Nick Donnelly’s life as a designer and software developer demands that he be creative at all times. Waking up to the same scenery every day didn’t do him any favors.
It took a trip to China in 2001 before he realized an inner hunger that could only be satisfied by chasing different sunsets around the world.
“I started out as a digital nomad about 20 years ago, after a random trip to China and then backpacking to Berlin and Prague,” Donnelly, who bought his first bitcoin (BTC) in 2013, told Be[in]crypto.
What is a digital nomad?
Donnelly is a modern day nomad. Or what many people refer to as a digital nomad – a remote worker who is not limited to one area and seeks inspiration in various cosmopolitan cities around the world.
Digital nomads usually have a base in a city where their belongings are stored for the long term. Donnelly maintains an apartment in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, while traveling the world.
“I’m currently in Bansko, Bulgaria – Europe’s center for digital nomads. I used to live in Saigon and London and traveled (while working) several months a year (conditions permitting). I also traveled slowly for many years and have visited 73 countries so far,” he said.
Digital nomads with crypto
In the early days, planning a working visit to a city was tiring. One would need to find accommodation and ensure that the required amenities such as a good internet connection are in place.
Thanks to technology, there are now platforms that can be used to remotely book a stay and set up a new base. One such platform is Nomad List, which over the past year has been used by more than five million people to find nearly 1,400 cities in 190 countries.
Nomad List finds “the best places in the world to live, work and travel as a remote worker”. According to its website, it “collects millions of data points on thousands of cities around the world, on everything from the cost of living to temperature to security.”
Digital nomads can use this data to decide what works best for them. Donnelly has used the platform from time to time.
“I’ve used Nomad List to research which are the cheapest nomadic towns, or to talk to people in places I’m visiting or planning to visit. I also used it to find nomad events – and to promote my own Prague Digital Nomad Meetup,” said the developer.
To navigate the regulations surrounding exchange controls and payments in different jurisdictions, Donelly is pinning his hopes on cryptocurrency. He stated:
“Most places still don’t accept crypto, and fees on most blockchains are too high to use crypto for payment. Although in Bansko I convinced some places and people I had to pay to accept Solana (SOL). Solana has very low fees and fast transactions, so it works well for payment.”
Crypto enables greater freedom
Financial technology, particularly crypto, has given digital nomads more freedom to settle in countries with banking systems riddled with challenges.
Another digital nomad, Courage Kimber from the United States, said living as a digital nomad has given her greater peace of mind.
In Conversation with Being[in]Crypto told Kimber, “I’ve always wanted to live a life independent of time, money, place and other people’s opinions. A typical day starts with a little brain teasing where I create, edit and review content. I work with people in different time zones and in different countries.”
Kimber is a consultant and accepts cryptocurrency payments due to her regular movements. She remarked:
“I mainly use crypto for investing. I’ve just started integrating it as payment for consulting services. The payment provider I use has a crypto option for withdrawal. Processing payment time is faster with crypto.”
“When I was first in Paris it was difficult to send money via bank transfer and the only decent payment option was PayPal for consultancy services. They don’t have a Venmo or Cash app in Europe. Banking options for US citizens in France can also be difficult,” she added.
She hopes companies will continue to warm to the idea of crypto assets like Bitcoin.
“I think in the future most businesses will offer crypto for payment and when small business owners start accepting crypto it will be easy for digital nomads to do business both nationally and internationally. It will be great for overseas digital nomads. You don’t have to worry about exchange rates for money anymore,” says Kimber.
Insurance for digital nomads
Teleworkers have been excluded from the traditional insurance structure due to the transience of some of their gigs.
However, a new platform, Safetywing, that offers insurance for remote workers is showing promise for digital nomads.
Safetywing bills itself as a platform for nomads that aims to “remove the role of geographic borders as a barrier to equal opportunity…”
Both Donnelly and Kimber say they are considering enrolling as insurance is helpful during times of uncertainty like the pandemic the world is emerging from.
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