Being a digital nomad is a real fulfillment of dreams for those who want to leave the walls of urban offices behind, breaking free from the limitations of stationary work. While some strive for stability and a secure job, others constantly seek new experiences, valuing flexibility and geographical independence the most. Working as a digital nomad allows you to achieve this. By choosing a nomadic lifestyle, you can freely travel, discovering new corners of the world, while working remotely and maintaining a steady income. Find out what the everyday life of digital nomads looks like in practice.
Digital nomadism – a growing trend among freelancers
According to the Instant Offices portal, the number of digital nomads worldwide has already reached 35 million people, and available forecasts show that within the next decade, a billion people will be able to lead a nomadic lifestyle. Most of them choose self-employment or freelancing – only 5% of digital nomads decide to work full-time for one employer.
For the past few years, this phenomenon has been showing a clear upward trend. The main factors influencing the increasing popularity of digital nomads, especially among Generation Y and Z, include widespread internet access and the dynamic development of ICT technology. Another favorable aspect is the growing role of professions that can be performed remotely, as well as the development of low-cost airlines and the increasingly competitive ticket prices encouraging more frequent travel.
Also significant are the generational changes and the expectations of the new generation of workers, who often value self-employment in remote form more than a traditional full-time job. These changes are accompanied by modern solutions tailored to the new work model, such as coworking. The rapid development of coworking spaces for teams in recent years is another factor contributing to this trend, significantly facilitating the organization of work for digital nomads.
The lifestyle of a digital nomad – what is it and who is it?
Digital nomadism is a way to travel freely and change your place of residence frequently, without having to give up your current job. A digital nomad is a person who – using the opportunities offered by new technologies – can work remotely from almost anywhere in the world. With a stable internet connection, they can set up their home office anywhere, regularly change their place of stay, and discover new destinations.
A digital nomad is most often a freelancer who works remotely on specific assignments. Digital nomadism is also popular among startup owners and people working in creative industries (such as graphic designers, photographers, copywriters), IT, or marketing.
How to become a digital nomad? Step by step
The number of digital nomads has significantly increased with the pandemic, which has shown that many companies can operate at the same level of efficiency even when employees are scattered around the world and contact with the team and clients is conducted only via the internet. However, the digital nomad lifestyle is not for everyone and certainly requires proper preparation. What should you remember?
Notification of current clients
When deciding to become a digital nomad, it is essential to ensure that this change does not negatively affect your current work. The priority is to ensure the continuity of the services provided while maintaining their high quality, even while traveling. It’s worth informing current clients about this – especially if the direction of travel involves a time difference, which may require a reorganization of existing cooperation rules.
Completion of formalities – insurance, visa, and documents
Although the concept of digital nomadism itself may resemble eternal holidays, in practice, digital nomads face several duties and formalities to fulfill before embarking on their journey.
Once you have chosen your destination, you should first check what requirements need to be met to cross the border of a particular country. When traveling to some countries, a special visa will be necessary, while others may require additional insurance or vaccinations.
Therefore, it is necessary to check the detailed entry requirements well in advance from reliable sources, such as the official government website of the destination country or embassies.
Budget and financial stability
A well-planned budget is the basis for becoming a digital nomad. When considering a nomadic adventure, it is worth ensuring a decent financial cushion – especially when it coincides with starting your own business or transitioning to freelancing. In this case, savings will allow you to remain calm in case of a temporary lack of new commissions.
A detailed budget estimate, including fixed expenses, will also show the available options more clearly and make it easier to choose a travel destination. Living in another country can significantly differ in financial terms from the realities known from Poland.
Accommodation and workplace
The work of digital nomads is often idealized and imagined as carefree work with a laptop on the beach. Although the vision of spending entire days under palm trees may be tempting, the reality looks quite different. Working without a proper desk and chair is extremely impractical. An uncomfortable position or irritating sunlight shining on the computer screen can be significant obstacles. All this means that a professional workplace is essential for digital nomads who need silence and comfortable conditions for effective work.
For this reason, digital nomads choose their workplace mainly based on the ergonomics of the workstation and, most importantly, a stable connection to fast internet. Shared workspaces are highly popular among digital nomads, providing professional office spaces and flexible rental terms.
Forms of contact – Internet, phone, correspondence
In the case of remote work, efficient communication is the key to effective work. In this context, high-quality equipment and the reliable internet connection mentioned above, enabling constant contact with clients and coworkers, as well as access to necessary files and digital resources, are necessary.
