Work in any place as a digital nomad

As a digital nomad, as long as you have a laptop and internet access, you can pretty much work anywhere you choose.

When I travel, I usually decide between Airbnb and hotels. The decision depends on how long I intend to stay, what amenities I’m looking for, and what overall experience I want.… Read the rest

Where are you on the disengagement spectrum?

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are killing employee engagement. One of the consequences is financial losses.

According to a recent survey by McKinsey, public mid-size companies risks losing around $300 USD million each year due to low engagement. Yikes.

The survey also grouped employees into 6 categories on the disengagement spectrum:

  1. Thriving stars (4%): These are top performers who prefer remote work because of their productivity and autonomy.
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Remote working is not allowed, except for me

In the beginning, employees were in the office 5 days a week, usually from 9am to 5pm.

Then a few years ago, everyone was forced to change that habit and work remotely for a couple of years. Surprisingly, employees were either just as effective or even more effective at home.… Read the rest

Do you have a backup for your computer?

Weeks before my last trip across the ocean, my Dell laptop stopped recognizing it was plugged in. The power cable itself worked, but the laptop just didn’t see it. So the battery slowly drained until 0% and there was nothing I could do to stop it.… Read the rest

The best city for digital nomads!

It feels like new digital nomad visas are popping up every month. One month it’s Portugal, the next it’s Spain, and tomorrow it’s South Africa.

To help you keep track of which countries offer these visas, there are several websites available.… Read the rest

An introduction to asynchronously working

Amid the many organizations forcing workers to return to the office full-time, there are some that are strongly advocating for remote work forever.

GitLab is one of the latter, and they published an in-depth article explaining exactly how they manage remote workers.… Read the rest

Everybody’s working on the weekend

There’s a popular song from the 1908’s called “Working for the Weekend”. It’s by Lover Boy, a Canadian rock band with lots of cowbells. One of the lyrics of the chorus is, “Everybody’s working for the weekend”.

Well, it turns out, 40 years later, everybody’s actually working ON the weekend.… Read the rest

Unveiling the negative impacts of working remote

I recently read yet another article talking about the impacts of working remotely or hybrid. The summary of this article is: We need to change the way people are managed.

Breaking this down, there are three key points.

1. People are stressed, regardless of where they are physically located.… Read the rest

A case for the hybrid approach to work – understanding our brain

As it turns out, shifting from a full work-at-home schedule to a full work-from-work schedule isn’t good for us on many levels. Here’s another to add to the list.

As you may know, our brain is a highly adaptable organ. It is constantly changing at a physical level, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.… Read the rest

Digital nomad tech checklist

As I travel from city to city as a digital nomad, I find a checklist helps me pack and track what items I use and need. If I find I’m missing something on a particular trip, I add it to the list for the next time.… Read the rest

The 3 easiest digital nomad visas in Europe right now

Did you know there are currently 58 countries that offer some kind of digital nomad visa?

The number keeps growing every year, and some visas are harder to obtain than others. So which ones are the easiest, cheapest and fastest to receive, in places you would actually want to go?… Read the rest

A digital nomad’s journey to care for family

Here’s a story of a particularly close friend. Stefan is Canadian born, and holds both a Canadian and Polish passport. Anna is Polish born, and only has a Polish passport. I may have changed their names for this email.

A few years ago, when Stefan’s father grew ill while living in Canada, Stefan and Anna decided to uproot their lives in Poland and move their 4 children to Canada.… Read the rest

Remote job stacking

An interesting article that crossed my path today was about remote job stacking.

As the story unfolds, a 48-year-old from Texas started working as a network engineer at company A. In this full-time position, he made $117,500 a year and worked on-site.… Read the rest

Bleisure: Mixing business with pleasure

Remote working became significantly more popular over the last several years. As a result, the hospitality industry took notice and started to adapt. They are attempting to attract people who travel for both business and pleasure. This mix, labelled “bleisure”, is a fast-growing buzzword.… Read the rest

Making digital nomadism more corporate

Until recently, employees that were permitted to work from home could pretty much choose where they wanted to work and for how long. Sometimes that meant actually working from home, and sometimes that meant remotely. Sadly, there are recent trends that suggest companies are starting to crack down on this freedom of choice.… Read the rest

The 5 most difficult things about being a digital nomad

OK, I’ll admit it. Not every single aspect of being a digital nomad is like unicorns and rainbows. There are some minor downsides to this lifestyle.

Here are a few challenges you may have along the way.

1. Romantic Relationships

If you have a life partner and they are not able to join you on these adventures, well, that sucks.… Read the rest

Where are Europe’s best coastal cities for digital nomads?

Have you ever imagined doing client work while relaxing on a recliner on a sandy beach?

This fantasy doesn’t need to stay in your head. I’ve done it, and it’s … wonderful. Just make sure the sand stays away from your laptop and your mobile is fully charged to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for a long time 🙂

With those rules in mind, the next step is to pick the best coastal city.… Read the rest

The road from digital nomad to a clearer sense of self

“Know thyself” is an Ancient Greek aphorism.

When you know yourself, you also increase your confidence, accept your weaknesses, and generally strive to be a better human being.

It’s a wonderful goal for sure. And as luck would have it, one way to achieve this goal is to be a digital nomad.… Read the rest

What is it about New York City?

I attended the Salesforce World Tour in NYC today, which was awesome, and I’ll write about that soon. But today is Friday, which usually focuses on remote working/being a digital nomad. So let’s talk about NYC itself.

Living in Montreal, Canada provides me easy access to this city.… Read the rest

The best ways to mitigate jet lag

Sorry for the late email today. Two days I moved back to Canada and I’m still fighting jet lag.

As some of you know, I spent summers in Canada and winters in Spain, about six months in each spot. Since there is a six hour difference in time, I’ve learned a couple of tricks to help with the transition.… Read the rest

Stealth workers vs digital nomads

Several months ago, there was a wave of articles talking about “stealth workers”. These are individuals who pretend to be working from home, when in fact they are remote.

Tactics they employ include:

  • using a VPN (e.g. to mask their geolocation)
  • wearing climate appropriate clothing (e.g.
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An ode to minimalism

One of the reasons why I love being a digital nomad is the opportunity to embrace minimalism.

Several years ago, I trekked around the world for 1.5 years with just two backpacks; a 65L for clothing and a 25L for tech.… Read the rest

But I cannot be a digital nomad, I have kids

One common objection I hear about trying to be a digital nomad is kids.

Kids make things messier when traveling. They require significant time and attention, their basic needs must be met, and then there’s school.

Obviously the best time to be a digital nomad with kids is when they are young enough to not go to school.… Read the rest

What are the rules for being a digital nomad?

In the 50th episode of my podcast, the appointed host asked me, “What are the rules for being a digital nomad?”

My response was, there aren’t any rules.

Whether you spend time in a “van down by the river” (a reference to a skit by the late Chris Farley on SNL), or half the year in the south of Spain, makes no difference.… Read the rest

How to avoid the constant new-ness of being a digital nomad

Humans are creatures of habit. We like routine because it provides us a sense of predictability and security. It also allows us to make certain plans that don’t change on a whim.

One of the many reasons I became a digital nomad is to avoid the larger and monotonous routines.… Read the rest