Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started as a Digital Nomad 5 Chapter 1: Getting a Taste of the Digital Nomad Lifestyle 7 Defining the Digital Nomad 9 Seeing Who''s Adopting the Nomad Lifestyle 11 Generations: Z, Millennials, X, Baby Boomers 11 People from many parts of the world 12 Meandering men and wandering women 13 Folks at every career stage 13 Employees from an assortment of industries 13 The have-lots-of-money, the have-some-money, and the have-little-money sets 14 Why roam? 14 Why now? 15 Busting Common Myths and Assumptions 17 Nomading isn''t a job 18 Age is just a number 18 No tech skills necessary 19 Nomads aren''t backpackers 19 Nomads aren''t travel bloggers 20 Nomads aren''t tourists, either 20 Nomads aren''t always traveling 20 Traveling is more affordable than you think 21 Deciding Whether the Digital Nomad Lifestyle Is Right for You 21 Exploring the potential benefits 21 Recognizing the potential drawbacks 23 Chapter 2: Seeing Yourself as a Digital Nomad 25 Defining Your Passion and Purpose: Establishing Your Why 26 Envisioning Your Future as a Digital Nomad 27 Full-time nomads 28 Part-time nomads 28 Expats and settlers 29 Your type of nomad 30 Evaluating Solo versus Group Travel 30 Traveling with Kids 31 Discussing Your Vision with Family, Friends, and Colleagues 34 Breaking the news that you''re pursuing your wanderlust 35 Addressing common concerns 36 Facing the Fear of Failure as a Nomad 37 Fear of failure is healthy (and normal) 38 When in doubt, start small 39 Picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and regrouping 40 Chapter 3: Setting a Realistic Budget 41 Considering Expenses and Income Needs When You''re a Nomad 41 Calculating Your Cost of Living 42 Analyzing Digital Nomad Switching Costs 45 Time-related costs 46 Money-related costs 47 Creating a Digital Nomad Budget 48 Pre-departure budget 48 Monthly cost-of-living budget 48 Chapter 4: Keeping or Quitting Your Day Job 51 Deciding Whether You Should Keep or Quit Your Job 52 Evaluating the pros and cons of keeping your job 52 Considering the pros and cons of quitting 54 Approaching Your Boss About Becoming a Digital Nomad 55 Gathering your research 55 Preparing your case 57 Presenting your case 57 Negotiating rebuttals 58 Knowing when to walk away 58 Part 2: Making Money as a Digital Nomad 61 Chapter 5: Have Laptop, Will Travel (and Work, of Course) 63 Previewing the Routes to Becoming a Digital Nomad 64 Becoming a remote employee 65 Freelancing your way to freedom 67 Becoming an online business owner 69 Earning passive income 70 Combining multiple income streams 71 Considering Popular Digital Nomad Jobs 72 Accounting and finance 72 Affiliate marketing 73 Blogging and writing 73 Coaching, consulting, and teaching 75 Computer and information technology 76 Creating a personal brand as an influencer 77 Creative and design work 78 Customer service and virtual assistance 79 Digital marketing 80 Dropshipping and ecommerce 80 Medical and health 81 Project management 81 Sales 82 Social media management 82 Using Online Platforms to Find Work 83 Navigating the top remote jobs boards 83 Exploring remote jobs forums and Slack communities 86 Checking out Facebook groups 87 Attending virtual job fairs 87 Reaching Out to Real People 88 Going old school with cold outreach 88 Leveraging LinkedIn 89 Attracting employers through social media and content 89 Networking at conferences and events 90 Chapter 6: Creating Your Own Remote Job 93 Turning a Traditional Job into a Remote Job 94 Finding examples in your field 95 Mapping your job 96 Analyzing Your Skills and Expertise 97 What you think you''re good at 98 What other people think you''re good at 99 What people pay you for 99 Bridging a skills gap 100 Evaluating Your Passions 101 Leveraging what you love to do 101 Finding the limits of your passion''s potential 102 Designing a New Job 103 Giving This Remote Thing a Try and Telling the World What You Do 104 Communicating your core offer 104 Updating social media profiles 105 Finding