How To Become A Digital Nomad

Updated October 2026, with current visa and entry guidance.

Seeing the world while holding down a full-time job might sound too good to be true, but with the right planning and support, it can be done.

Before we dive in, let's get started with the obvious: what exactly is a digital nomad? It's a descriptor for different types of location independent working professionals. The goal of a digital nomad? To see and experience the world and all that it has to offer.

Sound like you? Or someone you would like to become? Perfect. You've landed in the right spot. We're going to take you through all the essential details you need to become a digital nomad and start living a lifestyle YOU design. Let's start with Step 1:

Secure a remote job or some form of passive income to fuel your travels.

Here's a list of common jobs for digital nomads to get your wheels spinning:

Copywriter, digital marketer, customer service specialist, freelance writer, freelance photographer, graphic designer, web designer, UI/UX designer, developer, software engineer, online language teacher, and the list goes on...

Next, work out how you will balance work with long-term travel. Staying a few weeks in each place, rather than a few days, makes the biggest difference to how much you get done and how much you see.

Scout a digital nomad friendly coworking space in your desired travel destination.

You might be thinking: I don't need a coworking space, I can just work from a local café or from my home. Sure you can; those are both viable options. BUT beware of weak wifi connections. If you've got an important call with your boss or meeting with coworkers, it's frustrating times 100 when your internet goes wonky on you. Working from a coworking space pretty much guarantees a steady connection. Plus it's a great hub for meeting other kindred spirits like yourself and making professional connections with smart people from around the world. Many coworking spaces sell day passes, so you can try one before you commit to a membership.

Disclaimer: Digital nomads have a tendency to flaunt their lifestyle with images of fancy drinks in hand and laptops on beaches. In reality, the sun makes your laptop screen nearly impossible to read and you run the risk of overheating your digital devices. But by all means, keep ogling over the #officeanywhere shots and take one yourself if you want to hook your friends to join the remote movement with you.

Choose where you want to live.

The place you choose to live will greatly affect your experience as you become a digital nomad. Sure, you won't be spending the majority of time in your apartment or hostel, but you do want to be comfortable and feel safe when you end your busy days of work and exploration.

Get your files in order.

If you plan to become a digital nomad, you'll want to make sure your passport is up to date. Many countries require it to be valid for 3 to 6 months beyond the day you leave, so check each country on your route.

Visas are where the rules have changed most since we first wrote this. Most countries let you visit visa-free for 30 to 90 days, but a tourist stay usually does not give you the right to work. Thailand, for example, cut its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days in September 2026. If you plan to stay and work from one country for more than a few weeks, look at whether it has a digital nomad or remote-work visa. Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Colombia, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea all do, each with an income requirement. Our 22 destinations for digital nomads post covers the details for each one.

In Europe, the Schengen rule lets you stay 90 days in any 180, counted across all Schengen countries together. Many countries also treat you as a tax resident after about 183 days, so talk to a tax professional before you settle anywhere for months.

For the official visa, entry and health sources for every country, use our travel requirements page.

If your business requires a physical address to send bills and other important business materials to, most expats keep a physical address (a family or friend's home, or PO Box) and then you can use a mail forwarding service (such as Traveling Mailbox) to have your mail forwarded to wherever you are in the world. We highly recommend you try to go digital with your bill set up! Most bills and documents can be handled electronically. Try setting up online access for bank accounts and bills before you go.

Decide on your destinations.

Now for the fun part: start dreaming and scheming of where you want to work remotely from. Start with our 22 top destinations for digital nomads, chosen by our community and updated for 2026.

This is where we can best serve you! AirTreks has been building multi-stop and around the world trips since 1987.

You can send us a route in TripPlanner. It's free to use and free to send, you get a price quote from our routing algorithms in about 10 minutes, and a consultant follows up within a day with a phone call to hear what you're trying to get out of the trip. Can you book as you go? Certainly. But we recommend you commit to your digital nomad journey upfront, because a planned route can save you money and gives you peace of mind. If your plans change along the way, a consultant can help you rework the trip. Prefer to talk it through first? Talk to a consultant.