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Digital Nomad Tools and Tips

How to be a Digital Nomad with No Skills

When you are young, you like to think about what you want to be when you grow up. Not many people think of becoming a digital nomad.  However, when you recognize what the digital nomad life entails, it seems too good to be true. You are able to travel, explore new places, meet new people, and all while earning an income – it seems like a dream.

But how do people do it? Everyone has a skillset of sorts, but how do you narrow it down? Is it possible to be a digital nomad with no skills?

In this article, we will talk about how to be a digital nomad with no experience.

What does it mean to get a job as a digital nomad?

The traditional 9-5 job is becoming less expected of the younger generations. More and more companies allow their employees to work from home, while some companies are going completely remote. 

No matter your degree, or even if you have a degree, you can still be a digital nomad with no skills, or rather with skills you have but have not recognized yet.

Getting a job as a digital nomad allows you to set your own schedule and work when you want. Many nomads use this freedom to travel around and work from anywhere and everywhere!

As a digital nomad, you can work from a cafe, your home,
a co-working space, or even the beach!

Jobs | How to be a Digital Nomad without experience 

Online Teaching

Teaching English online is becoming more and more popular. Many companies do not require you to have a Bachelor’s degree; however, some will require it. If you are a native English speaker, you already have one of the most critical skills you need.

If you have a TEFL, you may have a few more options, but it is not necessary for teaching online.

Some popular online companies to work for are

  • VIPKID
  • PalFish
  • DaDaABC
  • And so many more!

Companies prefer teachers to teach around 15 hours a week, but you can always work more to earn extra cash. If you live or travel in a cheap country, you can live very comfortably with your salary. 

Online teaching is excellent because you set your hours and earn between $15 – $25 / hour. 

Online teaching classes can range from one-on-one tutoring
to classes of 4 students at the same time.

Administrative Assistant 

An administrative assistant involves helping a person or a business with all things administrative. These tasks can include basic data entry, answering emails, taking notes in meetings, maintaining contact lists, etc.

These are all tasks you have probably done once in your life and may seem ordinary, but by freeing up jobs like these for a company, you are making their lives much easier. You free up someone’s time to focus on other parts of their business. 

Copywriting

Copywriting is a great way to make cash as a digital nomad! Copywriting can include many forms of writing, such as writing copy for emails, marketing, landing pages for websites, and many more mediums.

There are blogging websites that you can sign up for and apply to write articles on various topics. Some websites will pay you per word or pay a flat fee for the article.

Social Media Manager

If you are obsessed with social media (like most of us), why not make some money from it? 

Engagement is vital on social media, so many of your tasks as a social media manager will be activities you are already doing. Projects can include commenting and engaging with followers and following relevant accounts on Instagram. The position can also include managing a Facebook group by accepting member requests and engaging with the community. These are just a couple of basic examples, but there is so much for a social media manager to do.

>>> MAKE SURE TO JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP FOR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING SUPPORT<<<

Social media platforms are user friendly, so if you use the platform from the consumer side, you will be able to manage one from the business side. 

Girl looking at an Instagram feed on her phone.
The impression a user’s Instagram feed gives is essential to
the brand – what does your Instagram say about you?

If you want to get more in-depth with social media management, you can take over managing the client’s accounts. This includes creating content for their social media channels, engaging in hashtag research to reach the right audience, scheduling the content, and helping them grow their business overall. These are all skills you can learn with practice, from a mentor, or easily learn from online courses or videos.  

Get our Social Media Guide KICKIN’ IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA if you want to get a headstart as a social media manager:

ebook cover Kickin It On Social Media Guide
The only guide you need for your online success!

Customer Support

Customer support jobs are some of the most common remote positions and always seem to be hiring. If you are good with people, companies will hire remote customer service workers to deal with customer questions or issues. 

Communication skills are essential for a role like this, along with general people skills. Communication is usually done through chat functions, email, or phone. This is an excellent job as a digital nomad, as your time zone could work ideally for covering all hours at a company that provides 24/7 support. 

Virtual Tutoring

If you have a skill that you excel at, teach others! You can teach a range of skills through Skype or other online video platforms. 

Some ideas of skills you could teach are playing an instrument, singing, drawing, even cooking!

Another great skill is to teach another language! English is the more common example to teach online, but if English is not your native language, there is most likely demand for people wanting to learn your mother tongue! You can teach anyone, anywhere in the world, and you are already an expert at it!

Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistants are becoming more popular and an excellent option for people starting out as a digital nomad. You can do so many tasks as a Virtual Assistant, many with skills you already have!

As mentioned before, administrative tasks and social media management are popular and can both be included in Virtual Assistant work. 

Other everyday tasks of a Virtual Assistant include but are not limited to

  • Email management
  • Website maintenance
  • Project management
  • Calendar management
  • Podcast management
  • Video editing

A great way to find Virtual Assistant clients is by joining Facebook groups dedicated to Virtual Assistants or Digital Nomads, as people will post projects and jobs that they are hiring for. 

