DigitalNomad

101
For you,
by Michelle Checchi

What's Inside:
The basics of how to work and travel around the
world on a budget
 About
This free guide teaches you
the essentials of being a digital
nomad. Learn how to:
Save money to travel (even if money is tight)
Make money anywhere, using your own skills
Travel as a digital nomad, with tips for doing
it on a budget
(at the end there's even a list of some of my personal favorite resources!)

Hey,
I'm Michelle
I travel full-time, and I want
to teach you what I know
 What is a
digital nomad?
(and how can you become one?)
Digital Nomad: Someone who works online & makes
their money using digital tools, while traveling. It is a
lifestyle, not a job itself.
As a digital nomad myself, I can tell you a few things:
It's awesome.
But no one is going to hand this lifestyle to you.
"Digital Nomad" is not a job in itself. Or if it is, I haven't found it
yet. There's no place to "sign up" for this lifestyle, or to apply.

So that means one main thing for you:

You're going to have to create this lifestyle for yourself.
That may seem intimidating, but I see it as a huge advantage,
because you can find or create work in your own field, using your
unique skills.
In order to be a digital nomad, you need to accomplish two main
goals:
1. Make money online, either by being self-employed, or working
for others.
2. Travel, or live a nomadic lifestyle.
I have tips, tricks, and advice to help you get there, but ultimately,
it's up to you to make it happen.
But I totally believe you can do it,
because if I did it, anyone can.
 How to save
money to travel
(even if money is tight)
I used to think you needed to be rich already to travel the world.
But plot-twist: long-term travel is actually much cheaper than I
thought, when you know how to do it right.
But to get started, saving at least a little bit of money (or more) is
wise. Here are the three steps I personally used, despite living
basically paycheck-to-paycheck, to save money to travel:

I grew my current assets with a short-term investment account, and

contributed to it for more than a year. Even $25-$50 dollars a month can
become much more valuable if invested wisely. Finding ways to contribute as
much as possible can really add up over the course of many months. I use
Ellevest for my short-term investing, which is specifically geared for women.

I increased my income by working a second job. For a period of time, I was not
only working my full-time job in TV, but also scooping ice cream to save money
to travel. I looked for a second job that was minimal hours (10-15 a week) with
a decent salary, and contributed all of that to my travel fund. Adding to my
current income was necessary to save money in my financial situation.

I reduced spending and reigned in my bills. I was originally living in my

own apartment, which made it nearly impossible to save money, so I moved
in with a roommate, ultimately saving hundreds of dollars per month to
travel. I also reigned in frivolous spending for more than a year, saving even
more money each month.
You can read more details about saving money to travel in this blog post.
Michelle Marie Checchi
 How to make
money anywhere
(using your own skills)
With my small travel fund, I was ready
to hit the road. But after 3 months of
traveling, I realized I was going to soon
run out of money, and would need to
return to the US to look for work.
Unless I figured out a plan.

So I started scrambling, and learned

how to make money while traveling,
through digital and non-digital ways.
Working with a view of the Red Sea
Here's how I did it:
I found ways to make money online ASAP. Some remote jobs take a little bit
of time to build up, but others are immediate “gigs” that you can start doing
basically that same day. I have a little list here. You probably won’t get rich
with some of these, but if you need a few extra bucks here and there, these can
help you stay afloat.

I started freelancing. This is how I created sustainable long-term income,

which I can take anywhere. Nearly everyone has a skill they can use as a
freelancer, and it’s all-too-easy nowadays to find freelance jobs online. I wrote
this entire article about finding freelance jobs online. Getting started was
much easier than I thought, and I was able to quickly build a revenue stream. I
still freelance to this day.

