An Asian’s Digital Nomad Journey to The West
In January, I hopped off a plane at LAX — with a dream and my backpack.
The dream was to leave Malaysia and travel to the Western part of the world.
I wanted to challenge myself as a crazy not-so-rich Asian to live the digital nomad lifestyle.
You’d often see white people (or matsalleh in Malay) going to Southeast Asia and living the laptop life in Bali or Chiang Mai.
But you don’t often hear an Asian from Southeast Asia being a digital nomad in London or Los Angeles.
Why?
Simply because economically, it’s more expensive everywhere else in the world.
How Did I Afford This?
I don’t own a business and I’m not a trader.
I had been working as a freelance writer and all of my travel savings were from that effort.
Before traveling, I needed to save up a certain amount before I could be confident enough to travel long-term.
So what I did was:
- Be frugal and not spend so much — the lockdowns helped a lot in this.
- Work with international clients to earn in a stronger currency.
- Save until I hit my target budget.
That’s pretty much it really.
And when the travel commenced, I continued working for my clients and kept a somewhat steady monthly income.
Hashtag work smart.
Where Have I Travelled To?
Ideally, I should’ve blogged about my adventures as they happened but I couldn’t prioritize that as I had to focus on my work plus traveling.
A human can only do so much.
So I made sure that I stay in one city or country for at least one month so that I could split my time well between work and travel.
These are the places I’ve been to:
- The United States — Los Angeles, New York, Boston
- Iceland — Reykjavik, Reykjanes, Snæfellsnes
- France — Paris
- Italy — Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples
- England — Sheffield, London
- Spain — Granada, Seville
In time, I shall share my experiences in more detail but for now, you may follow my travel Instagram account here.
How To Balance The Work-Travel Life?
Let me say this upfront: it’s difficult to achieve total balance when working while traveling.
Sometimes you feel you’re in the flow but sometimes the scales will tip you off. The key is to learn how to set the scales in equilibrium again as quickly as possible.
Here are the 5 ways that have worked for me:
1. Slow travel
When traveling long-term, it’s better to stay in one place for at least 2 weeks. Longer if possible. This will give you time and space to do your work and explore the area.
2. Plan the week
Every Sunday, I’d plan the following week ahead and decide which days I’ll be exploring and which days I’ll be working. Sometimes I’d spend the first half of the day working and the second half exploring, or vice versa.
3. Schedule work and activities
Put every to-dos and to-sees in your calendar. Be realistic on how much time you’ll spend.
4. Keep up a morning routine
Be it coffee, going for a walk/jog, or having a solid breakfast, a consistent morning routine would help you get your day started and put you in the right mindset.
5. Eat well
Opting for whole foods instead of junk foods would help keep you healthy so that you don’t get ill during your travels and disappoint clients.
What’s Next?
This journey has taught me so much.
I left Malaysia feeling kind of lost in terms of my place in this world. Although I did know roughly what I wanted, I wasn’t sure or confident enough to take steps forward.
And so I often felt like I was going in circles.
But this slow traveling has helped me realize what’s truly important. And this has guided me in deciding my life trajectory.
I’ve recently traded the freelance life with a full-time remote job that seems to align with my values and would help me achieve my goals.
I’m still in Spain as I write and publish this. But soon I’ll be going back to Southeast Asia, partly due to visa issues and partly to fulfill some obligations as a friend and family member.
I’m hoping to travel around Southeast Asia whilst I’m there. And when the time’s right, I’ll come back to Europe.
And of course, I shall continue to document and share my adventures.
The world has not yet rid of this writer!
