Nomad Mom – Page 3

10 Communications Apps For Digital Nomads

Whether you’re a van-dweller seeing the country through an RV or international traveler, island hopping or seeing the world through your travels, there are always people you wish you could reach out and hug or at least talk to from time-to-time. When you’re always on-the-go, it’s hard to keep in touch, but the following 10 communications apps for digital nomads will help you stay connected wherever you roam.

10 Communications Apps For Digital Nomads

When it comes to staying connected, we often think about our phones. So, before you start down this path of the best apps for digital nomads, make sure you read through my 4 Tips For Using Your US Cell Phone When Traveling Abroad.

Now, on to the 10 communications apps for digital nomads…

1. WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messager is currently a free ad-free encrypted communication platform that allows users to send text, voice messages, and voice calls across the world. You can download the app on your phone and anyone with WhatsApp and your number can contact you. While right now, WhatsApp is amazing, but it may not be the future of WhatsApp.

As a digital nomad, it can be hard to stay connected. It’s easy to make communication “hard,” but with apps like WhatsApp and access to either decent wifi or local phone service, it’s pretty easy for digital nomads to stay connected around the world.

2. Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is Google’s communication platform. It’s, of course, one of Google’s many apps and it allows you to send text messages, voice messages, and conduct voice calls with up to 10 people at a time for free! You can also send group text messages with up to 100 contacts.

You can download a Google Hangouts app on your Android or iPhone and as long as you have wifi or data on your phone, you’ll never miss your family or friends on your digital nomad journey.

3. FaceTime/iMessage

For the Apple aficionados, I was so excited to learn that FaceTime and iMessage work on data everywhere in the world! Yes! That means that I can keep in contact with my iPhone-using family and friends through my iphone, ipad, and mac! Yay!! We text every day. I send them pictures of my family and our life in China. We send each other video messages. We make data-based phone calls and we use FaceTime. While all of the FaceTime/iMessage tools are FREE, you have to buy at least one Apple product to enjoy them. So, is it really free?! Not really, but if you have the product, make sure to get full use of all the tools.

4. Skype

Skype is Microsoft’s solution to communication. With Skype, you can do text and video messages and you can conduct private video calls and group conference calls with up to 25 people, which is amazing! Plus, it’s free!

And with all of the other tools, you can find the app for Skype on your phone for download.

5. Vonage

Ok, so Vonage is NOT an Apple, Skype, or WhatsApp data based App. It’s a VOIP phone service. The cool thing about Vonage is that you can plug it in wherever you are. It’s basically just a small little box that you plug into your modem and you plug a regular landline phone into the Vonage box. Then POOF! You can literally call anywhere in the world.

To date, I’ve used my Vonage line in the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, and Mainland China. I kept my US number so that my family could contact us easily AND I’ve been able to work with clients in Australia, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Burkina Faso.

On my phone! The rates barely made a blip in my bill. In fact, my call to Australia and Nigeria were free as part of my World Plan.

Vonage also has a cool application where you can have your calls forwarded to your cell phone from anywhere in the world. With Vonage, it’s all wins.

6. Magic Jack

Magic Jack is similar to Vonage. The device, itself, is smaller than a Vonage box. Magic Jack is the size of a flash drive while the Vonage device is about the size of your palm. With Magic Jack, you can keep your number and you can call the US and Canada for free.

VOIP Review says, “Vonage phone service offers free unlimited or capped minute (3.9￠/minute after cap) long-distance calling to anywhere in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico on its monthly calling plans. magicJack Internet phone service simply offers unlimited calls to the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.”

If you only want to make and receive calls from the US and Canada, Magic Jack may be a better selection but if you want World Plan calling, at a fraction of the cost of Magic Jack, Vonage may be a better option.

7. Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger has come a long way baby! You can now send texts, voice messages, and make calls to other Facebook Messenger users across the world. It’s a pretty nifty system.

And it’s one way to make new contacts from Facebook Groups and from various corners of the interwebs (and the world) where you may never physically meet anyone.

For instance, you can live in the US and meet someone living in Singapore on Facebook Messenger. You can become internet buddies but never meet until one of you takes a long-haul flight. Now, in some instances, this is the stuff of horror movies but it’s also now the way the world works.

Being a digital nomad means you could be an American in Thailand, chatting with a Canadian in Italy because you happened to meet in a Facebook group while you were both in London—but you never met because she flew out the day after you landed—and you still became friends.

And you stay connected through Facebook Messenger.

8. Wechat

If you’re in Asia, Wechat is the best digital nomad app for you. With Wechat you can text, send voice memos, send videos, pictures, and make voice and video calls. And one of the many unique attributes of this app is its translation capability. It translates Chinese into English. So, it’s also a built-in translator for foreigners.

9. Marco Polo

Marco Polo is a video chat app. You can send video messages and have live video calls. Unlike FaceTime, Skype, or Google Hangouts, Marco Polo is a specialized communication tool. It focuses on just video, which is fantastic for people who want to have one-on-one and group video calls and video messages.

