How to Work Online and Travel the World

Work online and travel the world… For many, this is the dream.

Who wouldn’t like to have a job or start a company where they can work to their own schedule, travel the world, and afford luxuries they never thought possible.

In this day and age, this lifestyle doesn’t have to be just a dream.

Now that the world is globally connected, you can literally work from anywhere you take your laptop, or even just your smart phone!

In recent years this idea has been catching on, and more and more people are discovering and joining this lifestyle of freedom and opportunity. These people are known as “digital nomads”.

Often opting to travel between cities with a low cost of living, but great quality of life and internet, these individuals have learnt to get the most out of their money, and are now living lifestyles once thought to be exclusive to celebrities and the ultra-wealthy.

You too can live this lifestyle and its becoming easier than ever. As more and more businesses are going online, the amount of remote jobs available has been steadily rising. Or, if you’d like more freedom to work when you want, thanks to the growing gig economy, now’s a perfect time to start a career as a freelancer.

And, for those of you with an entrepreneurial spirit, using the power of the internet it’s possible to start a blog, online store or services company on a very small investment and grow it using free organic traffic like social media and SEO.

So, if you’re interested in joining the digital nomad revolution, here’s a great guide to get you started.

Types of Work

Remote Jobs

Thanks to the internet, it has now possible to do many jobs from home that used to be restricted to an office. Even some doctors and lawyers have ditched the office and are now running their entire practices from the comfort of their home, or luxury villa in paradise…

The idea used to be unthinkable, but many employers are now waking up to the benefits in allowing their employees to work remote. So, you might not even have to get a new job to pack your suitcase and move to a location with sunny beaches or rocky mountains. Many of the companies that have become flexible with where their employees can work from are reporting reduced employee turnover, higher productivity, and a decline in HR costs and overhead. So, if you go about it right, maybe you can ditch the office too.

If you have a job that could be worked remotely, read this article on how to convince your boss to let you work remotely.

But, if your boss is too old fashioned, or you’re ready for a job change, you’re in luck! The amount of remote jobs available has been growing for years. Just between 2012 and 2016, the number of people remotely working remotely four or five days a week rose from 24 to 31 percent.

If you’d like to take advantage of this trend, remoteok.io is a new job that gets over a dozen new openings per day. Who knows, one of the open listings might be perfect for you!

Freelancing

But why get a job, when you’re still going to have a boss to report too! That’s not freedom!
Many digital nomads share the same mindset of not wanting to answer to anyone. If you’re cut from the same loaf, the gig economy is growing, and with it, so is the opportunity for more people to come and get a slice of the freelancing pie.

To start as a freelancer, first decide on a specialty. If you already have an employable remote skill, then you’re set! But, if not, don’t worry. You could join a coding bootcamp and start work as a programmer, or pick up a course at Lynda and get into writing or design. Or, we have an excellent course o copywriting if you’d like to sell things for others.

Once you’re skilled up and ready for work, you could pick up the phone and start pitching your services to agencies and businesses, or, there are many freelance marketplaces like Freelancer.com that list thousands of gigs for you to choose from.

Entrepreneurship

Freelancing is great, but you’re still just selling your time for money. How about taking the leap into entrepreneurship and building an asset for yourself?

Why work for your money and watch the money stop when you stop, when you can create an asset that will keep income flowing even when you want to take a break?

Building a business used to be an expensive process, requiring huge upfront costs and reserves to absorbs losses until the business grew. These days, online businesses can be built for the same cost as a couple of cups of coffee, and launch immediately into profitability.

Sign-up to our site and head over to our members section to access piles of free guides to help you get started!

Where to Live

So now you’re finally free. You’ve got that job, or some clients for your business, and can now live wherever you want. But the worlds a big place! Where should you move too? If you’ve already got a dream destination, this question may be easy. But if you’re unsure, or want to compare options first, here’s some good criteria to rate places against:

• What’s the cost of living? What will my lifestyle be like?
• How are the locals towards foreigners and expats?
• Are reliable and fast internet connections available?
• What are the visa options available? How long can I stay?
• What activities and sights are there?

In the past, nomads had to simply travel to destinations and answer these questions themselves. Luckily, you won’t have too. Pieter Levels, a fellow nomad, has created an awesome site at NomadList.io, that ranks and details hundreds of cities, and provides the answers to all the questions above.

Some of the most popular destinations are Medellin in Colombia, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Bali in Indonesia. But you’d be surprised to see the affordability of many other amazing destinations. Prague is surprisingly cheap!

Where to Work

Wow, your dream is finally becoming a reality! Now that you’re at your destination and are ready to get busy, where do you set your laptop up to get some work done and afford your new lifestyle? Many digital nomads simply buy a coffee somewhere and make the coffee shop their office. Who wouldn’t like to work with the delicious smell of roasting coffee beans floating around! But if you like working around similarly motivated people, co-working spaces are on the rise! These are spaces where like-minded, location-free workers can find an office like location to concentrate and get work done. They also provided a great place to swap ideas with individuals of a similar mindset!

Checkout HUBUD in Bali, to get an idea of how amazing these places can be!

Of course, now that you’re free, if a bench at the beach or at a park suits your fancy instead, then go ahead! Or maybe you just want to work from your hotel room?

Sign Me Up!

If you’re ready to take life into your own hands and choose how you’ll live and work, we’ve got all the resources you need to help you get there. Join our community to speak to like-minded people and take a look at our stacks of free guides that will help you start living your own adventure.