Nomad Master Tips

A collection of my favorite digital nomad tips.

Trip Planning

💼 Get a job first, then digital nomad.

🧳 Comfort is more important than compacting life in 1 bag, especially if slow traveling.

🛄 If slow traveling (back w/ wheels). If 1 month or less, backpack.

🏠 Don't book a month+ AirBnb without seeing it first.

📑 Make sure you're aware of the visa requirements to enter a country & know how long you can stay.

👥 Facebook Groups can be great for finding a short-term lease.

🌍 Use Google Flights, Expedia, etc. for planning. Not booking.

🗺️ Search Google Flights open-ended and explore the map to plan your next location.

👂 Pack ear plugs. They're small, but can save you from staying up all night in a poor hotel.

💸 Sell your stuff. Most things can be replaced.

📅 Make sure your license, passport, credit/debit cards won't expire while you're out of the country.

🌐 Double check visa and ‘onward travel’ requirements. These can vary greatly from country to country, and don’t assume they’re the same from the last time you visited.

✈️ Signup for Global Entry/Nexus/ENTRI (opens in a new tab). Some credit cards cover it.

Living

📺 Use a VPN to stream shows from your home country.

🎥 Travel with an Apple TV/Chromecast/Fire Stick to plug into your hotel/AirBnb tv.

🧴 Gonex traveling toiletry bag w/ hook is a life saver.

💰 Keep enough cash on hand in local currency to book a cab back to your hotel.

🔒 A good VPN subscription will save you more in flights than the cost of the subscription.

🚌 Taking a bus from the airport to the city center is always cheaper than a taxi.

📱 Get a local sim or e-sim. Much cheaper than your current plans "pay-per-day" international plan.

Finances

💳 Get a good travel credit card - one without foreign transaction fees.

💳 Travel with at least 2 credit cards.

🧊 Freeze your card if lost or stolen.

🔄 Automate paying your bills. 1 less thing to worry about.

🚨 Setup travel alerts on your credit and debit cards.

💡 Don't overlook credit card perks. I use CardPointers (opens in a new tab) to assist with which card to use/what perks I have.

💰 Ideally have an emergency fund before you travel.

Software/Apps

📲 Download your financial apps and turn on fraud alerts via push notification. This is instead of SMS text messages to your number that may be offline.

📚 Use Libby & your local library card for free library books.

💬 Translate - communicating (download the offline packages).

🏞️ AllTrails - hiking trails.

🚖 Uber/Cabify/Grab - taxis

Legal

🚗 Get a credit card that includes rental car insurance.

Medical

💉 If getting vaccines, ask the clinic for the CPT code (Current Procedural Terminology) for each vaccine. Then contact your insurance and ask if they cover any.

👁️ Get routine medical exams prior to departing (teeth, eye, wellness)

📄 Have your prescription details readily available in case you need to share with a doctor/pharmacist while abroad.

👓 Don't forget extra contacts and glasses.

Other

📧 Switch everything to paperless/e-statements. The less paper you get, the easier to manage logistically.

🛂 Make sure your passport is up-to-date. Some countries will refuse entry if you have less than 6 months or lack space for a new stamp.

🔒 Keep copies of important documents in a Google drive (passport, visa, license, insurance).