Simply sick of the same old same old

Don’t get me wrong, some people like routine and the comfort of their own bubble and i have no problem with this, i’m not a Jahover knocking on your door telling you to open your eyes but simply showing you what there is to hopefully inspire others to experience it for themselves. I personally can’t have the same day to day get up, go to work, visit local touristy places and repeat so i’ve made it a mission to visit a different City every month, some places i’m going back to but with a completely different mindset, I’m not going out for an extended holiday but to challenge myself into living like a local, the urban Bear Grylls surviving on my freelancer wage and eating bamboo to get by. It’s going to be tough and probably not very glamorous but that’s part of life.

Having something different daily, weekly or monthly is fantastic to the soul, it keeps our minds and spirit on their toes not knowing what’s coming round the corner. Not just for the health benefits but for pumping those happy cells throughout your body.

You’re the boss

You might already be fulltime freelance or a boss at a thriving agency but you’re not the boss of where you can go as you might always need to be grounded. Going fulltime Digital Nomad gives you a sense of what our ancestors might have felt, voyaging to unknown lands to find better settlements, we’re kind of doing that but in a modern sense, finding where the optimum place is to work whether you like cheap places, great internet, nightlife, quiet life, sun, sea, snow, whatever it is. Being your own boss whilst freelancing means you choose the time you work, you choose the clients and where you work.

Having this much freedom means you have a lot of power so be careful, not meaning to quote a classic SpiderMan film but there’s a lot of responsibility with what you do with that freedom, saying no to work is difficult but sometimes essential, you have that privilege when you’re your own boss.

Pick up New & Useful Skills

Once you’re up and running as a digital nomad you learn so much about yourself and new skills/Life hacks you can take with you. When you’re deep into a months stay in Florence, Italy and currently surviving on street pizza that seemed cheap at the time but is actually costing you half your food budget for breakfast ( you gotta try breakfast pizza, dream) then you learn to cook and prep like a boss pretty quickly.

Buying in local produce and meal prepping really helps you save the pennies and experience new recipes, or if you’re a live to eat person like me then you can have treats on weekends, checkout some of the awesome recipes our DNL team have cooked up previously. I normally prep and eat like a peasant Monday- Thursday with £25 food budget then go somewhere fancy on the weekend to feel like the prince I really am.

Aside from cookery skills, there are loads you’ll pick up without knowing, Language is a big one and fantastic to get around with if you know a little. Trying is always key, it’s internationally known that if you make an effort it goes a long way and often gets you into better positions. There’s so many websites and easy to use apps out there to help you get around and hopefully some will stick, i’ve used quite a few but Babbel is super easy to pick up whenever you’re free, there’s a lot of waiting around and time to yourself freelancing / travelling so use the time wisely! Others you might want to consider would be Duolino and this Google Translate Chrome Extension

Communication skills are so valuable especially if you’re relying on this as a job. Speaking with other Nomads and learning the way other people do things in their life and job could really help. I remember I was introduced to a site called ProductHunt a couple years ago and it’s my go-to now for anything to make my work life more streamlined and to better help my productivity.

Make New Connections / Friends

I love my little bubble of hometown friendships and clients but with most of them flying around and some staying home, I don’t feel like I need to look after the pubs of Leamington Spa anymore, yes there may be a drop in price for larger considering I’m gone but what I’m saying is you can always come home. Nomading in general or travelling puts you in the position that every single person that’s also travelling is in, you rock up to a Hostel/Airbnb, check in and the first thing you do is head straight to reception or bar and scope out to see if there’s anyone you can strike a conversation with, chances are they’ll be super friendly.

A friend and I once went to Pisa, Italy and our dorm roomie bowled in with a backpack the size of the country he was from. So we started chatting to the Ozzy and to hear some of the stories of where he’s been where he’s going were truly inspiring and it made us change our plans last minute. We still keep in touch to this day.

It’s not just friend connections but also potential work that you can find, you might be in a dorm with your next developer or graphic designer that can help on a project. Chances are with all of you in the same place for the same thing, it’s going to be a match made in heaven.

TRAVEL TO NEW PLACES

One of my main reasons along with the blessed fact I don’t have to be in one place to do my work is I can see somewhere online, hear a story from a friend or just spin the globe and randomly pick a place and go, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any work planned out there when you have continuous freelance work from other people around the world.

It’s a great chance to fully submerge yourself in the culture and take the chance to find work. I don’t believe in holiday’s in the traditional sense, I think every day should be a holiday and if you’re not doing what you love then you’re just wasting your time until you do.

I’ve set out a handful of places I really want to visit all around the globe ( or flat earth for those who are 2 cakes short of a picnic ) but I would never do them one after another, you need excitement and to constantly chase the next buzz, +  majority of the time when you’re travelling on your digital nomad spree, you’ll meet other like-minded people that invite you out or mention somewhere you have to go, you never know what’s around the corner.

great for the soul

Ok, let’s get spiritual. Your body and mind is a complex multitude of nerves, organs and aura’s that you need to feed just like you feed your appetite. I’m not overly religious (continually changing views ) and I think this is due to it being forced on me through school but I can see why people are, it’s a reason and a purpose. Travelling and doing what you enjoy with other high energy designers/creatives really gives you a sense of fulfilment which can’t be matched and only really likened to a religious being! Give it a go and let me know in the comments below.