The digital nomad lifestyle has gone mainstream. Now there are nomad jobs in every industry that can be done anywhere in the world. The idea is simple enough: leave the office behind and find a location-independent job to make money online, but what are the options? Below we explore 23 digital nomad jobs. Many require no experience, so you could start today.
Get ready to find your ideal digital nomad job and liberate yourself from the office cubicle forever!
The Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Digital nomad life is one of constant travel and adventure, but it’s not all one big vacation. I’ve been working remote jobs while traveling with my digital nomad family for 15 years, and although we work hard, getting to see the world makes it well worth it.
For some, the idea of getting paid to work while staying in exotic destinations may seem like a fantasy. However, there are now more resources and opportunities than ever before to enable you to make this globetrotting lifestyle a reality.
Where to Start Looking for Work as a Digital Nomad?
Your Current Job
If you want to become a digital nomad and gain the freedom of a remote job:
- Start with the job you already have.
- Talk to your boss and tell them your intention to start a nomadic lifestyle.
- Ask if you can continue to work for the company but become location-independent.
That may not work for every job, such as a cashier or factory worker, but there are plenty of positions that one can do just as well online. Is your’s one?
Start Your Ideal Digital Nomad Job Alongside Your Current Role
Buying a plane ticket and walking out of your current job is not the best way to become a digital nomad. Instead, try starting a nomad job as a side gig.
Get a feel for the job first. Make sure it’s a viable option for your digital nomad lifestyle before quitting your day job.
Digital Nomad Jobs are Everywhere – Always be Prepared for a New Opportunity
As nomads travel the world, they run into all sorts of people who open new doors for their careers. However, you can only seize these opportunities if you’ve come well prepared.
Maintaining a personal website with an up-to-date list of projects I’ve worked on has gotten me many one-off gigs over the years. Always keep a current CV and update your LinkedIn profile for the same reason.
If you meet someone putting on a conference who asked you to fill their last spot, what can you show them to convince them you’re the best for the job? With that in mind, let’s now look at the 23 best digital nomad jobs in 2022!
1. Freelance Writer
If you enjoy putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard,) freelancing as a writer is a perfect way to get an online income. All you need is a laptop, and you could be traveling the world, earning money as a freelancing digital nomad.
How to get Freelance Writing Jobs?
Most freelance writers don’t get hired by large media companies with a constant stream of paid work. Instead, they find their writing jobs, often writing content for website owners and bloggers. Getting your first few gigs can be tough. However, once you have a little experience under your belt and a strong portfolio, finding freelance writing jobs gets much easier.
To get those first few articles out there, reach out to people in your network with an online presence and offer to write content for them for free. Then, point potential paying clients to those articles as proof of your writing prowess.
What Skills do Freelance Writers Need?
You don’t need to be Shakespeare to write online content, but you do need:
- Correct spelling and grammar (Grammarly Premium is a must)
- A natural writing style
- Time management skills
Average Salary: $60,807
2. Transcriber
Transcription is essentially just typing what you hear for a living. There are live transcription jobs like a courtroom transcriber, but much more common are online transcription jobs. You will receive a video or audio file and then type it out. You only need to be able to type to get a job transcribing.
Where to Find Online Transcribing Work
Find the best transcription jobs and what you need to get started in this guide to transcription jobs.
Average Salary: $33,008
3. Virtual Assistant
If you’re well organized, good with time management, and proficient with email and word processing, a virtual assistant job could give you the freedom to travel the world. Virtual assistants make phone calls, schedule appointments, or manage email for their clients. You could be doing all this from the comfort of a beachside cafe in Thailand or southern Europe.
How to Become a Virtual Assistant
This guide on becoming a virtual assistant has everything you need to know to get started making money online and living your dream life.
Average Salary: $39,823
4. Photo Editor
It may surprise you that most photographers don’t edit their photos. The editing process can be long and time-consuming, so many photographers outsource this job to professional photo editors.
How to Become a Photo Editor
- Get started for free with GIMP and Darktable
- Or purchase Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom
- Build a portfolio of work
- Offer your editing services on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
Average Salary: $36,474
5. Data Entry
Data entry may not be the most glamorous of jobs. Still, the low bar to entry and digital nature of data means it can be done anywhere. If you’re worried you don’t have the skills or experience to do the other jobs listed here, a data entry job could get you started on your nomad journey.
