Digital nomad life is becoming increasingly common, as millennials and Gen Z workers look to live life on their own terms. 46 countries around the world now offer a form of digital nomad visa (or have one in development), and hotspots like Portugal, Bali and Costa Rica remain sought-after spots for those who enjoy a bit of surfing in the middle of their work day. When you’re working from home on yet another gray day, it’s not hard to see the appeal of opening your laptop at the beach, or in a cute cafe down a side street in a picturesque European capital.

But here’s the thing: digital nomad life isn’t quite all it’s made out to be, and there are a number of challenges that come with working on-the-go. Over the past few years, pandemic-permitting, I’ve worked from Rome, Berlin, Copenhagen, Mexico City, Sydney and Singapore, and met countless other freelancers and remote workers on my travels. It’s time to be real about the unsexy side of digital nomad life, and what I wish I’d known before I set off.

The best things about digital nomad life

It’s not difficult to see the pros of living the digital nomad life. The places you see and the people you meet make the challenges worthwhile—there’s nothing more chill than finishing up a day of work on your laptop, and then going for an evening stroll to Trevi fountain as the sun sets, or going for a dip on one of Mexico’s most picturesque beaches (in the middle of winter, no less!). You’ll statistically be happier than those working from home or the office: 81% of digital nomads are highly satisfied with their lifestyle, compared with just 68% of those who aren’t digital nomads. You might also find your work benefits from the change of scene—mixing up your location has been proven to enhance creativity and productivity. Plus, if you’re into the TikTok trend of romanticising your life, it’s pretty easy to do when you’re sipping a cosmo from your sun lounger-meets-desk set up.

The not-so-great things

And now for the downsides. This may just be poor planning on my part, but I didn’t realise just how expensive digital nomad life would be. This depends per person, obviously, but if you’re traveling within Europe, as I was for the majority of the time, AirBnb costs add up fast. Sitting in a Copenhagen café for a bunch of meetings is great, but when a coffee and a pastry costs you $15, your budget takes a hit. I’ve had more than my fair share of bad wifi panic, and planning to give a virtual workshop from my hotel room at noon, before remembering I can only check in at 3pm. There’s a lot on the line here—you don’t want a bad professional reputation—so I sometimes found myself begging hotels and co-work spaces for last-minute rooms to host important calls.

Most of us know the feeling of being on a Zoom call in a too-noisy café, muting yourself when the coffee machine’s on, and hoping you don’t get called on. Depending on your location, not every café will be appropriate for online business meetings, and so you might find yourself spending a lot of time in your room. If you’re in one place for a while (I was working from Rome for 6 weeks), you often get caught between too-long-for-a-hostel, and not-long-enough-for-a-proper-apartment. We found a cute teeny apartment in the center of the city, which was just about fine for 6 weeks, but cost the same as our 2 bedroom apartment at home. It was more than worth it for the experience, but it’s something I really wish I’d thought about ahead of time.

And finally, balancing work and fun. It’s definitely a quality problem, but if you’re traveling around a lot, it’s sometimes hard to balance the vacation-slash-work week mentality. There were definitely times where I felt as if I were being forced to work on vacation—when really it was just a normal Wednesday morning full of client work. There was more than one occasion where I thought to myself “okay, I’m just going to take the rest of the afternoon off, because I deserve to go to the beach/museum/terrace down the road,” but surprise, surprise, this isn’t something you can do every day…

What to know before you set off

Digital nomad life is a huge privilege, and the challenges are tiny compared to what you gain from the experience—but it’s definitely worth thinking everything through before setting off. Here’s what I wish I’d known.

• Always leave room for maneuver in case your flight or train gets delayed. If possible, arrive in your new city the day before a big call or meeting.

• Research co-working cafés and hubs ahead of time so you know what to expect.

• If possible, speak to people who’ve worked from your chosen destination to get insider tips.

• Always budget for more than you think you’ll need. 

• Plan in a little time for fun and relaxation in every destination—and don’t overestimate how much energy you’ll have for exploring after a long day of work.

• Be realistic: it’s normal for your career to take a little bit of a backseat while you’re remote working from afar, so don’t beat yourself up if you miss out on networking opportunities or landing a particularly big project.

• Always have a backup plan: consider buying a local SIM card so you can hotspot cheaply in work emergencies.

• Prepare yourself mentally: it’s a very special mix of work and travel—not one long vacation!