{"id":10374,"date":"2020-01-06T13:37:56","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T17:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/?p=10374"},"modified":"2020-01-06T13:37:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T17:37:58","slug":"the-ups-and-downs-of-being-location-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/the-ups-and-downs-of-being-location-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ups and Downs of Being Location Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A guest post from Danny Newman, who is a location independent writer and traveler.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been a digital nomad for just over a year now- a milestone that got me reflecting on two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. How crazily fast that time has\ngone, and<\/li>
  2. Everything I\u2019ve learned along\nthe way.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    I can\u2019t lie, the last 12 months haven\u2019t\nalways been easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Looking back on them, I see a landscape of\nups and downs, like undulating hills spread out to the horizon. There have been\ninnumerable moments of real joy, interspersed with my fair share of humbling\npractical and emotional challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m still learning the nuances of being\nlocation independent and the months ahead are sure to further my education in\nnomadry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All the same, having lived it for a year\nnow, I\u2019ve come to a point where I feel comfortable giving advice about the\ndigital nomad lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In this particular post, I\u2019d like to walk\naspiring nomads through a selection of the primary pros and cons I\u2019ve\nexperienced, and that seem to be common among others following the same path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Are you getting prepared to transition into\nlocation independence and want some insight into what to expect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Well, keep reading to discover the pros and\ncons of independent living. With these in mind, you\u2019ll be better prepared for\nthe journey ahead!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Advantages of Being Location\nIndependent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s start with the good stuff. Here are 5\nof my favourite things about living a location independent lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The freedom of digital nomadry is what\nappealed to me most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s the main feature of this lifestyle\nchoice that continues to cast its spell over me. I\u2019m hooked on the freedom\nthat\u2019s inherent in location independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Become a nomad and you get to escape the rat race<\/a> and write your own script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The path opens up in front of you,\ndiverging into countless routes with new and exciting adventures down each and\nevery single one. It\u2019s up to you where you decide to venture next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Freedom is a commodity for most people.\nThey might get 1 or 2 week-long vacations a year to do what they like. For the\nremainder of the year they\u2019re constrained by work and home commitments. They\u2019re\nshackled to their responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not so with digital nomadry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Take this path and you can do and be\nwhatever you want and any time. It\u2019s liberating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Treat time as a currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s more valuable than money in that you\ncan\u2019t earn more of it. Every second that ticks by takes you closer to the end\nof your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s a scary prospect, which you\u2019d think\nwould shock people into spending their time wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As we know, though, we rarely make the most\nof the time on our hands. Worse still, we waste it on choices, lifestyles and\nexperiences that fail to fulfil us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Moreover, we get so tied up in day to day\nthat time slips away from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through jobs, family and social\ncommitments, most people literally don\u2019t have much time to themselves. With\nlocation independence you regain the ability to live life on your own terms and\nspend your time as you so wish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Control<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This is a big one for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As a digital nomad I\u2019m in total control of\neverything I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I get to choose when I wake up, where I go,\nwhat I do, how I spend my time, and so on. There\u2019s nobody giving me orders; no\nobligations that tie my hands and twist my arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It relates to the freedom I just talked\nabout. Freedom and control are inseparable. Generally speaking, somebody who\nlacks their freedom is out of control, and vice versa. To be in control of your\ndestiny is to be truly free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And I love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Travel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Travel and digital nomadry go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After all, you\u2019re location independent! The\nlifestyle almost always involves a degree of travelling. Sure, the control you\nhave over your life means travel isn\u2019t a necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But, in general, most people who take this\npath do so to explore the world and take their work with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can earn money anywhere and everywhere. So long as the wifi stretches far enough, your \u2018office\u2019 could be a hammock on a tropical beach, or anywhere you find yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The world is a big place, and the internet\nopens the door to it. You get to break the chain of an ordinary sedentary\ndeskbound life and swap it for endless adventures on foreign shores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Novelty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Life for so many people is an endless slog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s boring. It\u2019s stressful. It\u2019s stifling.\nIt\u2019s ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s hard to feel inspired and infused when\nyou\u2019re in an office, behind a desk, working mindless tasks for a boss you never\nsee and who probably doesn\u2019t care about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most people want their lives to be\nextraordinary. They want to feel motivated and inspired by their daily life.\nI\u2019ve found that being a digital nomad provides the novelty and excitement I\nneed to feel content with what I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s new. It\u2019s different. It\u2019s\nstimulating. It\u2019s, quite frankly, a key to finding joy in the day to day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Disadvantages of Being Location\nIndependent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    But, as I\u2019ve found, it isn\u2019t without its\ndownsides. Here are 5 cons of location independence to prepare yourself for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Distance from Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Since being a digital nomad, I\u2019ve missed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n