How to Get Data Entry Jobs?
Apply to these great data entry jobs you could do from anywhere in the world. You need basic computer literacy, a laptop, and WiFi to start your digital nomad journey.
Average Salary: $37,415
6. Tech Support
You don’t need to be a computer science major to work in tech support – all you need to be able to do is solve problems. Google will be your best friend in this role. A tech support role gave me my first taste of nomad lifestyle over a decade ago. As new technology comes online, tech support people will continue to be in high demand.
How to Get a Remote Job in Tech Support
Most entry-level tech support roles will have enough training to teach you how to do the job. You need problem-solving skills, a willingness to keep learning, and a little technical know-how.
Talk to your network online, update your LinkedIn profile and scour websites like Indeed. You should soon find a position that gives you the freedom to travel the world while working online.
Average Salary: $38,533
7. Translator
With one in four Americans being able to speak a foreign language, becoming an online translator is another excellent option. Translation jobs usually come as a text document, although video and audio translation gigs are also typical. If you speak a second language, this source of income could be the key to the nomad lifestyle.
How to Become a Translator Online
- Never stop studying your chosen language
- Get certified
- Consider specializing in one industry
- Get experience from freelancing platforms
- Find long-term translation contracts on job sites such as Indeed
Average Salary: $60,475
8. Illustrator
If you’re artistically skilled, you’ve undoubtedly thought about becoming an illustrator, but you may not have considered it the perfect job for a digital nomad. You may find yourself drawing illustrations for children’s books, curricula, or even video game characters. Finding freelance drawing and illustration work online is easier than ever, so there’s no reason for you to be stuck in your hometown anymore.
How to Find Work as a Freelance Illustrator
Market yourself on freelancing websites like Flexjobs and Upwork, traditional jobs sites like Jobble and Indeed, and artist-specific sites. Don’t forget to keep your portfolio up-to-date and point your clients towards it.
Average Salary: $64,260
9. Self Publish/Author
If you’ve always wanted to write the next great novel or write non-fiction on a topic you are passionate about, there is no better time than the present. Self-publishing is so simple with companies like Amazon that you could be selling your book the same week you finish it!
Writing is a job made for the digital nomad. All you need is your laptop (you don’t even need WiFi), and you could be authoring the next New York Times best-seller while sipping tea in the Himalayas.
What Skills Do I Need to be a Self-Published Author
Consistency is critical to becoming a successful author. The iconic novelist Stephen King once said, “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” So don’t get down if your first book doesn’t fly off the shelves. If you keep publishing on platforms like Amazon’s KDP, your volume of work will increase over time, and you’ll likely soon have gained some loyal fans.
Average Salary: Varies widely
10. Language Teacher
There is a debate about whether language teachers count as digital nomads in the digital nomad community.
Regardless of which side of the argument you fall into, there’s no denying that it’s great traveling the world while teaching your native language and there are many benefits to the “slomad” lifestyle. Teaching might be the job for you if you’d prefer to spend a little longer in each destination.
How to Become a Language Teacher Abroad
To teach English abroad, most schools or companies will expect you to have an undergraduate degree or at least a TEFL certificate. However, companies such as English First offer a TEFL as part of their training so you can get started teaching in a foreign land as soon as possible.
Average Salary: $32,901
11. Online English Teacher
There are no doubts that teaching English online is a fully digital nomad profession. Although China’s huge English teacher demand has started to dry up due to their new restrictions, there are still plenty of online English jobs around.
Best Platforms for Teaching English Online
Average Salary: $10-$50/hr
12. Social Media Manager & Marketing
Running a business while maintaining active social media accounts can be stressful. That’s why most companies hire specialists to manage their social media accounts. Do you have in-depth knowledge of Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter? Instead of scrolling, you could be earning money by posting content and engaging with an audience on these social media platforms.
How to Land a Job as a Social Media Manager or Marketer
Social media marketing is an entirely new industry, and because of this, it’s common to see no experience requirements for social media jobs. Before applying to these jobs on LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, it’s a good idea to prep yourself so you can impress the company with your social media skills.
- Can you create shareable content?
- Do you understand social media marketing strategy?
- Can you analyze marketing analytics data?
