Do you know Christopher McCandless? Yes, I mean this famous Supertramp, the main character of “Into the Wild” book and movie. Chris was a successful person who left his comfortable life and hitchhiked to Alaska to experience the adventure, to get a challenge, and probably to discover himself. Literally, he came into the wild.
So, Chris McCandless said:
The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.
Truth or not, I’m pretty sure that one group of people fully agree with this statement – digital nomads.
Digital nomads are professionals who left the traditional 9-to-5-work lifestyle. Even if they handle the full-time job, they do it in unconventional ways! Those adventurous people don’t settle. They travel the world while working remotely – so that’s why we call them digital nomads.
This way of living seems to fully express an adventurous spirit since those workers discover foreign cultures, explore the world and meet new people daily. However, the fascinating lifestyle isn’t pure bliss; there is a price to pay.
In this post, I’d like to share with you the main benefits and challenges of the digital nomad lifestyle and how to reap their benefits – as how to live adventurous life – without leaving your home and family! I’m convinced that not all people are ready to pack up and hit the road with their job, even if they work remotely. At the same time, I believe we can all live adventurous lives! So, I’d like to present some tips on combining a full-time job and adventures without moving from your place of living.
Let’s go!
What are the pros and cons of the digital nomad lifestyle?
Generally speaking, digital nomads are satisfied with their lifestyles. As much as 88% agree that it has a positive impact on their life! It’s not surprising since the list of their benefits is pretty compelling.
So, what are the advantages of the digital nomad lifestyle?
- You experience the world firsthand. Being a digital nomad, you don’t need to watch documentaries or read travel books. Instead, you can just go to this place and experience it yourself. African safari? No problem. Norwegian fjords? Let’s go there! Scuba diving in Australia? Just give me a while to book a ticket. Sky (and price!) is the limit when you aren’t limited by the location of your on-site office.
- You can truly soak up the culture. There’s a vast difference between visiting a country as a tourist and living there. As a visitor, you want to relax or explore; as a worker, you want to live there. In the latter case, you can truly feel like a resident of a foreign city, deeper understand its culture, and meet locals.
- You have more opportunities to grow. When hitting the road, you must constantly go out of your comfort zone. You encounter many new situations due to shifting environments and meeting new people. As a result, you get many chances to learn more about yourself, face new challenges, and grow personally.
- You avoid feeling stuck in a place. The lifestyle of digital nomads is fulfilled with ‘first’ experiences. Thanks to that, they frequently learn something new, so there’s no chance of feeling stuck in a place. And in the case of anything – you can just move on.
Sound exciting, doesn’t it?
At the same time, this way of living presents its unique challenges. According to the latest survey, the top obstacles faced by digital nomads are:
- Inability to unplug from work
- Uncertainty
- Loneliness
- Potential financial difficulties
- Collaborating and communicating
- Staying motivated
Moreover, loneliness, missing loved ones, and lack of connection was the #1 reason digital nomads return home. The second one was a prolonged culture shock and traveler fatigue.
5 ideas on how to live an adventurous, digital nomad lifestyle anywhere
Of course, not everyone is ready to leave family and friends to travel the world. Fortunately, it doesn’t mean they can’t experience an adventurous lifestyle! It’s possible to experience the world as digital nomads do without leaving your home.
Would you like to know my recipe for adventure? Discover 5 ideas on it!
Learn new things
Living abroad, you have no option – the situation forces you to learn a foreign language. But why not do the same while living in your home? Learning new languages opens the mind to foreign cultures and other ways of thinking. The same applies to acquiring new skills, such as dancing or handicrafts. All those activities change how you perceive the world, making your life more fulfilling. Also, it’s healthy for your brain because learning new things keep your mind sharp! Finally, if you learn something related to another culture, such as growing bonsai, you can learn about this country by chance.
The list of fun and valuable skills to learn from home:
- origami and other Janapese crafts
- playing the Hawaii ukulele or another instrument
- cooking dishes from other countries (what about French or Korean food?)
- yoga, together with other Indian spiritual practices
- dancing (maybe Latino?)
What would you add to this list?
Talk to strangers
If you live in Baltimore, you can skip this paragraph. But as long as you don’t live in one of Vermont’s small towns, where everyone knows your name, there’s no excuse – you have many chances to meet someone new.
Meeting new people is a fascinating journey. Every person is exceptional so talking with a stranger and listening to their stories enriches you with a new perspective on life. Indeed, Bill Nye claims that Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t. With this mindset, you can discover something new when talking with anyone.
Not surprisingly, digital nomads greatly appreciate meeting new people during their journeys. However, you don’t have to travel to experience this. All you need is to be open to others.
Join local club
This idea combines the previous two, so it’s a way to meet new people and learn new things simultaneously. What is this piece of advice? Of course – to join a local club!
It’s an excellent choice for all full-time employees because it isn’t a time-consuming activity, so they can successfully combine it with their job. If you work remotely, it’s the perfect opportunity to go outside and meet people. When you join a local club, you can not only make new friends but also share with them your new passion. As a result, your motivation to pursue the new hobby is more robust, thanks to the support of your small community. So, you can develop yourself without leaving your home area! Moreover, you benefit from both ideas I described above at once – it’s just a combo!
What are the best ways to find local clubs?
- Use Google. Type in the search engine the name of your city and one of the following phrases – community, local club, event listings, bridge clubs, dance lessons, volunteer opportunities, etc. You can also replace the latter with any activity you want to learn more about!
- Walk around. There is much to discover in the neighborhood near you! Maybe it’s about time to take a look at local bulletin boards? Such places often post notices and posters about local community meetings.
- Search social media. Small hobbyist groups usually do not have websites. However, they often maintain profiles on social media instead. It’s worth reviewing Facebook and Instagram for this! Just type in the name of the city and browse through recent posts or events in the city. The findings may surprise you!
Nurture your curiosity
My friend asked me recently – how is it possible? She lived in the same city for four years but didn’t hear about places I discovered in just a few months. Then I just laughed, but it gave me something to think about. I noticed that there is one simple way that helps people turn an ordinary day into an adventure – curiosity.
The sense of curiosity is something that we lose when living too long in one place (and while growing up). We tend to think nothing can surprise us in such a familiar place – but that is far from the truth! There’s always a new destination to explore if you are curious enough to seek it out. To ignite your curiosity, go beyond the obvious. Think about activities you haven’t tried before, such as climbing, and search for them in your local area. Another idea is to consider turning your daily activities into something unusual. Maybe instead of shopping in the same supermarket you always visit, you can get fresh groceries at a local market?
Go off the beaten path
You probably know this famous line attributed to Einstein – insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, how can you experience adventure if you walk every day the same way? Let’s go off the beaten path!
The idea is quite simple. When you walk around your city, choose paths you don’t know. Explore and let yourself get lost from time to time. Such a walk may only take half an hour, and if you are attentive, you will discover places you had no idea about, although they were right under your nose.
The Digital Nomad Lifestyle – Final thoughts
Recalling Chris McCandless’s words, the very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. But then, he continues –
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
As I believe we can experience all those thrilling feelings without leaving the neighborhood. We can get a journey without fighting loneliness and uncertainty as digital nomads do and quitting our job. Do you agree? I hope my 5 tips will encourage you to live adventurous life no matter where you are!
Just tell me – which idea felt the most to your taste?
