1 Year of Living as a Digital Nomad

Hello everyone, I'm finally able to write this content that I'm so excited about. I'm amazed at the passage of time, but we are officially on the anniversary of my becoming a digital nomad. And I am here to candidly explain to you what I have encountered in my 1-year digital nomad adventure, how I decided, what are the good points and the bad points.

1. How Did I Decide to Become a Digital Nomad?

Yes, how did I decide to become a digital nomad? Why did I decide? Ever since I can remember, I have loved traveling, exploring new places and meeting new people. And the biggest reward I set for myself was that one day I would definitely become a traveler. But when I had this dream, I didn't know the term digital nomadism. It wasn't so popular.

And I was basing this dream on the following: I will work hard, I will earn money, and then I will quit my job, start traveling and become a traveler. I didn't think I could work and travel at the same time. However, with the developing world and the rise of the digital nomadism trend and its acceptance by many people, I learned that such a path and life is also possible.

And I realized my first digital nomad experience by traveling to Ukraine in February 2021. At that time, I was working for a very big agency in Türkiye and the pandemic had started. So I traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, and during my stay there, I worked during the day and explored the city and the country when my shift was over and on the weekend. I loved it, and I was greatly enlightened.

From the moment I had this epiphany, my dream was to become a digital nomad. I think there are many people who have had the same feelings as me. This life is definitely possible, and if more people hear, see and feel that it is possible, anyone's life can change. So I founded NomadVibe to contribute to this change, to add value to this time of change. This is how my digital nomad adventure officially and extremely focused started.

2. My First Digital Nomad Experience: What Did I Encounter?

Firsts are never forgotten! Call it a choice or a twist of fate :) The moment I said that I will now work as a digital nomad traveling around the world, my first starting stop was Kyiv, Ukraine :) I like to do things that require a bit of courage and be bold. While there was a war in Ukraine, I went there and took the first step of this adventure.

The most challenging thing about Ukraine was not being able to fly to the country. So first, I flew to Moldova, and then I drove from Moldova to Kyiv, which was inevitably a very long and tiring journey. And of course, there were difficulties at the border crossings due to the tense and sensitive situation in the region and because there were not many people who wanted to go to the country as tourists. You were questioned (rightly) why you really wanted to enter the country. I was questioned twice while entering, but thanks to them, they did not reflect the tension on me and gave me approval. I didn't want to be rejected after going all the way there.

Then, I had to see the city and the places I miss and love. While doing this, I had to produce analysis and content for NomadVibe. This was handled very comfortably. I enjoyed, traveled and produced.

Due to the war situation, there was a curfew from 12 at night until 5 in the morning. This had brought the nightlife in the city to a dead end. Of course, I could have found alternative methods with a few phone calls, but I never got to that part :)

What I liked the most about this trip (unfortunately) was that there were no tourists in the country, so it was very easy to get everywhere, trips to tourist attractions were very easy and empty. And of course, since there was no touristic demand, the prices were quite affordable, especially on the accommodation side.

After the -8 degree weather in Ukraine in November 2024, my route was Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with +30 degrees in December 2024 :) Thus, I experienced the most extreme points I could reach in terms of climate for that period.

3. How has my work routine changed as a digital nomad?

Wouw, tough topic. But I promise to be honest. I can say that it was a bit difficult for me to find my work routine. I had too many to-dos, too many places to explore, and too much personal excitement. Also, my stays in my first 3 countries were not long, 7-10 days on average, which made my performance in the working part a bit low.

After Dubai, I went to Bali and lived there for 3 months, which helped me a lot in terms of work. But I can say that it was when I went to Sri Lanka in March that my system and organization really settled down.

My most important and big discovery about myself was (and I think you will agree) that it is easier and more efficient to work in a focused way in common workspaces. Since then, regardless of the city or country I am in, I have been going to coworking spaces on a regular basis and I have put in place a great system.

I wake up early in the morning, go directly to these places to work, finish all my to-do's and have the evening to myself as free time. On the weekends, I do a few very important daily to-do's in 2-3 hours and spend the rest of the time on myself, exploring the places and meeting people.

I still use this last system quite regularly and effectively, and sometimes, especially when I feel inspired, I work much more on the weekends and my productivity is sometimes much higher than during the week.

In summary, while it certainly varies from person to person, my method has been to prioritize my work and prioritize tourist activities in the remaining time, rather than prioritizing the places I travel to as tourist attractions, and to maximize my focus by using the opportunities offered by co-working spaces while prioritizing my work.

4. Challenges of Digital Nomad Life

For me, there have been no insurmountable challenges that come with the life of a digital nomad. But that doesn't mean that everything was rosy. Of course, there were some issues that I struggled with, and I will quickly touch on them now.

