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October 21, 2022

Stay Productive and Focused As a Digital Nomad

When you’re regularly jet-setting to exciting, new settings, focusing on the career that funds your lifestyle can be a low priority. Being a digital nomad means being able to concentrate and produce quality products from anywhere. When trying to stay productive and focused as a digital nomad, I can share what has helped me.

For the past four months, I’ve joined the 35 million strong digital nomads across the globe. For the bulk of that time, quaint coffee shops in Antigua have served as improvised offices. I’ve taken conference calls from a beachside co-working space in Honduras. Bungalow desks overlooking Mayan jungles in Belize have been my headquarters.

1. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT

It took a while to wrap my head around the concept that, while temporarily living in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I am not on vacation. I am not a tourist. I’m a woman on an extended business trip. My mindset needed shifting. Yes, I may be steps from an ancient Mayan cultural heritage site. However, I am here to do a job. Once I shifted my mentality, I was better able to stay productive and focused as per usual for all the other (boring) business trips I’ve taken before.

2. SET UP YOUR OFFICE RIGHT AWAY

Before booking a place to stay, I filter my search for places with Wi-Fi. Although not required, I look for places with a dedicated workspace. I also check for the proximity to coffee shops, co-working spaces, libraries, and universities with wi-fi nearby, just in case.

When I touch down in a new place, the first thing I do is check Wi-Fi speeds, service, and the noise level of the area. I unpack my laptop and supplies to get my makeshift “office” set up right away. That way, all I need to do in the morning is sit in the chair and log in. Setting up early provides time to pivot if I need to figure out alternatives.

3. CREATE DAILY ROUTINES

I get it, the point of nomad life is to get away from the ordinary. However, that only applies to your environment. I thrive on structure. When none exists, I create it for myself. The best part of remote life is that I get to determine what makes sense for me instead of trying to conform to other people’s preferences. I’m constantly tweaking the practices that cater to me. Of course, these routines might change based on the atmosphere and the rhythm of the local community.

My morning routine and first 30 minutes at work remain consistent. I’m most productive and focused when I use workflows. My workflow includes tasks that need attention outside of work, too.

Curate structures and experiment with routines until they are perfectly tailored to you.

4. Make Time for Fitness and Food

A well-nourished body is essential to concentration. As part of my routines, I keep a set time for getting outdoors and making sure I eat lunch. Even if my fitness consists of 15-minutes of calisthenics on the hotel balcony, I accomplish it before lunch. It’s easy for me to power through the day without food. By 4 pm I feel starved and beige of chips and banana bread. That’s not the best way to go! Also, be intentional about getting veggies in.

5. Flock to Other Digital Nomads

Honestly, I hated staring at my computer while my new resort buddies went off to enjoy a 4-hour Caribbean reef dive. To avoid feeling left out, find folks who have a similar work-play schedule. Even if your residence has excellent Wi-Fi, now and then, use the local co-working sites — if only for networking. Building a community with groups like Salena Hostel, Remote year, or Noma Collective can help you stay productive and focused as a digital nomad (even when you’re not officially part of the group).

6. Embrace Slow Travel

Ask those who have ever traveled with me — I am known to cram a lot in a day. However, digital nomad life isn’t a vacation —even in a recreation destination. When I’m obligated eight hours a day; leisure mode waits until after 4 pm. That doesn’t yield well for a three-day, mid-week getaway. I’ve found the longer I give myself in a place, the less urgency to do and see things immediately! That takes a lot of pressure off. Give yourself plenty of time to explore a place before jaunting off elsewhere.

When you’re location independent, you exchange traditional office distractions for a new set of challenges. I hope these tips and tricks I’ve shared help you stay productive and focused as a digital nomad. Let me know what works best for you!

#blackdigitalnomads #nomadic #nomadness #digitalnomads #locationindepenence #expats #ebonyexpats #blackexpats #travelwriterepeat #focused #productive #coworking #remotelife

Renee McKenzie

5 Reasons to Love Multi-Generational Travel

Three generations of women and girls pose in a colonial doorway in Antigua, Guatemala.

Families often have a small window of time when adult offspring have children, and still have active parents. Multi-generational travel is a sweet opportunity to capitalize on memory-making during this floating period. We have so many reasons to love multi-generational travel!

My first international, multi-generational trip was 10 years ago. My family came to visit for two months while I was living in Germany. Well, half of the family just linked up again to explore Guatemala together. There’s a certain magic when a family of Baby-boomers, Millennials, and Gen Zs decides to explore the world together. These are my top five reasons to love multi-generational travel.

Multi-Generational Travel Establishes and Continues Family Traditions & Values

There are certain idiosyncrasies families have. Long before my niece was born, my family established its inside jokes, energy, and styles of communicating. But by the time she came around, I was off, serving with the military. So, she didn’t get to witness how we all interacted with one another. She didn’t know about our road trip sing-a-longs on the way to Grandma’s house. Our two-month-long summer vacation in Germany is where she became one of us. She learned the stories and references that happened before she was born. And now she speaks of them as if she was there when they happened. She was able to contribute to new family inside jokes.

