finding a mentor 254 Cold contacting people 254 Joining a mastermind 254 Growing your own network 255 Meeting people through content creation 256 Becoming a Part of the Digital Nomad Community 256 Digital nomad conferences and events 257 Digital nomad Facebook groups 258 Digital nomad membership sites and forums 259 Virtual summits 259 Co-living arrangements 259 Dating as a Digital Nomad 260 Dating as a “settler” 260 Dating as a perpetual traveler 261 Staying Connected with Friends and Family 263 Chapter 15: Adapting to Life in a Foreign Country 265 Getting Settled In-Country 265 First things, first 266 Scoping out the neighborhood 266 Getting around 267 Receiving mail 268 Finding Internet anywhere 268 Riding the Cultural Adaptation Curve 269 Coping with culture shock 269 Learning a new language 272 Handling homesickness and loneliness 274 Ensuring Your Personal Safety and Security 275 Taking precautions 276 Planning for emergencies 278 Chapter 16: Succeeding Long Term in the Digital Nomad Lifestyle 281 Improving Your Odds of Success 281 Measuring what success means to you 282 Understanding why some digital nomads fail 283 Brushing up on the secrets to success 285 Developing Your Digital Nomad Exit Strategy 287 Remaining nomadic 288 Settling abroad 288 Returning home and experiencing reverse culture shock 288 Predicting Digital Nomad Migration Patterns and the Future of Work 290 Part 5: The Part of Tens 293 Chapter 17: Ten Tips for Success as a Digital Nomad 295 Getting Clarity on Why You Want to Become a Digital Nomad 295 Having a Reliable Source of Income 296 Taking Action on Your Career and Personal Goals 296 Achieving Work-Life Balance 297 Traveling at a Sustainable Pace 297 Creating a Daily Routine 297 Staying Open-Minded and Maintaining a Flexible and Resilient Attitude 298 Integrating with New Cultures 298 Finding a Community and Relying on Your Support System 299 Being Honest with Yourself and Reflecting Regularly 299 Chapter 18: Avoiding Ten Common Mistakes New Digital Nomads Make 301 Lacking Clarity on Goals and Your Why 302 Planning Too Much or Not Enough 302 Failing to Budget Accurately 303 Spending Too Much Time SightSeeing and Socializing 303 Traveling Too Fast 304 Struggling to Adjust to Different Cultures 304 Remaining Close-Minded and Inflexible 305 Being Unable to Cope with Occasional Loneliness 305 Inconsistent Daily Habits and Routines 306 Putting Others’ Opinions Ahead of Your Own 306 Chapter 19: More Than Ten Popular Destinations for Work and Play 307 Argentina 308 Bulgaria 308 Canary Islands, Spain 309 Croatia 309 Indonesia 309 Mexico 310 Portugal 310 Taiwan 311 Thailand 311 Van Life 312 Vietnam 312 United Arab Emirates 313 United States of America 313 Chapter 20: Ten (or So) Digital Nomad Visas 315 Bahamas BEATS 316 Belize Work Where You Vacation 316 Croatia Digital Nomad Visa 316 Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa 317 Estonia Digital Nomad Visa 317 Greece Digital Nomad Visa 317 Hungary White Card 318 Iceland Remote Work Visa 318 Malta Nomad Residence Permit 318 Mauritius Premium Visa 319 Romania Digital Nomad Visa 319 Index 321

• Travel & holiday

• Living & working abroad

• Travel & holiday guides

• Business travel

• General (US: Trade)

• Professional & Vocational

Height:234
Width:185
Spine:28
Weight:499.00