Best products from r/digitalnomad

> "I was thinking of getting a Bachelors in Interaction Design. Like the title says, my end goal is to work for myself and travel. I'm not sure if college is the right way to go..."

A degree has very little to do with working for yourself. Some may argue that most college degrees teach you the opposite of what you need to know in order to work for yourself.

If you want to work for yourself, my advice is that you should get started right now on creating your own location independent income stream with a low overhead onine business.

There are several ways to do that that don't involve coding or software development (e.g., writing e-books, setting up online stores, drop shipping, affiliate marketing, international housesitting - etc. ). None of these businesses are easy - but there are lots of books and other resources (some of them free) where you can learn how to do them.

One caveat here - there are lots of courses, seminars or programs that will take your money "training" you to become successful in one of these areas. Reading a few books on the subjects you're interested in will cost you a lot less.

I recommend a couple of books to help you get started:

• [Lifestyle Entrepreneur: Live Your Dreams, Ignite Your Passions and Run Your Business From Anywhere in The World - $8.49 for Kindle] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J8YXHMC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00J8YXHMC&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills - $9.99 for Kindle] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQL8DT8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AQL8DT8&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  You can also get more ideas and information than you'll get from this single thread by building your own FAQ with the search function in the sidebar. There have been some great threads on this topic, e.g.:
  
  
• [My dream is to live the digital nomad lifestyle. How do I get started? - 38 comments] (http://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/2grll1/my_dream_is_to_live_the_digital_nomad_lifestyle/)
  
  
• [What books on entrepreneurship/location independence do you recommend? - 32 comments] (http://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/2ruj94/what_books_on_entrepreneurshiplocation/)
  
  And please check out the community and research links in the sidebar - lots of good information there.
  
  Hope this is helpful and good luck on your journey!

I was in a similar position to you - was looking for a pair of shoes that:

1. Weren't overly casual.
   
2. Didn't give off a dweeby military jungle warrior, running shoe, hiking shoe, etc.
   
3. Could handle long hikes, basic running, take a beating, handle wading through water or rain, and still wash clean.
   
   -------
   
   So, I picked these up on Amazon, and love them. This isn't an affiliate link, and I'm not sponsored by them - just glad to have found them after a year of searching.
   
   Altama OTB Maritime Assault Fin Friendly Low Cut Operators Boots
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Altama-OTB-Maritime-Friendly-Boot/dp/B074PV9NC7?crid=15LQ1DLXIZ78V&keywords=altama+otb+maritime&qid=1538160079&sprefix=altama%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2-spons&ref=sr_1_2_sspa&psc=1
   
   -------
   
   Despite being marketed toward the military crowd, I can't say they look any more "military" than a pair of converse or skate shoes.
   
   Not sure how formal of occasions you need shoes for - obviously, these wouldn't pass in a place where you need shiny oxfords with thin dress shoe laces, but ought to pass anywhere else.
   
   However, I've got the black ones, and they're not very noticeable, and looks basically like a pair of mildly sturdier all-black converse or other classic shoe.
   
   They also come in coyote or camo if that's your thing. Never saw someone pull off the formal look with camo shoes but there's always room for innovation.
   
   I've had them for about three months now with daily wear, they get better and better.
   
   ------
   
   I've put them through a bit of rigorous testing, since I'm committing to them for a year of onebagging:
   
   Two months of weightlifting (about 1.5 hours a day including deadlifts, squats, all the standard stuff).
   
   Just as good as the converse I replaced. They're just a tad chunkier, so wouldn't be my first pick over wrestling shoes for something requiring extremely agile footwork like boxing - but could handle it if needed when you only can have one pair of shoes.
   
   Several weeks of sub-15 minute-per-mile rucking with a 45lb pack (essentially a slow jog).
   
   No foot pain or anything to complain about.
   
   If I was looking to run faster - say. 5-6 minute miles - these wouldn't be my first pick, but do fine otherwise.
   
   I have some barefoot gladsole running sandals for this purpose, since they're super lightweight and basically fit in my pocket.
   
   Water drainage & drying - watershoe replacement.
   
   After standing in the shower for five minutes, I hopped out and these drained just as well as any pair of watershoes. They did stay wet in a small, dark, unventilated room for the better part of the next 12 hours.
   
   This drying process could probably be speeded up if you put them near a fan or somewhere with airflow. For hiking purposes (e.g river crossing or snow), I picked up a pair of SealSkinz waterproof socks. Did some rucking in rainy conditions with the Altama + SealSkinz combo and it was surprising comfortable with dry (besides normal sweat) feet.
   
