Digital nomadism is such a hot trend right now and we at Oblique get why. Who doesn’t fantasize about traveling the world, experiencing different cultures and getting paid at the same time? Doesn’t the idea of working by the beach one day and cozying up in some remote cottage the next sound amazing? We certainly think so. But we have to ask ourselves, “Could our Colorado branding agency pull it off?”
Photo credit: Lindsay Hickey @lindsay_hix
The Pros:
The people you’ll meet
You never know who you’ll meet as you travel or what impact they may have on your life. If you’re working abroad you may meet new prospective clients and business partners. If you’re single you may meet the love of your life. If you’re traveling alone or with a group of strangers, you’re likely to meet everlasting friends.
Become inspired by diverse cultures + settings
What’s more inspiring than immersing yourself in an entirely new setting? There’s no better way to think outside the box than to get outside of your bubble. As creatives, we understand more than most the importance of changing environment and looking at things from a different perspective.
Learn and grow as an individual
We learn the most about ourselves in the moments when we step beyond where we’ve already been. Growth comes from trying new things and challenging oneself, both two major factors that come with travel. Who could you become in just a year of traveling the world?
The Cons:
Wifi can be spotty
Reliable wifi can be hard to come by as you travel around. And we all know that these days, without wifi there’s not a whole lot of work that can be done. Good thing there are resources such as Speedtest.net and the Work Hard Anywhere app that help digital nomads find reliable wifi sources wherever they happen to be.
Things get lost in transit
As you travel around there’s always a chance of an airline losing your bag, leaving something behind or getting pickpocketed. Seasoned travelers have tactics to avoid these scenarios. For instance, frequent flyers will keep their laptop and a change of clothing in their carry-on and savvy city dwellers will keep their phone and wallet close to their person in a pocket or bag that’s difficult for a thief to get at.
Missing friends + family back home
This is perhaps the biggest challenge for any long-term traveler. When you’re gone for long periods, how do you keep in touch with those you’ve left behind? More adventurous friends and family may come to visit, which can provide a taste of home. But we would guess most nomads plan to fly back to the nest from time to time for a bit of familiarity.
So what’s the verdict? Is the digital nomad lifestyle all it’s cracked up to be? Well, we’ve decided to find out for ourselves. Janice and Kelly have decided to embark on a yearlong journey with Remote Year and will be taking Oblique on the road for all of 2019. We hope you’ll follow our journey through our blog and social media and look forward to seeing how our experiences bring inspiration to your future projects.
Want a peek at what we have ahead of us? Check out this video by Eddie Contento.