Being a digital nomad is liberating and fun, but it comes with its own unique set of challenges. You’ll need to organize lodging, plan for travel, keep your time zones straight, manage your finances, and be prepared for emergencies. This all must be done in addition to working remotely. Luckily, there are plenty of tools that can help you accomplish all these things, without adding too much to your luggage allowance! Here are the best tools for digital nomads!
The 24 Best Tools for Digital Nomads
As a digital nomad, you aren’t just traveling light. You also need work remotely, without sacrificing work quality. The best tools for working remotely help you communicate with your team, stay organized, and keep your data secure.
1. Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot – If you think you might be traveling to more remote locations with limited Wi-Fi, this will be an important piece of technology for you. A hotspot works on cellular data networks. The hotspot then creates a Wi-Fi signal that nearby devices can use. Just like your router at home, you need to set a password so that other people can’t use your Wi-Fi signal.
You need to pay for this cellular data, of course. This can be done through a local SIM card or possibly though your existing plan. Just make sure you check the terms of your existing plan, or you may be surprised with expensive charges. In fact, your existing smartphone may be able to work as a hotspot. If not, you can also purchase a separate device like Skyroam.
2. VPN – A Virtual Private Network is a secure connection that protects your activity and data over the internet. You need one if you work on public networks in cafes, hotels, or coworking spaces. A VPN allows you to keep your own activity private. You can also use it to change or hide the location of your IP address, in order to appear in a particular location. This is helpful if you don’t want a boss to know that you are traveling, or if you want to access services like HBO while you are outside the US. A VPN is necessary for accessing many websites in countries like China, that censor web content. I use NordVPN, which consistently ranks at the top. ExpressVPN is also great.
3. Toggl – Toggl is a time tracking software so that you can easily account for the hours you’ve worked on a freelance project. The software logs your activity on a specific project, to provide proof of work time to your clients. Although this software can feel invasive at times, using an application like this can solve disputes that may arise when working with clients. It also helps you with productivity, so that you can see how much you are really working, and how much you are goofing off.
4. Trello – Trello helps you manage projects and tasks visually, with boards, lists, and cards. It uses the Kanban Method invented by Toyota to manage and prioritize project tasks. Use Trello for personal tasks or to manage large projects and teams. Trello can be a life saver when you are juggling multiple freelance projects!
5. Zoom – Video conferencing software is essential for remote workers. Ambiguous email or chat exchanges can easily lead to misunderstandings. Sometimes you just need to meet face to face in order to clarify a project, but that’s not an option for remote workers. Zoom is the next best thing! It allows large groups of people in the same meeting.
6. Workfrom – Find coworking spaces and cafes with good Wi-Fi with Workfrom. You can sign up for a membership directly with Workfrom, then use credits to book coworking time at participating locations. This eliminates the need to sign up individually with new coworking spaces every time you change locations.
7. Dropbox – Back up, organize, and share all your work and client files with Dropbox. You can set permissions and create separate spaces for each client and project. Dropbox allows you to edit some files directly rather than downloading them. Using a secondary backup like a password-protected hard drive may be wise as well.
8. Google Suite – Google has a growing number of free applications available online, like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites. It’s often the best way to collaborate in real time, because multiple users can edit the same document at once. Google Suite includes collaboration tools like Calendar and Hangouts. The files you create can be accessible to anyone, just specific users, or anyone who has a sharable link. Everything can be stored in the cloud with Google Drive. It’s a full-service productivity system, and most features are free!
9. Adobe Acrobat – Your client gives you a document to print, sign and scan. You could run around looking for a print shop, or you could sign it digitally using Adobe Acrobat. Of course, Acrobat has plenty of other features. It’s useful if you want to make sure that formatting doesn’t get messed up when passing files back and forth to multiple users.
10. Every Time Zone – As a nomad, you will change time zones frequently. You may already have clients in multiple time zones. Every Time Zone helps you keep track of your clients and meeting schedules as you change time zones with a clear visual display.
11. External Hard Drive – Many of us can get by with cloud storage, but for those people working with giant files like photographers and video editors, a local storage option is essential. Password protect your hard drive just in case it gets lost or stolen.
Tools for Traveling
You won’t just be making travel plans. You’ll also be figuring out a new living situation in each city, which includes communicating with locals in a different language each time, getting around a new city each time, and handling financial transactions with different currencies. Plus, you’ll need to have the tools and atmosphere that allow you to work at the same time! The following travel tools will help you with all the fun (and not so fun) aspects of traveling long-term.