- Are you a sociable person?
- Do you have effective time management skills?
Average Salary: $38,000
13. Graphic Designer
Influencers like Chris Do at thefutur have popularized the idea of being a designer. So much so that browsing for logo designers on Fiverr returns 20 pages – that’s 980 designers! The truth is that virtually every new app, every website logo, and every Twitch UI that you see now online has been hand-crafted by a designer who could be anywhere in the world. That could be you!
How to Become a Freelance Graphic Designer
Getting your first few clients will require strong networking and self-promotion skills. By hugely overdelivering on those first few projects, you will have a robust back catalog to show to your following clients and hopefully some raving reviews.
Average Salary: $53,198
14. Online Tutoring
Since the pandemic, the idea of online classes has become totally normalized. Tutoring online, once a niche form of work, has now become mainstream.
You can find tutoring jobs online for every subject, from history and math to Latin and Egyptology. In addition, many tutor agencies have popped up to help connect you with your potential students. As long as the WiFi is strong, you could be tutoring anywhere in the world.
How to Become an Online Tutor
Sign up for tutoring agencies. Many tutoring agencies will expect you to have a degree or teaching experience in the subject you intend to tutor.
Average Salary: $40,806
15. Blogger
It might seem like everyone and their mother has a blog nowadays, but the truth is that blogging is still a great digital nomad job to make a living while being completely location-independent. Blogging is a highlight of my daily morning routine.
A blog doesn’t require a significant initial investment, and you can quickly start one on the side while you continue to make money from your primary job.
How to Start a Blog?
To start a blog and start making money, you need to follow a complete blogging guide, but here are the basic steps you need to take to create a successful blog.
- Pick a niche
- Choose a domain name
- Get hosting
- Write great content
- Monetize your blog
What Skills do I Need to Become a Blogger?
Bloggers need to be able to write and publish consistently, so writing skills are a must but owning a blog is much more than just writing content. A blog is a business. As such, bloggers must fulfill every aspect of owning a business or employ people to take on the parts they can’t do. These include:
- Content Creation
- Website Maintenance
- Tech Support
- Finances
- Marketing & Social Media Management
Average Salary: $38,716
16. Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketers earn commission on other people’s products. Using your online presence, you connect your audience with products they may be interested in, making money on every sale. Affiliate marketing can be challenging to break into if you don’t already have a large social media following or good traffic on a website you own.
You don’t need tens of thousands of followers to get started – many companies will work with influencers who only have a few thousand followers. The most important factor is relevance. If you have a strong following on social media where you post about parenting issues, don’t expect to get affiliate deals with companies outside that niche.
How to Become an Affiliate Marketer
Assuming you have already built an online following, reach out to companies in your niche for potential affiliate deals. Start with products you use or are familiar with and from which your audience will benefit.
- Amazon affiliates program
- ShareASale
- ClickBank
- Reach out to companies in your niche
Average Salary: $53,021
17. Photographer
Producing quality photographs is much more about skill than the gear. Large media companies are unlikely to publish shots taken from your smartphone. However, there is still a market for photos taken with humble equipment. If you have the money to spend on a good camera body and some quality lenses, you’ll have more success.
How to Become a Photographer?
As a nomad photographer, setting up a studio in every location is out of the question. However, there are still many options to live the digital nomad lifestyle while taking photos.
Every website, article, and social media post online needs images to entice readers and viewers. Most of these images are bought from stock photography websites like Shutterstock. Although each photograph may only sell for a few dollars, once you build up a large pool of images, you could be earning a full-time income in no time. Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to get going.
- Setup your account
- Research subjects that sell
- Take photos
- Upload frequently
Alternatively, you could become a traveling events photographer, taking shots of those special moments such as weddings and corporate events for clients and families for a much higher one-time fee. The process for this is slightly different.
- Create an online portfolio for potential clients.
- Do consistent outreach and networking to potential clients in your current and future locations.
Aside from the obvious photography skills needed to be a successful photographer, great networking, communication, and sales skills are also required to find new work consistently.
Average Salary: $40,848
18. Video Editor
Just as photographers often outsource their photo editing work, so do videographers. Color correcting, balancing audio, and creating intriguing cuts is an art completely separate from actually filming the shots.
If you have experience editing videos, this job could be your doorway into the digital nomad experience.