10. Slack

Slack is another tool for digital nomads and anyone who works remotely. You can start using Slack for free and there are various pricing plans if you choose to upgrade. With Slack, you can create a team and manage your communications, using what Slack calls “channels”. You can share documents between individuals and among team members. You can also use Slack for face-to-face conversations and screen sharing. It’s a great tool for digital nomads who are also business owners or remote employees.

Finding the best apps for digital nomads requires a bit of trial and error. Communication tools for digital nomads are really quite important to leading a fulfilled life as a digital nomad.

In the comments, drop a note to me know if you have any additional insights into nomad apps or additional communication tools for digital nomads.

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2018 Digital Nomad Gift Guide

By Nomad Mom

The post contains some affiliate links. Review my disclosure for more information.

If you’re wondering what to buy the hippie in your life, this is a list of 13 gifts for your favorite digital nomad. Before we get started, the 2018 digital nomad gift guide is a list of things that I’ve just found and/or experienced. In other words, this is a new-to-me digital nomad gift guide. If it’s not new to you, as with everything, take what you can use and leave the rest.

Gifts For Nomads

Digital nomads are unique in our needs and while different in EVERY. OTHER. WAY., finding gifts for traveling workers and your wanderlust friend, is surprisingly similar.

1. LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

Ok, so if you, a friend, or family member travel abroad (and increasingly, even if you don’t), you may worry about the safety of your water.

And since you can’t carry your Britta or Pure filters on flights or in your carry-on luggage, this little LifeStraw may save one of your favorite people from the dreaded tummy bubbles that inevitably hit when you travel. This is, without a doubt, the gift I’m most excited to try. For the cost of a few plastic bottles of water, you could have a reusable straw that filters your water, removing microplastics and reducing turbidity down to 0.2 microns.

As if that’s not awesome enough, you can use it for up to 1000 gallons of water and for every straw purchased, a school child in need receives safe drinking water for one year.

2. Super Soft Neck Support Travel Pillow

Digital Nomads travel a lot. Between little seats on flights and riding shot-gun in the RV, it can be hard to get a restful (and comfortable) sleep when you travel.

This neck pillow may be the solution to every digital nomad’s travel sleep issues. Sleep while sitting up. Sleep on a cramped economy international flight.

Help your favorite digital nomad get real rest while traveling without having to splurge on a business class flight.

3. Venture Pal Lightweight Packable Durable Travel Hiking Backpack Daypack

This bag is one of my favorite things. I mentioned it in my last travel gift guide. It folds down into a little pouch and when I travel, I throw the whole thing into my checked back to use as my travel bag when I get where I’m going.

We ended up buying two bags, one for my husband and one for myself. When the kids spill juice or water on the bag, it stays dry and I it has nice interior pockets to help me keep all.the.things organized.

Maybe I’m a bit of a packing nerd, but I love being able to pack a bag inside of a bag. Because without a doubt, when I arrive at my destination, I always wish I had an extra bag. This Venture Pal bag takes care of that for me.

4. BUBM Travel Cable Organizer

People who move often travel with a ton of electronics.
Afterall, you can’t stick your phones, tablets, headphones and all of the extra cords in your checked baggage. Luggage gets lost and you can’t function without a charge phone, these days.

And when you travel with a family, you not only have your electronics but you have the kids’ electronics and chargers as well as all of the same stuff for your spouse. So basically, you need one big bag to carry the chargers and the electronics.

This BUBM travel cable is a lifesaver. it’s basically a sleeve to organize the chicken wire shame of chargers that frequent travelers haul around.

5. Compression Socks

Gifts for vandwellers and gifts for international travelers don’t need to be very different.
While vastly different in travel preferences, these two groups have similar problems.

They sit a lot sometimes.

And while this digital nomad has a love/hate relationship with compression socks, they’re definitely helpful. On long-haul flights, compression socks keep your legs active.

And while no one really wants to get socks as a present, these compression socks make for excellent stocking stuffers (ha! pun intended) and can be given in combination with any gift on this year’s list.

Any digital nomad will get good use out of these babies.

6. Pocket blanket

Being a digital nomad or someone who moves around a lot is an exercise in preparedness. For many of us, it’s like extreme camping.

Do we have everything we need?

In my case, I never have everything I need but I never have enough room in my checked and carry-on luggage. This is why I love travel blankets.

This is more like a travel sheet. It’s not warm or made for snuggling. This is a waterproof and sand proof mat that you can use at the park or the beach.

It’s a great place for a picnic and for us, it’s also a great place to have our kids sit while we travel. On 14-hour flights, if we score the bulkhead seats, we can stretch this blanket out and let the kids play on the airplane floor for a bit. This little blanket gives our kids a nice place to sit and play and makes snack clean up a breeze.

So whether you camp, like to take impromptu picnics, or just need a clean place to allow your kids (or yourself) to stretch out and relax during long trips, this blanket is it.

