Being a part of a Female Digital Group got me thinking, how do these women balance their time working while traveling?
I don’t have a solid blogging schedule that I follow and I prioritise my work more than my personal blog and businesses but I’m looking to change that this year.
I have read a lot of bloggers are earning money off their blogs and other businesses and I would really love to do the same. But balancing my time between working and traveling, makes it so hard for me to squeeze in time to dedicate to my blog.
So I interviewed these amazing ladies and sent them some questions not only to know them better but also to take their experiences as inspiration.
Meet Tayler
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
May 2018.
2. What city is your favourite so far?
I spent my first 10 months in New Zealand which is an absolutely beautiful place to hang out & I loved it.
But I think one of my favorite cities so far and one that was very nomad friendly was Seoul, South Korea.
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
I am a freelance Virtual Business Assistant. This is what makes of makes up most of my online income.
I also dipped my toes into E-commerce last year and currently sell a product on Amazon. This year I started a blog all around being a Digital Nomad and have been focusing my time on that.
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
Slow. I house sit as a way to continue to afford traveling so many times I’ll be in a single place for 3-6 weeks. I prefer to spend at least a month in each place I go. I’ve moved around a lot in the last 2 months and it really wears on you after a while so I’m looking forward to slowing down again.
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
I think moving around less is key for me. If I can get into a routine even if for just 2 weeks, then I’m going to be more productive than if I’m moving about every 3-5 days.
House Sitting has also really helped because it means I’m usually getting a good night’s sleep, cooking my own meals and have dedicated space & internet to work. Many of things that nomads spend their time searching for are taken care of with house sitting. This takes a mental load off, gives me more energy and more time to enjoy each location when I’m not working.
Visit Tayler’s website here www.travelingtayler.com or Follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/travelingtayler/.
Meet Valerie
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
October 2014
2. What city is your favourite so far?
Athens, Greece
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
Virtual Tax Accountant (bookkeeping and tax)
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
We (my husband & son & I) have traveled various ways: (1) RV in the states, (2) by car w/hotels in US & Airbnbs in Europe/Morocco. We have traveled fast (just a few days to a week at the most in one particular place) to slow (3 months in single spot – since we travel under US tourist visa). We started out fast because there was so much to see & do! Then we needed to slow down & relax a bit.
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
I have to designate a certain amount of time to work. Usually, we explored during the day wherever we were and then I worked in the late afternoon/evenings. That seemed to work out really well for us. But flexibility is SUPER important. Plans could change at a moments notice & I’d have to rework my “planned schedule” and work really long days to make sure I was able to participate in the fun stuff on other days.
Visit Valerie’s websites https://sparrowfinancial.com/ and https://wanderlees.com.
Meet Isabel
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
2016
2. What city is your favourite so far?
Singapore. Would love to work in Malta someday.
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
E-Commerce marketplace for cryptocurrency and blockchain services. Content creator for events and ghost writer and translator (Fluent in French)
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
Intensely detailed. I’ve got an RFID backpack and wallet to prevent identity theft. And to help other nomads, Here’s how to buy the wallet:
www.coinfemme.com/shop
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
Time management and Task prioritisation.
I work DAILY even weekends, for hours- a habit formed to maintain momentum despite the environment.
Read Isabel’s recent blogpost about e-Residency here.
Meet Nicole
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
I started the location independent life three years ago when I got my first fully remote job.
2. What city is your favourite so far?
That’s a tough question! I really have a lot of favorite cities around the world but I love San Antonio in Texas and El Nido in the Philippines.
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
I’m a graphic designer and I offer logo designs, website design & development, print design, email marketing and social media management. I also own an e-commerce business for pet products.
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
I would say nature based traveling. I truly enjoy the ocean as well as mountains. I always find myself looking for destinations on the coast.
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
It depends where I go. If I go to a completely different time zone such as Asia, I tend to work at their night time and enjoy the day. Also, I try to get all tasks done before Friday so I can enjoy the weekend with no worries.
Website:
www.nicolecoxdesign.com
www.pawkaboo.com
Facebook Page:
https://m.facebook.com/nicolecoxdesign/
https://m.facebook.com/pawkaboo/
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/nicolecoxdesign
www.instagram.com/pawkaboo_
Meet Stephanie
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
I started living as a digital nomad in August of 2018.
2. What city is your favourite so far?
So far I love living in Treviso located in Italy.
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
I’m a video editor and videographer. I help businesses and brands launch their content for all social media platforms and curate for engagement.
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
In phases of every couple of months, I’ll visit a new country for a couple of days. I have two kiddos so I don’t like to stay away from too long. It’s exciting to travel and be able to work at the same time.
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
I’m a planner so I like to organize and book in advance so I can prep for how long and my budget for traveling.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram at @530soulstudios.
Meet Dianna
1. When did you start working online?
I launched my Virtual Assistant business in June of this year. Prior to my launch, I spent 3 incredible months working with a mentor who has made a phenomenal career out of training VAs. I was extremely blessed to have her while I built my brand from the ground up.
