I vividly remember the first time I traveled. I was 10 years old when my mother sent my brother and I to Mombasa, Kenya. She’s Kenyan and wanted us to experience our culture and meet family. She couldn’t travel with us because of work, so my brother and I traveled from Milwaukee as unaccompanied minors. I was just old enough to be amazed by the experience of flying, walking through airports and landing in a country where English wasn’t the primary language.
Decades later, in 2013, I had my first big work trip as an adult. I’m a consultant who owns a software company, and a corporation in Sydney hired me to come to its offices and train its team.
Flying to Sydney was a surreal experience. The client paid for Premium Economy seats on Virgin Atlantic, and the plane had a full bar. My hotel overlooked Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House. It was on this trip that I realized how much I loved working abroad, and the nomadic lifestyle began to call me.
Digital nomadism has allowed the author to visit nearly 90 countries.
What I like and don’t like about being a digital nomad
What I like most about being a digital nomad is how freeing the lifestyle is. I like having fewer material possessions and the ability to travel anywhere, anytime. I enjoy experiencing new cultures, history and the foods of other countries. Consulting and digital nomadism have allowed me to travel to 88 countries and live in over a dozen. I’ve been able to build my business and be touristy; I work Monday through Friday, then explore whatever country I’m in on the weekends.
What’s hard about being a digital nomad is being far away from my family. Technologies like FaceTime, Zoom and social media make connecting more accessible, but it’s not the same as hugging my kids and hanging out with them in person. Luckily, my nomadic lifestyle means I can travel to them whenever I want.
8 unusual gadgets I always pack
As a digital nomad, tech is essential for both work and life. I need to be able to do everything I would do if I had an office, but in an Airbnb, hotel or apartment rental instead. Some of my gear is obvious, like my laptop (M3 MacBook Pro), smartphone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) and tracking tags (AirTags).
I spend a lot of time on airplanes, and a laptop is not always convenient to use, especially on local carriers in Europe. I travel with an iPad Air because I use it to work on planes, watch movies and streaming series and take video calls. Apple’s Magic Keyboard sleeve is an iPad cover, but I also use it for the keyboard functionality in tight spaces.
