Being a Digital-Nomad isn't about sitting on a beach
We've all seen the adverts. A woman sits in a cafe in Paris, laptop on the table, developing software for some unknown employer to earn money as she travels around the world. A man sits on a beach, laptop open, wind in his hair, tapping away at the keyboard while beautiful women in tiny bikinis splash in the sea before him. Ah, the life of the digital-nomad is a dream!
Reality is a bitch. There is too much noise and activity in a cafe for a developer to concentrate. It's impossible to see the screen of your computer under the bright sun of beach. What do you do with your laptop when you want to go to the bathroom or join the bikini clad women in the sea? Is there wifi at that cafe? Is there a mobile internet signal on that beach? Is there a power outlet. Will someone try to distract you and steal your laptop, smartphone, wallet, backpack, etc? Did you bring your own beach chair (on a jet) or did you rent one for 10 or 20 euros (that you need to work longer to pay for)?
How much time did it take you for to travel to that exotic destination, find a SIM chip, find a place to stay, discover where you can get supplies, learn to use the local public transit, or reschedule your cancelled flight? What if you suddenly need to call into the office? Does your smartphone work in your current location? What if you planned on attending that conference call from the airport, but your jet is late and you haven't landed yet? What about 6, 7, 8, or more timezone differences between you and your employer?
The life of the media imagined digital-nomad doesn't work because it misses the complexity of changing countries and completely ignores the fact that good workers are predictably available for contact and work faithfully. You can't do either while traveling around the world, at least not as the media imagined digital-nomad.
I've been a digital-nomad for 5 years. I have been successful at it. However, my success comes from completely ignoring the media imagined life of a digital-nomad. I didn't wake up one day and say to myself, "Steve, imagine being that relaxed digital-nomad sitting on a beach working while bikini clad women frolic in the sea before you!" My transition to being a digital-nomad began accidentally, by losing my passport in Montreal and needing to work until I could have a new passport issued. I overcame some minor inconveniences to work from Montreal, at great expense, but I learned that it could be done.
I began experimenting. Could I pull-off a week in Iceland, work in a way that no one would notice that I've left the USA, and return with no-one the wiser? I researched what I would need. I book a room where I could sleep and work. I worked when my coworkers worked, on their timezone. I only explored or had fun when work had stopped back at home or before work began. I did my greatest exploring on the weekend. In essence, I made one location my office, I worked responsibly, and I explored without my laptop on my free time. I found that this was workable.
In time, I made longer adventures to other countries. Each time I took care that I had a reliable quiet place to work from. I worked normal hours on the same timezone as my office. I separated work time from play/explore time.
As I've traveled the world, I've often returned to the same reliable locations for working, branching off weekends to explore nearby places of interest or nearby countries. I've always embraced the realization that none of this is possible without work. Working productively must be the first priority. Everything else needs to be built around that pillar.
To be a successful digital-nomad you must work harder than your coworkers at home because you not only need to do the work expected of you, you must work to make that work possible. There are many problems to overcome at each destination. Unless you enjoy solving problems, sometimes at unexpected times, then the digital-nomad life is not for you.