7. Travel Towel

Travel towels are the best invention ever. They have unlimited uses, and I love how lightweight
they are and how you can use them to clean anything while you travel.

You can use them at the beach or the pull. You can take them to the gym to yourself from melting in a pool of sweat. They’re always great when you’re always on the road; I’m sure these towels would be an RV staple.

When we travel, there’s always something that needs cleaning. Taking long-haul flight with kids, it’s a miracle if everyone (mom and dad included) stays clean and dry for the entire flight.

These towels make excellent lap napkins for snack time and could and make for easy clean up when you’re on-the-go.

8. Zero Grid Travel Security Belt

I don’t know about you, but I liked to wear jeans when I travel. Yoga pants and leggings don’t always have pockets. Plus, slacks just look so nice.

My problem with jeans is that I need a belt and when we already have umpteen gazillion things to get through security, having to worry about my belt is not a priority.

Then I found this belt. The buckle is metal-free so I don’t have to take it off when I walk through security and I can keep a little extra cash in this belt’s little hidden interior pocket.

It’s the perfect gift for any digital nomad, especially for the nomad always leaving on a jet plane. It’s a safe, discrete, and fairly inexpensive way to speed up your security line experience while keeping your cash in a safe place.

9. Family Passport Carrier

If you’ve ever tried to keep track of more than one passport,
you know it can be a bit of nightmare. There’s no good place to keep a family or four’s passports safely AND that allows you to have easy access to them.

My husband either puts them in his pocket or they get (temporarily) lost in my “mom bag.”

This little family passport carrier is genius. It has the RFID protection everyone is always raving about and it comfortably hold up to 6 passports. And it zips up, keeping all the passports safe, while allowing you to stick it in a bag or in a jacket pocket for easy access for later use.

10. Collapsible water bottle

I always keep a reusable water bottle on me when I travel. The issue is most water bottles are so big and bulky.

Unless your backpack has water bottle holders, your reusable water bottle could cause you to have less space in your carry on.

This collapsible water bottle is perfect for travel. Sure, it’s plastic (negative) but it collapses to a small enough size where you can throw it your bag without it having a huge impact on your space allocations.

I don’t know about you, but that keeps me from leaving it behind. I’m notorious for leaving good stainless steel reusable water bottles behind at security because I have so many things to track (kids, kid stuff, strollers, husband, husband’s stuff, my stuff — typically in that order) that I forget little things like my favorite water bottle at security gates in random parts of the world.

11. Storage Bags

This may seem like something digital nomads wouldn’t find useful, but digital nomads go to the grocery store. We may travel light but we buy stuff, especially to eat.

Many digital nomads also do a fair amount of walking since we don’t always have access to personal vehicles when we travel abroad.

This wheelie storage bag is perfect for your favorite digital nomad. It collapses and folds fairly easily so it won’t take up much space in a regular suitcase. And when you arrive at your destination, you have an automatic grocery bag for walking around a new city and picking up the essentials you need without having to buy plastic bags.

Digital Nomad Gift Guide For Ladies Only

The following gifts are for ladies only. They are not gag-gifts and I suggest that you think twice before you buy your favorite digital nomad these gifts. They’re personal products and only very close friends and family should ever ever ever buy something like this for someone else. And even then, a purchase like this could go south (no pun intended) very quickly.

My suggestion is that digital nomad women buy these gifts for themselves.

12. Go Girl

I’ve always wanted to be able to pee standing up.
For some of ya’ll that’s weird and I’m sorry but for the rest of you, you feel my pain. It would be so convenient and less invasive than the traditional way.

It’s also waaay cleaner to stand up than it is to come into physical contact with some of the restrooms you encounter as a digital nomad. I should write an entire article on digital nomad restroom experiences. But until then, the Go Girl is a perfect solution to needing to “go” but not wanting to moon the world to get the job done.

One brave brave woman tested the Go Girl on Youtube. So, you can see how it works. Check out the Youtube video and see how the Go Girl really works.

13. Diva Cup

Digital nomad women know that finding a store and learning how to say tampon or sanitary napkin in a foreign language when you’re already not feeling 100% is rough. Instead of packing an arsenal of feminine products, the Diva Cup is the compact solution to that awkward situation.

The Diva Cup is small and it’s made of medical grade silicone. So it’s super flexible too. Just throw it in your carry-on bag and you’ll never be caught by surprise again, having to negotiate feminine product purchases as a foreigner in a foreign language. Believe me. It’s the worst.

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17 Clues You Could Hack It As A Digital Nomad

By Nomad Mom

Nomad life isn’t all Pina Coladas and beach vacations. There are mountains too! Just joking. It’s hard living your life on the road and not everyone is cut out for it. Before you start preparing and daydreaming about your digital nomad lifestyle, check out these 17 clues if you could hack it as a digital nomad.

