I Tried Being a Digital Nomad and It Was Just OK (Or, Why You Shouldn’t Always Believe Instagram)

I spent a few months this spring traveling through Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. 

I had been working for myself for a couple of years and was always curious about traveling and working for an extended time. Plus, I dreamed of improving my university-level Spanish by living somewhere I could immerse myself in the language. 

So, I left for a few months with the goals to: 

1. Improve my Spanish
2. See if the digital nomad life was for me

I signed up for some classes and booked a three-week stay with a homestay family in Antigua, Guatemala to kick the trip off (thanks Maximo Nivel for the experience!), planning to “wing it” after that. This led to: 

• More Spanish classes in Nicaragua and another homestay experience in Costa Rica 
• Some solo travel in Guatemala and Nicaragua
• Staying at a co-living/co-working hostel/hotel, Selina (a decision heavily influenced by targeted ads on Instagram—my algorithm knows me)
• Taking a month-long TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) program
• Traveling with new friends
• Lots of time at the beach, exploring new towns, eating great food, and meeting new people!!
• Plenty of questions, musings, and introspections about traveling itself.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I truly loved my time. 

And, I met my goals. My Spanish improved significantly and I evaluated whether or not the digital nomad life is for me. 

Turns out, it’s not. 

Why? Well, I guess there’s just more to it than Instagram and social media tell us. It’s not that glamorous, it’s not always that fun. That #digitalnomad trend is highly curated and skewed toward only the positive. I always knew that, but it’s still easy to fall for the curated perfection and hope your experience will be that way. 

I have two key reflections on digital nomading:

1. Working while traveling can be lonely
2. Working while traveling means you can’t see a lot

Let’s explore both.

So you want to be a digital nomad? Prepare for loneliness

I’ve met some amazing people traveling—adventurous, curious people from all over the world who want to explore new places and collect new experiences. 

But, I’ve also had some of the loneliest periods of my life while traveling. 

Because, here’s the thing—while you can meet awesome, like-minded people, it’s not a guarantee. There’s a chance you’ll try really hard to connect with other people and just not find “your” people. You might stay at a really slow hostel or Airbnb where there are few other guests. You might get nervous and anxious, or downright exhausted, to talk to yet another stranger and exchange small talk. 

Really, how many times can you strike up a conversation with, “So, where are you from? How long are you traveling for?” It gets tiring.

You will have time alone, potentially a lot of time. And it’s something you need to prepare for as a solo digital nomad or traveler. 

I thought staying at Selina (which attracts remote workers and digital nomads because each location has a coworking space) would be a surefire way to meet other people. But, honestly, I found it really hard to connect. 

First of all, coworking spaces are full of people working. It’s not always realistic to strike up a conversation and become immediate friends with them. On top of that, the location I was in seemed to have a lot of couples and groups of friends traveling, fewer solo people. 

So while I made some connections, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I spent a lot of time exploring Granada by myself. I had a great time, but it was a little lonely. 

Here are some thoughts on how to deal with loneliness and isolation as a solo digital nomad: 

• Plan for it. Really. If you’re traveling solo, you need to be prepared to travel solo. Get comfortable with the idea that you’ll be on your own and prepare to be bold in that. Take yourself out for dinner, find some time for introspection and journaling, and learn to love your own company. 
• Join organized activities. Many hostels, hotels, or other accommodations have organized tours or excursions—join them! They are by far the easiest way to connect with other people. It’s also the easiest transition into dinner or drinks afterward. I aslo really enjoyed taking Spanish classes as that added structure and socialization to my days and weeks.
• Hang out in common areas. Don’t stay in your room or off in the corner somewhere. Take your laptop, book, or journal into a common area and… here’s the kicker… look up once in a while. Smile. Don’t wear your headphones. Strike up conversation when appropriate. 
• Invite yourself along. One of my best memories was exploring the towns around Lago Atitlan, Guatemala with two Spanish girls I met. We were on the same ferry and struck up a conversation, and then I invited myself to tag along with them for the day. I literally said, “Hey, can I tag along with you guys today?” and they said yes. We had a great time! Don’t be afraid to invite yourself. 
• Choose your accommodations wisely. I LOVED staying with a homestay family and LOVED staying in a private room in a busy hostel, but I did NOT love staying in a quiet hotel all by myself. The first two led to increased connection, the latter led to more isolation. Pick your accommodations wisely and in line with your goals. 

I think these things can help, but the crux of the matter is that you need to decide if solo travel or digital nomading is for you or not. I kept thinking during my travels that I’d love to do this with another person, a friend or partner who was also working remotely and we could explore together. 

If you’re considering becoming a digital nomad or traveling and working, make sure you consider if spending time on your own is really something you like to do and thrive in. 

Balancing work and travel is hard—you can’t do it all

Instagram digital nomads like to show the glamorous side of working and traveling, including making a ton of friends (which we covered above) and seeing amazing places. 

You will see amazing places whilst in another country. 

But if you’re working, you simply can’t see it all. 

Sure, if you stay in one place for months and months or fully move to another city for an extended period, over time you can check out all the attractions and hot spots you want to visit. But if you don’t have that much time or are moving to different locations, you have to pick and choose what you can see. 

I was in Antigua for about a month, working around five or six hours/day and then taking Spanish classes for two or three hours a day. It kept me busy during the week, so I used the weeknights and weekends to explore Antigua. All great—I love that city. 

But what I didn’t have time for was excursions outside the city, like climbing a volcano or visiting Hobbitenango (yep, it’s a Hobbit town in Guatemala!). I didn’t have the time or energy to do everything and had to skip some excursions that other people I met were raving about. 

You can’t do it all. 

Instead, you have to: 

• Again, plan for it. When deciding to travel and work, be realistic about what you may or may not be able to see. Choose your destination accordingly… i.e., don’t pick your dream destination and not have any time to see it! You’re working and that means you’re not on a sightseeing vacation—adjust your expectations. 
• Consider your goals. What’s the purpose of being a digital nomad? Is it just to be somewhere new and different? Is it to experience a new culture? Is it to check things off your bucket list? You have to be realistic about what you want from your trip and what is possible to do while working at the same time. 

There were times I was frustrated when friends I made were off exploring new places while I had a deadline to meet. And there were other times I wished I could just throw my computer out the window and head to the beach with everyone. 

These “frustrations” were easily eclipsed by the amazing experiences I had. Sure, I couldn’t do it all, but I could go traveling for months without having to quit my job. I could experience beautiful new cultures, places, and people. I could have the freedom to do what I wanted and when I wanted. 

There’s a lot to be grateful for and I recognize the immense privilege it is to travel. 

But, it’s not all “perfect.” 

I mean, nothing ever is, is it? 

I thought I might want to be a full-time digital nomad. But turns out, I don’t. For me, it’s isolating and challenging balancing working and exploring somewhere new. 

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to travel. And as a self-employed person, it will always be a priority to me. But since I’ve learned these lessons, I can choose travel that works best for me. I prefer traveling: 

• With people, when possible.
• For shorter lengths of time. 
• To fewer places for more time.  

I think being a digital nomad is really cool. My Instagram algorithm knows it, too, and I see tons of content from creators jet-setting around the world with their laptops. I hope anyone who chooses that life loves it and thrives on it.

But I tried it and it was just OK for me. Which is just okay, too.