Sarah and I have a big interest in what it means to be a Digital Nomad. We love travelling and, as we are consultants, we want to be available for our clients as much as we can . . . and the one approach to enable both of these in our life is to be a Digital Nomad. 

We were fortunate to be asked to talk at Bett Asia 2020 (unfortunately Coronavirus put an end to that and the show was postponed to June 2020) but we’d arranged meetings in Kuala Lumpur so we thought we would make the most of the experience and tag on a 2 week holiday where we also see what it is like to work as part of the touring about. 

So, with bags packed we planned to go to Kuala Lumpur then onto Koh Lanta and then finishing off in Ao Nang before returning to the UK…. so here we go

The first test obviously is that you need an extra hand bag for the laptop and charger ect…which is fine, but adds a little more weight to the journey and a little anxiety about losing the laptop!! 

Kuala Lumpur

Meetings aside, neither of us were as effective at our usual running-the-business work in KL.  The jet lag kicked in so little work was done.

Koh Lanta

What a place! The hotel (Costa Lanta) is built with Digital Nomads in mind and served great mango lassies. I should have pitched up with tie dye fabric trousers!!  

It is so relaxing and we stayed in one of their bamboo huts, right on the beach just to get that full Thai experience. The services that they offer for Digital Nomads are top and you can do any work that you need to do, along with the ability to fully relax. To be honest,  Koh Lanta is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Both Sarah and I feel that we have relaxed and are fully refreshed. Regarding the work, to be honest it has been easy, most of the work we have done has been via phone (emails mainly).

Ao Nang

Back on the Thailand mainland and into a larger town in Krabi, working from Ao Nang has been a dream.  Tons of wifi everywhere, a great hotel with large rooms and aircon so talking with clients has been easy. The time has meant most of our hangouts, etc. have been late afternoon/early evening which has worked brilliantly and allowed us to do things during the day.

So, is being a digital nomad realistic? There are pros and cons:

Pros

• There’s the ability to be available to clients even when away which means you can maintain continuity with any project and avoid being a bottleneck.
• You get to be anywhere you like and experience any lifestyle you choose!
• Accommodation is making it easier for people to get online quickly
• The time difference ensures that you have time out and don’t fixate on work.

Cons

• You have to take a laptop with you at least (maybe more kit too – depending on the type of work you do) so you need to keep it secure
• You rarely get face-to-face time with your clients which is so important in our industry and a massive part of our consultancy work
• The time difference can make it hard to hit the right time for everyone to catch up if on hangouts… face to face is easier to communicate complex issues 
• There are lots of distractions (e.g. the beach!) so you have to be disciplined

It can be done – but it really depends on your work. You still need to set expectations with your clients about your availability and you need to set expectations with yourself and be sure not to overload yourself. 

Ultimately the more you plan and communicate, the better!