1. You like having a home base.

You can have a home base and travel. It’s actually really nice to be a nomad with a home to “go home” to. If you want to be a nomad AND have a home base, you have a couple options.

If you own your home, you could rent it out, using short-term rentals like AirBnB or HomeAway.

You could do a long-term rental and either sell or store your belongings and with both options, you’d need to hire a property management company to manage your home while away.

If you’re a renter, then your work is MUCH easier. You could sublet (as long as the landlord is cool with it) fully furnished or you could sell or store your belongings and have your mail forwarded to a close family member or a friend.

And for my totally hardcore nomads, you could always get a P.O. Box and hit the road.

So don’t worry. You can hack it as a digital nomad even if you want to have a home base.

2. You have a fear of flying.

All sane people have a fear of flying, at least I do. The idea of being in a metal tube for 14 hours was absolutely horrifying and then something crazy happened; I forgot I was on a plane.

I’m not trying to belittle your fear, but I am saying that your fear is rational and you’re not the only person with a fear of flying.

However, there are plenty of people who have a fear but don’t let that fear stop them from experiencing life.

And if you’re really too afraid to get on an airplane, you can still be a digital nomad. All you need is an RV with a tank full of gas, wifi, and place to go.

If you don’t believe me, take a look at vanadieu.com. This couple is on their way to digital nomad freedom with just their van and a desire to live without strings.

Believe it or not, you can hack it as a digital nomad even if you have a fear of flying.

3. You LOVE experiencing new things

As a digital nomad, there is a never-ending supply of all things new.

If you’re in a new country, there’s a new language, culture, and in places like London and Singapore, you have to walk and drive on the “opposite” side of the street.

If you like new experiences, you’ll have no problem hacking it as a digital nomad and for those who don’t necessarily like new things all the time, don’t worry.

There are definitely people who seek out the new and exciting but as a digital nomad, it’s also exciting when the new becomes the old — when we get so used to things that they’re no longer new; we’ve become accustomed to them. That’s also fun.

And being a digital nomad, it’s just as much fun to constantly seek out the new as it is to so thoroughly acclimate to the new that it becomes second nature.

There’s room for both perspectives and to hack it as a digital nomad, you actually have to know which adventure you’re after.

4. Traveling gives you the heebie-jeebies

Being comfortable with traveling is a learned skill. Not everyone has it, especially if you have very little experience moving around. That’s fine.

Being able to hack it as a digital nomad has less to do with your comfort level traveling and more to do with your ability to be uncomfortable and unsettled. Whether you’re in Casablanca or Seattle, your ability to find your comfort zone in the midst of a bit of chaos is what makes you a digital nomad.

5. You’re a whizz at learning languages

If you love languages, you may be able to hack it as a digital nomad. At the very least, you’ll find your footing in a new place quickly by learning the local lingo but even if new languages give you a headache, you can still succeed as a digital nomad.

6. New languages give you a headache

Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a walking Google Translator to enjoy your life as a digital nomad.

A willingness to learn and more importantly is a better indicator as to whether you’ll be able to make it as a digital nomad.

7. Different cultures frustrate you

Learning new cultural traditions and norms can be fun for some and frustrating for others. And more likely than not, it can be both.

I bet living in a predominately Muslim or Jewish country would take some getting used to. The weekends would be Friday and Saturday instead of Saturday and Sunday.

And to most Westerners, that could take some adjustment.

Luckily, if you fall in the latter category, don’t fret. You can be a digital nomad and never leave your home country.

8. Adjusting to new cultures excites you

If new cultures excite you, then traveling abroad may be present a ton of new possibilities for you.

And if you’re considering traveling with a family, it’d also be a help to your family learn how to adjust to new cultures.

9. You’re single

You’re unattached and other than a job, you have no one to answer to. You’re free! So you can definitely be a digital nomad. The only question is, “how do digital nomads make money?” And more importantly, how do you want to make money to fund your digital nomad life?

10. You have children

Having children makes everything a little more challenging but it also makes things more interesting. Being a digital nomad with children is possible. It just takes a bit of planning.

Related: How to move abroad with a family.

11. You love your job

You don’t have to hate your job to be a digital nomad. Being a digital nomad is not a way to run away from life. It’s a way to enjoy MORE of life. In fact, you can love your job AND figure out how to take it with you.

12. You hate your job

Becoming a digital nomad is NOT about running away from a life you hate or a job you can’t stand. If hating your job is the ONLY reason to become a digital nomad, you may not be able to cut it.

If you hate your job but you know what you WANT to be doing instead, pursue it with gusto and start making money. Then figure out how to move abroad to become a digital nomad.

13. You’d miss your family.

I hate to be heartless, but everyone misses someone. Unless you live in the same city as everyone you’ve ever loved, you will miss someone.

You can still hack it as a digital nomad while missing your family as the people you love. You just need a plan.

Once you plan how often you’ll see your family and you know how and how often you’ll connect to them, you won’t miss them nearly as much.