Multi-generational travel with a child, grandchild, and matriarch runing as a flock of pigeons take flight — A Babyboomer, a millennial, and a Gen Z go on vacation together…the jokes write themselves and all three generations laugh.

Multi-Generational Travel Feeds Two Birds with One Seed

Three generations traveling together combines my two favorite pastimes —vacation time and family. If you’re going to spend time together anyway, why not do it in an incredible destination?

When everyone is away from the monotony of daily life, the quality of your quality time improves. My family spends most of the time geographically separated. Sure, I can go home to Kentucky to visit my family. However, when we’re in Kentucky, my dad is going to be cutting the grass for a few hours. My mom is going to be in the dining room talking to her house plants. In my childhood bedroom, my nephew will be playing tank war, legos, or videos. Lil’ sis will likely be working. IDK what my niece does — maybe ask people to take her shopping or to her friend’s house.

On vacation, you’re not focused on daily obligations and routines. With all the responsibilities removed, you have time to focus on each other. If you’re going to spend time together, Why not spend it in an idyllic location?

Multi-Generational Travel Offers Multiple Generational Travel Perspectives

Sure, even when you travel with people in the same generation, you’ll all explore with a unique set of lenses. However, it’s doubtful you’ll rank order your favorite European countries based on the quality of the playground. BTW, according to my 5-year-old niece, Prague has the best playground, thus, the Czech Republic is the best country in Europe.

There were things I forgot we saw, heard, or happened. But, for my five-year-old niece, they were red-letter events. What a child remembers and values from a trip will differ from an adult, but is just as valid.

Like my niece’s favorite German word (Ausfahrt). Or her, seeing the Mona Lisa on a billboard advertisement, “that girl is the Louv-er-ra.” Since she remembered those details, they are part of the collective recollection of the trip.

Make Family Memories Together

As Kay from The Mom Trotter says, it’s ok that your kid might not remember the trip, but you will, and your memories are just as important.

Instead of making travel memories individually and then reiterating the highlights to those who stayed behind, you’re right there, experiencing it together.

The morning we went to Disney Paris, my mom hinted to my niece that we were going to a magical place. My niece scrunched her face trying to figure out what my mom could possibly mean by that. We spent the day standing in lines, watching shows, and screaming from the Tower of Terror! After the close of business firework spectacular, when the droves of guests corralled to the metro, my niece casually reflected on the day. In her sweet, little pre-school voice she said, “I guess this was a magical place after all.”

My mom and I made eye contact with each other as our hearts melted at the tiny, astute observation. To this day, I’m the only one who remembers that moment. But it’s a memory I cherish above all the souvenirs.

Travel Showcases Who You Really are to Your Family Rather Than Telling

I recognize there are varying truths to what I’m about to say but…everyone is the best version of themselves while on vacation. Without the daily stressors and expectations, people can be their relaxed selves. That way, you really get to know your relatives. You get to see a different version of them rather than who you always see. Instead of getting verbal updates on the things each other likes to do, you actually get to witness them in action.

It’s one thing to hear that my niece excels in AP Spanish (as a sophomore…proud tía moment, let me flex). It’s completely different to watch her hold conversations with Guatemalans and hear native speakers compliment her pronunciation.

Sure, I may notice my mom has filled both the living and dining rooms with plants. But understanding her love for plants takes another form when I watch her identify all these species of tropical plants growing in the wild and discuss them with local gardeners.

My mom’s perspective of my living situation changed. For some reason, she had in her mind that I was just sitting around Guatemala all sad and lonely. Even though I told her I’m doing just fine, actually witnessing me exchanging hugs, making coffee plans, and running into friends and neighbors on the streets gave her peace of mind. “Oh… you have friends here,” she said as if she was surprised and relieved (which cracks me up cause this has never been a problem).

Take the Plunge

Multi-generational travel is only available to families for a short while. You don’t have to be a parent to participate! With so many reasons to love multi-generational travel, and such a short window to experience it, I encourage everyone to grasp and cherish this growing travel trend while there’s still time.

If you’ve traveled with 3 or more generations, let me know what you loved about it in the comments.

Charneice McKenzie

How I Budget for A Travel Lifestyle

Money, glasses, and a caculator sitting on a desk

I am not the one to come to for budgeting advice. Fortunately, I have people in my life who are money gurus. My mom is the family finance babe and is forever updating budgets for me and my sister to follow (with various levels of success).

Fortunately, I’m a little more motivated to budget for travel than I am for everyday life. Travel is one of my main priorities. And since I travel so frequently, I have to be wise about my spending. This plan is intended for those who travel frequently but of course, works for the occasional traveler. This is what works for me and how I budget for a travel lifestyle

1. Set A Goal.

As with any goal, you got to start with the End in Mind or Begin with your WHY. Budgeting for a travel lifestyle is no different. Start by thinking about what you’re saving for. I have two goal-setting methods.