How to Become a Video Editor
Although many go to college to become video editors, it’s not a prerequisite, especially if you intend to be a freelancer. More important than the right degree is your ability in the software and a portfolio of quality work. If you can’t get a paid gig at first, edit your own work to build up a catalog you can show to clients. Then, upload consistently on platforms like YouTube to showcase your work and find paying customers.
Find freelancing jobs on:
Average Salary: $49,352
19. SEO Strategist
SEO strategists help their clients rank higher on search engines like Google. Studies have shown that 75.1% of clicks go to the first three results on Google. So if your site ranks lower, even if it’s still on page one, you’re missing out on most of the traffic.
Digital nomad hubs like Chiang Mai, Thailand, have become epicenters for SEO companies simply because it’s the perfect digital nomad job.
How to Become an SEO Strategist
According to Brian Dean from Backlinko, there are six ways to become an SEO strategist:
- Take an SEO course (or several SEO courses)
- Learn SEO by optimizing your own website
- Work at a marketing agency
- Take on SEO clients
- Get an online SEO certification or degree
- Work as an “in-house” SEO professional
Average Salary: $55,460
20. Web Developer
Twenty years ago, most companies didn’t own space on the web, but now every restaurant, school, and even many individuals are expected to have a branded website. That’s a lot of opportunities for web developers! In addition, many web developers choose to work remotely now, and there’s always the option to freelance.
How to Become an Online Web Developer
Of course, the traditional path of getting a degree, an internship, and a job is still a sure-fire way to become a web developer. However, if you want to jump the queue and start getting paid gigs sooner, you need to build your skills and a portfolio.
Front end skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Back end skills: Python, PHP, C#, Java
Average Salary: $68,636
21. Programmer
Programmers write computer code that may be used on a mobile device, an ATM machine, or a server that runs the accounts for a multinational company. It is a great job to take on the road as it requires little more than a laptop. In addition, communicating with colleagues can be done online, and you can use platforms like GitHub to share code.
How to Become a Programmer
- Learn your languages: at college, at a coding boot camp, or by yourself
- Contribute to projects: look for Free & Open Source Projects you can join
- Start your own projects: put your app, software, or program to the test
- Look for Jobs: find freelancing jobs for programmers
Average Salary: $66,339
22. Consultant
Consultants offer advice and analysis to their clients. Whatever your previous experience or expertise, there is an opportunity for you to become a consultant for others in that industry. If you have HR experience, you could consult for a company that wants to create a new training program for their employees. If you have business analytics experience, you may advise a company wanting to switch ERP systems.
You must have good communication skills and the ability to quickly build rapport with your clients to be a successful consultant.
How to Become a Consultant
- Clearly define your expertise and your services.
- Build a professional website to point potential clients toward.
- Start with your existing network. Reach out to previous employers, colleagues, and clients.
Average Salary: $78,214
23. Online Fitness Trainer
You don’t have to be a computer whiz to be a digital nomad anymore. With the birth of so many freelancing platforms, almost anyone can take what they do for a living online – even fitness trainers.
Besides trying to become the next Athlean-X on YouTube, there are many ways to be a fitness trainer online. Remember, good WiFi is required to train via video online, so stick to the cities, and you should be good even in the most far-flung of countries.
How to Become a Fitness Trainer Online?
If you already work as a personal trainer, try recommending your clients move to online training. This way, you’ll have an initial client base and won’t be starting from zero.
If you are new to the industry, consider getting certified first, this will help you get clients and contracts with online platforms. Then decide where to concentrate your efforts.
Check out platforms like Trainiac to start a digital nomad job as an online fitness instructor.
- One-on-one personal training
- Group classes
- Pre-recorded Courses
- Fitness eBooks and Programs
Average Salary: $45,734
Final Thoughts – Should You Go For It?
There’s never been a better time to pack your bags and see the world, and it’s only going to get easier as the nomad life becomes more accepted and digital nomad visas become the norm.
If there’s a job on this list you could see yourself doing, go for it! It will change your life forever.This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.
Originally from the U.K, Greg has lived in Asia for over 15 years. Fluent in a handful of languages, he ran a management consultancy before creating Face Dragons. He spends his time now traveling around Asia, writing, taking photos, and drinking coffee.