And let’s be honest, the people you love the most wouldn’t want you to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime because you’d miss being with them from time to time.

Most digital nomads miss someone, and you can miss someone (or multiple someones) while enjoying your life and living as a digital nomad. It just requires you to plan when you’ll see them and how you’re going to stay in contact with them.

14. You’re not the entrepreneurial type

You can hack it as a digital nomad. Being a digital nomad doesn’t require you to be an entrepreneur. There are plenty of government and multinational organizations that need employees to travel (and travel extensively). There are also jobs with companies like Buffer that allow their staff to be located anywhere in the world.

If you’re not the entrepreneurial type, you just need to find a remote job. Check out remote.co. They have a TON of interested full-time remote job options.

15. You don’t have enough money

Money is one of those things that’s easy. And I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I started my first job after college making just $20k annually. That’s not even enough to buy most cars now.

I learned though that making money is easy, especially when you know how to pitch your experience! Learning how to spend it efficiently and to make it last is the hard part.

If your dream is to become a digital nomad and see the world, great. You just need to start a side hustle to make some extra money. Figure out how much money you think you need, double it, and start saving.

Not having enough money isn’t a good enough reason to abandon a dream. You can be a digital nomad without a TON of money but it’s so much more fun to solve your money dilemmas before you set out on your digital nomad adventure.

16. Health insurance is really important to you.

It’s not just important to you. It’s important to just about everyone, especially for people who live in (or travel to) countries that don’t provide universal healthcare.

Don’t let health insurance stop you from becoming a digital nomad. Check out..(examples of healthcare)

17. You want to see the world!

If you want to see the world (even if you only want to travel across the country) and that is your soul’s desire than nothing will stop you from hacking it as a digital nomad. Yes, there will be issues before you get started, and there will be issues during your digital nomad adventure (no matter how long it lasts).

Whether you want to believe it or not, most people—no matter life circumstances and preferences—can hack it as digital nomads. For most of us, it’s just a matter of making the lifestyle choice and pursuing it with relentless passion.

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5 Courses To Help Digital Nomads Make Extra Money

By Nomad Mom

The post contains some affiliate links. Review my disclosure for more information.

When digital nomads set out on their entrepreneurship and travel journey, there’s a lot to learn. And the learning the curve is high and very demanding. The good news is there’s a course online to teach you how to solve your own problems. The bad news is that it’s hard to know who to trust and which courses to purchase, but I can help. Let me share with you how courses help digital nomads make extra money, and which ones I think are worth your hard earned money.

Digital Nomad Income: When To Invest In Professional Development

I’m not going to lie, buying courses to help yourself learn how to manage your social media presence more effectively, how to build a list, how to write a more convincing sales letter, etc… is really helpful with two caveats. You have to buy from the right people—people who know what they’re talking about AND you have to be willing to invest not just the money in the course but the time it takes to complete the course.

5 Courses To Help Digital Nomads Make Money

1. Elite Blog Academy (EBA)

When you’re a digital nomad, making money is the name of the game. It what keeps you afloat and makes your lifestyle possible. So, whether you’re a blogger, a freelancer, or a social media celebrity, you need a blog (link). EBA teaches you how to monetize your blog and use it as an additional income stream. When you join EBA, you learn how to set up your blog to make money and you get lifetime access to all course updates. Plus, you become a member of a pretty exclusive group of bloggers — bloggers who make anywhere from $10K to $100K/month blogging — just blogging. It’s impressive.

Because of EBA, this little blog actually brings in money now. I’m not making $15,000/month yet but now I know how to make it happen. Grab your free copy of the Secret Blueprint For Blogging Success to get a taste of Elite Blog Academy. You can only purchase the class one time a year. So by grabbing your free copy, you’ll also join the waiting list and be one of the first to know when creator Ruth Soukup opens the doors to register again.

2. Making Sense Of Affiliate Marketing

Making Sense Of Affiliate Marketing is a great companion course to EBA. In this course, creator Michelle Schroeder-Gardner teaches you how to monetize blog posts, social media posts, and emails. Michelle now routinely makes $100,000 + (USD) per month! She still publishes income reports and part of her success is that uses these affiliate marketing techniques all.the.time.

As a digital nomad, this course is right in your sweet spot. You use Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook all the time. Why not make money when you do it? With every blog post, every Instagram pic, every Pinterest Pin, and every Facebook Post, you could be making a buck (or thousands!). This is set-and-forget money and when it comes to easy digital nomad income, this it the jackpot.

Michelle not only teaches how to place the link, but she also shows you how to be compliant and to properly disclose your affiliate marketing to your readers, subscribers, and social media followers.

It’s a great course. After I took this course, I earned my first affiliate sales commission and it felt AMAZING! I wrote one blog post and that one email consistently brings me money. Click here to check it out.

You can check out Making Sense Of Affiliate marketing here. It’s an easy-to-complete course. I think it took me two days to completely read through all of the material and about to week to implement all of her recommendations. It’s worth it. I wouldn’t miss out on this course.

