How To Get the Most Out of Being a Digital Nomad – Learn to Slow Down
The Work Vanlife Balance, Volume 6
Slow down? That’s right, I said it. I’m officially old. Next thing you know, I’ll be telling you to, “Stop, and smell the roses.” Don’t worry, I won’t go that far. Unless you go to a botanical garden or something, then you should probably stop, and smell those roses.
We’ve talked a lot about how to be a digital nomad. Disconnecting from things, finding a career, technology needs, and mobile workspaces are all import things to consider if you want to work on the road. With that said, there’s still one more thing that’s key to becoming a successful digital nomad. It’s something we’re still working to be better at—slowing down. In our first year of travel we drove over 18,500 miles throughout 29 states and visited 21 national parks (not to mention some roadside attractions and the great American eclipse).
Taking a career on the road was a new experience so we mapped out our itinerary day by day. We found out fast that maintaining a steady travel schedule is challenging, and we started to feel like we were leaving places without seeing everything. When we threw working remotely in the mix we soon discovered it was going to take a serious effort to maintain a work vanlife balance.
The reason we hit the road in the first place was to see and enjoy the wonders of the world at a leisurely pace–not just cram them into a week vacation. Travel is more than just saying you did it. It’s experiencing a place and a culture. We’re learning that you don’t and likely won’t ever see everything. It’s good to have things to come back for and know that you enjoyed your time, not just ran around checking things off a list.
Here are some tips for how to slow down and get the most out of your nomadic lifestyle:
Research Your Accommodations
When looking for a place to stay, make sure it has what you need. Finding the perfect spot rarely happens by accident. Campgrounds that are most appealing to us have cell service, a water source nearby, bathrooms (pit toilets), and a view.
Being digital nomads, cell service is sometimes the most important. We don’t have to be connected 100% of the time but being able to check work emails or a blog post without driving miles every day can make or break a good spot. If you’re only spending a night or two without some (or all) of these amenities, it’s not the end of the world. If you are setting up camp for an extended stay it can be quite a hindrance.
Here’s the site we use to find most of our free camping. Many sites say whether they have service and what amenities are available. Make sure you read the comments (and be wary of the ones that don’t have comments). When booking a hostel or hotel make sure it offers the technology and space to get your work done and enjoy your stay. Don’t miss out on adventure time to make unplanned trips to the library or café to get work done.
Quality over Quantity
I’m not talking about buying a 6 pack of craft IPA over an 18 pack of PBR (which definitely happens). I’m talking about not overbooking yourself. Our itinerary last year was overly full. We couldn’t stay anywhere very long because we had plans to be at our next destination. In our first week we had to regroup for a few days after a trip to the emergency room. We over planned and packed too much into our itinerary, so changes meant that we had to cut out things we really wanted to do.
When planning a route across the country, choose areas that have a lot to offer. Go deeper than skimming the most visited places. If there are a lot of places to see and explore without moving your base camp it can help slow the pace and allow you to really get to know an area.
Stay Longer at One Location
Many free National Forests and BLM dispersed campsites have 14-day limits. During our first year on the road we didn’t use the full available time once. Even though sometimes we had a perfect spot, we couldn’t stay because we had to move to the next destination on our list.
If you find a spot and you’re not on a time crunch—stay the 14 days—they’re free! If you think you’ve totally explored an area, schedule a few down days to relax and work. You’ll be back on the road soon enough.
Disconnect
While we try to find camp spots with service for convenience, sometimes we get the most work and relaxation done when we’re disconnected. We work on tasks that can be completed offline and find that without the distraction of the internet we’re able to work more efficiently. This leaves more time for play and relaxation after the work is done.
We’ve all been on a trip so jam-packed with plans, it feels like you’re just checking things off a list instead of enjoying yourself. Slow down and enjoying what’s around you before looking ahead to see what’s next. Find the work vanlife balance that works for you.
Have you been on a trip that was so busy it wasn’t relaxing at all? Tell us about it!
