Live as a Digital Nomad with the Help of Remote Virtual Staff – Here Is How!
Working at the same boring 9-5 job and returning home and repeating it every day. No one wants to live a lifestyle like that anymore. Suppose you have to choose between a 9-5 job or work as a digital nomad where you can work from anywhere worldwide and work at your own pace. In that case, I bet most of you will choose to work as a digital nomad, whether you are a freelance photographer who travels around capturing beautiful moments, wildlife, or culture or a writer who loves travelling, exploring the world for new experiences and writing stories to tell everyone about your journey.
A digital nomad can be anyone who is working independently from anywhere around the world, like a YouTuber, business owner, social media influencer, digital marketer, etc. Being a digital nomad, you don’t have to live in one place permanently. You are free to go anywhere. Most digital nomads find a place like a hostel, a rented room, or an Airbnb to spend their days while working. Some even use their RV or camping vans to work and travel simultaneously. This also saves the cost of renting a room.
This sounds fascinating and is too good to be true. Your traditional office job is not the only way to earn. Becoming a digital nomad and working from anywhere worldwide while maintaining a sustainable income is a new way of working.
What Does It Look Like Being a Digital Nomad?
Many people will ask you, ‘What do you do?’ Most of the time, a digital nomad might be seen posting photos on an island enjoying a nice beach with drinks or at a mountain with some scenic view. The life of a digital nomad is full of adventures, discovering new people, cultures, knowledge, working environments, and more. The possibilities are limitless, and you are not bound by anything. You can create a lifestyle that many people dream of.
To work as a digital nomad, you don’t need to live in a certain place. You can work from different locations. You can choose whether you want to:
- Work from home
- Work online and travel or
- Find a co-working hub
The most common nomadic working lifestyle is one and two as people prefer to work from the comfort of their house, and some want to travel the world while they work.
Also read: What is an E-commerce Virtual Assistant or E-Commerce VA?
How to Work As a Digital Nomad?
It’s not rocket science to work as a digital nomad in this century. First, you need to choose a career and skill set that allows you to work and travel from anywhere without any restrictions. The most common career path for a digital nomad can be a freelance writer, editor, photographer, blogger, or content creator. These people are free to travel anywhere and work at the same time. A digital nomad’s best friend is a laptop and a place with an internet connection. With new technologies, it has become easier to be a digital nomad.
Find Your Passion
Like any other work, you first need to discover yourself and decide whether you want to work as a digital nomad or not. What do you wish to work on, and how do you want to work? Finding your passion is the first step to begin your career. You can do some brainstorming to learn about your interests and hobbies. Are you good at writing, can you make complicated subjects easier for students, do you like to create and edit videos? There are endless possibilities, just choose the one you find interesting.
Savings
If you wish to travel the world and work, firstly, you need to have some savings. You can find part-time work or freelancing to save up some money before leaving your comfort. Most nomads struggle after a while because of a lack of funds and a constant income source. It will take time to generate a decent, sustainable income source. Most of your expenses will be gone in travel, rent, and food. Make sure you have enough savings to sustain for months if living outside your country.
Place To Work
Being a digital nomad doesn’t mean you are homeless or don’t have a place to stay and work. Nomads may travel more often, but they find a place to stay from where they can work. The most common working environments for a digital nomad include working from home, co-working hubs with other nomads, or renting places. Staying expenses is the biggest challenge they have to face when staying. Choose the workplace that suits your budget and conditions. Renting an Airbnb can cost a lot more than finding hostels or sharing rooms.
Build Network
Working as a nomad is quite challenging as you will be completely isolated from the outside world. You may miss the chance to meet new people and find new opportunities. Constantly moving places can make it hard to build meaningful connections. You often face homesickness and disconnect from your friends and family. Join digital nomad communities and groups to meet like-minded people to work with. Connect with people from different countries and cultures to build your network and find new opportunities.
Also read: How Do You Hire a Shopify Virtual Assistant or a Shopify VA?
Challenges Faced By Digital Nomads
Like any other work, digital nomads also have to face challenges. It’s all fun, but there are times when you will feel tired and frustrated. Nomads can work alone or in a team. Some nomads prefer to hire a virtual assistant who can help them in need.
Isolation and Loneliness
Oftentimes, digital nomads have to face isolation and loneliness. Finding real connections can be tough as you are constantly on the move. If you have a family then travelling with them won’t be possible. The feeling of distance and separation from your loved ones can lead to homesickness. Meet people and try building connections with them. Stay in touch with your family and friends. Modern technology can help you deal with isolation, as well as compensate for the social life that we may require more of. Consider using some of the online networks that allow you to connect with people. Some of the websites will also enable face-to-face interactions between nomads and expats.
