Here’s what you need to do to make it happen

I’m writing this column from a cafe in Seoul. Last month, I was in Tokyo. And next month, I’ll be working from Seattle. My life as a digital nomad has allowed me to work around the world while building two companies.

Digital nomadism is possible for almost everyone, but getting started takes a proper plan, the definition of your skillset and a bit of determination.

1. Find out if digital nomadism is right for you

I became a nomad accidentally. I had just quit my job in New York and didn’t know what I was going to do next. All I was certain about was that I wanted to start my own company. After taking a look at my bleak savings account, I used my airline miles to book a flight to Spain, where I knew the cost of living would be one-fifth that of New York.

While working remotely on my company for a few months, I came across many forums and online communities of other people doing the same, and learned that travel and work could be a lifestyle, not just a temporary fix.

“Try before you buy,” says Michael Young, a graphic designer who became a nomad in 2017. “Not everyone is suited to the digital nomad lifestyle, and sometimes you don’t find that out until you’re suddenly juggling time zones with clients and trying to make new friends. Why not try it for a month first? Talk to your boss and see if you can negotiate a trial, or just take holidays. You could save yourself a lot of hassle in the long run.”

2. Start planning as soon as you can

If you are serious about becoming a digital nomad, I would not recommend the path I took. I left the United States with some hefty student loans and lacked a solid plan to make money. Though I’ve been able to figure it out, I

would do much more planning before initially taking the plunge if I could go back in time. I recommend saving at least six months to a year of rent to fall back on in case your business does not go as planned.

“It sounds obvious, but the first thing is to make a decision that you’re going to try the digital nomad lifestyle and then start planning,” Young says. “Before I took the plunge, it was at least six months’ worth of preparation. That gave me enough time to talk to my boss, let my rental lease run out on my house and get rid of a lot of my things.”

After you have your savings account intact and have prepared, spend time researching locations to find those best suited for you. At one point, I ended up in Tel Aviv in the summer. It’s a great city, but if I had done more research, I would have found out before I left that it is not a budget-friendly one.

3. Determine your nomad working preference

There are many ways to become a nomad. You can freelance, work a remote job at an established company or start your own brand. Casey Lau, a digital nomad and the head of Asia for Rise, recommends looking at a site like Remote, which is a job board for remote workers offering virtual positions in a variety of industries.

4. Use your skillset to create a digital product or service

No matter what your skillset, you