   Cleaning & Durability
   
   Look as good as new. Mud and dirt washed right out since the fabric isn't particularly absorbent, and you can't stain black.
   
   Plenty sturdy; I'd have no hesitations kicking stuff with them. Not steel toe, so don't drop 45lb plates on your toes.
   
   Grip
   
   Grips as well or better as my hiking boots in dry conditions. These really shine in wet conditions - which makes sense since they're designed for maritime operations.
   
   Only con here is they can be a bit squeaky when wet on linoleum floors. Nothing horrendous that will turn heads, but it's audible.
   
   Comfort
   
   My first pair was a bit too small when wearing socks. I returned the originals and ordered a size up in wide. They fit great with any socks now.
   
   The only negative I have with comfort is they take a couple weeks to soften up and break in.
   
   Also, there's rubber insole with bumps that really helps you grip when its wet, but isn't extremely comfortable for me at least (feels odd on my bare skin when not wearing socks).
   
   Not noticeable if you have socks on, and it could be removed and swapped with any insole anyway. I'll be keeping the ones it has.
   
   -----
   
   TL;DR: great shoes that seem great for any purpose from active to casual. I love them.
   
   ​
   
   ​

Preface: I own a successful SEO company, as well as a half dozen other solid online businesses.

For learning SEO, I would recommend starting with the Moz beginners guide. This should be your first step, and will let you build a solid foundation.

After that it depends what kind of SEO you're looking for. I'm a recovering grey-hatter, and have been at this for the better part of a decade. With good experience under your belt trying to bend the rules can be ok sometimes (looking at you blackhatworld), but for a newbie it's just a recipe for disaster. I've seen literally thousands of webmasters get their projects and income completely wiped out by breaking Google's rules without knowledge on how to properly do it and how to mitigate risk. Google is only getting smarter with A.I. thrown in so I would personally never recommend someone new jump into the black/grey-hat stuff. It's an uphill battle that you will probably lose. Best to start with clean white-hat stuff until you're comfortable. And please don't create sites that don't provide real value, it's just not going to last. Affiliate bullshit is on the way out.

Some people who I do actually have some respect for in the SEO industry are Terry Kyle and Brian Dean. Follow them and you'll learn a lot. Becker did have some solid free info at one time (but all of his products sucked really hard), but I don't know if it's still any good or not. Remember that these guys are all marketers, so don't fall for the sales pitches & copywriting they will throw at you unless you really know what you're getting.

My personal recommendation is to learn from the Digital Marketer guys. Here are some of their courses, and here is kind of an intro to stuff. These guys are way over the top promotional, but there is zero question that they understand their topics like no other. If you master the funnels they talk about in detail first, marketing becomes much much easier. I know people who have doubled their biz's by just understanding the funnels.

So my recommendation is to learn some solid basics about SEO, and then diversify and learn other stuff. The people making the real money are not just SEO'ers, they are well rounded marketers who know when and how to use each skill (SEO, PPC, copywriting, funnels, content marketing, social media, etc). This is coming from experience. Even though I'm great at SEO, knowing when and how to apply all of these things is what created my real success, not just ranking a few sites in Google.

The quickest way to learn is probably from an apprenticeship. This site is ran by a friend of mine, and the entire purpose of the site is to help people like you learn from people already doing it.

OK, thanks for the clarification. It does seem from reviews it is a lot better than the WiFi options, although:

>Mind you, the Duet experience is close to, but not exactly like using a dedicated display. For example, there's the occasional graphical weirdness (app flicker when dragging windows from one display to the other) when running at the most conservative, energy-efficient settings. And twice over the last few days of testing we’ve had to quit the frozen app and relaunch to clear up connectivity issues. However, compared to previous versions of Duet, 1.2 feels much more stable and my MacBook CPU isn’t nearly as taxed (the release notes claim a 50 percent reduction of Mac CPU usage).

http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/9/9877872/duet-ipad-monitor-price-date

>Those two options also reveal my only real complaint about Duet Display as of today—it can be a real CPU hog. When set to display in retina mode at 60fps, the CPU usage on my 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with attached retina iPad mini exceeds 120 percent. With this much CPU going to the extra display, I noticed some lag when switching between apps and launching new programs.

