Working remotely whilst travelling as a digital nomad has become the dream for many people over the last few years, especially as the rise in remote work was accelerated by the pandemic. I have worked fully remotely ever since we were told not to come into work one day a few weeks before the first lockdown in 2020!
Whilst I have spent a lot of time roaming around whilst working, and I love the flexibility, I don’t class myself as a full-time digital nomad. I’m quite settled here in Lisbon, and I’m more known to take a long time off work to travel (either using unpaid leave or simply quitting).
That being said, I have done a few trips of several weeks whilst working this year, staying in a combination of hotels, hostels and friends houses. I love to work and travel like this, for a few weeks at a time, but doing it long-term takes a lot of hard work and resilience! When I was travelling in South America this year I met a few people who were working and travelling full time in hostels and I really admired their energy.
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Where to Work as a Digital Nomad?
One of the biggest hurdles I found as a digital nomad was finding somewhere to work from. Staying in hotels or AirBnbs all the time is too expensive, and besides, it gets lonely. I always encourage solo travellers to stay in hostels when they’re travelling because it’s a great way to meet new people.
But you can’t do a meeting from a hostel dorm, and there isn’t always somewhere practical to work from.
Coworking spaces are great, but in big cities you can expect to pay 20$ for a day pass.
What if you just need a couple of hours to hold a meeting, and the rest of the day you’d rather work from a cafe?
Enter Croissant.
Croissant is a coworking app that lets you pay for coworking spaces by hour, rather than by day. You buy a subscription with them and you can redeem your hours in any of the coworking spaces on their network, which are located all around the world. You’ll mainly find them in bigger cities, but their network is rapidly expanding and adding new spaces.
For example, here in Lisbon they have over thirty coworking spaces to choose from. I’ve tried out a bunch of different ones to find the vibe that I like best. Sometimes, I just choose wherever’s close by after I’ve been out for lunch or brunch!
When I was in Madrid recently I popped into a coworking space around the corner from my friends house for a few hours. It’ll be a life saver when I’m in London visiting friends next month.
You can choose a plan that suits you depending on the number of hours you want to use each month. If you don’t use all of your hours, they roll over to the next month so that you don’t miss out.
The app is super easy to use, and every coworking space I’ve checked into has been really friendly and helpful, too!
Use my link here to get 15€ off your first month!
Embracing the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
To successfully fill your backpack or suitcase as a digital nomad, you need to embrace what it means to be a digital nomad. That means sticking to the essentials, keeping a simple wardrobe, and being adaptable to weather changes (unless, like me, you’re always on the hunt for some sun). If you want long-term travel to be sustainable, you need to learn to live without some luxuries.
You’ll quickly give up if you find yourself hauling several suitcases from hostel to hostel, finding designer clothes stained when they come back from the laundrette, or stressing out because you can’t find your favourite skincare brand.
Part of the digital nomad journey is about embracing what you find in each new country, experiencing the true culture of different places, and learning to relax when things aren’t exactly how you want them. I can tell you, I learned all of this the hard way (as we all do!).
Packing Tips for Digital Nomads
As I mentioned above, you likely won’t be able to take with you all of the clothes that you want. You always end up having less space in your suitcase than you think!
I try to follow tips on Pinterest about keeping a capsule wardrobe, but it is challenging when you’re on the move and something I’m always struggling with: finding a balance between fashion and practicality.
In the long run, I have found that it’s easier to invest in key pieces, but be mindful of where you take them to wash. From laundrettes in Colombia to self-service washing machines in Barcelona, I’ve had plenty of clothes that I love ruined. If I have something I really love, I’ll wait until I stop somewhere like an airbnb or hotel to have nice clothes washed.
For more basic clothes, I buy them cheap knowing that I can easily replace them if something gets ruined. If something gets stained, remember that you can re-dye it at home to make the most out of your clothes and reduce weight.
I always use packing cubes to help me gain quick access to my things. If you just have everything loose in your bag, things can get messy quickly! I usually use one main packing cube for my clothes, and a smaller packing cube for underwear and towels.
This is the set of packing cubes I have.
I also really loved this backpack from Decathlon that my friend Ellie used on our trip through Central America – it has built-in packing cubes which made packing and unpacking so much easier for her!
Important Documents and Financial Essentials
Travel Documents & Financial Prep
Of course, keeping all of your travel documents secure and handy is one of the essential parts of packing as a digital nomad. If you need a visa, make sure you have all of the supporting documents with you to make immigration a smooth process. If you need a visa-waiver or visa on arrival, you may need proof of accommodation, proof of onward travel, or proof of travel insurance before you enter a country.
