If you’re reading this blog, you’re already trying to figure out how to get started with taking the leap into becoming a digital nomad. You may also be a veteran looking for inspiration about what to do next, or how to change things up so they don’t get stale! Becoming a digital nomad can be a complicated process. Maintaining that lifestyle and building your career can be complicated as well. Finally, seasoned nomads may need a little kick for inspiration or might be questioning how and when to come back home. Because of this, here are the best digital nomad books for inspiration!
In this post you’ll be able to find books that will change your thinking about work, your career, and life in general. Some of these are more focused on general freelancing tips, offering advice on how to promote yourself. Some of these books are more inspirational than how-to guides. Wherever you are in your journey, you’re sure to find a book in this list that will get your brain flowing!
18 Best Digital Nomad Books for Inspiration
1. The 4-Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferriss
This is one of the most popular books out there for people who want to break out of the 9-to-5 grind and do something different. Tim has his own website, and there are tons of blogs from people who follow his philosophy. The basic principles of this book focus on working smarter, not harder, in order to escape the workaholic mindset and lifestyle.
The real value of this book is to get you thinking, as opposed to being used as a how-to guide. Although there are many criticisms on the limitations of this book, it is one of the earlier books to discuss this topic, and has therefore been the starting point for many later books on non-traditional work lifestyles.
Get The 4-Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferriss here
2. Remote: Office Not Required – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
This book starts with the history and changing trends in the workplace due to technology, then goes on to make the case that teams don’t need to be in the same physical space anymore. The authors argue why remote teams can work and even be better than traditional teams confined to one office. Although you probably don’t need convincing, this book is good for managers or entire organizations looking to experiment with letting workers have more autonomy and location-independent options.
Get Remote: Office Not Required – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson here.
3. Rework – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
This is the follow up to Remote, which continues to offer different ways to think about how you work or run a business. The authors argue that planning too much is a bad thing, because it isn’t always based on real data, and it can leave you less flexible and adaptable. They also offer wisdom about how delaying a project to perfection is a worse idea than launching an imperfect product and refining it later. The book includes some useful advice on how to make better to-do lists and increase productivity through eliminating distractions. The advice here can apply to anyone looking to be better at their career, regardless of industry or location.
Get Rework – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson here.
4. The Digital Nomad Survival Guide – Peter Knudson & Katherine Conaway
This book functions as a how-to guide. The authors have over five years of experience as digital nomads. The book covers budgeting, how to find lodging, how to create a social life while traveling as a digital nomad, and packing among other things. The authors also give their experiences with good and bad locations for nomads. The book is full of tips, suggested tools, and interviews with other digital nomads.
Get The Digital Nomad Survival Guide – Peter Knudson & Katherine Conaway here.
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
This book will help you think about your long-term strategy with finances and your career. The author discusses how approach and mindset have a huge impact in how people manage their finances, and how most people model their mindset after that of their own parents. This book gets into concepts like passive income, and how to generate cash flow as the primary objective over simply working.
Get Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki here
6. The Suitcase Entrepreneur – Natalie Sisson
The author’s primary projects are podcasting, affiliate marketing, and online courses, so this book might be a good choice for you if those are your goals. The author quit her soul-crushing corporate job and built her online business over several years as a nomad. She now runs a very successful business online while giving advice on how other people can do the same. This book is definitely a how-to guide for building up your business, expanding your customer base and audience, and working remotely.
Get The Suitcase Entrepreneur – Natalie Sisson here
7. Be a Nomad Change Your Life – Robin Barrett
This book is more about the travel aspect of being a nomad, rather than the working aspect. The author is experienced with traveling domestically in a van or RV, which is a popular choice for nomads. Not all nomads are traveling through foreign countries, although this perspective is often underrepresented in many blogs on the subject. The book focuses on all the general categories you would expect from a digital nomad guide – accommodations, budgeting, safety, packing – but it does it in the context of a long term road trip in a vehicle.
Get Be a Nomad Change Your Life – Robin Barrett here
8. Crush It! – Gary Vaynerchuk
This book focuses on taking an existing hobby or interest an turning it into a business. This is a great book for entrepreneurs looking to make their passion into their profession. Although it’s not specifically geared toward digital nomads, his advice is heavily reliant on online tools to start your own business. The book itself is about ten years old, but he continues to give updated advice though his website and YouTube channel.
Get Crush It! – Gary Vaynerchuk here
9. Book Yourself Solid – Michael Port
This book is focused on self-promotion in order to get more clients for an existing business or freelance business. Self-promotion and building a client base aren’t easy for many people, and these tasks are often the biggest hurdles for would-be digital nomads to supporting themselves. The book also covers concepts that help you keep clients, such as personal relationships and customer service. The original book is a few years old, but the principles are largely the same even with the most recent technological developments. The author’s website includes updates and strategies for the most recent social media.