>Setting the frame rate to 30fps and disabling retina mode drops that figure to around 30 percent, which is still quite high. If you’re using Duet Display on a laptop, you’ll probably want to be plugged into a power source.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2860475/review-duet-brings-fast-response-to-the-ipad-as-external-monitor-game.html

>I was impressed by how good the desktop on my iPad Mini looked, and how responsive the cursor was as I moved windows between screens. It's not exactly zero lag, but darn close.

http://www.tested.com/tech/tablets/528911-testing-duet-display-ipad-and-mac-os/

It is going to be running over USB, and USB2 at that, as other than the iPad Pro that is all that is supported on the iPad side, it is USB2 not USB3/Thunderbolt.

A USB3 monitor, by contrast, really does behave like an actual monitor, there is ZERO lag and ZERO weirdness. It's also a lot cheaper (my Asus was $180), larger screen (15.6"), and has less power draw and despite having a much larger screen, well over DOUBLE that of the 9.7" iPad, is not that much heavier (800g).

https://www.amazon.com/MB169C-1920x1080-Type-C-Portable-Monitor/dp/B013XFJKGI

I have this Asus monitor and also a regular Samsung connected over HDMI and the performance is the same. I have tried using a Windows tablet over USB2, and while performance was certainly a lot better than the WiFi options (which I found basically unusable) there was still a perceptible lag that simply isn't there on the USB3 monitor.

I stand by my recommendation, that this is something worth trying if you already have the tablet, but if you don't, that a USB monitor is just much, much better as a monitor. I would not recommend that you go out and buy a tablet specifically to use as a second monitor given that actual portable single-cable USB3 monitors exist now and they are fantastic.

I second the Chromebook route. So much cheaper, super fast for most of what someone in internet marketing would need. There indeed are light video editing solution apps/websites--though the halfway decent ones need a subscription, but for a few bucks a month it's still a much cheaper option. The idea of your laptop being lost/stolen/broken and being able to buy another Chromebook for a couple or few hundred dollars and you just connecting to WiFi for like 30 min and all your files, settings, apps, etc. are practically just as you left them is a huge benefit. Also keep in mind that in addition to the long battery life of Chromebooks, they tend to be lighter than other laptops, which is another major plus.

​

The Samsung Chromebook Pro is an excellent choice. I'd recommend getting some type of hub for it b/c it just has two USB-C ports (which is a good thing--makes it less bulky), here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795FBHTT/

​

Finally, if your phone has a USB-C charger (or just by a USB-C to Micro USB or whatever your phone has such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-Braided-480Mbps-Compatible-Android/dp/B0744BKDRD/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1543147045&sr=8-8&keywords=usb+c+to+micro+usb ) then you get the added bonus of being able to have just one charger for all devices (or bring 2 chargers and then you have a backup). For a digital nomad, that setup is going to come in very handy between the less weight and bulk of the laptop itself, plus less cables.

​

​

Yes!


i'm mostly self taught, on and off for years - got burned out and decided to do a web development bootcamp (online). I worked really hard juggling it and a full time job with a crazy schedule. I got very lucky and landed a great job before I even finished the bootcamp.

Learning the skills is a challenge, but overall it's not all that bad, and if you do not want to keep learning for the rest of your life, then this is NOT the job for you.

Learn things and BUILD STUFF. Make some webapps. Come up with an idea, and make it. Set some small goals like "make an app with Vue.js" or something like that. The more you get some hands-on the faster you will make mistakes and the faster you will LEARN. Mistakes are essential to learning, do not be afraid of them - embrace them!

The real important part is just being competent and having the soft skills to work with people. My previous job I had to deal with a lot of things and I learned a lot - that came in very handy coming into this role for sure.

​

READ THIS:

https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Skills-software-developers-manual/dp/1617292397

It's a great overview into how to just deal with being a software engineer. Very high level and not technical at all, it will give you some insight.

There are brand names making them. Go into any Samsonite store, they'll have branded adapters. Go into Best Buy and there's probably an Insignia one. Go into Tumi and there's probably really expensive Tumi ones. But in terms of adapters (not converters), they're all the same thing. You're paying $40 for a Tumi adapter that probably came out of the same factory as every other adapter. And, they aren't even that compact.

They're metal and plastic that makes one shape into another. There's not much to them, so paying extra for a brand probably doesn't make sense. The exception might be if you want something with a fuse and a ground, you can go with these, but for most travelers, just a universal one works.

