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Digital Nomad

How to Travel Full-Time Without Going Insane

Tough life of a digital nomad

The challenges of a full-time traveller and digital nomad

Sometimes I think about how easy my old me used to navigate through everyday life. All I had to worry about was my job and what I would want to do afterwards or during the weekends. Today, every day looks different and I constantly have to organise every single day: where to sleep, what to eat and where to go next. Of course, this is one huge part of the travel fun and why I love being a full-time traveller! There is no one else to blame but me for the sometimes very exhausting and never-ending task of travel planning. Here is how life as a full-time traveller looks like… with all its facets, the good and the bad ones.

So, the real challenge of being a (digital) nomad is probably to become bad-ass in time-management, organizing and prioritizing things in everyday life. And this can become a really tough one, especially if you’ve decided to become a travel blogger on top of that! You then also have to cut out some time to write about all the things that you’ve just ticked off your sightseeing list. But don’t you worry, it’s all doable! Helpful sites like JetsetterJobs give you nowadays at least the option to search for local jobs in one place – one point on my to-do-list has become less stressful thanks to that! And then, there is always the advice: Just sit back and relax every once in a while!!

Lagoon of 7 Colours in Bacalar, Mexico
Napping is a wonderful way of getting organised and all sorted again! 🙂 

When I have these moments of exhaustion, I tell myself to remember how it was before I started to become a full-time traveller. And that puts me quickly back into perspective. Back then it was a lot worse than now because usually, the constant feeling of being exhausted would not go away. So I’ve decided to look at it that way: I think, it’s a natural reaction to feel exhausted every now and then when you are doing some serious travelling. But I know by now that I would miss the road a lot more than my sofa and blanket which I usually imagine in those weak moments. What I am trying to say is that you have to be organised no matter what you do in life, even if it’s “JUST” travelling.

Mayan Ruins in Tulum, Mexico
This is an example of BAD travel planning skills by the way: I got very late to the ruins in Tulum and am one of the hundreds of other visitors, which usually never looks very nice on your pictures! Gah!

Plan your trip ahead of time!

It’s one big piece of learning that I can share with you after having travelled full-time for four years: make a travel plan before you start. If you invest this extra bit of time in front of your computer before you leave for a new destination, you will save a lot of time and money when you get there! At least try to get an idea about the accommodation prices, so that you can negotiate confidently on arrival. We don’t always book ahead but knowing the average price helps a lot in order to not accept foolishly high prices that mostly get offered to people who arrive with their luggage in their hands….

Then try to think about what you want to do and what not when you get there. Keep in mind, everyone has a different taste. So when you read about “must-sees” in guidebooks or on travel sites, be sceptical…It sometimes really only means that there was a passionate writer behind that list. In the end, you need to decide for yourself and choose the things that personally interest you the most. Skip that church or museum if you’d rather spend another day hiking in the mountains, for example. When you travel full-time it’s so much more worth to go slow and see half of the things in one place in order to really enjoy your stay. No regrets skipping things!

Mayan Ruins in Uxmal, Mexico
Priceless views like this make my life complete!

A Typical Day in a Life of a Nomadic Travel Blogger:

In case it sounds like a nomadic lifestyle is pure fun and all about non-stop sight-seeing, there is an intent to describe a typical day. Although it’s not very easy to do so, there is hardly one day that looks like the other…

  • WAKE UP! I usually get up between 7 and 8 o’clock in the morning. This might sound obvious but I still put it out there: We all have to get out of bed! That’s right, no matter what we do in life, we all have to get up and make it happen. If you are a nomad like me, your time is under your own management and sleeping in is a no go (with some occasional exceptions of course J). But sleep-ins only mean that you are losing time to achieve your goals. So, nope, get up and exercise and afterwards, you deserve a big breakfast.
  • LET’S GET SOME WORK DONE: Around 9am I open my computer and spent a couple of hours online: answering emails, being active on preferably all my social media accounts, checking house sitting options for our next destination(s), browsing volunteering positions and trying to find a perfect route with stops in places that are of interest to us; I try to skype and keep in touch with as many friends and family members as possible. Apologies for this part, I sometimes suck in keeping up with my email correspondence, but I do love and miss you all!
  • LUNCHTIME: Later on comes one of my favourite parts of travelling: go out to find some local food. I love to get to know different flavours and I am always interested in typical dishes from the places that we visit.
Lunch Time in Guatemala City
Guatemala City was not only because of the food a very pleasant visit, but the people and the city’s vibrant energy also got us hooked.
  • PLAY HARD/WORK HARD: The afternoon and evening is usually the time for exploring, going to the beach, doing some sight-seeing or simply more working on my online projects. It really depends on where we are. If we, for example, stay for more than one or two days in one place, we usually use this part of the day to get to know the location or do some sort of typical activity there. In the case of a longer stay, we usually spend our afternoons and evenings working. Yep, that’s right!
My Office for the in Belize
One of the reasons why I nowadays don’t longer mind working on a sunny day…

Are you made for a nomadic life and travel full-time?

You never know before you try it! Isn’t that a saying? Here is the thing: Before I started out to travel the world, I had no idea that there was such a thing called ‘Digital Nomad Lifestyle’. Only after a bit of researching for options to keep travelling and after meeting people on the road, I realised that there is already a huge community of people around the world that live according to this (new) concept of living. I had no idea how ‘normal’ it sounds to some people who have already been following this lifestyle for some time. I’m so naive sometimes! And I would go as far as to say that this alternative way of thinking will be a new era and has become a new standard of living for a considerable amount of people. It is connected to the fact that the internet gives us the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world. And why not do so if you can!?