Inconsistent Network
Whether you are a writer or content creator, the Internet is the only way to stay connected to the world. You will be living in isolated beaches or mountains where having a stable internet connection will be a challenge. For a digital nomad, a stable internet connection is a must. Without the internet, you are just helpless. Oftentimes, you won’t find a stable connection in remote areas. Depending upon your location, you will face connection issues that will interrupt your work and productivity. Make sure you stay at a place where you can find a stable internet connection that won’t affect your work.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Working as a nomad might seem fun as you get to travel and work from anywhere, but that’s not the case. You will be struggling to maintain a balanced work-life. Becoming a working nomad involves establishing your working hours. The number of hours you work will vary according to your workload. Many of us who choose the nomadic lifestyle struggle to strike the right work-life balance, especially at the start of our careers. As an option, consider creating the daily plan that works best for you. You can work on specific days of the week, hours of the day, or exclusively during particular times of the year, depending on your personal/professional routines and relationship with your clients. Don’t miss out on your life while working. Enjoy your life and explore the world while you work.
Finances and Tax
The most common challenge faced by any nomad is to maintain sufficient balance. You might be making some money while travelling, but maintaining a sustainable cash flow is important. It is not advisable to begin your digital nomad lifestyle without enough money in your bank. To resolve this issue, you have to find some good clients who are paying you well. Also, different countries have different tax systems that you need to know about. Before going to any country, try to educate yourself about the country, like what’s the minimum income you need to sustain a decent lifestyle and their tax system. Once you are aware of these, then you can decide which country you want to work from.
Burnouts and Mental Pressure
Constant travel and work can cause burnout and fatigue. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while travelling should be your priority. Finding a balance between work and life is important. Moreover, staying away and being isolated for a long time can cause an emotional ride. You won’t have anyone to share your feelings or talk to. Don’t get so indulged in your work that you forget to take some time out for yourself. Get enough rest and sleep, eat a healthy diet, practice exercise, socialise with people, and don’t forget to take a break from your busy life.
Recommended Reading: What is a Social Media Digital Assistant or Social Media VA?
Helping Hand With Virtual Assistant
Now, you have the idea of who digital nomads are and what their lifestyle looks like, but often, they need someone who can help them with their work. If you are a business owner, then you need someone to assist you while you are busy doing other work. Even if you are a freelancer or solo entrepreneur, you need someone to look after your day-to-day tasks. Let’s talk about how a virtual assistant can help a digital nomad.
Enhance Productivity
Even though you can manage your work, what if there are days when you are unable to work? Let’s say you have a product-based business, but doing small tasks like managing products, social media, and making calls with customers and clients need to be taken care of while you are focused on other aspects of your business. If you try to manage everything alone, then surely you will have to face slow productivity. Having a helping hand like a virtual assistant can deal with all the day-to-day tasks, maintaining a smooth workflow and enhancing productivity.
Save Money
Hiring employees can seem like an expensive nightmare, complete with benefits packages, healthcare, and overpriced office setups. Fortunately, virtual assistants provide a no-strings-attached alternative to your staffing needs. Many virtual assistants operate on an hourly or project basis, so you only pay for the services you use. Have a week with fewer administrative tasks? You’re not stuck with full-time in-house employees. Plus, because most virtual assistants work remotely, there’s no need to set up an office or provide them with equipment.
Customer Support
Whether you are running a small or big business, customers are a crucial part of it. If your customers are not satisfied, then it can cause big trouble to your business. Managing customer queries and solving their issues can be frustrating and time-consuming. Whether you are selling products or any services, you need to get ready to deal with customers. But hiring a virtual assistant for this will solve most of your problems as you won’t be the one to manage customer services. They will help you solve customer problems via calls or chats.
Managing Socials and Crafting Content
Content is king, and growing any business needs an online presence. For example, if you are running a cloud kitchen business, you may get decent customers, but you are limited to your locality. If you want to grow your business further, you need to do some online advertisements on social media like Facebook or Instagram. Crafting creative content for your business needs brainstorming and time. Remote staff can make this work easier for you. They can handle your social media and create engaging content for your business to attract more attention and grow your business.
Balanced Work-Life
If you are a content creator who is travelling creating videos and editing then a day in your life could be a mess. As a digital nomad, most of your time is spent travelling and working, which leaves you with no time to spend with yourself or your family. You have to manage most of your work alone,e leading to frustration and exhaustion. If you have a helping hand,d like a remote assistant who will manage most of your daily tasks, then you won’t have an irregular day. You don’t have to work overtime with pressure to finish your daily tasks because you already have someone who is there to do everything so you can have a balanced work-life.
Whether you are a digital nomad business owner or a freelancer, having a virtual assistant by your side can make your work easier. As a digital nomad, you need to work smart and live your life. You will be traveling and working around the world, so having someone who can assist you while you can enjoy and do other tasks is a gem. A virtual assistant will not only help you with day-to-day tasks but will help you grow your business so you can live your dream life and maintain a balanced work life. Hire a remote staff because let’s all be real here: you can’t handle every work alone.
Learn more about: Identify Tasks You Can Afford to Outsource