Your guide to becoming a digital nomad

When your whole job can be done with just a laptop and an internet connection, it can feel a bit silly to work from an office or your kitchen table when you could, instead, work from a jungle lodge in Costa Rica, a mountainside ranch in Montana, or a matcha shop in Tokyo. While it’s highly romanticized, becoming a digital nomad can also be daunting. The lifestyle is immensely rewarding, but not without challenges—take it from someone who lived it for four years. The good news is that getting started is easier than you might think. Here’s how to decide whether nomading is right for you, prepare for your first trip, choose a destination, and make the lifestyle last. 

Key takeaways

• Test the digital nomad lifestyle first with a 1-2 month trip and see if it works for you. 
• Lock in a remote job or paying clients and give yourself a financial cushion before you hit the road.
• Choosing the right destination and place to stay will have a big impact on your experience — nomad hotspots are a good place to start. 
• To make the lifestyle sustainable, prioritize slower travel, work-life boundaries, downtime, and deliberate community building.  

Is the digital nomad lifestyle right for you?

Truthfully, the digital nomad lifestyle isn’t for everyone. There are pros and cons of the digital nomad life, but it also comes down to your individual needs and personality.

The pros of the digital nomad life include an ability to: 

• see the world without sacrificing a paycheck
• freely choose (and change) your location
• experience different cultures, people, environments, and perspectives
• travel at a slower pace, with more time for rest and deeper immersion in a destination
• tap into a community of like-minded travelers 

But it’s not without its cons. Nomading can also: 

• cause money stress if your income isn’t stable or your expenses and cost of living vary widely from place to place
• increase loneliness and make it difficult to build and maintain close relationships
• lead to burnout from constant logistics management, settling into new places constantly, and balancing work with the urge to explore 

Some things to consider as you decide whether nomading is right for you: How comfortable are you with unpredictability and change? How much structure and routine do you need?

The great news is there’s no harm in trying it out. You can trial the digital nomad lifestyle with a shorter trip (think: a month or two) to a single city. I first started with a two-month trip to Costa Rica where I realized nomading was definitely for me. I headed home to reset, re-pack, and then chose my next destination. If possible, do this before making any irreversible changes like quitting a job or giving up your lease.

Your digital nomad checklist: how to get started

If the digital nomad life is calling to you, follow these next steps to get started. 

• Lock in a job or income source. It’s a good idea to have your remote job sorted (including seeking approval from your employer, if necessary) or, if you’re self-employed, an up-and-running business or at least one paying client before you head out. This can help you budget accordingly and also reduce stress as you start to travel and have a lot of other things to figure out. 
• Build a financial cushion. Because you’re working while traveling, you don’t need as much savings as you might before heading out on a gap year or long vacation and work hiatus. Still, it’s a good idea to have a reserve of backup cash—a few months’ worth of living expenses and a buffer for flights, security deposits, etc.—before you leave home.
• Choose your first destination. Important things to consider: the vibe of the place (i.e., beachy, city), cost of living, time zone, and entry or visa requirements and remote work rules (which you should investigate before committing, not after). More on how to choose, below.   
• Book your accommodation. Book ahead of time,  ideally, through a platform with flexible terms so you can extend, shorten, or swap your stay if possible. Hostels and co-living spaces are great for making friends, while fully equipped apartments offer more space and privacy. 
• Handle any important logistics. First, apply for any necessary visas; some countries now offer designated digital nomad visas. It’s a good idea to get travel insurance to cover any unexpected costs like medical care, theft, lost luggage, or issues with your lodging. Some destinations also require proof of a return ticket. Check the details of banking abroad (Do your cards work or charge a fee? Should you have local currency on arrival?) and figure out how you’ll get cell phone data.
• Set a loose timeline. The beauty of digital nomading is that it’s highly flexible. Still, it’s helpful to think, plan, and book at least a month ahead so you don’t catch yourself without a place to stay or pay for expensive last-minute travel. Sketching out a loose plan can also help you make the most of the geographical area you’re in — for example, heading to a nearby country next rather than flying back and forth across the globe.

How to choose your first (or next) destination

A lot goes into choosing a destination—it’s not just about grabbing the cheapest flight you can find or picking a place that looked great on Instagram. Here are some key factors to consider:

• Reliable, fast WiFi and remote-work-friendly infrastructure. Check the Speedtest global index for an area’s internet standards and confirm that where you’re staying has reliable, fast WiFi by scanning reviews or checking with the host. In some rural or less developed areas, there can also be internet and power outages; look for satellite WiFi, good cell service, and backup generators as failsafes. 
• Accessible cost of living. Specifically, look for places that have a cost of living that’s manageable for you relative to your income. 
• Time zone alignment. If you need to connect with clients in certain time zones or work a full day on a certain schedule, this is an important one. (Keep in mind that daylight saving time can also affect the time difference between you and clients or colleagues.)
• Ease of entry. Countries with visas on arrival or with digital nomad visas can make arriving and settling in smoother.
• Transportation options and walkability. For newer nomads, walkable cities or towns with public transportation or cheap ridesharing are a great place to start. 
• Nomad or expat presence. To start, consider some of the cities that are known for being best for remote work and other nomad hotspots, which you can find broken down on Nomad List. 

