Working from anywhere in the world sounds lucrative, doesn’t it?
Taking strolls on a sunny beach in between your meetings.
Swinging in a hammock while replying to emails.
No need to fake a background on your e-meeting because you already have a real rainforest behind you.
Drinking cocktails by the infinity pool at the end of your day.
Working online and traveling the world sounds a delight. We see it more and more, once a digital life seemed too far away but now working from anywhere in the world is becoming the norm as we embrace the laptop lifestyle and the delights it brings.
But how do you do it? I’ll share with you tips to get started.
And what are the drawbacks? And how to get around them.
20 years ago people would laugh at the notion of remote working, they couldn’t imagine it possible, many things in our workplaces required our immediate presence. Technology wasn’t developed that much either.
Fast forward to a decade ago and the term location independent starts to surface.
A global pandemic sweeps the world and very few places retain having to go to work to do the work and the majority of people knowingly or unknowingly, employed or self-employed have become in a way or another the so-called ‘Digital Nomads’.
Some decided to embrace it and work flexibly from anywhere in the world, while others still find comfort in being a stay-at-home work from anywhere person.
For the desk- bored, adventurous, and unfulfilled person it all sounds like heaven.
Making an income while traveling the world … sheer bliss, right?
But how do you go about it?
And what do you need to be aware of?
Going about it starts with an internet connection.
Hence the term #wifiwages was born!
All you need is to be connected through the world wide web while being anywhere in the world.
Your clients, customers, community, or even employer can be miles and miles away from you and you can still make it work and earn those wages.
Most I would say have their own business, traveling the world and having the amazing experiences it has to offer is always nicer when you can dictate your own working hours and working days.
Online entrepreneurship, investment, coaching, blogging, being a marketing specialist are some of the options to look at to truly live the digital nomad lifestyle.
Although they all share the freedom lifestyle, they are not all the same.
Some choose to travel to 3-4 locations a month, others choose to stay longer at their destinations, some like to stay home and enjoy flexible working around their families and travel a few times a year (more frequently and more freely than they would at a job).
You need to examine the options, pick or better yet design the freedom lifestyle that suits you.
We can’t deny work from anywhere in the world is becoming the norm…
A recent Gallup survey of 15,000 adults found that
What happens behind the scenes when you are working from anywhere in the world?
Yes, it all sounds lucrative and glamours and the Instagram Reels do add to the hype of it all.
But what people fail to recognize is it is still work. The word ‘work’ is still part of the phrase ‘work from anywhere in the world.
I believe that is one of the biggest misconceptions around the freedom lifestyle online entrepreneurs have and that’s one of the biggest reasons that lead to the failure of so many.
Having an online business whatever that might be, is still a business that you need to treat as such. You simply are getting the added bonus of waking up in Bali, sitting at the poolside sipping a smoothie while you are doing your income activities. Jumping in the pool for a quick refresh when things get a tad tedious.
So yes, there is work involved!
There are a lot of people living this lifestyle very comfortably, earning more than they ever did in their careers at home. Leverage your business correctly and working online can be a highly lucrative career. Money won’t fall into your lap but if you work for it, you will earn it!
Another misconception is digital nomads are all budget travelers, hostel stayers living on a shoestring.
While it is easy to imagine that given how the media always seems to portray the extremes, the very rich and the ones that are just getting by.
That is not the truth!
As I mentioned above, leverage your business correctly, develop or adopt a proven system to work and create an income, you can even start developing a business while you are still in employment, so you give yourself time for it to take off. Then you can live the lucrative freedom lifestyle.
It’s only for people with no ties.
Have you heard that one before?
Sure, it is easier if you don’t have a mortgage, a very young family, or caring responsibilities but that’s not to say it can’t be done.
You have to examine your options more and choose what would suit you. Sell the house, rent it out, use it as a base for your Wi-Fi work most of the year, and travel when you can.
Travel at a slower pace when you have a young family or hire the help needed back home so you can be freed up.
The bottom line is that it can be done, and waiting for the perfect time, that very perfect moment to come to embark on it means you’re never going to make it happen.
Embrace it, life is too short to be lived in one place.
The huge pluses for work from anywhere:
The not so glamourous parts of working from anywhere to consider:
What do you do with tax and insurance; hence my suggestion of picking a base country and keeping it as a country of residence and experience travelling for 1-3 months at a time.
People back home won’t always understand your new lifestyle
It can get lonely; that’s why I strongly encourage when you are starting out is to be part of a like-minded community, so you always have a support system in place.
There could be some logistics to consider like mortagge and family but it’s not to say it can’t be done.
Intrigued and want to see how to get started with your work from anywhere lifestyle?
Here are some easier ways to experience work from anywhere.
- Take up a low-cost start-up; dabble with it and see if it is something for you.
- Take your own current employment on the road. The pandemic has turned most of us into wifi workers anyway so might as well enjoy the travels.
- Take a career break and test drive the lifestyle, see if it is something for you.
Want to explore how working from anywhere can work for you?