12. Health Insurance – Accidents and illness happen everywhere, especially while traveling. If you’re traveling long-term you probably won’t have the option to go back to the United States in case of emergency. You may not need to either, since much of the world has cheap medical care. That said, it’s better to be prepared than without insurance, since you may find yourself in an unfamiliar place during an emergency. World Nomads and SafetyWing are good options, depending on how long you plan to travel.
SafetyWing caters specifically to nomads and gives you a lot more flexibility if you don’t know what your plans are. World Nomads works better when you know how long you will be traveling, since longer time periods are more affordable with their plans.
13. WhatsApp – Outside the US and China, most of the world uses WhatsApp for free text messages and group chats, both for personal and professional communication. It works on Wi-Fi, so you can avoid using cellular data. It is primarily a smartphone app, but you can use the web-based application if you already have an active account on your smartphone.
14. Nomad List – Not sure where to go next? Nomad List rates hundreds of cities on cost of living, internet quality, fun, safety, and many other metrics. These metrics change seasonally! You may find a city with a great ranking in summer, but with a horrible ranking during the winter. Nomad List is constantly adding new data to its rankings, so you have the most current information. Much of the data comes from user data, so other digital nomads contribute their input to the rankings. This site is invaluable when making a travel plan, or if you are just winging it!
15. Google Translate – Google Translate now lets you download language packs to use without an internet connection. If you aren’t sure which language you’re reading, the app can detect it for you. It detects handwriting and voice input to support a wider range of users and languages. Google Translate now supports automatic camera detection, so you can snap a photo of a sign rather than trying to type or draw.
16. Rome2Rio – Not sure how to get from Point A to Point B? Rome2Rio gives you options. Each route will give you a variety of transportation options and combinations and travel time, with links to the relevant airline, bus, train, and ferry schedules.
17. XE Currency – Money can get confusing while bouncing around different countries, especially when you need to use an ATM in another language. Use XE Currency to organize as many currency conversion rates as you need, both while connected and offline.
18. Skyscanner – Skyscanner helps you look for the cheapest flights using exact dates or a range. It features upcoming deals, and shows the cheapest flight destinations available all over the world. It’s a great tool both for bargain shopping and deciding where to go next.
19. AirBnB – Digital nomad burnout can happen faster when staying in hotels and hostels. Having a “home,” even if temporary, can help you avoid this. Many AirBnB properties give discounts on rates for booking a week or a month at a time, so you are encouraged to stay longer. Even daily prices can be cheaper than hotels. Some properties cater to business travelers and digital nomads by offering fast internet and office areas within the lodging.
20. Booking.com – Booking.com has easy to use search tools that allow you to display results by list or on a map. I like Booking.com because I can also sort by “Free Cancellation,” which allows me to book a back-up plan and cancel if needed. Their Genius loyalty plan offers additional discounts on some properties.
21. TripAdvisor – Although not as popular in the United States, TripAdvisor is the dominant rating website around the world. Find ratings on everything from free walking tours to restaurants. TripAdvisor also features tours, best-of lists, and suggested itineraries.
22. Maps.me – The benefit of Maps.me is that you can download content to use offline. It contains additional tips, photos, and useful routes. I use it frequently for hiking, both because of the offline content and because their maps often contain small trails that I wouldn’t otherwise find.
23. Proof of Onward Travel – Airlines and customs require proof of onward travel before you can enter the country. As a nomad, you may not know your next destination yet. You can either book a ticket and cancel it within 24 hours directly through the airlines or Expedia, or you can rent a ticket. BestOnwardTicket and OneWayFly let you rent a ticket for a small price, usually less than $20. If needed, you can choose connecting airports or specific flights. These rental services will automatically cancel the ticket for you after a set amount of time, so you don’t have to worry about extra charges later.
24. Award Wallet – You should have a strategy for managing frequent flier miles, rental car points, and credit card points. Manage all of your account numbers and balances through the Award Wallet app or web-based platform. You can get flight notifications directly to your smartphone for any flights booked using points or miles from linked accounts. The application will tell you when your miles are about to expire, so you know which ones to use up first.
Conclusion
There are so many more tools available to help organize your digital nomad lifestyle! This list is just the beginning, and you may find others that are specific to your travel plans or freelance work. That said, don’t go overboard on downloading and installing every app available. The goal is to simplify and streamline, so that you can spend more of your time enjoying life instead of organizing the next step.
Hope you enjoyed the list of the 24 best tools for digital nomads. What are your essential digital nomad tools? Let us know in the comments!