How to avoid burnout as a digital nomad

Burnout is a real risk as a digital nomad: from working too much; from the logistical fatigue that comes with constant travel; or from doing too much without taking downtime. Luckily, building the right habits can help prevent burnout. That includes: 

• Traveling at a slower pace. This leaves time for work, exploration, rest, and life admin like exercise, grocery shopping, and doing laundry. Moving more often means sacrificing entire days to travel, which significantly cuts down on time for work, sleep, and experiencing the places you’re in.
• Setting real work-life boundaries. Keep a routine and designate specific days or hours to work—and don’t let that bleed into your personal time. Not only will this help you stay productive while working remotely and traveling, but it will also protect your mental well-being and personal time.  
• Taking “rest days.” You’ll need quiet nights at home or lazy Sundays just like you would if you were living in one place and working an office 9-to-5.
• Picking the right home base. Choosing the right place to stay helps cut down on logistical headaches that interfere with your ability to work, live, and relax, like less-than-ideal locations, shoddy WiFi, unusable shared hostel kitchens, or dealing with a new rental setup in every new destination. 
• Avoiding isolation. If you’re working all day solo from your apartment, cooking most of your meals there, and relaxing at night there, it can start to feel like you traveled just to be a hermit and homebody. Bake community and outside time into your routine, whether that’s a daily coffee shop run, spending time at a coworking space, or joining a nomad-friendly club or gym.    

The one thing that makes or breaks the experience: housing

Even if you pick the perfect destination, where you stay can make a huge difference in your overall experience in a place. It can be helpful to book repeatedly through the same platform or provider so you know what to expect. Early in my nomad days, when I was staying at hostels, I found that booking with the same chain ensured a somewhat consistent (and thus, comforting) experience: the same kind of crowd, the same remote-worker-friendly amenities, and the same sort of central location. Later I switched to fully equipped apartment rentals for more privacy and space, but found the same principle applied. Professionally managed places typically streamline the process of finding, vetting, and renting a place, and offer some sort of protections in case you need support. They can also be more predictable than other short-term rentals where you never know what to expect.      

Let Blueground handle the hardest part

If you’re looking for a nomad- and remote work-friendly furnished apartment network that you can tap into while you travel,  Blueground could be a great fit. Book for a month or more in 1,000+ cities across 50+ countries, and extend, shorten, or make changes to your reservation right through an app with flexible, month-to-month rental agreements that allow you to switch between neighborhoods, if needed. Because they’re professionally managed, you get tons of support and a consistent experience from place to place, which will have you feeling at home no matter which city you’re in.    

Ready to give nomading a try? Find your perfect apartment →

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a digital nomad and someone who just works remotely?

A remote worker is someone who can work from anywhere, but who usually has a home base. A digital nomad  is someone who works a remote job but has total location flexibility, often working while traveling from place to place. 

Do I need a special visa to become a digital nomad?

It depends on the country and how long you’re staying. Some countries allow visa-free stays under 90 days, while other countries offer designated digital nomad visas. Always check visa requirements and remote work rules for your destination before booking.

How much money should I have saved before I go?

The beauty of working while traveling is that you don’t need to have a big savings to fund your travels, since you’re still getting paid. That said, it’s a good idea to have a few months of living expenses saved up in the event you have low-income months or need to cover extra expenses like  security deposits, lodging, or flights.

Do I need a remote job lined up before I start, or can I find work after I leave?

You don’t need to, but it’s a good idea to have a job or some sort of income source  lined up before you leave so you can budget your travels accordingly and don’t need to juggle job hunting while starting to travel.

How do digital nomads meet people and build community while constantly moving?

Digital nomads can meet people through co-living and coworking spaces, at expat events, tours, in city-specific group chats or Facebook groups, or through apps like Meetup. Staying in one place for a longer period of time gives you more opportunity to build relationships and make connections with both locals and fellow nomads.

How long should a first digital nomad trip be?

It can be as long as you want it to be, but a good place to start is a trip for one to two months to a single, nomad-friendly destination. You can settle in and give the lifestyle a try before committing to a longer trip or moving too often. Then you can decide to stay, switch locations, or head home if you need to reset.