Get Build Book Yourself Solid – Michael Port here
10. Virtual Freedom – Chris Ducker
This is a book for more seasoned digital nomads who already have success supporting themselves through online remote work and are looking to grow their business while continuing to live on the road. This guide gives great advice on how to hire virtual staff to outsource the tasks that you don’t have time for or can’t handle while traveling. Novice digital nomads can use this book to think ahead for future business growth, including how to keep themselves of falling into the trap of trying to work too much while traveling.
Get Virtual Freedom – Chris Ducker here
11. The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman
The author argues that many MBA programs are outdated and too expensive. He offers the core principles necessary to become a successful entrepreneur, including marketing, supply and demand, increasing revenue, and improving productivity. Reviews say that this book is well organized so that readers can easily find the information relevant to their own interests and situation.
Get The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman here
12. The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
This book is all about inspiration, in that it challenges the reader to rethink ideas about life and work. The author’s focus is on setting your own rules to live an unconventional life, which is really what being a digital nomad is all about. Whether you are looking to make minor changes and simply work remotely and travel more, or make drastic changes that completely reorganize your lifestyle, this book will get your creative juices flowing on ways that you can live a better life.
Get The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau here
13. Be a Free Range Human – Marianne Cantwell
This book focuses on finding a work-life balance by helping you identify what really makes you happy. There are chapters about starting an online business and turning your weaknesses into strength. It features several case studies and stories from people who have changed their lives to get away from the 9-to-5 rat race.
Get Be a Free Range Human – Marianne Cantwell
14. Becoming a Digital Nomad – Chris Backe
The author has updated his book for 2019 for the latest information. The book includes how-to guides, worksheets, and plenty of tips to make up a comprehensive guide for aspiring digital nomads. The reviews are quite positive, indicating that the book has been a valuable resource for people to start planning, making to-do lists, and thinking about the overall process of converting to an unconventional lifestyle on the road. The guide is broken down by steps, starting with understanding yourself and your personal needs, figuring out your financial situation and potential revenue sources, and ending with what happens when (or if!) you are ready to come back from nomad life to your home country.
Get Becoming a Digital Nomad – Chris Backe here
15. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck – Mark Manson
This is another book meant to challenge your thinking. Many people are stressed and overworked, trying to accomplish “The American Dream” by doing what they think they are supposed to do in life. Many people are unhappy with this life, but aren’t sure how to break the cycle. This book is meant to help you learn about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and what you really want in life, so that you can stop just going through the motions and do something truly meaningful with your life. You can read more about the author’s ideas on his website, which is definitely worth a read.
Get The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck – Mark Manson here
16. The Tax-Free Digital Nomad – Julius Van der Beek
Taxes are one of the most complicated issues that digital nomads wrestle with. It’s even more complicated for U.S. citizens, who must continue to file a tax return even while abroad. This book has several useful tips on how to structure your finances and deal with taxes while traveling. Even if the situations don’t all apply to you, it’s a good starting point for those wondering what to do and how to start tax planning while traveling.
Get The Tax-Free Digital Nomad – Julius Van der Beek here
17. Have Laptop, Will Travel: Memoirs of a Digital Nomad – Philip Nicozisis
This book is a travel memoir of the author’s digital nomad journey. The author participated in one of the pre-planned nomad programs, Remote Year. His stories will inspire you to create your own path and itinerary around the world, or join one of the many programs available for people who want all the details taken care of. A number of reviews have called this book the “Eat, Pray, Love for Men.”
Get Have Laptop, Will Travel: Memoirs of a Digital Nomad – Philip Nicozisis here
18. Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Since I mentioned it, Eat, Pray, Love is a classic tale of leaving the daily grind that has inspired many people to leave their old lives to experience the world. This book has few ideas for how to actually become a digital nomad, but it will bring you one step closer to booking that airline ticket right now. Better yet, schedule a movie night with your friends and see the film version to get all the great visuals of Italy, India, and Indonesia.
Get Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert here
Conclusion
This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to inspiration for digital nomads. Obviously there are tons of blogs and YouTube channels out there, more traditional books, and a growing catalog of e-books. Nomad Stack has a longer list of resources that might be of interest.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the guides out there for digital nomads. In some cases, more resources might make the whole process feel more intimidating. The sheer number of guides available shows that many people have already successfully converted their lives into something different, and every single person has accomplished this task with a different process. There’s no single correct way, job, or itinerary necessary to become a digital nomad!
Hope you guys enjoyed this post on the 18 best digital nomad books for inspiration. Do you have any favorite books to inspire digital nomads? Let us know in the comments!
