The Whirlwind Journey to Becoming a Full-Time Digital Nomad
A few nights ago I was on a call with one of my friends. It was a normal catch-up and we do this sort of thing a couple of times a month. This was our way of keeping in touch amidst the chaos of life, work, and time zone differences. Our way of keeping each other sane, really.
She was based in Miami and I was based wherever I felt like at the moment — as per usual.
During that particular phone call, I told her that I was in Sydney but about to hop on a flight going back to Bangkok.
Then she asked me, “How can you travel so much?”
I guess, I never really thought of it that much. I mean, I knew that I was traveling a lot because I’ve always considered myself a ‘digital nomad.’ Although, it has never really occurred to me that some people were amazed at how much I travel. I’ve been doing it for years, but it’s still mind-blowing.
I just laughed and told her, “Honestly, I have no clue.”
That night, I really thought about the last few years and all the places I’ve been to. I’ve been to quite a lot of countries and I’ve basically been to every single continent (except for Antarctica — though, it’s also on my list).
I guess this story would make sense if I started from the very beginning, right? Although, where do I begin? I’ve been traveling for a long time — for the better part of the last decade, even. For the longest time, being a ‘traveler’ has been one of my character traits. It has become my personality since I was always the friend that’s always ‘on the go.’
In 2015, my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday.
I didn’t know what I wanted and I probably would’ve said I just wanted some money to buy new clothes. Maybe even a party to host some of my friends. Then, she asked me if I wanted to go abroad.
Hmmm. This wasn’t something that I thought about, really. I had never been alone by myself and I wasn’t sure if I could do it.
But guess what? I did it.
I embarked on a month-long backpacking trip throughout Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. That was the start of my traveling journey and I was hooked. I had not looked back since.
Although I had one problem: the money.
How can I support myself while traveling? Where will I get the money?
There were a lot of travel bloggers in the 2010s campaigning for people to quit their day jobs, pack their bags, and just go. I would be lying if I said that this didn’t apply to me because it did.
I quit my very first job straight out of university because they didn’t grant me vacation leave. I had booked a flight ticket to Taipei to see one of my favorite bands ever, Coldplay, and all I needed was a few days off, but my vacation leave wasn’t granted. So you know what? I quit.
Looking back, I wasn’t sure if that was the best decision, though I’m still friends with the people I met during that trip in 2017.
For the better part of my early travel years, I tried my best to make it as a digital nomad, but nothing seemed to be working. I was going back and forth in both New York and Manila but nothing seemed to work.
I was at a loss, but I knew I had to keep going.
So with the little money I had, I tried to make a plan.
In 2018, a couple of my friends introduced me to WorkAway.
This website changed my life because you can arrange homestays in exchange for volunteer work, and let me tell you, I volunteered everywhere so I can go to different places without having to pay for lodging. Well, technically you had to ‘work’ for it, but it didn’t really matter.
I was young, I was wild, and I needed to place to crash — it was a win-win.
Somehow, during the early days of the pandemic, I found myself in Mexico. I loved my life in this country and I really long for the day that I get to go back to Mexico City as it was simply divine. It was one of my favorite cities in the world and I can’t wait to take my family and even my boyfriend there. Believe me when I tell you that this city is life-changing.
While in Mexico City, I met a couple of artists and travelers doing the same thing as me. They had this passion for life and travel, but for me, I just didn’t know how to sustain this lifestyle I was leading. I knew that I couldn’t keep volunteering forever because I longed for freedom and I knew that I can’t keep going back to restaurant work.
Then the pandemic happened. This changed my life forever.
In early 2020, I decided to go back to the Philippines.
Instead of staying in the United States, I knew I had to go back to my own home. There, we were locked in the country for nearly two years.
What did I do in those two years?
Well, it’s simple: I figured out what my talent was and I honed my craft.
I was a writer and I knew from a very early age that this was the career path for me. I’ve been writing since I was nine. I even had a degree in Creative Writing, so I knew that this was something that I wanted to do long-term.
My problem was this, I didn’t know how to monetize this talent that I had.
Then the pandemic gave me the ‘stability’ I needed because I was just at home and I had nowhere to go. I wasn’t spending any money aside from food and I wasn’t paying rent or I wasn’t obligated to work for my accommodation. It was great and I had a lot of free time.
This was when I tried my hand at working online as a writer.
It was hard at first, but with online tools and platforms (especially LinkedIn), my dreams started to become my reality. I started monetizing my talent and I started building a legitimate client base. It was amazing and I knew right then and there that this was something that I would do for a long time. I really couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t wait to get out there.
For two years, I honed my craft and started to monetize it.
I started getting paid for doing what I love and doing something that I was passionate about. It was great and I knew that this was the start of something beautiful. I just needed to book a one-way ticket and go.
Although don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy. But at the same time, it was worth it. I knew that I was working toward creating my dream life, and the challenges didn’t matter as much — I was happy.
Once our borders opened, I booked a one-way ticket to Thailand, and just like that, I was back to the travel grind yet again.
I came to Bangkok as soon as it opened and my digital nomad lifestyle began at once. It was amazing and I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything in the world — that’s for sure.
So if I were to answer what the secret is to becoming a successful digital nomad, I’d say this: figure out what your talents are or what you’re passionate about, then hone your craft, and start monetizing it.
Once you figure that out, then you can start.