Often, a company doesn’t know they need a Virtual Assistant, so it is up to you to sell yourself and let them know how you can make their work and life more manageable. 

Canva is a popular graphic design tool used by Virtual Assistants. 
Hint – if you need to make a resume, they have great resume templates!

Transcriptionist

Transcriptionist jobs are also another great role for new digital nomads. They might not be the most exciting online work, but there are plenty of positions available, and with time they pay well.  The job includes transcribing audio and video into text. All you need is a reliable internet connection and a computer to get started. You can work from the comfort of your own home and set your own work hours. This can also be done in multiple languages.

Graphic Design

Are you good at drawing or painting? Do you consider yourself to be artistic? Why not turn this passion into a business! 

Graphic designers are in high demand for online businesses. If you have an eye for aesthetics and design, you can help create branding for a company, including the logo, icons, website, colors, etc. 

There is a high demand for graphic designers, and there are numerous projects posted daily in Facebook groups.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing has been around for a while, and it is an easy way to make money. You earn a commission for promoting products and getting users to purchase them.  If you already have a following through a blog or social media, such as Pinterest or Instagram, this is a great way to earn extra income.  

You can learn more about affiliate marketing online if this is something you would be interested in.

How to find Digital Nomad Jobs

A few recommended remote job sites to look for jobs are

There are also freelancer websites where you can find more one-off jobs. You can create a profile and market yourself to potential customers. 

Next Steps

So, how to be a digital nomad with no skills? If none of the jobs listed in this article could work for you, you can develop your skills for the job you want! There are so many free or low-costing resources online to build your skills. Some great sites to check out are Udemy and Coursera, among plenty of others. 

There is so much you can learn and teach yourself from the comfort of your own home. So, if you want to be a digital nomad, there is really nothing stopping you! You either have the skill set and did not know it (until you read this article) or take the leap and teach yourself the skills you need. 

Your digital nomad journey awaits you!

Categories
Digital Nomad Tools and Tips

10 Best Free Travel Apps that You Must Have When Traveling

Travel planning has become a lot easier nowadays. We live in a digital world and can enjoy a full range of useful tools which make it a lot easier than in former times! Thanks to great travel apps, it’s been a blast for us to keep on top of our routes and bookings. Yet, you have to know which one to use. There are some awesome free travel apps that help you enjoy your holidays from the planning to your destination: here is a list of 10 best free travel apps that will prove to be useful throughout your globetrotting adventures. We hope you enjoy your new free travel apps for your next travel planning!

10. Waze

If you’re driving, then Waze is a must-have app, when travelling. It is the largest community-based traffic and navigation app that will show you all you need to know about the road you’re on. You’re getting information about the streets, real-time traffic conditions, gas stations, and you’re even seeing Waze users on the road in real-time. It’s fun, useful and free!

For iOS and Android.

9. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is, we believe, the only air travel app you’ll ever need. It’s been voted time and time again as the best travel app and it’s free to download and use. With 50 million users a month, Skyscanner provides you with all you need to make sure you easily and quickly book the best flight for your needs. For those of you are constantly on the go, it’s truly a must-have app!

For iOS and Android.

8. BringFido

Dog lovers, don’t think we’ve forgotten you! If you want to take man’s best friend with you on your vacation, then you will need BringFrido to let you know which places are pet-friendly. It will also tell you about where the dog attractions are, the airline pet policies, dog events, outdoor restaurants and even dog restaurants. The app is free and it’s waiting for you to download it!

For iOS.

7. Uber

The taxi is dead, long live Uber! Uber is the best way to move when you’re on vacation. If you’re not sure about which bus to take, call yourself an Uber and be done with it. It’s just a tiny bit more costly than a taxi but wildly more comfortable and it’s also safer. Uber is available in 76 countries and 473 cities! Download the app, it’s so simple to use it!

For iOS and Android.

6. PackPoint Packing for Sheraton

This packing list travel companion will help you get and stay organized when travelling. It’s a great tool for those who feel overwhelmed by packing and those who love to be as organized as possible. The app itself is powered by TripIt, and the two can work together if you want to (importing info from PackPoint into TripIt). Select the activities you’ll be doing on your vacation and PackPoint will tell you what you need! If you’re going on a photography holiday, then PackPoint will remind you to pack your batteries and everything else you need for your trip. Just give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

For iOS and Android.

5. Lola Travel

Lola Travel is the newest app on our list and it is also the most promising one. For now, Lola Travel is a free app that requires an invitation to join. It is a personal travel service for pretty much anything you need when you’re travelling: hotels, flights, tours, etc. It connects its customers with the company’s travel consultants, which means that you’re going to have a personal travel assistant who’s going to do all the elbow grease for you. Again, it is free for now, but it plans to introduce a yearly or monthly subscription.

For iOS.

