How to Combine Entrepreneurship and Travel with Kristina

“It took 2 years of overworking. It took 2 years to get out there traveling again. So, it’s not like I’m sitting at the beach, drinking coconuts and money is raining over me.”

How digital nomad Kirstina started her digital nomad journey

Not all Digital Nomads start this lifestyle straight from an Instagram ad. Kristina and her boyfriend left Austria in 2015 to do an internship in China. She studied Business and her boyfriend studies German literature. After just a couple of years working abroad, they discovered that there was a huge market for German writers. In 2017 they started a ghostwriting agency, 100% remote.

Creating a business while traveling works for some people. However, their travel speed changed while they were in nomad capital Bali. Being surrounded by nomadic entrepreneurs, and joining talks and events they decided to stop traveling for some time and work on their businesses. Like Kristina shared on our podcast, it was time to professionalize their company. This included 60+ hours of long weeks and hard work! Since then they have managed to grow their company 10 times and continued traveling the world.

Difference slow travel and fast travel

As a Digital Nomad, there are periods where you travel non-stop hopping from one country to another. This is also known as ‘fast travel’ while others prefer to stay a couple of weeks or months before switching destinations which we call ‘slow travel’. Kristina finds herself now in what she interprets as ‘medium travel’, changing place every 1-3 months.

Interestingly is that this is very different from other periods of her life. As her Digital Nomad life began so did her fast traveling. This was a lot of fun but she also mentioned that it could cost money, time to organize the trip and significantly less focus on her business. So when she started her business, to make it work, the fast traveling wasn’t gonna grow her company. Listen to the podcast episode to find out more about the stages in which she found herself during the years of becoming an entrepreneur.

Finding the right balance and prioritizing

Every location and travel situation has its own special experience. Kristina’s advice to starting nomadic entrepreneurs is the importance of accepting the moment that you are in. In other words, you can’t have everything all the time and this is where that state of acceptance is so important.

She shares that you have to learn how to prioritize and find the balance between your travels and your professional goals. Another great tip is to keep looking at the bigger picture when making decisions or changes. Ask yourself, is this way sustainable?

Stay close to your own values

Kristina is a successful entrepreneur and Digital Nomad and her best advice is to stay true to your personal values. As she mentioned, she studied Business and she loves traveling. That doesn’t mean though that she wants to open a hostel in Thailand. That is simply not something close to her values. Exploring new areas of business is important for her as well. Khristina shares how she tried the path of coaching others into becoming digital nomad. It wasn’t for her and she accepted that situation. Finally, she emphasizes working on finding your strengths, keeping working on them and staying true to your values.

Connect with our Nienke Nina and our guests

Your host Nienke Nina

More digital nomad tips and life advice via instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Connect with Nienke Nina on LinkedIn @Nienke Nina Keizer

Find Nienke Nina on Instagram @nienkeninatravels

Meet Digital Nomad Entrepreneur Kristina

Follow their journey via @office__travel

Other episodes you might like:

🎧 Episode 13: How To Pivot Your Passion Into An Online Business With Andrae

🎧 Episode 22: Facing The Realities Of Online Entrepreneurship with Anne

🎧 Episode 28: How Digital Nomads Can Become Successful Entrepreneurs With John

🎧 Episode 35: Building A Successful Creative Freelance Career With Suzanne

How to Date as a Digital Nomad with Jordan

“When you are going to be dating and traveling around, just be as clear as you possibly can about your intentions. Sometimes, those things change over time, and that’s OK as long as you communicate it.”

Meet digital nomad Jordan Carroll

Jordan started working remotely in 2013, but it wasn’t until 2018 that he decided to start traveling. In the last couple of years, he has dated internationally, and he is sharing some of his experiences on this week’s podcast episode.

Going through ups and downs has taught him as he mentions to accept it, laugh at it, take the lessons and move on.

Jordan has found a better way to learn a new language rather than using Duolingo. While traveling in Columbia, he went on Tinder to find women to date while learning Spanish. For Jordan, this was a great way to improve his Spanish skills but getting to know someone like this can be challenging too. This is how Google Translate became essential in all his dates.

