When I was stuck in a corporate job with a paycheck slightly more than the minimum wage, I always got tempted with that propaganda to just quit the job and travel.
I am a single lady who mostly works from home now, and I’m glad that I never jumped into the bandwagon to quit the job and travel. As I quit the job to do some freelance job at home, I realized that being a digital nomad is not for everyone. And it is definitely not for me.
A couple of months ago, if you frequently read my blog then you probably know that I’ve done Borneo trip for a month. During that period, I got a chance to become a temporary digital nomad.
At some point, I’m just thankful that I don’t do this full time.
Please Stop Romanticizing Digital Nomad Life!
Let’s face the fact that not everyone is blessed with the privilege to work and travel at the same time. And I’m not saying that you can’t do it, you can based on the perception suggested by this digital nomad blog… But it’s definitely not as pretty as what those influencers describe on their blog or vlog.
It’s possible to earn 6-figure in 6 months while traveling and there are a lot of remote jobs you can start immediately, but keep in mind that the ratio for this situation to happen to you is probably one to a million.
As someone with some salty personality, I’m not gonna focus on the propaganda some people try to tell you about quitting the job to become a digital nomad. Instead, I’m going to focus on some shortcomings that I was facing when I spent a month becoming a digital nomad during my last trip.
The one that makes me sure that if anything, I don’t want digital nomad life. Not for me.
Reasons Why I Don’t Want To Be A Digital Nomad
I spent a night staying in Singapore when I was on the way back to Indonesia from Kota Kinabalu. And among so many trips I had in Singapore, that was probably the most stressful trip ever. I could even say that it was probably the worst trip that I’ve ever had so far!
One of the reasons why I considered it the worst trip ever, it has something to do with my job. The remote job that some people think easy because if anything, I could work and travel at the same time.
Believe me guys, it’s not as lovely as it sounds!
1. Not Everyone Is Blessed With A Good Time Management!
When you choose a digital nomad life, there’s one thing that you need to have for your own good: time management.
You need to split your time into ‘working’ and ‘traveling’ time. And it’s fun and games until you found out that sometimes having the ability to manage your time well is not enough. Especially when you work with other people.
In my case, I work for clients and some of them… Well, let’s just say their time management is quite bad.
No matter how good I think I was able to manage my time, there were times when my clients send me some materials to finish out of sudden. They needed it pronto, when I was actually on the way to find my hotel address. Imagine how stressful it could be.
2. There Were Times When Internet Had Become Your Worst Enemy.
Well, it’s 2019 and maybe you think everything is connected through the internet. But, is it?
So, unless you’re the boss and you have some subsidiary who would work the job for you when you’ve got some difficulties with the connection, then maybe you should have some kind of contingency plan when the signal isn’t very good in your destination.
Believe me, it could be really frustrating when it happens. And it’s not pretty.
3. There’s No Place Like Home.
I know some people who actually sell everything they’ve got and just go to travel the world. While I’m impressed with the good deeds behind it, I don’t think I could ever do that even though I could rely on earning money while traveling.
If there’s anything I learn about traveling, one of the best things about traveling is coming back home.
Is it just me or wherever you go, it feels like time flies so fast when you’re heading back home?! This is my theory, but maybe it feels faster because you’re actually looking forward to it. While when you’re leaving home, it feels like time goes so slow as it’s a bit harder for you to leave the place you call home.
I am a single lady who works from home most of the time. But given the chance, I don’t think I’d ever say yes to the idea of becoming a digital nomad. That’s because I always think that wherever I go, it’s always great to have a place that I call home. And I don’t want to change it.
Is Digital Nomad Life For You?
It’s your own choice to decide whether the digital nomad is for you, but I think digital nomad is too rough for the lil ol’ me. 😛
It’s doable, of course… But then I don’t think I’d bother to have a life like even though I have some job that I could do remotely. Too stressful for someone who’s lazy and craving for chill everytime like me.
So, is the life of digital nomad for you? Share your view in the comment below, and cheerio! 🙂
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