I'll start with the first one that comes to my mind. Climate! There is a high probability of going to locations and geographies that are very different from your hometown, where you were born and raised for years. This may offer you a climate experience that you are not used to before or that you have not encountered such extremes. For example, Ukraine was, of course, very cold for me. I could endure this coldness for a week, but if we spent 3 months there in winter, after a certain point, wearing 8 layers of clothes like onions would overwhelm me. Or vice versa; the humidity and heat in Bangkok bothered me more than the cold in Ukraine. Or the endless rains!

And then another issue that came to my mind was visas and maximum length of stay. As a Turkish passport holder, I had no problems with visas or entry in the countries I visited. However, the system and order you have established can be disrupted due to some entry and exit rules imposed by passport-independent countries. For example, you can stay in Bali for 1 month, you can extend your visa and stay for 1 more month without leaving the country, but after 2 months in total, you have to leave the country and re-enter. We solve this with what is called a visa run. At the end of 2 months in Bali, I went to Kuala Lumpur for 3 days to stay for 1 more month and returned. Or for example, if I am in Thailand, the maximum time I can stay in the country is 1 month, and if I don't get a different visa, I have to leave the country and re-enter after 1 month.

Another issue is the choice of house and neighborhood. If I have not been to that country, that city before, it is a bit difficult to choose the area where I will stay. Because you want to stay in a good place and avoid being a tourist as much as possible. I will share with you the best tactic I used to achieve this combination. If I'm not sure about the place I'm going to stay in the city I'm visiting, I first rent an Airbnb in the most beautiful place for a maximum of 1 week. During this 1 week period, I explore the area thoroughly and I can easily find the place and house where I can stay for a long time. I have never regretted this method.

Another issue is suitcases! It is disgusting. Since I chose this life, I went minimalist and started traveling with the smallest size cabin suitcase and backpack. But that changed when I arrived in Bali. Because the first day I landed in the country, I started changing 3 t-shirts a day due to the humidity and heat. In Bali, you don't usually have a washing machine; you collect your clothes and give them to laundry shops for washing. I had to give my clothes either to be washed daily, which was incredibly uncomfortable. I chose to have more, and I had to add another suitcase to my life :D And since we are a media company, there is also the situation of transporting equipment, so I had to continue my life with 2 suitcases. This creates a situation that I do not like as someone who has traveled and travels frequently.

5. Best memories from my travels

Ahhh, I want to write a separate blog for this place, but I won't :D I had a year in which I experienced so many firsts that I am grateful a thousand times for having the chance to live this life.

Nevertheless, I would like to talk briefly about my most important firsts.

It was the first time I was so far away from the places where I was born and lived (outside of Türkiye).

It was the first time I traveled so much and for so long (10 countries in total)

For the first time, I have been in a country with active war (Ukraine)

I went swimming for the first time in December (Dubai)

I lived on a tropical island for the first time (Bali)

I swam with caretta-carettas for the first time (Bali)

I climbed an active volcano for the first time (Indonesia)

For the first time, my economy class flight ticket was upgraded to business for free :D (Singapore)

First time I swam in an infinity pool on the 52nd floor of a skyscraper (Malaysia)

It was the first time I had such frequent and close contact with monkeys (Bali, Malaysia, Sri Lanka)

First time I saw a monitor lizard alive (Sri Lanka)

I got a tattoo as a souvenir in some of the countries I visited for the first time (Bali, Malaysia, Sri Lanka)

First time I saw, touched, and rode an elephant (Sri Lanka)

I swam with sharks for the first time (Maldives)

6. The Most Important Benefits of This Life

Of course, it has changed a lot; I have learned and improved a lot. The Erdem that came out of the road is definitely not the same as the Erdem that I am now; this lifestyle has made great and meaningful contributions.

First of all, my resilience has improved in many areas. Because you go in and out of so many different environments. You have different experiences from what you are used to. And this makes you stronger. This strength is getting stronger and stronger.

My other point is harmony. I would never describe myself as a misfit. But you also look at this lifestyle as an adventure, and when you are on such a beautiful adventure, you are more open to experiencing new things.

Exploration. I think this feeling is a bit addictive. And that sense of discovery that you're addicted to makes you constantly awake and open and wanting more. That's everything I've said in a positive sense.

Network. Unless you are an introvert (and I have always been an outgoing and social butterfly), you can't help but meet many people. These people are locals, people like you who live this lifestyle, and tourists. And you can meet people you would never have imagined and form great friendships, friendships and even business partnerships.

Curiosity! You are curious about everything you see and hear and this feeling is always awake. It's a very pleasant feeling, it turns into a situation that develops you.

You gain more and more complete self-control over yourself and your work. Nobody tells you why you are here, why you are asleep or awake at this time. So you have 100% control over every decision you make and every method you apply. And this requires more discipline, considering my life.

