How to prepare for a digital nomad lifestyle – Part 3

Welcome to the 3rd part of the series: How to prepare for a digital nomad lifestyle – Mentally preparing for the trip

The hardest part of this journey is probably saying goodbye to your friends and family for a while. Heck, you might even miss your old coworkers.

Although I’ve made space in my calendar to return home and visit, not being able to be within a 20-mile radius from my friends in Los Angeles or close enough to my family that we can see each other in a few hours, it’s going to be a pretty big challenge for me. And probably for you too!

This might be your first time traveling outside the US completely by yourself (it is for me!), and although the idea sounds scary as hell, know that your friends and family are supporting you and cheering you on. 🙌🏽

And thanks to technology, no matter where you are in the world, you are always a DM or FaceTime call away from them! 📲

But before you go, here are a few things to do to mentally prepare for the long-distance:

1. Tell your loved ones you are leaving and why

I found that most people were super supportive of my digital nomad lifestyle dreams. After all, I’ve been talking about this journey for YEARS! And who wouldn’t want a lifestyle of full-time traveling? But some people are going to find it hard to understand. So explain your plans to them, and when they hear you talk about why this is your dream and how you’ve been planning for this (not just leaving impulsively), they’ll be more supportive of your endeavors.

2. Try to spend more time with your favorite people

The last 6 months before I left I visited my parents in Florida, visited my home country Puerto Rico and saw old friends, celebrated as many birthdays and holidays with loved ones as I could, threw a few goodbye parties, and tried to see (and say goodbye) to as many people as I could. There were tears and laughter, hugs and kisses, and even a few travel-related presents from my closest friends. And it was the best way to say goodbye to everyone! So I recommend making the most out of the last few months so you can leave with peace of mind and no regrets.

3. Create a memories box

This is something I started years ago, around the time I moved from Puerto Rico to California by myself. When I was cleaning out my room, deciding what was staying behind, what I was throwing away, and what I would take with me; I made a memories box. This box contained little notes from friends, birthday cards, party invitations that I remember fondly, Valentine’s Day cards, concert stubs, old boarding passes, and a lot more sentimental stuff that I wanted to keep with me.

And as I was cleaning out my room before moving to South East Asia as a digital nomad, I added more things I had collected in the last 7 years living in California. Not only do you keep all these keepsakes in one place, but going through them years later will warm your heart and bring a smile to your face.

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Do you feel prepared to start living as a digital nomad like me? Share your thought in the comment section.