3. 12-Week Blog Growth Strategy

As a digital nomad, it can be hard to keep your life straight. You’ve not only got client work but you’ve got to figure out where you’re going next so you don’t overstay your visa or passport entry requirements. You have to figure out the logistics for your travel and where you’re going to sleep AND you’ve got to continue your professional development so you can keep making money to fund this adventure.

This is how Kim Anderson’s 12-Week Blog Growth Strategy comes into play. By now, you know why you need a blog (link) but with everything else you have going on, it’s hard to keep things moving and updated.

With Kim’s plan, she’s taken all of the major concepts of the 12-week year (great book), and turned them into a course to help you organize and prioritize your tasks in bite-sized 12-week intervals. It’s freaking amazing!

You may think, “shoot, I can organize my own life.” And you can, but if you’re a digital nomad like me, I never actually get around to organizing and the one time I did, I spent all my time trying to figure out how to effectively organize all of my work.

Kim’s course cut out all of the back and forth and helped me set up a 12-week plan. I got more done in those 12 weeks than I did some years. Literally. Life change. Amazing.

Now, every 12 weeks, I set a goal and I use Kim’s strategy to break those goals down into bite-sized actions that I can track daily, weekly, and monthly.

Hands down, Kim’s 12-week blog growth strategy is the best productivity course I’ve ever taken (and I’ve taken a ton). You can check it out here.

4. Pitch Like A Boss

I’m going to toot my own horn here for a second and full disclosure, this is totally MY course but I think it’s fan-tab-ulous (and yes, I’m completely biased).

As a digital nomad, most of my income still comes from freelancing. And when you’ve been “homeless” for as long as I have (7 years and counting), your former professional network runs a bit dry and people don’t quite know how to find you. So, like me, you end up finding temporary jobs through job boards and referrals from current clients. But to get those jobs, you’ve got to pitch your credentials.

Having written proposals for the majority of my corporate life, I’ve written and supported proposals that have won upwards of $10 million/year for 10 years! And when I left that world to become a digital nomad, I realized I could use the same proposal strategies I used to earn companies tens of millions of dollars to get new freelance clients.

BAM! I got freelance work and I created a course to help you do the same thing.

In Pitch Like A Boss, I help freelancers (in any niche) and job seekers hone their pitch skills to stand out, get noticed, and make contacts to get new work. It’s a simple course that could earn you thousands in new freelance work.

I only open the course for new students quarterly. So sign up to hop on the waiting list here and grab my free gift.

5. Create Awesome Online Courses

Ok fellow digital nomad and location independent hottie, for massive passive income earning potential creating an online course is the path to freedom.

David Siteman Garland’s course, Create Awesome Online Courses, is the last (but definitely not least) of the courses I’d recommend for any digi nomad wanting to make some extra money.

David goes through every single step it takes to launch a fantastic online course that makes you money hand over fist! I took this class, built my course, and I was ecstatic to make sales on my first launch!

Could I have made more sales? Sure! But, now that I have the framework for the course, I’ll keep updating and tweaking it until I’m satisfied with the final product.

His course teaches you how to grow your list; design your course. He helps you figure out the technology and shows you how to market your course in a way that will help you increase your sales.

Don’t be like me. Follow David’s instructions to the letter. You’ll be so happy you did. He only opens his course a few times a year so sign up and snag his free webinar to jump on the waiting list to be the first to know when he relaunches.

Do you have to spend money to make money?

The short answer is no. You don’t. The long answer is: If you want to avoid a bunch of common pitfalls and learn from other people’s mistakes so you can make money faster, then yes; you do need to spend money to make money as a digital nomad, especially when it comes to professional development.

Have you downloaded my digital nomad business checklist? It’s a quick and dirty way to map out your business’ skeleton to determine who, what, and how your business income will flow. Sign up below and I’ll send the checklist to your inbox. Pronto!

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5 Digital Nomad Tools To Make Money Quickly

By Nomad Mom

A digital nomad is a lifestyle choice of someone who lives and works on the go. Often, on-the-go involves extensive travel—while increasingly international travel—there are still many digital nomads who live and work on the road in RVs, campers, and couch cruising in their home country. The point is, being digital nomad is an a-typical lifestyle choice that allows individuals the freedoms to travel and experience life on their own timeline. To make it work, here are 5 digital nomad tools to help you make money quickly.

Essentially, digital nomads are homeless, by choice. Whether our lifestyles are following a travel-intensive job or an ever-curious desire to see the world, digital nomads often see the world as an unexplored corner of home. It’s not easy to live off the beaten path and here are 5 tools digital nomads need to work from anywhere.

5 Digital Nomad Tools

Digital Nomad Tool #1: How You Make Money

You don’t have to be independently wealthy to be a digital nomad. So, unless you have a stash at Gringotts (Wizarding Bank), you need to know how you’re going to make money a digital nomad.