Starting a serious relationship

Jordan had many dates and his Spanish definitely improved. During one of his travels, he met someone and ended up spending 9 out of 10 days with her. His next trip was to Europe followed by a cruise ship with Nomad Cruise from Europe to Brazil. Jordan shares that they stayed in touch but it came with some real challenges like being in different time zones and bad internet connections during his cruise. He really liked her and decided to fly her to his home so they could spend some time together. This included meeting the parents right away.

Trying local cuisine gone wrong

Traveling to rural Mexico can be fun as we all know, but you got to be careful with the local cuisine! Jordan shares his experience where he tried some local foods. He got sick but the real consequences only came up one year later! From what he thought was just stomach pain, into thinking he had an “STD”, to finally realizing he ended up with a bacteria from that food he tried a year before.

Connect with our Nienke Nina and our guests

Your host Nienke Nina

More digital nomad tips and life advice via instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Connect with Nienke Nina on LinkedIn @Nienke Nina Keizer

Find Nienke Nina on Instagram @nienkeninatravels

Meet nomad Jordan

Follow his journey on Instagram @theremotejobcoach

Other episodes you might like:

🎧 Episode 02: From a Stolen Passport to Almost Being Deported. Horror Nomad Stories with Saurav

🎧 Episode 12: The Secret Of Finding A Remote Job With Jordan Carroll

🎧 Episode 36: How To Become A Digital Nomad Couple Sailing The World With Ryan & Sophie

From a Stolen Passport to Almost Being Deported – Horror Nomad Stories with Saurav

“No matter how much you plan, traveling is so unpredictable. 6 out of the 7 days, it will go as planned, but the 7th day will be a nightmare. Things just go off the tracks.”

An episode about common digital nomad nightmares

Meet Saurav “ The Indian Digital Nomad” started his Digital Nomad lifestyle 11 years ago. During his trips, he has mostly traveled alone but sometimes his wife, father or brother tag along. As we go in life, we live and learn, and that’s exactly what Saurav shares with us in this episode. He has experienced many travelers’ nightmares and he says that it’s just the reality of being a Digital Nomad. There are incredible advantages of being a nomad, but there are also some truths that are not commonly shared under the hashtag “Digital Nomad lifestyle”.

He has been nomadding for more than 11 years and plans to continue for many more years. He started his nomad journey by working remotely while doing trips. Now Saurav is a digital nomad entrepreneur and he has several internet businesses. He also runs a digital nomad community called “workstays”, he and his team helps people to shift from their 9 to 5 life to a Digital Nomad Lifestyle. His mission is to visit every country in the world, so far 91 and 106 more to go!

Passport & belongings were stolen at his first destination

Being robbed by itself it’s a torment, but being robbed on the first destination of your Digital Nomad lifestyle (or any trip) is a whole other ball game. Saurav tells us his experience with his belongings and passport being stolen, some useful ideas on what you can do when this happens to you, and how to get a new passport the next day.

Being deported and spending 24 hours of the radar

Each country has its laws laid out for foreigners and travelers. If you don’t follow these rules, you can end up being deported. Asian countries can be very strict, especially places like Singapore. Saurav’s brother lives in Singapore and while he was staying with him, he would go on trips to the Philippines or Bali. One day he found himself in a triangle of travel where he was not playing by the rules, and he wasn’t even aware of it!! When he tried to re-enter Singapore he got flagged and was detained for 24 hours at the airport.

Visa problems for digital nomads

Everyone knows, getting the right visa can be a true nightmare, especially when you want to stay longer than the tourist visas allow. This can vary a lot depending on your nationality, the country that you are traveling from and heading to. Saurav learned the hard way that you always need to double-check how you need to apply and what the rules are before you plan your entire itinerary. Saurav had to learn the hard way.