2. What services do you offer?
Currently, I offer social media management, bookkeeping (I actually have a partner in this, as I have been rapidly growing!), customer and admin support, along with e-mail marketing.
3. What is the best thing about being a Digital Nomad?
The best part of being a DN is finally having control and power of my own time to do as I please. I am no longer ruled by that time clock, PTO requests, or unhealthy environments. I am in complete control of when, where and how I spend my time. Also, being able to take last-minute road trips, book flights without permission and occasionally (ok, more often than not) working in my PJs is pretty legit too, I won’t lie!
4. How did you start as a VA and what obstacles did you have when you started?
When I realized to work for others no longer served my purpose, I knew I wanted a career that would provide me with location and time freedom. I am a member of a massive FB group dedicated to female travelers (Girls Love Travel), and we are nearly a million strong. I knew so many of those members were living the life I wanted for myself, so one night at 2 am while I was dreading having to make the commute to a job I loathed, I searched the group for remote work. I came across a post where someone was asking how to become a VA, and this woman (Hannah Dixon) made a comment about how she has made a career out of training more than 8k VAs. I will not lie, initially, I thought it was a total joke, and did not believe she was able to help THAT many people. So I looked at her website, read reviews and some of her free resources and I was blown away! She had been featured in Forbes Magazine and I knew I needed to connect with her. She had a 3-month mentorship that was about to start and I couldn’t give her my money fast enough! Over the course of the mentorship, I think my biggest struggle was not landing clients, but it was my mindset. I was not sure people would believe in me and my skills. I was not sure people would be willing to pay me my hourly rate, and I was certainly afraid of what others thought. After changing my mindset and truly believing in myself and my business, I have been incredibly blessed to have landed so many clients in a few short months that I have had to add members to my team, been asked to be on a podcast with someone who has a massive following, be featured in a blog, and live the life that so many of us have dreamed of. I am beyond grateful and proud!
5. What’s the best way to balance working and traveling?
That can be tricky, especially as someone who is so new to the game and trying to make a name for myself. You are constantly trying to make yourself and your brand visible, trying to land clients, impress the ones you already have, and make time for the things that motivated you to start the business in the first place. I think the thing that has helped me the most are: creating time blocks, scheduling tasks on specific days, using tools (ex: Trello, Monday, Toggl, etc) to track said tasks, routinely waking up around the same time every morning to take full advantage of my time (but I do occasionally take advantage of not having to physically be anywhere from time-to-time), having the support from my loved ones, and creating schedules around activities I love (ex: if I know I am going to be road-tripping, I make sure to block my schedule so no one can schedule a call with me). Also, if I know ahead of time that I will be traveling, I work my ass off before going so I can get the tedious and most time-consuming tasks done prior, so I can have more time to actually enjoy it!
Don’t forget to visit Dianna’s website https://withtwons.co/ and follow her on Instagram @withtwons.
It’s me! RJ Lyn 🙂
1. When did you start living as a Digital Nomad?
I don’t really consider myself a full time Digital Nomad as I still go back to my hometown to spend time with my family and nephews. But I have been traveling every year to different cities and countries since 2014.
I haven’t been to the UK and the US so those two are on my list. But I guess UK is weighing more since I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland (huge fan of James Bond here!). Although New York is still on my bucket list!
2. What city is your favourite so far?
This is a tough one to answer but I really had a good time in Australia. I visited Melbourne and Sydney while I was there. I also love the laidback lifestyle in Kuala Lumpur. I always find myself visiting again and again. Been there twice this year already 🙂
3. What do you do (services you offer, any business)?
Content creation is my main job. I write articles and short form content for social media posts. But I have been exploring graphic design for online content and so far I really like it.
I started a reselling business in my city which is going really well so I’m thinking of setting up an online store.
4. How will you describe your traveling style?
I describe my traveling style as seasonal. I just got home from a month long trip to Kuala Lumpur, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Bangkok. I’m back home and I’m staying for a while. Really hoping to visit the UK in December on my birthday. 🙂
5. How do you find balance between working and traveling?
I usually schedule flights on weekends because I work full time and have to be online whenever my colleagues are too. I like to use my journal to write my schedule. So before I head on to a new city, I do my research and find things to do and places to visit. So one day I would go exploring in the morning and will work in the afternoon. Or I would work whole day and take a leave on the next day so I could join a group tour.
I want to thank Tayler, Valerie, Isabel, Nicole and Dianna for taking the time to share their story with me. I know how busy digital nomads can be so I’m truly grateful to you girls for taking a chunk out of your busy schedule to make this blogpost happen.
I am not used to reaching out to other nomads and freelancers so this is a milestone for me. I couldn’t be happier to have finally made this blogpost a reality!
If you’re reading this, whether you’re a digital nomad or want to join the bandwagon, I hope you find this inspiring and helpful. 🙂