I looked for local opportunities. While traveling, you typically need a work
visa to earn money in a country. So firstly, I highly recommend you follow all
local laws and regulations, and stay within the parameters of your visa. That
being said, I have found some opportunities to make money locally while
traveling. Working in restaurants and bars is my favorite, along with
teaching yoga classes.
Michelle Marie Checchi
 Tricks to travel
cheaper
(Do I have enough pages for this?)
Now that you’ve saved money and you’re even able to earn money
on the road, let’s talk about ways to travel cheaper as a digital
nomad. Here are some of my basic pillars of budget travel:
PS: You'll find resources listed at the end of this guide

Location: Some places are going to be much more expensive to travel

than others, plain and simple, so pick a place (or places) that make sense
for your budget. By choosing location and region carefully, you can make
your budget last for potentially months longer. Seriously.
Cheap Accommodation: Accommodation can be among the biggest
expenses of traveling, so it’s important to find ways to stay for cheap or
even for free. In costly regions and countries, I almost exclusively stay in
hostels, but I also might look on Airbnb.
Free Accommodation: If I’m staying somewhere for a longer period of time (at
least a few weeks), I’ll look for hostels to do work trades at, to stay for free.
This is my absolute favorite. I do this by either finding hostels with formal
work trade programs, or just finding hostels that look nice and messaging
them online. Nearly every hostel I’ve ever stayed at offers work trade
opportunities. I’ll also look at Couchsurfing, if I’m looking to bounce around a
little bit and want to stay with someone for free.
Airfare: Airfare will be another expense that can add up quickly. To mitigate airfare
costs, I do a few things:
I take advantage of airline credit cards to get free flights and rack up points. I've
traveled internationally for free with the proper use of airline credit cards.
I buy tickets in advance when I can, and use budget airline resources.
I travel slowly. I'll spend weeks or months in a place. The more you fly, the more
it'll cost.
I also try to travel to countries which are closer together, which will make the
airfare more affordable, or use apps like Skyscanner to find amazing deals.
Many airlines offer steep discounts for buying roundtrip tickets, so I do that
when it fits into my plans. I also look into trains and buses when applicable.
Michelle Marie Checchi
 I don’t check a bag: What? No checked bag? For months on end? Yep,
you got that right. I travel the world with a 60 liter backpack, and try to
bring it as carry-on when I can. This can save you hundreds of dollars
when flying, and is all-around easier for getting around.

I get health insurance. It may seem like a non-essential extra, and you may
be tempted to skimp on travel health insurance to save the money. But in
the long run, it could save you thousands of dollars. Consider it an
investment in your wellbeing. Plus, my travel health insurance covers other
things, such as lost luggage, and I've been reimbursed for hundreds of
dollars before. I use World Nomads (I'm an affiliate) and Allianz. Pro tip:
your credit card company or primary insurance company may offer a travel
policy option.

Activities: I look for free activities when I can,

and spend a lot of time walking around and
exploring. Free or inexpensive activities might
include: beach time, riding bikes, museums,
having a beer, or attending a show. Rarely will I do
grand or very expensive activities, which can
blow out a budget if done regularly, but I will do
something if it’s really special.

Prepped for a scooter ride in India

Food: Food can be another big

expense, and while I love eating
local cuisine, it can be costly to
eat out every day. Because of
that, I always try to stay in a place
with a kitchen, and cook my own
food as much as possible. I
personally love cooking, and have
tons of fun in grocery stores in
different countries.
Queen of the veggie burgers

Michelle Marie Checchi

 Resource
essentials
This is a list of resources, guides, apps and bloggers that I use to
travel, and I’m passing along this list to you.
Travel bloggers to follow: These are some of my favorite travel
bloggers, and they seriously have travel routes for every country and
region. Sign up for their email lists, read their itineraries, and ask them
questions! Combined, they seriously have done it all. There are also
plenty of other travelers you can follow.
Nomadic Matt
The Broke Backpacker
Wandering Earl
The Points Guy
Accommodation/Work Trade
Hostelworld
WorldPackers
Workaway
WOOF
Couchsurfing
Airbnb

Working Online
Upwork
Fiverr
FlexJobs
We Work Remotely
Indeed (search “remote”)

Flights
Travel Credit Cards (I use a Delta card and
United card, if you use my referral we’ll
both get points)
Google Flights
SkyScanner
Momondo
Scott's Cheap Flights
Michelle Marie Checchi

 Connect with me
Whether you're an aspiring nomad or a seasoned
traveler, I would love to hear from you. Let's connect, talk
about travel, swap tips, and share our favorite places.
TikTok

Instagram

Youtube

Website

DMs are always open :)

Safe travels, see you out there
Michelle Marie Checchi