Booking wrong flights

Nienke Nina asked for one more quick last digital nomad nightmare and tips for digital nomads between the laughs he said “never book a flight sleepy”. Going to the airport at 5 am and for the flight and having someone tell you that your flight is not for another year… must be surreal. Something similar happened to Nienke Nina too, she booked the flight the other way around and as digital nomads you learn the hard way. Now it’s just a funny story!

Connect with our Nienke Nina and our guests

Your host Nienke Nina

More digital nomad tips and life advice via instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Connect with Nienke Nina on LinkedIn @Nienke Nina Keizer

Find Nienke Nina on Instagram @nienkeninatravels

Meet digital nomad Saurav

Follow his journey via @indiandigitalnomad

Other episodes you might like:

🎧  Episode 03: How to Date as a Digital Nomad with Jordan

🎧 Episode 08: Leaving the corporate world behind and reinventing yourself with nomad Tarek

🎧  Episode 21: 10 Years Of Traveling The World With Daisy

How to thrive in your digital nomad relationship with Anat & Orr

“You need to put yourself in social situations that will allow you to find connections.”

An episode about Digital Nomads Couples

Anat and Orr are high school sweethearts and started their digital nomad journey in April 2021. Before they took the leap together, they had put a lot of thought into how they wanted to live their digital nomad lifestyle. Even though they have been together for a long time, knowing each other really well and understanding all their personal and professional needs, it wasn’t always a smooth ride.

24/7 together, me-time and quality time

It’s common for digital nomad couples to spend many hours in the same space. You can easily avoid this by working from a coworking space or cafe but since the restrictions, this isn’t always an option. Of course, it depends where you are in the world. When you’re 24/7 together it’s important to get a moment for yourself, also known as me-time. For Anat, me-time could be as simple as hopping on her yoga mat. Orr on the other hand likes to play the guitar. They also share that if they really need a moment for themselves, a walk in nature or running errands works.

Relationship changes after the nomadic change

Before Anat & Orr left Israel they have put a lot of effort into what a good nomadic lifestyle entails for them. One of these efforts was listing down their personal desires, dreams, and what they both need to feel happy and satisfied. This created a strong foundation for their new lifestyle. Of course, Anat & Orr experienced struggles but by communicating and being transparent it hasn’t impacted their relationship in a negative way.

Creating community and making meaningful connections

As a single traveler it’s probably easier to find community. Not only Anat & Orr agree with this but also Podcast host Nienke Nina experienced this. A piece of advice Anat & Orr give is to take initiative and put yourself out there. You can find Facebook Groups for expats, digital nomads or find community in a co-working space. Another great place to find fellow nomads is hostels. Anat shares that even though they can afford a hotel room, they sometimes choose to stay at a hostel because it’s easier to find community.

Quick take aways from the digital nomad couple

Ask yourself what makes you happy as an individual and as a couple. Collect this in a list and use this as a checklist to see if you’re still living up to your expectations.

Be conscious of how you spend time together. There are different ways of being togehter, you can have individual time but still be in the same space. You can be mentally and physically together, or just be in the same space but focus on your own thing.

Take initiative! As a couple, you are a unit and this makes meeting other people harder than if you are a single digital nomad. Use Facebook groups, co-working spaces, or stay at hostels even when you’re a couple. You can take turns so the burden isn’t always on you.

Find common hobbies and skills you want to learn. That’s a great way of quality time instead of just watching Netflix.

Connect with our Nienke Nina and our guests

Your host Nienke Nina

More digital nomad tips and life advice via instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Connect with Nienke Nina on LinkedIn @Nienke Nina Keizer

Find Nienke Nina on Instagram @nienkeninatravels

Meet Anat & Orr

Follow their journey via Instagram @spice.and.toast

More of Anat & Orr’s life on YouTube

Other episodes you might like:

🎧 Episode #07: Overcoming Fears and Building Community with Digital Nomad Magali

🎧 Episode #46 The 5 Best Ways To Find Friends For Digital Nomads With Marina

🎧 Episode #31 Behind The Scenes Of A Content Creator Couple With Julia & Gidi