For aspiring expats who want to work while they move, being a digital nomad can be an excellent choice. More than 50 countries offer digital nomad visas, and it’s a lifestyle that can work whether you’re settling in one place or working from the road. And it’s a great way to produce income if you have to leave your full-time job in the U.S. when you make your move abroad.
It’s an exciting change, whether you’ll be moving your current remote job abroad or going from a traditional job to the nomad life. But it does take preparation beyond throwing your laptop in a backpack and heading for the airport. Consider this your starter kit, helping you know what to do, what to have, and what to think about as you prepare for your move.
1. Determine how you’ll earn money.
Before anything else, you need a plan for income. Finding a stable job and replacing their American salary are among the biggest worries for professionals moving abroad. Those are reasonable concerns – but the good news is that you don’t have to have everything nailed down before you’ll be ready to move.
Don’t worry about replacing your entire salary from the beginning – you just have to cover expenses, which are often much lower than in the U.S. In many countries, you can live comfortably on as little as $2,000 a month. And while you look for that traditional job (or even instead of a traditional job), freelancing can be a great way to pay the bills. If you have a skill that lends itself to online work, you already have a foundation to start building a profitable, portable freelance career.
(Wait, do I have a skill that lends itself to online work? We’ll get to that.)
2. Test your setup from home.
Before you try to take your career abroad, find a comfortable, sustainable way of working right there where you are. Try working remotely, even if it’s just from a local coffee shop, and take note of what gear and environment you need to function well. Practice working with a VPN and sorting out time zones. Your specific needs will vary, but they’ll most likely include:
- A reliable laptop and backup drive
- Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
- A VPN (virtual private network) for online security on the road
- Communication tools (Zoom, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.)
- Time-zone converters and scheduling tools (Calendly, World Time Buddy, etc.)
Think of this phase as your tech rehearsal. It’s when you get to test and perfect your setup so you don’t find yourself stranded when you’re on the road.
3. Research your target country.
Of course you’re already researching your country of choice as you plan your big move, but be sure to investigate factors that can affect your new digital nomad career. Research the terms of your country’s digital nomad visa – they vary from country to country. And if your chosen country doesn’t have a specific digital nomad visa, make sure you choose a visa that allows you to work while you’re settling in.
Beyond that, you’ll need to look into those little but important practical matters – how time zone lines up with your clients or team, the speed and reliability of internet access, and how the government handles taxes for internationally remote workers.
4. Prepare for cultural differences.
Moving abroad is very different from taking an extended vacation – you’ll be engaging and becoming a part of your new community. In the same way, working abroad isn’t just taking your laptop to a prettier place. You’ll encounter cultural differences and ways of working, and when you do, it’s your job to adapt to them – not the other way around.
Lunch breaks might last two hours in Portugal. Business emails might not get answered on a Sunday in Mexico. Coworking spaces might close earlier than you’d expect in small towns. Even if your client base is back in the U.S., you’ll still find yourself subject to business customs in your new home country, so be flexible and adapt accordingly.
5. Plan your practicalities.
While some practicalities are pretty universal for any Americans moving abroad, the specifics can be different for digital nomads.
- Since you’ll be working with multiple currencies and international transactions, you’ll need a bank that specifically serves those needs. Platforms like Wise and banks like Charles Schwab are a great place to start looking.
- As long as you remain a U.S. citizen, you’ll be subject to U.S. taxes (although specific rules apply to citizens working abroad). And some countries have different tax rates and requirements for digital nomads. Be sure you know what to expect.
- Give your U.S. clients a U.S. address to send mail to – services like Earth Class Mail and PostScan Mail can forward or scan your physical mail.
Becoming a digital nomad can be a great way to smooth your transition from your old country to your new one, and it can be a great career all on its own. Test drive remote work, research your target country, and know what to expect, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about as you get ready to move your life abroad.
But can I be a freelancer?
Freelancing isn’t just for content writers and web designers. You’d be surprised at how many traditional jobs can be performed freelance or translated into similar freelance jobs, either working solo or through an agency that provides such services. Just a few examples that could earn you that $2,000 per month:
Administrative assistant: Virtual assistant. VAs handle email, scheduling, data entry, project organization, and other tasks that don’t involve picking up lunch or dry cleaning. Most charge $25-$35 hour — a small business might need $500-$1,000 per month of work, meaning three or four clients could get you to $2,000.
Real estate agent: Relocation consultant or rental finder. Many relocation consultants charge a flat $500-$1,000 per client to find housing, review contracts, and advise on local markets. Just two or three clients per month can reach or exceed that $2,000 benchmark.
Teacher, librarian, engineer…: Online tutor. Online tutoring pays anywhere from $25-$75 an hour, depending on subject and experience. And you don’t have to have a teaching certificate to be a tutor — if you have the subject matter expertise, there are affordable online courses that can teach you the specific skills for tutoring. Just 6-12 hours a week of tutoring can add up to $1,000-$2,400 per month.
Pretty much anything done remote: Something done freelance. You’d be surprised a how many jobs have freelance equivalents — bookkeeper, sales rep, recruiter, go nuts. If you already work remote, you’re already halfway to working remote for yourself. A quick search can help you determine if you can freelance solo or offer your services through an agency.
And don’t sleep on the value of passive income. Many things you’ve developed for your own work — templates for project managers, organizers for executives, even personal training regimens — can be packaged and sold online, generating income without a lot of effort beyond the work of creating the item in the first place.
The work is out there. You don’t have to have a creative job — you just have to think creatively.