At the beginning of the journey, some things feel like a challenge. But as you overcome these challenges, you gain experience and you don't define them as challenges. This makes you stronger and less vulnerable to external factors.

7. The Most Important Life Lessons I Learned in One Year

Yes, as we are nearing the end, we have come to one of the most important parts. I will be as honest as I have been throughout the whole article. I have continued by putting the good things in my pocket, but I have also accepted the bad things that happened to me as an experience and lessons to be learned. So there are both good and bad things in this part.

Humility and gratitude have always been important in my life. This leads to not being stuck in the past, not living in the future and enjoying the moment to the fullest. I'm always grateful for everything I've done and been able to do, especially everything I've dreamed of and realized, which, as I said, makes you enjoy the moment and everything you have more.

This was a dream for me, and after I started, I realized that it's a nice dream for many people. And speaking from myself, the biggest reason why it remains a dream is that we can only be ourselves. My point here is to take action. If we want something, we have to think about it, plan for it (or it can be spontaneous, it's a matter of preference), and take action. Fight for it if necessary. If we do that and do what is necessary, we will have unstoppable, unblockable power. I think this power has increased, it is one of the pluses I put in my pocket.

Motivation is important and a good thing, but if motivation is the only fuel, after a certain point it runs out, or you become immune to it and it loses its effect. That's why discipline is a must. Discipline + motivation together is a great combination. But if you have discipline, goals and rules about yourself and you can follow them, you will see that everything you wish for will come true.

Some places I liked very much, some places I didn't like at all. There was a bitterness when I left the places I liked. But I started not to let this bitterness demotivate me when I have no experience of the next place yet. After all, we don't know tomorrow, and there is no guarantee that yesterday will be better than tomorrow.

The world is a big place. And there are so many people. There are good people and bad people. Some of them see you only as money, some of them really want to be friends. Try to be open to everyone and try to understand the other person. If you sense something negative, immediately distance yourself and move away from that person or people. Don't think of it as selfishness but realistically you are in a place where you are not used to and don't belong, so you need to protect your own mental and physical state first.

I have observed this behavior in the people I have met, especially those who define themselves as digital nomads, they like to give information to everyone they meet, they like to share their latest discoveries without expecting anything in return. Once I understood the interests of the person I met, I started to share information that would make their life easier or make them feel like they had learned something new. And I realized that the more giving you are, the more the other person responds in the same way.

8. Advice for those who want to be a Digital Nomad

Wow, this is great. Look, don't think I'm biased here, but I'll share the first and most important item right away. Get ready! Of course, follow NomadVibe first :D

I still want to continue believing that you are already following, my suggestion above was for those who have not yet experienced this enlightenment :D

In today's world, it is very easy to find information and people. Follow the people you love who live this life, whose opinions you value and trust. Consume the content they produce. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Have your own plan and goals. But don't make the plan part longer than the time it takes to realize the event. For example, don't prepare for 3 months for a 1-month trip. Of course, you should prepare, but let life take its course.

If you are going somewhere far away for a long time, and you haven't experienced this lifestyle yet, try to try it in your city first. I worked in a coffee shop in my neighborhood for 3 months to get my system and routine in place before I left. Even so, there were times when I faltered on the road. Practice will do you good.

Set off with as little stuff as possible. Because you may need to buy some things depending on where you are going. You will also want to buy things that you like, that you like, that you have not seen before in your own country. Make sure you have room for these things and don't let the size and weight of your suitcase make you lazy about traveling and exploring new places.

Please take a good look at the visa status of the countries, their rules against foreigners, and the opportunities provided by your passport. For example, I was misinformed that I could get a visa at the gate when I was going to Dubai, and I almost had a problem entering the country just because of that. My visa came out almost an hour before I got on the plane by pushing my luck a bit. Since this happened to me at my second stop, I learned my lesson and prepared very well for my next travels.

One option is to spend time only with people like you in the places you visit. But my suggestion would be to get in touch with the local people, establish a first relationship and try to understand the history and culture of that country. When you can do this, rules or customs that seem interesting to you can find a logical ground :)

Show respect. Respect people, cultures, employees, and, in short, everyone and everything you come into contact with. And expect to receive the same respect.

Know finance and know how to manage the economy. This doesn't mean buy the cheapest of everything, it means make sure that with your budget, you have control over the standard of living you want to have. I started out with almost unlimited resources, but I set specific rules for myself and followed them so that I could adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

Thank you for reading this far, I invite you to follow NomadVibe Instagram account so that you can quickly reach content, stories and insights about the countries I travel to. This way you will support me and be a part of my journey to realize everything I want to do with you :)

And as I always say, until the next post arrivederci folks :)