In just a few days I’ll be delivering a few presentations on the concept of being a digital nomad. I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous about a topic. I think it is largely because the idea of being a digital nomad is so broad and almost defies definition to so many. But over the next month I hope to bring about some of the finer points of this type of lifestyle and what it takes to start, maintain, and succeed at.
When I think back to my first experience traveling alone or from a backpack I smile from ear-to-ear. Travel as a 25-year old was so much simpler. I was armed with a 3,870 cubic inch internal frame backpack and I was set to explore 50 states in 50 weeks. I was part of a mission team so I wasn’t exactly alone but much of what I did was singular in nature and certainly a new adventure. Even as a missionary I had primarily pleasure on my mind. After all, I was exploring the open road of the US. In my backpack was a few changes of clothes, a basic point-and-click camera, my Bible, a journal, a few pens, and my 13″ MacBook. When I wanted to eat, I ate. When I wanted to explore, I explored. When I was tired, I slept. When I wanted to lay back and prop up my feet, I did so. I more or less did things as I wanted to or as I felt led to and was limited only by my savings account.
Things have changed though. In the 14 years since I have been married, started a family, discovered the tiny house community, held jobs, etc. 17 months ago though I hit the road as a digital nomad working in a location-independent role. My job is 100% Internet-reliant. In days gone by I hardly had anything online other than an email account and a MySpace account that I rarely used. But now I do everything in business and pleasure online. In fact, as I write this I am sitting at a small booth outside the shower and laundry room facilities at a Pilot Travel Center in central Kansas. So before when the Internet was down I would just go explore the area I was in or pick up a book to read a few pages, etc. My life now though is all too familiar with poor connections, over-used cellular data packages, and random hours at greasy fast food chains just off the Interstate. The web has become my lifeblood and without it I put myself, my family, and my job at risk. Imagine a grown man staring at a spinning wheel of death waiting for a WordPress page to load and then giving an audible expression of agreement when it does. Yeah. It’s not pretty sometimes!
So why even mess with it? I’ll explore that. Trust me. It is a big component in being a digital nomad and deserving of its own post almost. In the meantime though it is important to preface all digital nomad discussion with the challenge it presents. The balance of work and play can sometimes be mind-numbing on the road. In a couple of situations I have been sitting at a campground picnic table watching my wife and daughter swimming and having a good time or getting up early to beat the breakfast crowd at Chick-fil-A and get a table for the next few hours. It’s not for the weak at heart. It requires steely determination and sometimes more concentration than you would typically display in a corporate office. If I ditch work hours to explore I get behind on work and ultimately pay a penance. But if I work all the time and ignore my surroundings I end up feeling like I have escaped nothing and am just living my once “normal” life but on the road from a much smaller suitcase.
That and more is what I hope to bring to the Tiny House Jamboree in just a few days. I hope to debunk the myth of the working gypsy and show how being a digital nomad means you are location-independent and have the option of relocating – whether you do or not! I also hope to shed light on some Apps, software, tools, that I use regularly and that help me in my endeavors. But I ask you. What do you want to know about being a digital nomad? What perplexes you about being location-independent yet still able to pursue career goals?