Method 1 Travel Budget Based On Location

Decide on a vacation. Price out all the expenses for that destination. Then save toward that trip. For example. Perhaps you want to go on a Mediterranean cruise. The cruise itself is all-inclusive and costs $2000. The Flight to the port will cost you $400. Airport parking or transportation to the airport will cost about $150. Then you want to save $1,000 for excursions, additional meals on shore, massages & facials, gifts, and other extraneous purchases. Pet sitting or house sitting during the trip may cost $1,000.

This trip will cost you $4,550

Take your time and start saving. Give yourself as long as it takes to reach your goal. The world isn’t going anywhere (for the most part…I mean climate change and political upheaval can certainly put a wrench in travel plans). There’s no need to rush or put yourself in a financial fix or mental health predicament by overextending yourself over a travel budget.

I like this trip savings calculator by mint. Travel Budget Calculator – MintLife Blog (intuit.com)

Method 2 Travel Budget Based On Time

Save your money for an allotted time, then determine where you will go based on how much you have. The key here is to find the best deal based on the money you have. Perhaps you know you want a birthday trip but not sure where you want to go just yet. Or maybe you want to go somewhere for summer vacation or to ring in the New Year. So your travel dates are 4 months out. Start Saving putting away money and as time grows closer (say, six weeks out), decide where you’ll go based on what you can afford.

With $1K USD, you might travel somewhere in the off-season but that’s enough for a solo belle (or beau) to take a nice trip. You might be limited on how far you can go and how long you can stay but, you can go somewhere. With tour agencies, like G adventures, you can take an 8-day trip around Morocco for as little as $800. With a budget of $2,000 so much of the world opens up to you.

Since I travel internationally multiple times per year, I do both Travel Budget Goal-setting methods.

So now that we have two goal-setting methods to budget for travel let’s figure out how to budget for those methods.

2. Assess How Much Money You Have and Where you Are Spending Your Dollars. Pull out all your bills, bank statements, and receipts (even those sent to your email) to track and account for every penny of your past three months. You’re likely to be surprised when you’re not guessing where you spend the most money. See how much money you have to work with after the bills (including your savings) are paid. See where your frivolous spending adds up ($20 shopping sprees at the Dollar Tree buying…random knickknack anyone? No? Only me? Ok.)

3. Reduce Spending. Figure out where you can cut your expenses. Start with subscriptions. Do you really need both an Audible, Book of the Month, and Scribd subscription? Can you cut one of your movie subscriptions?

If you cut a $15 Audible subscription, $12 Prime subscription, $10 Netflix subscription and put that $37 a month directly into a travel sinking fund — You’ll have $444 in a year. That is a plane ticket for most places within your own hemisphere. Or a month’s stay in a hostel.

Search for free entertainment activities. Don’t center your social events around restaurants. Wait a day or two before you impulse buy nonessential items. Cook what you already have in your pantry.

4. Make More money! Side hustles, second job, make it happen. My best job was working after school program for the YMCA. I had so much fun spending my afternoon with little kids. IT didn’t pay much. But those little $200 checks here and there, that I wouldn’t have been getting otherwise, really added up when applied to a travel saving. There are tons of ways to pinch pennies here and there when you’re focused on a goal.

5. Set up a separate fund dedicated specifically for your travels. Shop around for banks with high-yielding accounts and savings programs. Then automatically deposit a recurring set amount each month or with each paycheck. Of course, you’ll want to travel credit card (compare Chase and AmEx) that works for you.

6. Claim Your Travel Lifestyle. Some people have a sports lifestyle. They buy season tickets; they go to away games. They invest in the big screen, surround sound, host game parties, rent the camper for tailgates, have the outfits…the whole 9 yards (10 yards? 50 yards? Idk, I’m not a sports person). And they don’t get married during football season. And maybe spending a lot of time and money going to art galleries and buying sculptures is not their thing.

If travel is your lifestyle, maybe you’ll do less of everything else so you can travel more. Perhaps you’ll have a smaller home (since you’re hardly there anyway). Perhaps you miss exquisite parties that require a new outfit and hair in favor of an extravagant hotel on the cliff. Maybe, instead of spending money on luxuries at home, you hold off until you can do them abroad (nails, hair, and massages are often cheaper in other countries).

7. Do not neglect your long-term savings & rainy day fund. Travel is not an excuse to dip into your future. Your sinking account for travel is not the same account for long-term savings. You never know when a global pandemic (or other semi-natural disasters) might come along and you’ll need your savings to live.

It might not be fast turnaround but little by little you’ll watch your travel budget grow and have a decent-sized travel fund before you know it.

Charneice McKenzie