As a digital nomad, it is also worth having one address for correspondence, which will facilitate contact with contractors and strengthen the company’s image in the eyes of potential clients. You can use a virtual office for this purpose. At Idea Place, as part of this service, we provide not only a virtual address for the company in a prestigious location but also staff support in current tasks and the possibility of using additional services such as coworking or renting a conference room by the hour.
Packing for a longer stay
Packing for a longer stay can be a real challenge, especially since luggage is usually severely limited. If the trip involves flying, the possibilities are even more limited, so packing requires careful planning. It is worth checking the weather and conditions at the destination in advance to avoid taking unnecessary items.
Above all, however, you should think about your workplace in the new location. When planning to work in a coworking space, you don’t need to worry about additional equipment and office accessories, which may be necessary if working from a hotel or rented apartment. In this case, it is worth asking in advance whether the place has a desk or at least a large table and a comfortable chair, where working with a computer for several hours will not be a problem.
Digital nomads in Poland – what you should know?
Digital nomadism is a trend that is gaining importance in Poland as well, primarily due to the increasingly wide access to modern technologies and advanced tools allowing remote work. Traveling is also becoming easier, faster, and cheaper – Poles travel more frequently and further than a decade ago. The expectations of young workers are also changing; they do not want to be tied to one location or work all their lives in the same place.
Tips for future digital nomads
Although digital nomadism is a lifestyle that allows for great flexibility and freedom, the decision to become a digital nomad should not be spontaneous. Many aspects need to be carefully considered in advance.
In-depth research of the place you are going to.
Many digital nomads choose different destinations, considering the climate of a given place or the offer of various attractions and entertainment. This means that popular tourist destinations are also frequent destinations for digital nomads. However, it is essential not to forget that when planning a longer stay in another country, it is worth checking the average cost of living there and reviewing the local offer of apartment rentals or coworking spaces providing work conditions. Knowledge of languages enabling free communication in each place and the tax regulations applicable there may also be important.
Coworking and the digital nomad community
Coworking is an excellent option for digital nomads who want to provide themselves with suitable working conditions while also meeting new people from various industries, often leading the same lifestyle. An additional advantage is that coworking spaces are usually found in large cities and convenient locations close to the center, and their prices are very reasonable considering the number of amenities they offer.
Coliving and coworking – what to choose?
A popular solution in the digital nomad community is coliving, which usually involves staying in a shared apartment during the trip and working alongside people from different countries. It is undoubtedly a good way to meet new people, who often also travel alone and are open to new acquaintances.
Maintain work-life balance.
When staying in another country, it is easy to succumb to the temptation of constant sightseeing, practicing water sports, or relaxing under palm trees. Working for eight hours a day at a desk in a place that encourages beach activities can be difficult and certainly requires good time management and considerable self-discipline.
Effective time organization is necessary to find time for both efficient work and exploring new places and enjoying their charms. Above all, it is worth determining when the work and vacation parts are carried out and sticking to it diligently. It is also important to maintain a work schedule, adjusting it to the time zones of clients.
Benefits and challenges for digital nomads
One of the most frequently mentioned benefits of being a digital nomad is undoubtedly the possibility of traveling and discovering new places, cultures, people, or languages. Another significant benefit for many is independence from location and the freedom to work from any place and move frequently between different cities or countries.
Digital nomads highly value the freedom from the rigid rules associated with office work. However, not everyone is ready to give up their previous stable life. This form of life and work requires, above all, good organization, a well-thought-out idea for your business, and openness to frequent changes.
Virtual office can undoubtedly help in effective work organization for digital nomads – a concept that allows for efficient business operations regardless of physical location. It is worth remembering that this is not only a virtual address for the company but also correspondence handling and administrative support, which can be particularly helpful for people operating in the digital nomadism model. By using the virtual office at Idea Place, they can avoid unwanted legal problems resulting from frequent changes of location, while also gaining access to many useful additional services.
Jutta Hutsch-Kasprzyk
Jutta Hutsch-Kasprzyk is an experienced Chief Operation Officer who has focused on optimizing business processes and reducing operational costs throughout her career. She is a talented negotiator, building strong relationships with key contractors and customers. Her skills in managing company affairs, organizing team work, and developing strategies have contributed to the success of IdeaPlace on the business map of Wrocław.
