Digital nomads are people who refuse to choose between work and seeing the world. There are more of them every day: employers are getting used to remote employees, airfare prices are getting lower, and you can have a pretty decent Internet connection in the middle of nowhere. The first wave of nomads had enough time to learn their lessons the hard way. Also, there is a fast-growing network of startups aiming to help nomad newbies: co-working and co-living spaces, and even peer conferences. So what do seasoned digital nomads have to share with the beginners and wannabes? This piece of advice could be useful for all the regular travelers too.

Slow travel lifestyle

It’s a common mistake to think about digital nomads as full-time globetrotters. A large backpack, a new country every week or two, and the passport full of border stamps? No. Experienced nomads strongly suggest against the rapid location changes. It is a highway to burnout, and it hurts both your budget and productivity. Try to keep things slow. Stay in one region for a couple of months, then spent another few in an area next to it. You’ll get less stress and more time to dive deeper into the everyday life around you.

Choose your level of immersion

There is no obligation to turn into a full-time digital nomad from the very beginning. You may want to have a test-drive first. Try a nomadic camp for a month, Smena Station team provides such experience in different locations. Or take a look at nomad-oriented startups. They lower the cost of entry into this world and help both nomad newbies and business travelers. Copass, for example, will sell you a global pass to 750 workspaces around the world on a monthly basis, Roam gives access to co-living places in Bali, London, Tokyo, Miami or San Francisco. The Remote Experience has all-inclusive offers: flight, accommodation, workspace, health insurance and participation in local events. Listen to yourself. Rent a private room or even apartment, if personal space is important to you. Digital nomad lifestyle does not include the obligation to live surrounded by strangers and to make friends 24/7 if you do not like it.

Get work done

‘Leave for Asia to work on the beach under a palm tree with a cocktail by your side’ is yet another myth of nomad living. The reality is much more, err, real: your notebook gets smoking hot on the beach, and the keyboard absorbs beach sand. In the absence of an external framework, nomads are compelled to organize their own work life and master productivity skills. Experienced nomads advise to make the job a priority (nomad’s lifestyle is not an eternal vacation!), to define working hours and working days and stick to the plan, and to arrange a comfortable workplace. One more important thing: do not try to work and have fun at the same time. Three hours of focused work in a coworking is much better than six hours with a laptop in the middle of a full moon party.

My precious!

Any modern traveler could use an essential skill of the digital nomad, the ability to keep personal tech in good health. Buy a lightweight notebook considering how easy one would find spare parts for repair. Think of its safety (get a case for laptop and maybe some keyboard protection) and security (set up a cloud backup, use a decent password manager and disc encryption), and make sure the tracking and location services are on in case your workhorse ends up stolen. And to be independent of local SIM-cards which activation process is often nontrivial, you may want to keep your international SIM-card somewhere close. No need to lay your hopes on airport WiFi or to spend unspeakable roaming money to get Uber ride or to send a message to a landlord.

All you need are a few good friends

Maybe the biggest challenge of nomads lifestyle is how to be connected with people while you’ve just arrived or will be leaving soon. How can you make friends if you’re a nonstop traveler? Experienced nomads have their answer. First of all, don’t hesitate to speak with the strangers. Second, become a part of the digital nomads’ network. Online and offline communities could be a great solution, try NomadList.com or Facebook groups like DigitalNomadsAroundtheWorld. Also, there are coworking places focused on nomads. And the best kind of networking, as always, is making friends. Your nomad friends, as soon as you get ones, will introduce you to other interesting people in the country you’re heading to.