The best one I've found is the Kikkerland. It's just a few pieces of metal connecting your plug to the outlet, arranged in a clever way that always fits. It's probably not a brand you've heard of, but that adapter is quite well-respected by a lot of DM's and considered a great choice. Even then, it sort of gets looser and looser over time and it does feel flatly cheap. I mean it's $10.

I bought this one about a year ago and it has worked fine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FE690DI/

My only complaints are that it is a bit bulky in terms of width and height (it's a bit tight in my regular-sized backpack) and also it took me a while to figure out how to use the case as a stand (there is a video in one of the reviews that shows how but it's not intuitive at all). Some reviewers complained about it crapping out after a few months but mine still works fine. There may be better ones on the market now - certainly looks like some others have better reviews on Amazon now. If I am going to be working away from my home office for more than a week, I take it with me. Usually at a coffee shop I just go with the laptop, but you could certainly set up a second display like that one.

I've basically been working as a freelance marketing consultant (very small agency) for the last few years.

Over that time though i've created quite a few digital assets, such as some courses on Udemy, a premium membership website and an ecommerce business.

These have allowed me to start to wind down my consulting practice.

I've actually just written a book about my journey, from working in London for an insurance company, to living in Thailand with significantly more freedom and capital.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F6YM1LU

I essentially just blundered my way through the first few years of business and made A LOT of mistakes, i even got arrested.

If you're interested you can read the story in the first few chapters of my book for free:

www.digital-nomad-x.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/21st-Century-Emperor-Free-First-Chapter.pdf

Hope that helps :)

> You can't let someone else tell you what your goals should be.

This is pretty much exactly my point. So many people want to buy an ebook to follow this one simple trick to be able to retire on a beach somewhere with a bunch of bikini clad girls, but it doesn't work that way. It's a process and you have to work through it.

> In what way do you think you're a pioneer? What are you doing that hasn't been done before?

I don't think I'm a pioneer. There has to be a better word for it, I just don't know what it is. More and more people that are able to leave their home country as more businesses allow remote work and as entrepreneurship becomes more widespread (The End of Jobs is a good read on this). This isn't "new", it's been around for years, but it's gaining momentum. Digital nomads might seem "mainstream" now, but I bet if you look back on 2018 in a decade or two, someone that starts this year will have "gotten in early".

Why not just travel with 2 portable monitors? I'm a monitor addict too, I have 5 27"s at home connected to an egpu. But it's just not practical on the road.

I think the clever solution is to realize we can retrain ourselves to use 3, 2, or even 1 screen.

I settled for just 1 extra screen b/c I think the productivity gained by each additional monitor sharply drops off. The one I got is thunderbolt 3, so only needs 1 cable for video and power. And it's bright enough while fits in any old laptop backpack.

Pic I just took of my setup https://i.imgur.com/76IxHD7.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y8SSQG5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I still see so many people using those bulky power adapters for international trips. Clearly not enough people know about the Kikkerland UL03-A Universal Travel Adapter

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00210MRGC

It's the about half the thickness & weight of all of those other adapters.

Care to share your database? :)

Here's a great book on all things "taxes for expats": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6PAE5Y/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

If you go for it I'd also recommend hiring a tax agency that specializes in these kinds of unique expat situations. This one is good and reasonable priced: https://www.taxesforexpats.com/

wow that is significantly more expensive than I would have thought. I guess I'll check out the knockoffs then :) like this one https://www.amazon.com/Nexstand-Laptop-Stand-Portable-MacBook/dp/B01HHYQBB8/

Adding to this a pair of yoga straps like https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XYFTVDV/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this is great. You can pretty much use them as TRX at a fraction of the space taken up in your bag. They're also good for stretching and I use them at the gym for weighted pullups and dips.

​

Additionally you can use them to strap things to your bags or compress your luggage.

What you need is this:

ASUS HD Portable USB-Powered Monitor with USB 3.0 (MB168B) by Asus http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FE690DI

This model will complement a MacBook Air well.

If you want one with higher res, get the MB168B+ model.

Good luck!

Exercise bands are the best bet for travel, if you get them make sure they have an attachment that can be used with a door as some kits do not have that piece, then you can work just about every muscle group in your body. They will come with several bands and you combine them to get various weight resistance. Never used the TRX stuff, but it looks like its completely suspension, where bands will provide resistance, not sure how much of a difference that makes, and you might find yourself somewhere that you cannot attach the TRX stuff, with the bands you stand on them, or use a door, etc.

