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28 Things To Do Before You Move Abroad as a Digital Nomad

As a digital nomad, you know that moving to another country is a big step. You may have acquired the skills, experience, and confidence needed to make such a move, but you may not know all there is to know about the steps that lie ahead.

When moving to a different country, it’s hard to plan how to get everything done before you move. Moving to work or study is a big decision, and there are many things you will need to consider before you leave for your next adventure.

We know digital nomads have the freedom to live where you want all over the world, but that doesn’t mean there are no rules to follow. There are certain things that you need to do before you get started, and this article is full of them. We will cover things like what things you need to do and prepare before you move abroad.

Students Loans

It’s becoming more and more common for students to take out student loans to finance their education and to help pay for extra expenses, but unfortunately, the student loan system doesn’t make it easy to manage your payments.

When it comes to paying for college tuition, many young people choose to take out student loans to cover the bill. However, these loans are notorious for having stiff penalties for missed payments, and the interest rates are often fairly high too. But what if you could avoid these penalties and interest charges—and pay off your loans faster? There is a way to do just that: auto-debit.

Rent/Sell Your Car

It’s not unusual for a digital nomad to sell or rent out their car before moving abroad. In fact, it’s quite common. Having a car allows one to make money on the go, but moving into a new city is a big commitment, and it can be a lot of work to find a place that is going to suit you and your lifestyle. Sometimes, selling or renting a car is the only way to make it happen.

Activate Roaming

As a digital nomad, you must keep in touch with your family and friends while traveling the world. This often means being on the move and not having the luxury of staying home for long periods of time. That’s why should you activate roaming before you move abroad.

Phone Plan

Nomads are the people who make their livelihood and their very existence in a remote or nomadic way, working remotely for companies and organizations in different parts of the world or pursuing their own independent projects while keeping their base in one place. To do so, they need to be able to function on a regular basis within the country where they are based, often by often through an active mobile phone plan.

Travel Insurances

Digital nomads are free, self-employed individuals who work remotely and typically use digital technology to deliver their services. The nomadic lifestyle is becoming more popular, and many like it, but not all digital nomads are quite aware of the implications of this lifestyle. There are many things that they do not know that they shouldn’t do, and there are many risks which we should prepare them to face.

Therefore we recommend having a Travel Insurance to cover medical expenses, baggage loss, accidental death and dismemberment, trip cancellation, emergency evacuation and other issues that might arise during your trip.

Make Sure Your Bank Have Overseas Branches

If you are a digital nomad looking to begin your travels, you should make sure that your bank has overseas branches first. This is because the two are linked together, and it may be difficult for you to transfer money to your bank account, as you may not be able to do so when you are abroad. Some banks are charging very expensive fee if you use other banking system to cash out the money.

Activate Debit/Credit Cards for Overseas Use

International purchases can be tricky. Not only is the exchange rate different, but some countries have stricter laws on how and where you are allowed to use a credit card. There’s a lot of confusion out there for digital nomads whether they can use their cards for purchases in other countries. We’re here to set the record straight. The answer is that it is perfectly possible to use your credit cards for overseas purchases, as long as you have activated them in advance.

Emergency Savings

As more and more people are choosing to work remotely, many of them are doing so for long-term periods. This means they need to make some important financial decisions before they move abroad. One of those decisions is when to set aside emergency savings, which, if not prepared, can lead to a significant drop in personal income once they are in their new location.

Having a plan for emergency savings is a must for anyone thinking of becoming a digital nomad, as it can provide some much-needed financial cushion in the event of an unexpected event. Nomads can choose to set aside a percentage of their income for an emergency savings fund, which can be used to cover medical expenses, to pay off debts, for travel expenses and more. The fund can be set up at a financial institution, such as a bank, or within an online account, such as an online savings account, where it can be used to pay for all manner of expenses, both now and in the future.

Canceling Unnecessary Subscriptions

Many digital nomads don’t move to a new country without cancelling their phone and TV subscriptions before they depart. Why do you need to cancel your TV and phone before you move abroad? Cancelling your TV and phone subscriptions is important for two reasons. Firstly, this ensures that you won’t be paying huge fees to your TV and phone provider. Secondly, this forces you to only use the services you need and nothing more. It will be much more difficult to get lost in a phone bill after you’ve moved overseas.

