How to Make The World Your Office
Guest Post by: Tina Martin
If the type of work you do allows you to work from home, why not make home wherever you want it to be? And that home doesn’t have to be one place, it can be multiple places anywhere on the globe. The only requirement is access to the world wide web and nowadays, that’s nearly everywhere.
If this sounds like the kind of life for you, then welcome to the digital nomad life. There are some things to consider first before you sell your furniture and renew your passport. Today,
Simple Sasquatch is here to walk you through the process.
Wi-Fi is Requirement Number One
Many places in the world censor Wi-Fi so in order to ensure you can access the websites you want it’s important to download a good VPN, or
virtual private network before you leave. Although it’s easy to find out what countries have the fastest or slowest Wi-Fi, a lot will depend on where in that country you want to work. How much you pay for internet service will vary from country to country and even city to city in the same country.
Setting Up Your Business
If you’re serious about becoming a digital nomad, you should hire a good accountant who specializes in working with people who live overseas. Some people set up their companies in
digital-nomad-friendly countries like Singapore and Hong Kong to reduce their tax bills.
You might also consider creating a DBA ("doing business as") name for your company.
A DBA name makes it easier to branch out into new services if you want to sell products under a different name, and if a domain for your business isn't available, you can market your services under a different name.
You’ll want to get paid for your work no matter where you are. Using invoicing software can help you keep accurate books and get paid faster. Look for software that allows customers to pay online through your invoice, gives you alerts the moment customers view and pay invoices, and offers scheduled invoices for recurring payments.
Where to Stay
Airbnb.com is where most digital nomads go when looking for a place to stay for a month or two, while Booking.com is the best hotel & hostel search engine.
Digital nomads are not well understood in many parts of the world, and the laws are not set up to accommodate them. Since digital nomads are not taking jobs away from locals – which is what work visas try to prevent – the answer most digital nomads give when immigration asks what they’re doing in their country is “tourist”. Some countries like Barbados, Bermuda, and even Germany have created special remote work visas for digital nomads. A list of all the countries offering them is
here.
There are ways to save money on your travel like renting out your home or subletting your apartment, traveling during non-peak hours, and relying on locals for the best places to eat, shop, and find entertainment.
What Kind of Work Lends Itself to the Nomad Life
If you’re already working from home, you may first want to ask your company if you can work internationally. If not, you can search on
portals like Fluent U, or for more contracted labor jobs, check out Indeed, VirtualVocations,
We Work Remotely, FlexJobs and
LinkedIn.
As
Head For Horizons states, “Being able to stick around somewhere and become a local will totally expose you to deeper connections and experiences. You can truly get to know a place, the people who live there, and become part of a community, instead of just brushing the surface with a holiday.”
Thinking Long Term
If you try your hand at this and find that the life of a digital nomad is exactly what you’ve been looking for, the final step will be to plan for the future. Using social media to advertise your services is a great way to expand your client list, but you should also consider advancing your education to give yourself an additional advantage. Pursuing
an MBA degree is a great idea because it’ll make you more marketable and thanks to the flexibility of online programs, you can pursue your education with the same scheduling freedom you enjoy in your work life!
While the life of a digital nomad isn’t necessarily for everyone, for some it’s an excellent chance to live independently and experience the world on your own time. Getting started may seem intimidating at first, but ultimately, it’s just a matter of researching your options and planning in advance.
Simple Sasquatch is dedicated to providing simple answers to the questions that weigh you down. If you have any
questions, don’t hesitate to ask!