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