To be a digital nomad, it’s important to understand the fundamental elements of this lifestyle. You have to be frugal when it comes to your phone bill, and it’s vital that you cancel all unnecessary subscriptions before your move abroad. Digital nomad subscriptions can especially add up to a lot of money, so you should be prepared to cancel them all before you leave.

Rent Out Your Stuffs

For many people living or working remotely, maintaining a home away from home can be very expensive. Some travelers have managed to find income via Airbnb or other websites, but they often have to pay for their accommodations by the hour, day, or week.

Selling Belongings

Selling your belongings before moving abroad is a controversial subject. Some people like to sell off their belongings when they move abroad. This gives them the opportunity to buy brand new things at a lower price, and getting rid of all the old things that they don’t want. But, in reality, holding onto all your belongings isn’t always a good idea. It may cause more stress as you think to yourself, “oh, I have to ship this?” or “when will I get it back?” Less baggage means more time. So, why wait until you’re abroad to sell your belongings?

Get a reliable VPN

It’s easy to get excited about digital nomadism – living your dream of traveling the world and working from anywhere you want. However, the challenges of living a digital nomad lifestyle are numerous, so you need to be prepared. One common problem is that you need to be able to hide your location while online, because governments and organizations can track your online activity. It is also important to ensure that your connection is secure, so that you can’t be seen by your ISP or anyone else snooping around.

Get a Good Quality Travel Bag

As a digital nomad, you probably don’t use a backpack, but you need one to carry your laptop and other essentials. A good travel bag is a must to travel light and save space in your luggage.

The most important of all is having a good travel bag that will keep your gear safe and organized in whatever environment you might find yourself in, be it a trunk of a car, or the overhead compartment of a plane.

Get a Travel Adapter

If you are planning on moving abroad, you’ll need to make sure you have an adapter for your electrical appliances. Most countries have different electrical standards, and it is important to make sure you don’t get stranded overseas with a device that won’t work.

Check the Languages

Forget about those old stereotypes of picture perfect life as a digital nomad: it’s not all about being in the beautiful places and working remotely. It’s also about the relationships you build while living abroad. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you’re abroad, you should speak another language.

Most of the countries in the world can speak English. But, there are also lots of countries citizen cannot speak English too. You should check and do research before you move to a new location to see whether the people there can speak English or not.

Stay in touch with Family

Stay in touch with family and close friends is a huge part of the digital nomad lifestyle, but it’s not always easy when you’re moving around the world.

If you’re planning to move to and live abroad, one of the questions you’re probably asking yourself is, “What about my family?” Today, you might be even asking, “Do I even need to keep in touch with my family?” My answer to this question is yes, there are benefits to staying in touch with family before you move abroad.

Get Seasonal Cloths When Necessary

When you’re a digital nomad, you’re constantly on the go. But, that doesn’t mean you should dress in the same wear every day. While you may not need to replace all your clothes on a regular basis, you may need to change your wardrobe for that time of the year you’re traveling. For example, if you’re planning on a vacation in the summer, you’ll want to bring a travel-friendly wardrobe. But, if you’re traveling in the winter, it’s better to wear extra warm clothes to stay comfortable.

Make Enough Research

When you are a digital nomad, the world is your oyster. You can go anywhere anytime you want with your laptop, phone, and laptop. There are no borders, no visa requirements, and no customs. However, even with all the freedom in the world, there is still a lot of information to consider, especially when moving across continents, going abroad, or just moving in general.

Digital nomads are apparently an excellent source with all sources of knowledge, but the truth is that they are not always the most knowledgeable people. They tend to be more knowledgeable than others, since many of them are expats who have lived or worked in several different countries. However, if you don’t research the best places to live before you move abroad, how can you expect the people there to be able to help you?

Travel or Work Visas

Digital nomadism and long-term travel have become popular over the last decade. Not only are these lifestyles convenient, they are also refreshing and liberating. However, if you plan to live in several countries for a long period of time (more than a year or two), then you’ll have to consider getting a visa in advance. Without a visa, you won’t be able to work or live in those countries.

Take Vaccines

Most people have heard of the disease. But, do you know the actual risks to digital nomads? Because of their lifestyle, digital nomads are at a much higher risk of contracting certain diseases. Vaccines are a simple and effective way to protect yourself against the most common diseases carried by travelers.

