Digital nomad while having a full-time job. Myth or reality?
How having a full time job while travelling shaped my nomad experience
Hi there, long time no post. Over the past few weeks, I decided to take a holiday, during which I tried to avoid working on personal or professional projects. Therefore, I postponed the newsletter. This week, I'm back exploring a topic that has significantly impacted my digital nomad experience.
I embarked on my digital nomad journey surrounded by stories of people who embraced this lifestyle as a means of earning their living, often through platforms like YouTube and social media, by sharing their stories. However, my story is a bit different. I chose to become a digital nomad when the pandemic was nearly over. At that time, I had a fully remote 9-5 job.
Fast forward three years, and here I am, still traveling and working full-time. During this period, I've come to realize that working full-time while traveling has brought both benefits and setbacks. In this article, I will delve deeper into the behind-the-scenes story of a full-time working traveler.
You either lose or gain time, so I had to choose each country carefully.
Have you ever wished for longer days, wanting more time in a single day? I believe we all have at least once. Starting from this concept, selecting destinations and time zones became a game-changer for me in managing my time. When you work full-time and travel, you have the opportunity to maximize your weekend travels, which can completely transform your experience by earning extra time each day.
Three years ago, one of our first destinations was Madeira. Besides being an incredible island with many activities to enjoy, one of its strongest points was that it operated in a different time zone from my work zone. Under normal conditions, I start my workday at 10 a.m. During my stay in Madeira, I began working at 7 a.m. and finished my workday by 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.
But why does this matter?
Despite the earlier start to my day, which required waking up earlier, I could engage in various activities after work, such as exploring the city, going on short hikes, or taking trips to new places just 15-30 minutes away from where I was staying. This extra time allowed me to travel significantly beyond weekends.
Playing with time zones is a sensitive matter because it can affect your overall well-being. Therefore, understanding your personal limits is crucial. While I had no problem waking up at 6 am to start work, if you value your morning sleep or are more of a night owl, you may want to choose countries where you can start later and enjoy your mornings while working into the evening.
Accommodation Becomes Home
I may not have explicitly mentioned this in my previous articles, but one of the primary reasons I started Nomad Listings is connected to the idea that accommodation somehow becomes your home when you work a 9-5 job and travel.
I realized the need to find an optimal environment to enhance my overall experience, minimize stress, and find comfort in places I had never been. This often meant researching affordable accommodations that met certain criteria. It could involve weeks of research, shortlisting options, and contacting hosts to check internet speed and other amenities. That's why I believed having access to curated accommodations in one place would be a game-changer.
There are various travel styles, even for those with 9-5 jobs. Some prefer working in co-working spaces, while others change accommodations frequently. Regardless of your style, a 9-5 job comes with responsibilities, commitments, meetings, and other non-negotiable tasks. So, having reliable internet, good lighting, and minimal noise can significantly impact your productivity at work and your ability to enjoy the overall experience.
Of course, you can't always predict if your accommodation will meet your expectations, but approaching the search with a critical eye can be a game-changer.
If you imagine that having a 9-5 job while traveling leads to more predictability, you might be mistaken. Context, environment, people, and the country are significant factors in determining your well-being and work productivity, and changing them frequently can profoundly influence the dynamics of your life.
Each country served as a mental reset for me, an opportunity to adapt to a new context and make lifestyle changes. Most of the countries I traveled to allowed me to maintain or elevate my habits, like running or walking, and provided opportunities for weekend trips and access to food that matched my personal preferences. However, each country also came with a set of new rules I had to understand and incorporate into my own lifestyle.
Sometimes, it felt like running a marathon, but it turned into more of a triathlon, where everything changed from one challenge to the next. Even if you weren't traveling full-time, you may have experienced this sometimes.
The point is that with the constant unknowns associated with changing countries frequently, every change can be felt more intensely than in a typical setting, significantly impacting your work productivity.
Nomad Listing's Recommendations
Since November is still a perfect month for long-term travel, I searched for a place where the weather is mild enough to enjoy hikes or long strolls along the beach. The island of Corsica seemed like a perfect destination.
For those of you who are already planning your destinations for the beginning of the year, I've also added accommodations in Porto and Marseille, two beautiful cities worth exploring in January.
You can check all the recommendations by clicking on the link below:
⭐Top 3 accommodations⭐
Don't forget; if you want to understand the criteria I use to create these recommendations, you can check them out here.
📌 Useful resources for digital nomads:
Co-living is becoming a trend and a way of life for solo travelers. I recently discovered Outsite, a platform designed for nomads looking for co-living opportunities in beautiful locations worldwide.
I've updated the Coffee Guide with coffee shops in Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. You can check it out here.
Since I talked a bit about co-working places, here you can find co-working spaces worldwide.
Thank you for reading so far. If you've enjoyed this newsletter, remember that you can always share it.
See you next time, fellow nomad!