Tips & Resources for Planning a Digital Nomad Trip
Whether you’re new to traveling while working remotely or you’re already an established digital nomad, it’s always handy to have some tips and resources at hand for planning your trip.
In this blog post I’ll share with you some tips, best practices and resources to plan your next digital nomad trip or destination.
I’ve been traveling in digital nomad style for many years and I’ve gathered some experiences on best practices and things to think about when planning such trips.
I hope this blog post can be useful to you too!
Jump to:
Researching Your Destination
Other than checking out the Digital Nomad Guides for different destinations on Things Nomads Do, here are a few other resources you can check when researching your ideal digital nomad destination:
Nomadlist
Nomadlist is an excellent resource to check different things related to digital nomad travels in different cities and countries, such as community, internet speed, air quality, level of English and many other aspects of the digital nomad lifestyle.
You can also subscribe to Nomadlist for a fee and get access to more digital nomad tips, as well as access to the community.
Weather / Season
Make sure to check what kind of weather to expect at your destination. Check whether it is raining season or dry season, and if it will be high season or low season. You can just use good ol’ Google for that.
Flights
When you’ve done your researching, it’s time to check for flights.
Google Flights
My favourite tool for comparing different flight fares is Google Flights. Their grid view is just so handy to compare and you can also check whether prices are currently low or high.
Omio
Another platform to check transportation is Omio. Not only can you check flights, but you can also see buses, trains and ferrys. What I like about Omio is that the interface is super clean and it’s very easy to navigate around.
Accommodation
Next up is finding good and affordable accommodation. Depending on your budget, this may look different of course.
Traditionally, Airbnb has always been the main go-to platform for me, however, lately I find that the quality has been getting worse and the reviews not always truthful in my opinion. This I also read on multiple other platforms and from other travellers.
Here’s a list of options:
Agoda.com (mostly for Asia)
Coliving.com (Co-living Space finder)
If you are planning to go to a co-working space, it may make sense to check out if they have any co-living options available. Many co-working spaces offer packages with co-working space & accommodation included, which may be cheaper than booking them separately. It’s definitely worth checking that out!
Find accommodations on Booking.com:
Which neighbourhood?
You should also check in which neighbourhood you want to stay in. This of course depends on your preferences.
To research which neighbourhoods would be best for you, check out Hoodmaps. This is a kind of crowdsourced platform where travellers describe different neighbourhoods in specific cities.
Co-working Spaces
Outpost coworking space in Ubud, Bali
Next up is understanding where you want to work from.
Some people like to just work from cafe’s, while others want to sign up for specific co-working spaces. It depends a bit on the destination if there are any decent co-working spaces.
Digital Nomad Hot spots such as Bali and Thailand do have quite a few good ones, whereas lesser known places like Lombok or Myanmar may have fewer co-working spaces.
You can search for different co-working spaces around the world on Coworker.com.
Digital Nomad Community
When you’re traveling by yourself, it’s important to check what kind of community there is in your destination of choice. For example, are the co-working spaces organising social events like dinners and meet ups?
Make sure to check this, even when you’re traveling with someone else, so that you know you can meet like-minded individuals during your travels.
You can also check websites like Meetup.com, to find meet ups that are happening at your destination.
Getting Around
In South East Asia, getting around on a motorbike is the easiest
You also need to check how you will get around at your destination. In many South East Asian countries for instance, a motorbike is the easiest way to get around because public transport is not great or non-existent. In that case, you need to make sure that you are comfortable driving a motorbike. In other areas, such as Greek islands or more remote places in Italy, you may need to rent a car to get around.
There are of course alternatives, such as GoJek in Indonesia (which is similar to Uber), and Grab in Malaysia and Thailand.
At other destination countries which are more developed, you can probably rely on the public transportation system.
Visa & Documents
Visa
Many countries nowadays have e-visas that you can easily get online. It’s important to check if you need to apply for this though. In some cases, visas can take a whole to be processed so you need to make sure to check this in advance.
Here is a website where you can easily check if you need a visa: Passportindex.org/travel-visa-checker
Flight out of the country
In many cases, when you enter a country you need to show that you either have a return flight booked or proof of outbound travel. If you can’t show this, they may not let you check-in for your flight or even let you into the country. This happened to me once when I wanted to check-in to a flight to Taiwan, but they wouldn’t let me, so I had to book a pretty expensive flight out of Taiwan on the spot.
Sim Cards
It’s obviously super handy to obtain a local sim card when you’re at your destination. Since a few years I use Airalo to download eSims. It’s super handy as you can purchase and download the eSim already before you arrive at your destination and then just activate it once you’re there.
It’s so much easier than finding a Sim Card at the destination, in my opinion. Just make sure that your phone is eSim compatible.
Travel Insurance
Make sure to get a decent travel insurance that covers you while you’re away. You never now what might happen, and it’s just less hassle in case something does happen.
Have a look at my blog post “Best Digital Nomad Insurances: A Comparison”
My favourite travel insurance is Safety Wing, as it’s easy and great value for money. You can get your SafetyWing insurance here.
Debit Card
Make sure to open a bank account with a bank that charges low or no ATM fees when you are traveling. It’s often super easy to open a bank account and there are often none or very little charges for doing so.
Here are some good options:
Things To Do & Activities
It depends on how much of a planner you are, but I think it makes sense to research beforehand what there is to do in your destination of choice and plan a bit around that.
If you love hiking, then make sure to check where are the best hiking trails, and maybe, make sure that your accommodation accommodates your hiking preferences.
If you love to party, then make sure that there are parties wherever you’re going. And so, on and so forth:)
GetYourGuide
To get a good impression of things and activities to do in your destination of choice, check out GetYourGuide.
I myself always check for activites via this platform, as I find it super easy to use and it gives a clear overview of different things to do in different categories.
All set?
Well then, get ready to pack!
Check out my Essential Packing List for Digital Nomads with tips & suggestions on what to pack for your new and exciting adventure.
I hope this blog post has been useful to you and you got some more ideas on where to find the right information and resources when planning your first or next digital nomad trip.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment below!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that, if you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission that helps me create helpful content for the blog and it won’t cost you anything extra either, so it’s a win-win! I only recommend products if I think they will add value, so thanks for supporting Things Nomads Do!
