The digital nomad lifestyle is one that allows you to be able to make money from wherever you are in the world, as long as you have access to the internet… otherwise known as being location independent. But to live this kind of lifestyle, stereotypes say you have to be single, young, and pretty tech-savvy… So if this is the case, then why are there so many families with children embracing the lifestyle?
Travelling all over the world with kids! That’s not possible, right? Just think about it… It’s one thing to travel with kids for holidays, and that can be tough as it is, but to travel full-time with your kids… it just seems like a bad holiday that never ends.
Well, travelling as a digital nomad with kids definitely isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s also not the longest holiday from you know where either. Travelling with your children is not only fun for you and them but it’s actually very beneficial for their social and educational upbringing.
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IS THE DIGITAL NOMAD LIFESTYLE FOR YOU?
The Student and Youth Travel Association conducted a survey among 1,500 teachers in the US and 56% of them stated that they feel children who’ve been exposed to travel have been positively impacted by it, personally. The research further finds that children who’ve been exposed to travel have a higher level of respectfulness and are more apt to learning new things. It also boosts their self-confidence, self-esteem, sensitivity, and ability to adapt to new surroundings and situations.
So, before you go and write off living the digital nomad lifestyle with kids, take a moment and invest just as much time thinking about the positive things it offers as you do thinking about some of its downfalls.
The main thing is that the lifestyle isn’t as bad as you probably think but because it is a major lifestyle change for not only you but especially for your kids, there are some considerations you want to think about first before making such a life-changing decision. But before you can even start to think about things like where to go and how you’ll make money, you first have to get the kids on-board with the idea.
GETTING KIDS ON BOARD
For younger kids, around the toddler age, it’s going to be a little easier to get them to go along with the idea of travelling the world. You can simply tell them how much fun they’re going to have and how they’ll get to make new friends and see cool animals, and they’re practically sold on the idea…
With your older kids, ages five and up, it’s going to be a little bit harder to sell them on the idea of things because they’ve already gotten comfortable with their surroundings and have established relationships with close family and made friends at school… uprooting them during those formative times can have a negative effect and cause resentment.
The key here is communication. They’re old enough to understand the lifestyle, so before presenting the idea to them, make sure you’ve done thorough research and can present it to them in a way that they can see how it will benefit them. You also want to explain why the family is embracing the lifestyle…
You’ll find that communicating with them is what is really going to help… Leaving them out of the conversation is just making them feel like their opinion on the lifestyle change doesn’t matter, so talk to them.
Once you’ve sold the idea to your kids, you can then start making arrangements and getting your affairs in order to begin this new life with your family. But before you do, there are some pretty important considerations to think about first.
BIGGEST CONSIDERATIONS TO THINK ABOUT AS A DIGITAL NOMAD FAMILY
Income: How You’ll Support Your Family
Determining how you’re going to financially support your family is one of the biggest considerations that people think about first before even giving the lifestyle a second thought. This aspect is extremely important simply because it’s going to be the very way you fund your travels to maintain the lifestyle.
Fortunately, because the lifestyle is so flexible, from a financial perspective, there are lots of ways to make money but here are a few of the ways that bring the most income.
- Start an Online Business: Starting an online business all starts with finding the right platform to build it on. There are lots of website builders out there but Shopify has everything you need.
Once you’ve found the right website builder, you can start accepting online orders in minutes! And the best thing about it is that your business can go with you wherever your travels take you and your family!
- Rent Your Home Out: Renting your home is a great source of steady monthly income, especially when you plan on moving back in after your travels. You just have to find reliable and trustworthy tenants that can afford your rent price.
- Work Remotely: Working remotely is practically a full or part-time job that allows you to be anywhere in the world working for an established company. You can even check with your current job to see if they have remote opportunities, that way you won’t have to leave your job.
Destinations: Where to Go That’s Kid-Friendly
As a digital nomad family, you can’t just go wherever you want because you now have a family to take into consideration when it comes to choosing where your next destinations will be. This is something that you can get the kids’ opinions on too. See what interests them and the things they want to see. This not only is a bonding moment for you and your kids but it’s also a window to get to know them a little better too.
***And by the way, Palawan is a great place to visit with kids!***
EDUCATION: HOW WILL YOU KEEP YOUR KIDS EDUCATED?
Keeping your children’s education going is an important consideration regardless of age. Depending on your travel destination and how long you plan on staying there, you can always enroll your children in schools there. If you don’t want to do that, then there are all kinds of online resources for this very situation. It’s called “world schooling.” Worldschooling Central and WorldSchool Academy are great resources to check out.
So.... is digital nomad lifestyle for you?
If you’re reading this post you must be considering a becoming a digital nomad. There are many considerations and the one that most people worry about is making enough to support your lifestyle and how you will educate your children.
I hope this post has provided you with enough information to get you started on you nomad journey. It’s definitely a lifestyle that allows a lot of flexibility and the opportunity to live in another country.
I’d love to hear your comments in the comment section below.
Safe travels,
Craig, Sal & Our3kids
