The undisclosed purpose of this blog is to share knowledge and experience with those who are planning something similar to what I am doing right now. This post may not even be for me, because if I think about myself, the answer is simple: I don’t need a test trip. Of course, I also thought about this possibility and then made my own decision.
So I suggest that if you want to live abroad and haven’t done so yet, you should also think about whether to go for it or try it out first!
A week that is not a vacation, but a test run
I have written several times, and I have mentioned several times in the past that I am aware that I am not going on vacation to the other side of the world. I am simply moving my living space and my work area to a place where people prefer to go on vacation. In my opinion, this is very important to clarify. First of all, for myself, but also for my environment.
Several people asked me if I had been to Thailand before, and if I thought it would be a good idea to go there for a week or two first to try out what life is like there.
I do not feel it is important to move my life to another place as a test, because I know myself very well. I know exactly that whatever I will encounter in Thailand, I will enjoy my stay there. I know that it will be hot, the air is humid, basically a tropical climate that I have never experienced before, but despite this, I cannot really imagine giving up my stay there because of the heat. I was prepared for the loneliness, I was prepared for the isolation caused by foreign languages, etc. Since I want to be there, I will feel good there. And if it turns out that I was wrong, I’ll not afraid to admit it.
However, this is not the case with everyone. Everyone is flexible, resilient, and everyone sticks to what they want to achieve in different ways.
With different perspectives and different carrying capacities, it is worth thinking about the following questions:
- Will you try out the nomadic life or not before the “real departure”?
- Are you aware that the goal is not to relax, but to live a normal life in a different environment, with work and daily routine?
- Where would you go, under what circumstances (country, city, accommodation, timing)?
However, there are also factors of the trial trip that need to be looked at with a different eye.
Key components of nomadic living
I’m thinking of things that aren’t just a matter of whether I can tolerate it, like it, or if I don’t care about it. There are factors that have to be there, otherwise the nomadic lifestyle doesn’t work. Of course, there are things here where I can be flexible.
What am I thinking of?
1) Questions about working on the go
- How stable is the internet?
- How much can you focus in a given environment?
- What can work well, what will bother you?
- Coworking or working in a café or accommodation
A stable internet is essential in this working environment. I can’t be a digital nomad without a digital network! I started collecting experiences related to this during the Nomad Cruise.
I think the issue of focus and distracting circumstances is a multifaceted issue. On the one hand, there is the experience that the home office, which has become more and more common and experienced in recent years, will provide for all of us. Those who have not yet experienced what it means to work from home may need a test trip abroad to get some practice in this. Start!
What bothers you, what doesn’t? A good pair of headphones works wonders in blocking out distracting sounds from the outside world. Especially if your favorite relaxing music is also recorded on one of the surfaces. But if there are shootings and explosions in the street, for example, then this will not be enough. That is why, if possible, I will not go to work in a war environment. And in general, for any reason…
For those who may not have heard of it:
Coworking is a work environment where professionals from different backgrounds, often independent, entrepreneurs or small companies, work together in a shared office. These spaces offer flexible rental options and promote community relations and collaboration. The goal of coworking is to provide an inspiring, professional environment while supporting networking and knowledge sharing. It is especially popular among digital nomads and freelancers.
You should imagine working in a cafe as sitting down somewhere, buying something to give, not just receive, and working there for a few hours. There are places that really like it when you sit there as a digital nomad, but I’ve also met a place where they looked at me in a bad way after I’ve been sitting at a desk for an hour. There’s nothing more annoying than when they start letting me know it’s time to go. There are apps that give you information about places in a given city that love you. One such database is nomads.com.
Working from home also has its beauty. I really like working from home, in solitude. I think it’s likely that I’ll work from home at first. Especially if the diarrhea promised at the vaccination center comes true. Then I’ll move my desk in front of the toilet. After the initial period, I’ll look for a cafe, which could even be a bar. And, once I’m over that, I’ll look into the possibility of coworking, but that’s definitely not what I’m looking for at first.
2) Daily routine and schedule
- When do you get up, when do you work, how does your day go?
- What is missing from your usual environment?
- What is better here than at home?
