Today I decided to take my computer onto the balcony and work outside. I’ve often tried working outside in the past, but it’s a task that’s often easier said than done.
The main problem is, bright sunlight normally makes it too hard to see the screen and finding the cursor can be particularly bothersome. It makes it difficult to work on documents and reduces productivity.
The other problem is, too much sunlight can make a laptop computer become incredibly hot. That’s not good for electronics.
However, the balcony here has a shade I can wind down. After I lowered it, my laptop was no longer bathed in sunlight and the screen was much easier to see. It’s the first time I have every successfully managed to work outside for any length of time.
People often get the idea that digital nomads can work from anywhere—even the beach. In reality, there are all sorts of limiting factors that people don’t consider. For instance, I would not want to work from the beach. I’d be worried about getting sand in my computer. Especially on a windy day. Depending on the beach, there may also be too many distractions. A nice, quiet balcony though, with the shade pulled down, that’s a different matter and, as I was working today, I could even hear the sea.
My life as a digital nomad and freelance writer is very different from the one I used to have. I can remember all those hot summer days I used to spend shut away in warehouses, factories, or cold stores. Now, even if I’m working inside, I can have the windows open and feel the breeze on my face. I can also stop any time I want to and make a coffee or take a stroll in the sun.
Earlier this year, someone said to me I won’t be able to go on living like this and travelling forever. I disagree. “Forever” is probably out of the question unless I discover the secret to immortality, but there is no reason why I should not be able to go on living as I do for a very long time. Should I wish to continue doing so, that is. At the moment, I do wish to do so. This is the life I always wanted. Now I have it, I don’t see any reason why anything needs to change.
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Hi Steve, first of all, I accidentally found your website/blog whilst contemplating our next move.
Are you still living the digital nomad life after the past 2 years of ‘chaos’ / travel ‘restrictions’.
My partner and I have been living the digital nomadic lifestyle for the past 2 years. I am thinking the lifestyle may be easier as a single person.
We are also relatively minimalist but I find the quality of clothing and footwear problematic.
If you are still ‘on the road’ I would be interested to hear your more recent experiences.
Cheers
Hi Patricia,
I returned to the UK in November 2019 to be close to a sick relative. I’m a digital nomad so, although I have been swimming in a much smaller pool instead of the sea, I still change residence often. As for the scamdemic, I never went along with any of it. I went where I wanted to go whenever I wanted to and regularly travelled between regions.
Now, even though the skin on my arms has never been perforated to admit any unnatural/toxic substances, if I want to I could still pretty much travel to most countries of the world without any restrictions. Which is pretty much how I expected it to be. However, due to my present commitments, I will probably be stuck in this little pool indefinitely. That’s a pity because it has always been one of the murkiest and most polluted pools in the world. That’s unlikely to change.
Is the digital nomad life easier for single people? It depends on the person in question. I can imagine it would be very nice to travel with a close friend or a special person because you would have shared experiences to look back on and there would be less reason to feel lonely or isolated.
I have plenty of good memories but no shared experiences. I will never be able to say, “Hey do you remember when…” or “This is just like that (fill in the blank) in “(fill in the blank again), do you remember?” None of this bothers me. I prefer to be alone, always avoid ex-pat communities, and get to know the local population. When I was in Albania, for instance, I wanted to know what it was like to live like an Albanian. There was nobody with me to distract me from that.
When you have one or more travel partners, you have to think about what the other people want. If the others want to go to a museum and you are the only want who wants to go to the woods, you either have to do something you do not want or go it alone and risk isolating yourself from the rest of the group. When couples travel, they may be able to take turns and enjoy plenty of shared experiences. Lone wolves can choose their own experiences or simply go with the flow, but there will always be things they do not have.
Single travellers often use hostels a lot. I spent a few months working in a hostel in Spain and saw the benefits of this. People meet other single travellers, form groups, and go off in search of shared experiences. Then they move on to the next hostel and do the same again, often keeping in touch with the friends they make along the way. I was often invited to join group excursions or events but rarely did. We all have the right to march to the beat of our own drums.
As for clothing and footwear, most things these days are made to a very poor quality standard, often in China. I’m sure there are Chinese factories that produce high-quality goods, but even big brands appear to prefer to scrape the bottom of the barrel. When I was a kid, companies used to pride themselves on producing things that are made to last. These days, I get the impression they want their goods to wear out quickly so that people can pay again to replace them.
I have a big problem with shoes and boots wearing out quickly. However, I have owned two pairs of Skechers trainers. The first pair was comfortable and very durable. It was good value for money. I am still using the second pair and have no complaints. I will buy Skechers footwear again.
Skechers produces its shoes in China too, but it claims to closely monitor quality standards. From my experience with Skecher footwear, I would say that must be true.
Before I began travelling, I heard a lot of good things about Merino wool clothing. Especially Icebreaker garments. People were saying Icebreaker clothes do not need cleaning often because they are smell resistant and that they dry quickly after washing.
I presntly own two Icebreker T-Shirts. I also have two Merino wool T-shirts manufactured by Dilling. It’s a Danish company. Each brand has its pros and cons.
Merino wool is good. It allows your skin to breathe and is smell resistant. However, if the garment is wet with sweat, you can still smell it. Let it dry and it normally goes away. When I wash my Merino wool garments and hang them out to dry, I can smell the detergent. After they dry all smell is gone.
Merino wool clothing also regulates temperature. It helps keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.
Icebreaker clothing is slightly more expensive than Dilling Merino wool clothing. Icebreaker T-shirts tend to cost upwards of £70. At the moment, I can buy a new Dilling Merino wool T-shirt for around $40.
Apperance-wise, Icebreaker T-shirts look very smart. You could pass them off as cotton. The texture of the fabric is very smooth. Dilling Merino wool T-shirts have that “woolly” look but still look very smart. If you have great-looking abs, the cloth will pull tight to your flesh and let the glory show through. They stretch to your body contours. Icebreaker does not. When you wash Dilling Merino wool, it’s like hitting a reset switch but you need to hand wash them in cool to lukewarm water. If you don’t they shrink badly. I learned that the hard way.
Icebreaker Merino wool clothing is made in China. Although it looks better in some ways, it’s not as durable as Dilling clothing, which is manufactured elsewhere. One of my Icebreaker shirts got a hole in it after onley 1-2 weeks of use. Although I washed it by hand, I spin-dried it in the washing machine. I think that’s when it must have happened. I’ve done the same with my Dilling T-shirts but have had no problems at all. However, I don’t want to take any risks so, these days, I normally lay them flat on a clothes airer and allow them to drip dry. The alternative is to place them in a laundry wash bag to protect them and then spin dry them as normal.
Regardless of the brand, the beauty of Merino wool is it allows you to travel light. A couple of T-shirts are all you need. You can have one drying while you are wearing the other. Female travellers often get by with a couple of Merino wool dresses. Overall, I prefer Dilling to Icebreaker. Its clothing offers better value for money.
Towels can add unnecessary bulk to your suitcase or backpack. You may want to consider a micro-fibre travel towel. I’ve been using the same one for more than a decade. After I’ve rolled it up, it’s smaller than a Christmas cracker so it takes up very little space in my backpack. It dries much faster than a normal towel too. I won’t be surprised if this towel remains with me for the rest of my life. So far, it’s been very durable indeed.
Do you roll your clothes or fold them? If you fold them, you may want to consider rolling them instead. Rolled clothes take up less space. I have written about this before. My blue travel towel is clearly visible in the photo at the top of the blog page: Does Rolling Clothes Really Save Space When Packing? You Bet!