The lifestyle of working while travelling the world has been growing more popular in the last decade, but we can underestimate how flexible it can be. We often think of it as a young person’s pursuit, best left to those fresh out of college or high school, but this is far from reality. In the real world, it’s perfectly normal for people after 40 to join the digital nomad life, with around 39% of nomads finding themselves in this age group.
With all that said, not every element of life as a digital nomad is the same when you’re over 40. You’ll have to cover many of the same bases, but you might also have additional concerns. Here we’ll cover the important points of both, to help you determine if adopting this approach to work and travel is right for you.
Leveraging Your Financial Situation
The biggest difference for many people interested in being digital nomads after 40 usually stems from their financial situation. While it’s not always true, people over 40 tend to have built up more equity and have more experience in the job market. Both of these can be key in helping you reduce the stress tied to digital nomad life.
If you already have years of experience in an industry or with a set of transferable skills, for example, working remotely while travelling can be much easier. Similar benefits come from if you already own property, where you might rent or sell what you have to support yourself.
Selling a home might be a big step, but it’s also a reliable and fast-paced approach increasingly taken thanks to modern guaranteed sales platforms. If I’m taking this approach and asking “how can I sell my house quickly?“, contemporary platforms can provide free cash offers within minutes. While being a digital nomad still requires work, this helps provide a launching pad and safety net that makes the process much easier.
Managing What’s at Home
Travelling as a digital nomad means leaving behind everything you have at home, which can mean anything from furniture to personal relationships. While we covered property above, the goods in a home will need to be stored or sold, or you might give them to a friend or to charity.
Personal relationships can be more complicated to manage, especially if you’ve spent the last few decades with your family or a close friend group. Keeping long-term relationships together while you travel can be tricky, so you’ll need a way to reliably stay in touch and keep your connection strong. Thankfully, this can be managed in the digital age, with weekly online hangouts being a simple process through platforms like Discord or Viber.
Source: Pixabay
Getting into the Right Headspace
The final step in becoming a digital nomad is the same one all travellers face – adapting yourself to a new lifestyle. We recommend all nomads commit to a trial run, because the strain and concerns of this kind of change can be unpredictable. It’s not pure travelling, it’s not pure work, and it’s an uncommon enough approach to life that the way you’ll respond mentally is impossible to predict. Take these steps, always have a way to escape, and your digital nomad journey will have the best chance of success.