If you don’t have a routine in these matters, then this lifestyle will certainly pose more challenges for you. If you have only worked as an employee, then you are used to when you have to get up, when you get home, you have a schedule. In the first period of entrepreneurial life – in my opinion – everyone struggles with having to get up due to different schedules, but they have to get up in the morning. Or they don’t get up, but then they know that they will continue working in the afternoon.
The question of the schedule is a bit similar to the question of whether during the Covid period, a person dressed “properly” for working from home, or spent their days at home in pajamas. A schedule is always needed!
For example, I work at home in underwear because I like it. I assume that it will be similar in Thailand, especially because of the temperature. I will change clothes on the way to the coffee shop. I will check out the coworking office to see how others use it. Maybe it also functions as a communal sauna.
For my part, I imagine that I will not miss anything from my home environment, based on what I wrote in my post “I live a minimalist life”. I have also thought a lot about the question “what is better anywhere else”. Since one of the bases of my decision falls precisely into this question, I do not expect to be disappointed wherever I am. There will be better and worse things everywhere. I do not even want to talk about the fact that finding a place is not my primary goal.
3) Testing your technical equipment
This is also an important question. But, you don’t necessarily have to go to the place where you’re going to live – especially not for a week. I was already able to test out my Vasco translator. The free eSim I got during the Nomad Cruise didn’t work. I didn’t have an internet solution on the ship, I was dependent on the official internet. I didn’t have the opportunity to plug my laptop into the outlet in Marseille. I did buy a converter, but I realized at home that it was the wrong one.
There are a lot of questions that may arise regarding technology.
For example, yesterday I saw a video in which I was warned – among other things – not to take a power bank to Thailand because I would get in trouble at the airport.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Personally, I – due to my flexibility, which I have already detailed many times – don’t think it’s important to have everything prepared in advance and then solve it on the spot. If this is not comfortable for you, it’s worth thinking about a trial trip.
Life in a new place – beyond comfort
The following questions arose in my mind regarding comfort:
- How will you cope with the language, culture, transportation?
- Food, shopping, cooking – will it be Menton or rather chaotic?
- Connecting with people – or will it be a lonely experience?
Anyone who likes to think ahead, take care of things, or perhaps worry in advance will certainly appreciate the above questions. All question marks, with uncertain, intuition-based answers.
For my part, these questions did not justify taking a test trip either.
Regarding language, I have the expectation that I will not be able to use my only foreign language without problems, English, unconditionally, but I trust Vasco. I am not worried about the food, especially since “The gastronomic revolution eluded me”. Connectivity is a current movement in my world, see my post “Nomad Cruise Summary”.
Surprises – good and bad
When I think about the new life, sometimes it occurs to me that it is worth developing a strategy for dealing with “surprises”. I am not writing about avoidance directly! Rather, I am writing about preparing for the fact that something bad, but otherwise common, will happen.
What do I mean?
- What is it that you did not expect? Can it teach you something?
- “Crash moment”? How will you handle it? What and who will you turn to?
- And success? Will you cope with it?
Once again! Here, the essence of thinking ahead is not avoidance, but damage mitigation. It could be environmental overload, disrupted sleep rhythm, diarrhea, sudden weight loss, weight gain. Depression, burnout. They get robbed. They lose something. Something gets ruined. An accident happens.
I am not sure that I am the best person at mapping out negative things in advance, because I usually look to the future with excessive optimism. You might need to find a really negative, pessimistic person and brainstorm possible problems with them. Once you have the problems, all you have to do is think of possible solutions and you’re done.
Or, read my previous posts and you’ll find some of the answers already ready.
Am I prepared?
Even without a trial trip, I have the thoughts in my head that I know I’m not ready – but I don’t have to be perfect, just be present. I’ve thought about what might happen, I’m prepared for what I’ve thought of so far. Not all of these things are perfectly worked out, but that doesn’t make me anxious. Finally, I’m aware that there will be things along the way that I didn’t think of. I’m friends with these thoughts! What do you think about your own journey?
As a final thought, I remember an interesting memory from when I was around 16. At the time, I told my grandfather that I wanted to have children when I knew all the answers to the questions about raising children. Then, as time went on, I realized that not only would I not know all the answers before my children were born, but I also couldn’t formulate most of the questions. By the time I actually had children, I knew that I wasn’t looking for questions and answers, I just had to be present. The right questions would arise along the way. And if I had the talent and luck, I would know the right answers at the right time.