If you’d like to start a digital nomad business, you can grab my free digital nomad business checklist (link) to start thinking through your business ideas.

And if starting a business as a digital nomad is not your thing, you need to find a digital nomad company that will help you make the transition a bit easier. Here are 8 Ways To Find Remote Jobs in 2018 and 10 Go-To Places To Find Your Next Freelance Gig.

2. Digital Nomad Tool #2: Scheduler

One of my biggest problems as a digital nomad is time zones. They really put a damper in business planning, especially when you’re exchanging back-to-back emails at 2am *your time*. My go-to scheduler is Acuity. There’s a free option plan and a 7-day trial to try out all the bells and whistles.

Being in Mainland China right now, it’s the easiest way I know to schedule meetings with people back in the U.S or anywhere else in the world. I add my availability to my schedule and then send a link. Everyone can pick which dates/times work for them based on my availability.

Never have to have the “my time” vs “your time” conversation again.

3. Digital Nomad Tool #3: Get Paid

Ok, so unless you’re moving abroad as a digital nomad, you’re probably going to enjoy all of the countries where your passport can gain entry without a visa. For instance, right now, Japan has the world’s best passport because a Japanese passport holder can access 189 countries visa-free.

So whether you plan to move once for your job and settle down for a year or two before trying out a new country OR you plan to take full advantage of your passport’s visa-free entry options, you need to figure out how to get paid.

A traditional check is not going to work for you and if you’re like most people, having money wired to your bank account is undesirable—because no one wants to give out access to their bank account—ever.

And let’s be honest, getting paid is THE most important part of your digital nomad journey. Money is what makes your digital nomad lifestyle possible.

If you’re already employed, then you’re set. Your employer has your direct deposit information and you won’t have to worry but if you’re a freelancer or you run an online business, you’ve got to figure out an easy option to get paid.

Paypal is an easy option but here are a few Paypal alternatives: 10 Best Online Payment Apps.

4. Digital Nomad Tool #4: Accounting System

Ok, while getting paid is massively important, knowing how much to invoice, how much you’ve been paid, and tracking whether or not you’ve been paid is also imperative.

My favorite account system is Freshbooks. I can manage my invoices and track my accounts payable and accounts receivable. Quickbooks also has a similar system that’s about the same price. These two options are both online systems and they’ll help you automate your digital nomad business.

5. Digital Nomad Tool #5: Pipeline

When I say pipeline, I’m talking about a funnel of potential customers and clients. One of the hardest things about being a digital nomad is maintaining your network, especially if you start a business and move abroad.

Without an existing sales funnel, getting referrals takes a while to build up and until that happens, you’ve still got to fund this digital nomad adventure.

Starting a blog is one of the most effective ways to reach potential clients. It allows you to have a “storefront” and to share a part of yourself with potential customers without them ever having to engage with you.

And when done properly, you allow your potential customers to self-identify themselves to you by opting into your mailing list or joining a webinar. Once they raise their hand to learn more about you, it’s waay easier to ask them for the sale.

This is why freelancers need to start a blog. It’s a free sales funnel tool that you can use to generate new business.

Learning how to pitch effectively is another great tool to generate a pipeline and increase your client sales. As a former proposal writer and manager— paid to pitch for a living— I’ve found some people don’t actually know, understand, or feel comfortable talking about themselves. Their pitches are dull and vanilla. My course, Pitch Like A Boss, is a great tool to help freelancers and online business owners hone their pitching skills to stand out long enough to get their foot in the door for an interview.

Pro-Tip for Digital Nomads

At the end of the day, being a digital nomad AND making money may not be easy, especially without the stability of one consistent home. Believe me. I know. When you’re constantly moving around, you never feel settled and it can be hard to get into the “work” groove. This is especially true when you’re constantly reacclimating (finding a coffee shop with wifi and a grocery store you like) or trying to sightsee.

As a digital nomad, having consistent tools for your work—whether it’s a full-time job, freelancing, or an online business—will make the constant transitions in your life not have such a major effect on your business and income.

Have you downloaded my pitch checklist? Learn to write cover letters like a pro! Sign up below and get instant access.

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How To Move Abroad With A Family In 7 Steps

By Nomad Mom

The world is getting a lot smaller and much more accessible and with so many people “ditching the 9-5″ to move abroad, there’s an ever-present nagging idea to move to the beach or to travel more. But once you reach a certain age, get married, and start a family, picking up and moving to a new country permanently or temporarily can be a major undertaking.

As someone who picks up and moves with her family every 2-3 years, I’m proof that it can be done. It’s not always magical and you may not see as much of the beach as you imagined, but you can move to another country with a family. Let me show you how to move to move abroad with a family in 7 steps.

#1. Figure Out How To Make Money

Let’s be real. Moving anywhere hinges on your ability to make money and provide for your family. So, the first step to emigrating to another country is to find a way to make money.

