HOW I HAVE DECIDED TO BECOME A DIGITAL NOMAD
Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to move abroad someday. After being really close to doing so a couple of times, but cancelling for various reasons, I found myself living with the perfect boyfriend in a beautiful house, but still in the same city as where I grew up, still having a more and more increasing wanderlust itch.
I realized I was never going to be happy staying where I was, so I decided to quit my 9–5 job and I built up my freelance work with online clients, so I could actually move abroad and take my work with me. However, once I managed that, I figured I could travel anywhere instead of moving to just one place. So here I am, travelling to wherever I feel like going.
Compared to just planning everything on your own and figuring it all out on your own, travelling with Worldpackers is definitely a safer option. I think for many starting digital nomads, it’s still scary to think whether or not you’ll make rent those first few months. Via Worldpackers, that’s something you don’t have to worry about, which make things a lot easier. Your accommodation is arranged without any high costs, and by reading all the reviews you know what to expect from each host.
As a digital nomad myself, I decided to help my host in the morning, use the afternoons for my own clients, and I spend the evenings and weekends exactly how I want. Most digital nomads I know rather spend their money on experiences than on accommodation, so Worldpackers is perfect for them.
What made my experience unique, without a doubt, were the people. My host was in Tenerife — Spain and in addition to a language and marketing school, they also offer co-working spaces, which is where I was working from. I also rented a car, so at least once a week we were doing road trips to discover different parts of the island.
The coolest thing for me so far is the fact that this crazy bunch of people here encouraged me to start my own online magazine for digital nomads called The Travelling Freelancer and they’ve all been incredibly helpful. They would write about it, share it with friends, contribute articles, whatever they could, and it’s absolutely heartwarming. I’ve got all these like-minded people around me, from all parts of the world. It’s one of the most inspiring, energizing experiences ever.
This experience has a great impact on my personal life, as it became really, really clear to me that this is what I want to be doing. I gave up quite a lot in order to be able to do this, and it could have turned out to be a mistake, but being here has made me realize that it’s the best decision I have made in a long time.
By Thalassa van Beek
