Planning is everything and living nomadically certainly requires one. Once my preliminary approval checklist had been completed, the real planning began. There are a lot of things and scenarios I need to think ahead. It is similar to moving out to a new place but with additional overheads and it is important to plan out so that everything aligned.
Here is the list of things I had to do:
- Moving out logistic
- Setup a mailing address.
- Determine a location plan for one to two months.
- Detailed budget and tracking expenses
Moving out Logistics
I decided not to renew my apartment lease but that was not the end of it. I asked myself what I would do with all of my stuff. The reality has kicked in and some sacrifices need to be made. Some stuff would need to be thrown away, some would need to be kept and some I’d need to bring with. Four weeks prior my moving-out date, I had to plan out what furniture and stuff I’d need to get rid of. One thing I learned from this is don’t underestimate or procrastinate. It was a daunting task if you had to do it all by yourself or your friend’s schedule wasn’t aligned with your plan and logistic.
I’d highly recommend planning everything out into small tasks and assign them as a part of your daily routine and stick with it.
Here is what I did each week
- Week 1: I packed up all kitchenware and things I didn’t use that much but want to keep (i.e. collectibles, books, suits, clothes).
- Week 2: I started selling, donating and giving away my working desk, chair, furnitures, and unused stuff and packing all things in boxes. I also contacted and researched nearby storage locations. At the end of this week, half of my furnitures and stuff were given away.
- Week 3: I packed all electronics and literally everything. I really needed the majority of my stuff moved to a storage and I certainly wouldn’t be able to do this all by myself. Therefore, I posted on Facebook asking for help. Two days had passed with no response, I felt concerned. I started texting one of my former colleagues and I was grateful that his schedule was aligned and he was able to help out. However, I’d still need to rent a car for transporting my stuff to the storage. Fortunately, a couple of old friends of mine were in town, lending me extra hands and SUV. Otherwise, I’d have to hire someone from TaskRabbit. At the end of the week, I had only essentials for living.
- Week 4: I packed and moved all the final stuff to the storage. This was a minor moving but frequent. I’ve been moving my stuff daily from my place to my locker storage. I slept on an air mattress daily, scheduled cancellation/stop service of utilities, went to a post office for requesting my mails forwarded from my place to PO BOX, and was getting my stuff thrown away or donated for one last time.
Tips on What to Throw Away or Donate!
Sometimes it was challenging to decide which to keep or to throw away, especially when it comes to things I wasn’t sure. My rule of thumb is if I had a second thought about keeping it, I’d give away or sell. I used Craigslist and a nearby drop-off donation site for this.
For stuff I need to keep but didn’t want to bring with me, I decided to rent a small-unit locker storage to temporarily store them. I personally think it was a good idea and it was necessary to have one just in case if I’d like to come back or stop living nomadically down the road. However, some people may not need this if they think they did not have any need to come back.
Tips on Packing and Storing Stuff with a Limited Storage Space
San Francisco housing is very expensive and so is a storage space. I rented a 7x7x7 feet locker storage located about four blocks away. Having a very limited storage space, every inch definitely counts. Back at my soon-to-be-old apartment, I drew a temporary rectangle to the floor, corresponding to the space at my locker storage and started putting boxes and my stuff within that area. Everyday I updated configuration and arrangement of my stuff within it. I also took 360 degree pictures of it so I remembered exactly where and how to fit everything in. Every tweak of space definitely has improved a chance of fitting more stuff.
At the end I was able to fit the followings:
- 6 medium size boxes (Approximately 18 x 18 x 16 inches)
- 1 extra large size box
- 2 checked luggages filled up with suits and clothes
- 1 carry-on filled up with stuff
- 3 backpacks filled up with stuff
- 1 (rolled) twin mattress
- 1 guitar
- 1 keyboard
- 1 ottoman storage bench/couch filled up with my clothes
- 2 24 inch monitors
Having the right tools is also important. My essential tools for moving are the followings:
- Measuring tape
- Gloves
- Portable moving cart/dollies
- Camera or using a mobile phone camera
Moving Tip#1: Consolidate Small Boxes
I usually packed everything in small boxes when I moved out. However, this apparently would not work well. More boxes I had, more overhead spaces required and less stuff could be stored. Therefore, I had to consolidate them into medium-size boxes. It definitely helps but at the cost of having a heavier box. Therefore, a moving cart or dolly becomes very handy.
Moving Tip#2: Don’t Forget What Inside Each Box!
It’s always a good idea to label your box and take a photo of its content. I did this for all of my boxes so I wouldn’t forget if I really need to come back and find what I need. At my locker storage, I also took another set of photos so I had an idea of where all the boxes are located.
Moving Tip#3: Learn How to Tape your Moving Box
Never underestimate a small and simple task. It is important to do this right, especially with a heavy box. You didn’t want the bottom of a box broke out, did you? Here is the reference/guide: http://www.mymove.com/resources/moving/packing-unpacking/how-to-tape-moving-boxes.html. It has a great instruction and illustration.
Moving Tip#3: Measure Everything Twice. Be Efficient and Communicate Clearly Where Things Should be.
