Remember the days when family members, friends or teachers asked you what you would like to do when you’d grow up? I bet you all dreamt of some reputable careers and your answers named professions such as: doctor, firefighter, mechanic, teacher, astronaut or something that involved a regular job.
My answer to this question always puzzled those who asked it. That’s because my dream was to be a guest. You’re probably laughing now reading this. Yes, I was the only child that I know who saw himself as professional guest.
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Who does not like being a guest somewhere, enjoying all the benefits and attention, discovering new people, habits and places? I found it fascinating. During my childhood years I wished for a machine that could make me wake up in a different location each morning.
Later on, within my adult life I realized that my dream was not quite mission impossible. It was doable. My long dreamt profession existed and it had a name: nomad. To be more precise, digital nomad.
You don’t have to be a software engineer or a programmer to become a digital nomad.
Actually you don’t even need a background in IT. All that you need is a steady Internet connection, some writing skills and fluency in one more language, other than English. Though, the latter is not mandatory but it certainly helps.
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After trying a few careers, I discovered there was a way to see my dream come true.
Obviously it involved a few major changes and a leap of faith as I dove into the unknown. Luckily within the previous years I have downsized twice, thanks to my Lyme disease. Thus I did not have to worry too much about my Earthly possessions.
Once I have rented my property, I jumped into a plane and that was the first day of my new life. Thanks to my writing skills and a supportive partner, I was able to be on the road for almost six years. Six years filled with adventures and unexpected surprises. I have met some incredible people who helped me to grow and see life through a different lens.
Along the way I discovered new ways to make a living while being on the road. I expanded my writing into new fields; I ventured into content writing, rewriting articles, doing research on certain topics, creating user manuals and so on. Once I finished my first technical user guide, I could not believe that I have done that. I am not a technical person at all! In a nutshell, I explored most of the available online jobs on Freelancer , ShareDesk, Indeed or UpWork that allowed me to work remotely.
Being multilingual helped as well, as I was able to address a wider audience and get a better understanding of the local communities where I lived. It enabled me to fully immerse myself into the each one of the new locations and promote my services.
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If you are contemplating the idea of embracing a nomadic life, here are some suggestions that you might find valuable while being abroad:
ENGAGE / FOSTER COMMUNICATION
Engage with people everywhere: at the market, the business centre, on the street, in the park, etc. Besides the fact that you are improving your language skills, you can make new friends. Be friendly and let people know what you have to offer. Someone will be interested at one point to have their websites revamped or translated into English in order to match the competition. Or they might pass on your contacts to someone who needs your services.
IMMERSE WITHIN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
If you bothered to travel across the world, don’t hide yourself inside the house. Go out, discover the area, meet new people. Get involved in one of the local projects. A new set of arms or another pair of eyes is always welcomed, even if you are not a subject matter expert in the field.
PROMOTE YOUR SERVICES
Be proactive. Don’t expect clients to come knocking on your door. Leave shyness aside and dress your best P.R. suit while you plan your marketing strategy. Find out which are the major and middle -sized companies within your area and contact them in order to offer your services. You’d be surprised to see how easy it’s to get an appointment with the higher management members. Prepare your presentation and tell them what you can do for them.
WORK PRO BONO
Once in a way, depending on the size of the project, offer to work for free. It will help you make contacts and get your name out there. You might not get a contract right away, but you will be in their database.
BE OPEN-MINDED
Be opened to new ideas and collaborations. Take full advantage of your skills and you may land on different contracts for various types of work. Depending on the length of time that you would spend in one location, your knowledge of the area and connections you make, you could find work as a translator, interpreter, content writer, English or French Tutor, editor, etc.
CHARGE LESS
When you finally got a client, don’t charge an arm and a leg. Forget about your North American hourly rate, because no one would be able to afford it. Go with half or even less than that. Life is significantly cheaper abroad.
OFFER QUALITY SERVICES
Word of the mouth is what can get you customers in a new location. If one client is satisfied with your services, you will definitely have others landing on your path. Thus, ensure your client is satisfied with the work. Before completion, contact him to make sure you have a full understanding of what he needs.
BE FRIENDLY
Despite of what you’d hear or read on the government side about travelling in third world countries, people are very friendly and helpful. If they see that you take an interest in speaking their language or learning more about their life, they will help you. Thus, be friendly and show respect towards their traditions and cultural norms or values.
Now that you read what I had to say, tell me what do you want to be when you grow up?
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to resteemit or upvote it!
Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!
@2018 The Lyme Poet. All rights reserved.
art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics
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