Decide whether you’ll get a local SIM card after you arrive, or if you’ll use an eSIM.
List
- Passport
- Flight information & boarding pass
- Visa documents
- Money and credit cards
- eSIM
Recommendations
Essential Gear and Electronics
Reliable Laptop & Accessories
So, of course, you want to travel with a reliable laptop. For me, this is key when I’m working and travelling; I do not want to deal with the stress of something breaking or not working whilst I’m travelling. I always travel with and work on a Macbook Pro, and I have for many years.
Recently when I was in Barcelona the knockoff charger I had broke. I was going through a stressful period at work and it took me a while to locate a new one, which reminded me of the importance of buying good-quality stuff instead of knockoffs 😉
Sometimes I travel with a laptop stand and external keyboard and mouse, but sometimes it’s just me and my laptop; it depends both on my mood and the work I have to do whilst I’m away!
Some of my friends also travel with a portable second screen; I’m tempted to get one but I haven’t quite made the plunge, yet.
For me, noise-cancelling headphones are an absolute necessity, both for working and for long-haul flights. If I’m going away for a while, I take both in-ear ones and over-ear headphones so I can switch between them when one gets uncomfy. I swear by these Soundcore over-ear noise-cancelling headphones. They work really well for a much lower price point than most popular brands!
I’ve also added a speaker to this list because it falls under electronics (although its more likely to be used for parties than work 😉)
List
- reliable laptop
- portable second screen
- laptop stand
- external keyboard
- external mouse
- laptop sleeve
- noise-cancelling headphones
- speaker
Recommendations
Power and Charging Essentials
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of power banks you can take with you travelling. The kind powerful enough to charge your phone, and the kind powerful enough to charge your laptop. You should be able to take both of these types of power bank through airport security without any issues.
This is the powerbank I take to charge things like my phone, headphones, etc. but it isn’t powerful enough to charge my laptop.
I’ve done some research and this powerbank for laptops seems about as good as they get; this is the one I’ll get when I feel I’ll need it. Remember that you’ll also need to get a cable that will connect your laptop to this powerbank, because it doesn’t have a plug socket.
Of course, you’ll also want to take a travel adapter; I’d recommend taking a universal one, in case you make an unexpected stop or, even better, extend your trip to new destinations!
If you’re a photographer or do a similarly creative job, you may need to take additional equipment like a camera, batteries, memory cards and an external hard drive.
List
- charging cables for phone/laptop/headphones/speaker
- portable charger
- portable power bank
- universal travel adapter
- job-specific equipment
- external hard drive
Recommendations
Personal Essentials and Comfort Items
Personal Care Items
So, as I mentioned before, throughout creating your digital nomad packing list you will want to keep things minimal. Only you can decide what are the most important items in your toiletries bag, but here are a few necessities as well as a few suggestions!
The most important things here will depend on where you’re going – if you’re heading somewhere tropical you may need to take bug spray or even malaria tablets. For most destinations, you should take suncream with you (unless you plan to buy it when you get there).
List
- Small first aid kit
- Any prescription medications
- Painkillers for emergencies
- Any travel medications like malaria tablets
- Moisturiser
- Lip balm
- Shampoo and conditioner
- SPF
- Bug spray
- Body wash
- Whatever you use to style your hair
- Skincare serums
- Menstrual products, if you need them
- A microfibre beach towel
- A small bath towel
Recommendations
Clothing and Footwear
I already talked quite a lot in the introduction about clothing, and again this list will change a lot depending on where you’re going. Digital nomads come in all shapes and sizes; I’ve met some that won’t leave their beach lounger for anything, as well as some whose main priority is how far up a mountain they can get on their days off.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, I’d suggest taking a range of basic clothes, a few key pieces, and accessories. Accessories can really change how an outfit looks without taking up much room in your bag! You can then add any specialist clothing you might need like hiking gear, extra bikinis or a rain jacket depending on where you are going and what you’re doing.
Even if you don’t pack a proper rain jacket, I’d recommend packing a small, packable raincoat – rain can strike even in the most unexpected of situations!
As for shoes, I try to take at least two comfy pairs (either two pairs of trainers or one pair of trainers and one pair of hiking shoes) plus some sliders, flip flops or crocs depending on the situation.
List
- socks
- underwear
- trousers
- shorts
- t-shirts
- linen shirts
- swimsuits
- beach clothes
- hat, scarf and gloves
- rain jacket
- belts
- jewellery
- headbands
- two pairs of shoes
- crocs or flip flops