Visit Doctors If Necessary

If you are planning to be a digital nomad (or have been a digital nomad) you should know that you need to visit a doctor anytime you move with a new location. While many nomads are aware of the need to get a health certification, very few understand the process involved with the health checkup.

Credit Monitoring

If you’re a digital nomad, chances are you’ve considered moving to another country, but you’ve been scared about your credit scores during the process. But if you don’t monitor your credit scores, you’re probably unaware that your scores have taken a nosedive. Over the past few years, credit scores have deteriorated considerably.

In order to keep track of their finances, many choose to monitor their credit scores (rather than use credit cards) and use a credit monitoring service that will notify them when their scores drop below a certain threshold.

Health Checkup

Going digital nomads and never knowing the true state of your health or lifestyle can be a big mistake. It can happen to anyone. No matter how much you exercise, how healthy you eat, or how much sleep you get, you might not be in your optimal state of health. And it can take a toll on your body, which is why you need to know your own health and what kind of lifestyle you lead before you quit your current job, relocate, and start your lifestyle in a new city.

The health checkup is a process that everyone should engage in and visit before embarking on a new adventure. Health checkup is not a magical ritual which will solve the problems you have, and make you healthy forever. But it will give you a glimpse into your current condition, and also remind you to make necessary adjustments to your lifestyle and habits.

Pay Taxes

Digital nomads are people who live and work remotely. They don’t need or use their mail boxes as often and often don’t need bank accounts or credit cards for the country they live in. But, they still need to pay taxes in the place they live. This can be a problem when you are living in a place where you have no bank account, no social security number, and no permanent address.

In some cases, the only way to pay taxes can be to receive money from your employer, pay your employer in return, and then pay taxes on the money you receive from your employer. This is why digital nomads need to pay taxes on all the money they make.

This is a common routine for digital nomads and digital nomads should be aware of the tax consequences of their work.

Note: Every country has their own taxes system, you should seek for professional advice from professional.

Create a budget

Moving across the country to start your new job is one of the best things you can do. The prospect of a fresh start in a new city is good. However, moving across the whole country is a little more difficult. While some travelers budget for their trip in advance, many people don’t.

In fact, a new study conducted by the Office of Personnel Management found that almost half of workers had no budget at all. The OPM study found that people travel for work, but too often leave their budgets out of the equation.

As a digital nomad, it’s hard to know quite where to begin on a budget. After all, you’re nomadic, and money is already a significant part of your life. So, with a nomadic lifestyle, many people struggle to make ends meet.

To make matters even harder, the digital lifestyle means you’re working from anywhere in the world and don’t have a consistent income stream. The result is that you’re constantly having to juggle the ins and outs of expenses.

Sell Your Car

We all know that you can lead a comfortable, well-paying life as a digital nomad, but the problem is that you can’t do that forever. In order to sustain the lifestyle, you need to be able to sell your car (or a house, or whatever you own).

It’s easy to focus on the negative and think that you should be able to keep your car without selling it, but you’ll end up broke and unprepared for that next nomad phase that will bring you to a new city or country. While selling your car is a highly personal decision, it is one that you should think about before you move.

Two Factor Authentications

When you’re a digital nomad, you need to take very good care of your information. So before you pack your bags and go on a long journey across the world, consider having a Two Factor Authentication (2FA) strategy in place. 2FA is a security feature employed by many online services, where you need to verify your identity by providing two different pieces of information, one of which is your phone number.

It used to be a hassle to get an authenticator app on your phone and still be able to use it: you had to download it, make sure it was secure, and synchronize it with your ID. Nowadays, the problem is solved: Google Authenticator is available in the Google Play Store.

Encrypt Your Devices

Digital nomads are renowned for taking advantage of the freedom they get from working from anywhere, but if your data isn’t kept secure, your personal information and digital assets are just as vulnerable as in a traditional office.

With each new release of mobile operating systems, all the mainstream vendors come out with a list of “new features” that will come in their next release. For the most part, these new features are not very useful and are only useful to the vendors themselves. The problem is that many of these new features are not implemented by the vendors and they are only available in the open source operating systems.

There are a lot of reasons digital nomads need to encrypt their devices before moving abroad and not just to avoid any potential hacking. There’s also the fact that your devices can store up a lot of personal data and you never know who may get hold of that. So why not stay a little safer?

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