If you need more reasons to join the travel life, check out Stephen and Jane’s post about their Best Travel Experiences from 20 Years of Travel.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Digital Hotspots according to DNX Global:

  1. BERLIN, GERMANY
  2. CHIANG MAI, THAILAND
  3. HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON), VIETNAM
  4. MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA
  5. BARCELONA, SPAIN
  6. BALI, INDONESIA
  7. GRAN CANARIA, SPAIN
  8. BANGKOK, THAILAND
  9. BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
  10. SAN FRANCISCO, USA

Open-minded and creative people who work online and let go of certain paradigms that they were taught by society, take the decision to live a life according to their own terms. Especially people who love to travel embrace the fact that there are certain jobs where it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. This is a big movement, I believe, and I think it will revolutionise the entire work/career standards. Actually, I think it is already happening, considering that there are co-working spaces around the world that are built especially for Digital Nomads. Conferences, Seminars and Workshops attract a huge crowd in many places around the globe. If you consider working remotely while travelling the world, check out the following two pages where you find events to connect with like-minded people and companies:

Paradise Beach in Lighthouse Reef, Great Blue Hole of Belize
Imagine you can take a dip here after work…

Will a nomadic life ever end?

Honestly, I don’t know. Perhaps it all will have to come to an end one day. I like to think about it differently though. Perhaps also because I no longer feel like I would ‘fit in’. Home seemed to be the only option, it was a safe place where all made sense. Everything far and unknown sounded always a bit too far and too scary. Society used to be familiar, standards used to be acceptable and the ‘common way’ made perfect sense to me. But this all turned upside down. Today it sometimes scares me more when thinking about going back to a ‘normal’ life than packing my bags again without knowing how the next destination looks like.

Ever since I bought that one-way ticket though and decided to travel full-time, I feel happy. I am chasing the sun because I hate the cold and I am addicted to seeing what else is out there. What helps me a lot when I have a moment of exhaustion, is to appreciate the wonderful and unique moments that I get from travelling. Every time when I see the ocean, climb a mountain, visit thousands of years old monument or look into the eyes of smiling people from different countries, I feel rewarded. In these moments I tell myself that I would not want to change a thing in my life. They get me going and show me, that I am doing exactly what I love the most in life.

I am fighting for this alternative road that I chose four years ago. I’m convinced that one has to choose the life that makes the most sense to oneself, no matter what others say and no matter how challenging it sometimes can be. But for all you wanderlust souls out there: Keep moving, as long as it keeps you being moved every once in a while!

Sunrise in Bacalar, Mexico
One example of what keeps me going and why I love to travel full-time. This is what I call my life today…

Happy Travels to you all! And share this article if you know someone who would appreciate it! Thanks!

By Julia Jerg

Julia is the founder and chief editor of Jey Jetter, a site that showcases the option of working remotely and travel as much as you like. Julia is a former PR/marketing consultant who turned into a remote working social media manager, travel writer and public speaker living location independently since 2011. She has been to 86 countries on all 6 continents and lived in several different countries for more than six months. Her laptop is her office and the label 'digital nomad' fits best to describe her lifestyle. On this site, she writes about personal freedom, remote work and her passion for travelling.

10 replies on “How to Travel Full-Time Without Going Insane”

Hi Jey,

I’m so happy that I found your blog! My name is Ruthie and I’m a part time blogger based in Florida. My blog is mainly about my travels around Florida and I highlight the great city I live in, St. Pete, FL.

WOW! I’m impressed with the life you have build. But I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind. Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

I currently work Monday – Thursday full time and on some Fridays and Saturdays, I assist my husband with our restaurant business that we opened up in May of last year. I work about 50 hours or so a week. I want to be able to blog more, but by the time I get home I’m so exhausted of working. I find myself bringing my laptop to the restaurant to do some work whether it be writing a post, answering emails or being on social media.

How can someone like myself with 2 jobs, work my way to becoming a full time travel blogger? What steps do you suggest that I take in order to achieve this goal?

I’m looking forward to hearing back from you!

Sincerely,

Ruthie (aka RuthiesRoutes)

Hey Ruthie,

thank you so much for leaving this comment here! It is really great to read that you find my site inspiring, that is exactly my intention!

And WOW to you too: two jobs, a husband and part-time travel blogging…this is a lot! I just checked out your page and find it fantastic that you do this in your spare time, it looks really great!

Travel blogging is a very time-consuming occupation and I find it hard to cut out time for it sometimes too. I guess, it is all about how bad you want it though and how much you enjoy it. If you are a real passionate writer then the task of writing will bring you more pleasure than annoyance. Anything that you are passionate about is somehow easier to ‘fit in’, compared with tasks that you don’t enjoy so much… So that would be the first thing to answer honestly to yourself, is it something that you really enjoy?

And if you decide to commit full-time, then you’d probably need to set up a schedule and organise your time very well. There are great tools for automated social media work like Buffer or HootSuite but they won’t help you writing your articles. Set up a routine as if going to the gym on Tuesdays. You could say, on Wednesday I don’t see friends, go to the movies etc, it’s blogging day.

Also, try to connect with as many bloggers as possible, they are usually very social people, open and happy to help one another out!

I hope you will achieve your goals and make yourself what you like to be. Good luck with it and please keep me posted, how it goes!!

Happy travels to you, Jey

I definitely agree with work hard, play hard. I’m also an early riser. I find that you get more done by getting up early, and if you are out and about early you avoid the con artists that you often find!

Thanks Renate, really glad that you enjoy it and so grateful for positive feedback! Your site looks great too btw, just started following!!! Happy travels

These are such great tips! I hear about people just getting up and going and I am usually in shock. How can you not waste so much of your valuable traveling time when you’re trying to figure out what to do for hours every day?

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