Being a digital nomad is one of the best decisions that I ever made and thanks to my good friend Stephen Varanko III, I have been able to turn this into a long term lifestyle choice. Throughout the previous few years I have been able to work from all over the world, I have had freedom to travel and I can select my own hours. I would never turn my back on this lifestyle and I feel very lucky and very blessed that I am able to work in this way. With this being said there are some downsides to this lifestyle which you should be aware of if it something that you are considering.
No Guarantees
One of the most difficult things that you will face when living a lifestyle such as this is that there are no guarantees when it comes to your income. In the early days I would sometimes go for months earning just a couple of hundred bucks, before a big month would come along. This uncertainty can play havoc with any plans that you might have and it can cause you quite a lot of stress. Another thing to consider is that if you don’t work, you won’t earn which means that if you are sick or you take holidays, you will have to plan around it financially.
Socializing
You may think that having all of this time on your hands can help you to socialize more but in truth you actually lose a great deal of social time and chances to meet people. If you ask most people where they met their partner for example many of them will say that they did so through their work, something which you won’t have the opportunity to do. Equally you won’t be able to have the gossip with someone on a Monday morning and there are many aspects of socializing at work such as seasonal parties, which you will no longer have. The onus therefore is on you to socialize better and create new ways of meeting people.
Working Abroad
Working from anywhere in the world is often a tagline which is attached to digital nomads but in truth it isn’t always as good as it sounds. Would you really want to work on Copacabana Beach or would you prefer to enjoy the sun and the sights? What about the Taj Mahal? Petra? Or any beautiful world destination for that matter? Of course if you manage your time wisely you can enjoy the best of both worlds but in my efforts to make this a success, I have worked in some beautiful places in the world when in actual fact I would have much preferred to simply have laid back and enjoyed myself.
There are challenges in every job and industry of course and these negatives are certainly not enough reason for me not to want this life, it just shows that nothing is perfect.