Guide To Become A Digital Nomad In India

How To Become A Digital Nomad In India

If you love travelling to an extent that you want to travel full time but you also do not want it to impact your livelihood, there’s a perfect path for you. With global rise of the internet, there’s a growing trend of people working remotely from different parts of the world. And individuals who use tech to manage their work remotely while travelling from one place to another are called “Digital Nomads”

India is becoming a great destination for digital nomads with the rise of fast internet speeds even in the remote parts of the country. With most hotels, hostels and cafes offering free wifi, it can become really easy for a digital nomad to navigate through India exploring and travelling while still being able to manage work.

The life of digital nomads is no less that a dream full of travel and adventure along with the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. In case you are wondering, how to become a digital nomad and turn this dream of freedom into a reality. You can take these 5 steps as a starting point –

Define Your Goals and Priorities

The clarity about why do you intend to become a digital nomad is very important. What do you want to accomplish and what is your driving factor behind the same. Is it the fact that you want to travel the world without compromising on your career? or you want a short stint of change in scenery? or you simply want to breakout from the usual 9 to 5 grind and gain a flexible schedule. If you are able to achieve the clarity on what do you want and why do you want it, the task of creating a plan that aligns with your vision will become very easy.

Develop A Remote Skill

What is a remote skill you might ask. Well it is the one of the key identifier of a successful digital nomad. The way digital nomads are able to sustain themselves is by creating an income source that can be free from sticking to one particular location. And the way they achieve this by developing a skill that can be used to offer services that can be delivered remotely. The range of services that you can opt for ranges from web development, ui-ux design, graphic design, copywriting, video editing, consulting and many more. Just make sure you are opting for something you enjoy and something that can be managed remotely.

Create a Strong Web Presence

Digital Nomads rely mostly on their web presence to find potential clients, resources and collaborators. So, if you want a steady flow of work it is only natural to create a web presence establishing yourself as a skilled individual in the service that you intend to provide. This could include a website, blog, portfolio of your work, regularly posting updates on professional networks showcasing the work that you do or insights related to your skill. You can also rely on professional softwares and platforms for project management, virtual meetings to ease management and communication with your clients and colleagues.

Organisation & Planning

With the extra freedom comes the extra responsibility that requires a great deal of organisation, planning and discipline. It is very common for digital nomads to get overwhelmed with too many ongoing things. It is crucial that you plan ahead and try to strike a balance between your finances, work and travel schedules. There are plenty of tools that can help you organise and plan your work.

Challenges & Setbacks

Being a digital nomad is very close to being a freelancer except for the fact that digital nomads are on the move and might keep on changing their base every now and then. Digital nomad lifestyle includes facing issues related to internet connectivity and time zones. Being a freelancer in itself is difficult and a freelancer who is also a digital nomad, challenges and setbacks are much bigger and common. They can have a great deal of impact on you. Therefore, it is very important to aim to for flexibility and adaptability, have backup plans in place and become a part of a community that can act as a support network.

Pros and Cons of the Digital Nomad Lifestyle

Pros –

• Freedom from a fixed work schedule and location
• Experiencing different cultures
• Get to meet new people
• Better work life balance

Cons –

• Lack of stability
• Prone to sudden expenses
• Lack of financial security
• Prone to connectivity and time zone issues

India as a Destination For Digital Nomads

India is great destination for digital nomads as it is relatively a lot cheaper than most western countries. It has plenty of places to travel to and also many cultures to experience. India has a robust network of different modes of transport that enables people belonging to various segments to travel from one part of the country to another.

The internet infrastructure of India has also improved drastically over the past few years with 4G internet being available even in remote parts of the country. Cities and even small towns have access to high speed fiber broadband connections which means most travel accommodations such as hostels, homestays and hotels offer high speed wi-fi connectivity which is crucial for Digital Nomads. Here’s a list of best places in India for Digital Nomads.

Conclusion

While the life of a digital nomad looks dreamy and joyful at a distance. It comes with tons of problems and struggles. It is important that you assess the lifestyle and try to achieve a mental clarity on whether it suits you as a person. It is not meant for everyone and there is nothing wrong with that.

It is a lifestyle that demands high adaptability, appetite for uncertainty and great deal of hard work. But, if you are ready to put in those efforts, the rewards of being a digital nomad are also amazing. I hope this guide is helpful and answers how to become a Digital Nomad in India but in case you have any questions, feel free to reach out.