The way I see it, you have two options: get a job or start a business. By getting a job, you can (ideally) live anywhere as long as you have an offer of employment but if you choose to start a business and move abroad, that limits where you can move, but we’ll talk about that in a bit.

Without family connections, moving to another country costs money in employment, income, or investment. So, it’s important to know how you’ll make money once you leave your country of citizenship.

#2. Research Countries

Ok, so we just said that moving abroad legally requires income, employment, or investment. And based on your country(ies) of citizenship and how you plan to make money, some countries may not be available to you and your family.

For instance, if you’re a freelancer, you don’t apply for an employer sponsorship visa. So, if you’re jonesin’ to move to a certain country, you need to determine if you either have proof of the government-required income level OR you’re ready to make a substantial investment.

As you’re doing your research on the residency requirements for your next home country, check out Project Visa to determine initial Visa requirements for each country. Then, check out www.wherecani.live to determine the residency income and investment requirements.

Once you narrow down your broad search to a few countries, start looking at each country’s individual residency requirements. The most up-to-date place to find that information is on each government’s embassy’s visa and immigration website. The fastest way to find this information is to Google “[the country] and “visa and immigration requirements”. For instance, “[England] and visa and immigration requirements” or “[Costa Rica] and visa and immigration requirements”

#3. Choose A Country & Visa Status

Once you complete your research, you should know two things: where you want to move and what type of visa you hope want to apply for. Relative to all the things you need to figure out, this is a very small step when you’re trying to determine how to move to another country, but you can’t skip it. Before you can do ANYTHING else, you need to have an ideal location and understand the different options for Visas as well as how to qualify for each option.

#4. Qualify For The Visa & Apply

When you want to move abroad, if you already know you want to qualify for a work visa, then you need to find a job in your chosen country.

Work Visa

If your current employer is not able or unwilling to allow you to transfer to an office in your chosen country, one of the fastest ways to find a job in a new country is to sign up with a regional recruiter.

Apply for jobs with companies who are willing to sponsor your visa. And as a foreigner, remember that you need to be beyond exceptional to qualify for the job. After all, by employing you, this company will be investing in you by sponsoring your visa and perhaps even the visas for your spouse and children.

You can’t be mediocre. Be exceptional.

Entrepreneur/Startup Visa

If you’ve chosen to use your business as a vehicle to change countries, that’s great. All countries have different visa restrictions for business owners. Some countries don’t have a business/entrepreneur/startup visa and you’ll have to qualify for your visa through investment. Other countries offer a fairly strict business Visa. For instance, in Australia, you have to not only invest +1million but you also need an invitation to apply as well as meet a host of additional requirements.

Investment Visa

Many countries will allow you to essentially invest in their country as a means to qualify for residency. If you have the cash, it’s the quickest option to residency but since most people who want to move don’t have upwards of $500K sitting around, it may not be the best visa option for you and your family to move abroad.

Income Visa

In some cases, countries attempt to target pensioners to take up residency and they allow people with guaranteed income to apply for residency using their guaranteed income. The easiest way to do this is to get a regular retirement check but other options to check out could be using the income from your job or business to show consistent income.

At the end of the day, just because YOU think your income is guaranteed and consistent, doesn’t mean that the visa official reviewing your visa application holds the same opinion.

Just figure out the best avenue to qualify legally. I’ve intentionally left Holiday Work Visas, Asylum Visas, Fiance Visas, marriage, and Student Visas off of this list. These are specialized Visa categories. Some are age-based, while some are politically charged in many instances and abused in others. And for a family wanting to know legal ways to move abroad, the omitted Visa statuses don’t add any value to the conversation on how to move abroad with a family.

#5. Apply For Your Visa

Only once you qualify, go to the Embassy page of the country you’ve selected. Find the Visa application and determine what parts of the application you’re responsible to complete. The application process for all countries is a bit unique. So, for those applying for work visas, have a discussion with your future employer as quickly as you can to determine what (if anything) you need to do to facilitate your visa application.

#6. Prepare While You Wait

Waiting on a visa can literally take forever. While you wait, there are a TON of details and you need to start to researching and making decisions. For instance, you can start to determine:

In what city you want to live.
Whether you want to buy or rent
Find a realtor to help you find a place to live
If you need to learn the local language, it doesn’t have to be hard. Here are 7 Foreign Language Hacks When Traveling Abroad.
Where your kids may to school
If you’ll use an international moving company and if yes, which one you’ll use

#7. Plan Your Move

Once you receive your Visa, it’s time to put your plans into action. Set a date, schedule your movers, find temporary housing OR move into your new place, and get your kids ready to start at their new school.

Conclusion

Moving to another country with a family is NOT easy but it isn’t impossible. It just takes a bit of planning and an ocean of patience. One more piece of information to consider is that many citizens of the US, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are granted provisional entries to certain countries, sometimes for up to 6 months without a Visa.

If your family is interested in seeing many countries, using these non-visa tourist entries is a great way to travel without having to bother with visa.

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