After I was certain most of my stuff were able to fit within a confined space, I took a photo and video of all the boxes arrangement. I re-measured everything and made sure I had some room for some margin of errors. I was thinking of many scenarios — Would I still be able to fit things in if 7x7x7 did not take into an account of its door’s thickness? All details count. If I had any doubt, I’d re-measure and re-adjust. When my friends (or movers if hired ones) arrived, I made it absolutely clear that my storage space was very limited and showed them the photos and video I took so they understood where things should be and how each box should be arranged. At the end it took me and my friends under three hours, three trips back and forth, to finish moving and re-arranging all the boxes.
Moving Tip#4 Buy Your Friend(s) Meal Once It’s Done
Self-explanatory. Buy them pizza & drink or treat them lunch or dinner at a restaurant. If you borrowed their car, don’t forget to offer to pay for gasoline.
Setup a Mailing Address
I used to move from places to places and it is always a pain to keep forwarding mails and some of them may not be properly forwarded. Having PO BOX has solved and mitigated this. It establishes a consistent mailing address. I’d recommend anyone who moves frequently (i.e. move at least once per one to two year) to get one from a post office; and have your mails delivered to it at least a month or so in advance prior your nomadic trip. I have most of my mails delivered to my PO BOX years prior. Therefore, I’ve been pretty much covered for most part and for the rest of the mails to my soon-to-be-old apartment I requested a permanently forwarding (it’s actually just one year) via USPS starting on a day prior my moving out date (USPS Link: https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm).
Determine a Location Plan for One to Two Months.
I’ve focused solely within US and metropolitan area since I didn’t own a car and I prefer using public transportation. I’d been doing research on the following cities: Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chicago. I utilized all resources I’d known in order to get information as much as I could about these places. I used Google Maps, crime statistic, Yelp review, City-data forum, words of mouth from friends and colleagues, AirBnB review, TripAdvisor, and etc.
Digital Nomadic Location Criteria
My main criteria(s) are
- Walkable or easy access to public transportation
- Safe area
- Internet access or there is any library or wifi nearby
- Total cost per night and total cost during the length of stay
If the place I’m going to stay is a shared room or co-living space, more criteria(s) are:
- Noise factor — do I need extra ear plugs?
- Access code or key access for after hours
- Locker for storing my belonging
Digital Nomad Working Location
Finding a working location is also important. Once I pinpointed my living destination, I also searched a surrounding area for a working location. I personally find that a library is usually the best location for working because it’s quiet, comfortable, and less distracted. Also, if I need to have a video conference meeting, I can request for a private study room or conference room with no extra charge.
Some co-living space also provides a co-working space. Therefore, I’d suggest taking advantage of it or at least try it out to see if it was working for you.
Always Planning your Next Destination
Planning and determining locations are definitely a repeated cycle. It will become a routine. How frequently you travel is totally up to you. I always start repeating this process in the middle of each month. As long as I had enough time to plan out and book everything in advance, everything should be fine.
Here is my initial four weeks planning look like:
Week 1: I briefly researched and planed out all locations and flights schedule. It’s all about planning and gathering all the options.
Week 2: I finalized 1st location and flight schedule. I was initially planning for Seattle, WA. However, AirBnB host in Seattle had a conflict schedule and my plan for Seattle had to be cancelled. Thereafter, I quickly switched my first destination to Los Angeles instead.
Week 3: At the beginning of the week, I booked AirBnB location in Los Angeles and then booked a flight to LAX after receiving AirBnB confirmation. Thereafter, I began finalizing on my second and loosely on third destinations. By the end of the week, I had itineraries for my first and second destinations.
Week 4: I started pinpointing and narrowing down my third destination. I wrote down on my calendar as a reminder that I would need to re-plan this again in the middle of the next month.
Here is the list of resources I used for planning and booking:
- Expedia.com
- AirBnB.com
- VirginAmerica.com or any direct airline website
- TripAdvisor.com
- Direct hotel websites (i.e La Quinta, Wyndham, etc)
- Yelp.com (for business reviews and which I should avoid)
Detailed Budget and Tracking Expenses
I had mentioned in my previous article about planning a budget. This section focuses on the actual budget and expenses tracking. I consider it as important and it needs to be living by the rules.
Know How Much You Spent and Will Spend
It’s always easy to overspend if not knowing what you’ve spent. I used Excel spreadsheet to keep track of every single category of my expenses so I know how much I spent and see if I spent too much on any category while living nomadically.
Here is the list of some of my expenses category I’m keeping track:
- Lodging
- Fixed costs: cell phone, storage, and saving.
- Internet
- Food
- Grocery/Personal hygiene
- Transportation
- Laundry
- Social and Entertainment
- Extra and Miscellaneous
- Travel expenses reserve fund — set aside for emergency in case I really need to use it.
I always put a spending estimate note next to each category. For instance, I wrote down the estimate of food spending of $200/month on average and max $600/month. My rule of thumb is if I overspent on one of the categories then other spending categories would need to be reduced. Therefore, never spend money you don’t have.
Keeping Track of your Expenses Daily
Being informed of your budget and expense will make you better at making a financial decision for your current and next trips. Keeping track of your expenses daily is certainly the method of getting yourself financially informed in a manageable way. At the end of each day, I would open Excel spreadsheet and start pulling out all the receipts and data-entry my spending in each category to get a sense of how far along I’ve been and if I overspent on any.
What’s next?
Now my nomadic plan was finalized and I had my itinerary for my first destination in Los Angeles/Hollywood. The next article I will talk about my preparation for my first nomadic trip and it is going to be a long article.
Read my previous article for the must-complete checklist prior even become a digital nomad.