Your First Clients 106 Your personal network 106 Posting on online platforms 106 Gathering Proof of Concept 107 Collecting case studies 107 Getting testimonials and referrals 108 Chapter 7: Adopting Best Practices for Success 109 Creating Your Work-From-Home Plan 110 Maximizing your peak hours of the day 110 Mixing up your work environment 112 Exploring Co-Working Spaces and Alternate Workspaces 114 Choosing a co-working space (what to look for) 114 Booking shared and remote offices abroad 115 Ensuring Smooth Cross-Border Communication 117 Finding your communication style 117 Becoming an expert in converting times across time zones 119 Collaborating on Remote Teams 120 Clarifying communication expectations 121 Remaining accessible (or not) 122 Staying visible and bonding with your remote team members 122 Sourcing Contractors and Virtual Assistants 124 Deciding whether you need support 124 Knowing where to find contractors and administrative help 125 Choosing Between Remote Work Tools 126 Part 3: Traveling and Living Abroad as a Digital Nomad 129 Chapter 8: Choosing a Destination 131 Dreaming of the Ideal Destination 131 Considering Key Factors 133 Border control 134 Climate and seasonality 134 Cost of living 136 Safety and security 136 Bucket list 136 Community 137 Lifestyle 137 Work environment 138 Scoping Out Regions of the World 138 Africa 139 Asia 140 Caribbean and North Atlantic 141 Central and South America 141 Middle East 142 North America 142 Europe 143 Oceania 145 Deciding Where to Go and When 146 Chapter 9: Creating Your Digital Nomad Relocation Plan 149 Finding Your Travel Flow 150 Batching your travel 150 Planning your travel in advance 152 Getting Your Finances in Order 153 Updating your banking services 153 Accessing your money with money transfer apps 154 Getting paid remotely 155 Applying for travel rewards cards 156 Accounting for Taxes at Home and Abroad 157 Deciding What to Do with Your Stuff 158 What can you trash? 159 What can you sell? 159 What to do with your house 160 What to do with your car 160 What can you donate? 160 What should you keep? 160 Getting Your Affairs in Order 161 Checking your health 161 Getting insured 162 Changing your mailing address 162 Choosing an international phone plan 163 Bringing your Internet with you 164 Tying up loose ends 164 Applying for Travel Documents, Visas, and Permits 165 Obtaining your passport 165 Knowing if you need a visa for travel 166 Applying for visas 169 Extending your stay 170 Golden visas 172 Digital nomad visas 173 Chapter 10: Finding Housing Abroad 175 Checking Out the Different Housing Types 176 Short term: Just a few weeks or months 176 Long term: Settling in for a few months or longer 177 Private: Having the place all to yourself 178 Shared: Back to college dorm life 178 Co-living: Living in a community 179 Travel retreats: Joining a travel tribe 180 Alternative housing: Boats, treehouses, and beyond 181 House-swapping: The modern take on trading places 182 House-sitting: Taking care of someone else''s place 183 Pet-sitting: Loving someone else''s fur baby 183 Homestays 184 Planning Your Housing Search 184 Knowing what to look for in a rental property 185 Learning about a location 187 Searching for Housing 188 Short-term vacation rentals websites 188 Finding long-term housing 190 Facebook groups and forums 191 Local classifieds listings 193 Search engine strategies 193 Property management companies 194 Real estate offices 195 In-person searching 195 Reserving and Booking Your Housing 195 Negotiating the best price 196 Paying for housing 196 Avoiding scams 197 Getting your security deposit refunded 197 Chapter 11: Managing Travel Logistics 199 Making Your Adventure a Reality 199 Purchasing travel and health insurance 200 Joining travel rewards programs 200 Checking health requirements 201 Booking your flight 202 Packing your bags 204 Traveling with pets 208 Preparing for Departure and Arrival 209 Downloading Digital Nomad-Friendly Travel Apps 210 Lining Up Essential Services in Your Destination 2.