This is the kit I think I have, but you can see the piece for the door, which is the foam circle attached to the strap:

https://www.amazon.com/Bodylastics-Stackable-Resistance-Anti-Snap-Components/dp/B006NZZH18?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAINKE6IDF2JKS5XEQ&tag=bestresistancebandsnet-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B006NZZH18

I got this brand when I went to Malaysia and they worked great (and were compact enough to travel with).


https://www.amazon.com/Ceptics-European-Adapter-Adaptor-Charger/dp/B01NCZJ5UN/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3KLUCJ8CI4CWC&keywords=european+plug+adapter&qid=1568589162&s=gateway&sprefix=european+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5

I'd check the weight/dimensions of your monitor, but this Mountie+ works surprisingly well with my 12.9" iPad Pro even with the case still on.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077HLYVXV

My book is now available on Kindle: The 21st Century Emperor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F6YM1LU

After 9 months in Thailand, I have returned home for 2 months to visit family and friends. I've brought my girlfriend with me for the first month and have been spending the time travelling around the UK. After that i've got a month left to get all the pieces into place before I return to Chiang Mai and continue the digital nomad adventure.

This one, even has a fan which is neat. I've only used it during gaming sessions a few times.

I love this one better than my old usb3, which I see listed in the comments.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y8SSQG5

I recommend reading The End of Jobs, by Taylor Pearson. I am currently about 70% through the kindle version. Check out the description here and see if it is something you are interested in. http://www.amazon.com.br/End-Jobs-Meaning-9---5-ebook/dp/B010L8SYRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1453811457&sr=1-1

I know you mentioned you were looking for a screen that clamps to the laptop lid, but I have been looking into the Asus portable monitor line up, they are similar to a tablet, connect via USB. Haven't pulled the plug yet and bought one myself, not sure how often I'll be needing it, but if my freelance takes off I'll be buying one for sure

link to UK Amazon

Been traveling with this rig for over 7 months and across 4 continents.

This photo was taken in a co-working space in Lima Peru. I much prefer working out of co-working spaces as opposed to wherever I’m staying (mostly Airbnb’s) - productivity/work first, adventure and travel come second.

Happy to answer any questions. Cheers!

Edit: Here is a list of all the components since everyone is wanting to know.

• Laptop: Macbook Pro Touchbar version with 4 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports
  
• Stand: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EP48NMY (tons of other brands with similar designs)
  
• Monitors: Asus Zenscreen - https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenScreen-MB16AC-15-6-Inch-Monitor/dp/B071S84ZW7 (they make one with an integrated battery, but I wouldn't want the extra weight)
  
• Keyboard: Kinesis Freestyle2 Blue with wrist pads, etc. Trackball Mouse: Kensington Expert Mouse Wireless
  
• Trackball Standard Mouse: Logitech MX Master 2S Extras: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZBPS9R https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXKJC4M
  
• Headphones: Sony Sony WH-1000XM3
  
  Photo of the backside of the rig:
  http://files.jacobt.com/lJMeLI1LuD

[This one is on my amazon wish list.] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FE690DI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RNTGWOQA9WNA&coliid=I30K2A29JHFNGF)
But I dont have any personal experience with it.

I looked into this myself, personally I used

​

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-MB169B-Portable-Monitor-1920x1080/dp/B013XFJKGI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542211575&sr=8-2&keywords=asus+portable+monitor

​

With

​

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lavolta-Ergonomic-Laptop-Breakfast-Holder/dp/B007CYBY5C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1542211609&sr=8-7&keywords=bed+desk

​

You can configure the "desk" in lots of different ways, I ended it up using it like a monitor mount so I could get the screen at just the right height for my eyes. I actually use this setup as my main monitor and have a smaller laptop (13") to the side.

​

The monitor itself is fairly light but the desk does add some weight, personally I don't want to work in cafe's or co-working spaces, I want a room with a desk I can set this up on and work at, it's meant to be portable but not something you carry everywhere, depending on what you do it might not work for you because of that.

This one is WAY better https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00210MRGC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

something like this would be cheaper https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-MB168B-1366x768-Portable-Monitor/dp/B00FE690DI

Probably this one https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-MB169B-1920x1080-Portable-Monitor/dp/B013XFJKGI/ older version of the Zenscreen if I'm not wrong.

Check out some of the portable monitors for laptops that you can get for under $150.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-MB168B-1366x768-Portable-Monitor/dp/B00FE690DI?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-fpas-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00FE690DI

Not OP, but its this one.
Add some of these and a couple of these for a half-decent mobile station.