4. TripIt

All your travel plans, in one place, is the TripIt’s tagline. It’s that simple and that effective. Forward your flight email, hotel booking or calendar to the app and it will take care of the rest! It works for train rides, buses, hotels, hostels and even all of them put together. You won’t need to write down anything on a piece of paper, ever again. TripIt will do everything for you and it’s free! It’s also one of the most popular travel apps in the world, so give it a try!

For Android.

3. Wiffinity

Wiffinity let you find and connect to over 300,000 hot spots from around the world. So, even before you arrive to your destination, you’ll have all the hot spots listed in the app, and their passwords! It’s got great coverage and you can even use the app offline, once you’ve uploaded the map for offline use. Think about it, you’re in a foreign country, you don’t speak the language and you’re looking for a Wi-Fi password. With Wiffinity, it’s so much easier!

For Android.

2. Triposo – Your Smart Travel Guide

Triposo is a smart travel guide app that you must try! It will give you tailored recommendations about hotels, sights, restaurants and activities! You can even do the booking through the app and you’ll be pleased to know that the app also works offline. So, if you’re even in a city and you feel overwhelmed by all the options, open Triposo and let it guide you!

For iOS and Android.

1. Google Translate

Google Translate has been around for what seems like forever and is one of the must-have travel apps, but it was only last year that the live translation feature was introduced, and the live translation is what makes the Google Translate app spectacularly useful. Simply point your phone’s camera to a sign or piece of writing in a foreign language, and Google will translate it in real time. You just can’t make this stuff up!

For iOS and Android.


*This post and photos were originally published on BookSinglesHoliday.com and cross-posted here with their permission.

Categories
Digital Nomad Tools and Tips

Are Digital Nomad Programs an Option to Start Your New Lifestyle?

When I decided to quit my job in 2011 and travel the world, I wish someone would have taken me by the hand to show me my options for leaving the 9-5-routine. Today, there are more and more digital nomad programs that help people find a smooth way into a location independent lifestyle. Terminal3, for example, is created for those who work online and want to travel with others for six months (July-Dec. 2016). And then there is the Nomad Cruise that connects digital nomads and entrepreneurs on a cruise ship. Check out our blog post about our trip from Colombia to Portugal with 200 fellow digital nomads. 

Beaches, mountains you pick your scenery in your new style of living!
This could be you, going for a run before you even have had breakfast! Photo credit: Terminal3

 

In 2011 it seemed to be a crazy thought of mine, when I first considered not going back home to pick up my old career path that I left behind to travel for a short 6-month break. That I never returned and changed my reality seems today like a logical step. But back then, it was a bit scary at times: what if I won’t be able to ‘make it’ out there in the world…. what if Germany, my home, my safe haven, was my only option to make money and create my life… All these thoughts, fears and doubts pop up, thanks to society that shows us only one way: after school you go to university or get a job, then start a family and have a house/car and dog. Whoever dares to do something else is mostly considered an outcast, loser or lazy bum. But, if I look at my life today, I feel like I am not working less than I used to do back in my office job. The difference is significant though, as today I work next to the beach or in a nice cafe plus, whenever I want to.

Working in cafes or at the beach has become my daily routine.
Not your normal office, right? Gotta love this remote lifestyle!

Sounds great? Yes, it is! And if you wonder how to do that too, then perhaps you might be interested to follow a crowd of people who do exactly the same: work remotely while discovering the world. The concept of Terminal3 is super straight forward: you join a bunch of digital nomads and enjoy the luxury while someone else does the travel planning and organisation for you. Flights, visas, accommodation and activities are all taken care of. As a bonus, you will get to know others who might have great ideas to inspire your own path, or you might even meet your future business partner on this trip. Working remotely can be lonely if you don’t have a partner at your side, so anyone who loves to brainstorm and enjoy the company of people with the same lifestyle, should sign up!

Hiking, biking, or the beach - your choices are what matter!
Isn’t it always greater in good company?! Photo credit: Terminal3

With the creation of more and more programs like Terminal3 we learn about a shift in the thinking pattern of people who desperately want to break out of their routine. It is great to see that it becomes less and less scary for others to accept this new type of work-life style as something normal. At the end of May, we are stoked to hop onto a cruise ship that will be relocated from Cartagena (Colombia) to Lisbon (Portugal). On top of this really economic transportation option comes the bonus for us: this very cruise ship hosts another digital nomad event called “Nomad Cruise” where around 200 online entrepreneurs get together and exchange ideas and visions on a 13-day cruise across the Atlantic Ocean.

Nomad Cruise from Columbia to Portugal, we are in!
All you need to know: dates and program, wanna come??? 😀

For both of these digital nomad programs, there are still spots left and we will be posting in the following weeks a few more details about them. We really think that these are great options for anyone who is already working remotely and especially for people who want to change their lifestyle towards location independence. Stay tuned and spread the word – it would be great to meet one of the events!