How to Become a Full-Time Nomad (Before You Book the Flight)
A lot of people dream about becoming a full-time nomad and living around the world until they realize it’s not just “book a one-way ticket and figure it out later.”
Can you do that? Technically yes.
Should you? Probably not.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is romanticizing the freedom without preparing for the reality of it. Full-time travel can be a beautiful, peaceful, expansive, and life-changing experience, but it can also become stressful very quickly if you don’t have a plan for money, visas, housing, healthcare, belongings, or how you’re actually going to sustain yourself long-term.
I’ve now spent 6 months living abroad full-time across different cities in Brazil, El Salvador, & Colombia…… and one thing I’ve learned is this lifestyle works best when you intentionally design it around you.
Not around TikTok aesthetics.
Not around what some influencer made look glamorous and easy…cause imma tell you now, many of them are lying.
You need to plan it round your actual personality, budget, nervous system, goals, and lifestyle needs.
So if you’re seriously considering becoming a full-time nomad, here are the things I genuinely think you need to prepare before taking the leap.
1. Decide What Type of Nomad You Want to Be
This is the FIRST thing you need to figure out because your entire budget, travel style, stress levels, and quality of life will depend on it.
Everybody says they want to “travel the world,” but how do you want to travel the world?
Do you want to:
Move to a new country every month?
Stay in one country for 3–6 months at a time?
Slow travel?
Backpack?
Stay in hostels?
Rent apartments?
Live luxury?
Travel only through affordable countries?
Stay in major cities or smaller towns?
Live by water or deeper in nature?
Work while traveling or take time off?
These are important questions because someone traveling through Southeast Asia staying in hostels has a completely different budget than someone renting Airbnbs in Brazil or Europe for months at a time.
For example, I’ve personally realized pretty quickly that I prefer staying in one place longer versus moving every few weeks. I like having a routine, cooking, getting familiar with neighborhoods, and actually experiencing a city beyond tourist attractions.
Some people love constant movement.
Others realize they need stability.
It’s important to know that neither is wrong; you just need to know yourself.
Once you understand your travel style, you can start building a realistic budget.
2. Research the Countries You Want to Visit
This sounds obvious, but many people skip this step and then end up stressed later.
Different countries have:
Different costs of living
Different visa requirements
Different transportation systems
Different safety realities
Different cultural expectations
Different internet quality
Different healthcare systems
You also need to think about:
Weather/ Different Seasons
Language barriers
Community
Transportation accessibility
Time zone differences if you work remotely
Whether you actually LIKE the culture long-term
Some places are amazing to vacation in but harder to live in long-term.
Some countries are incredibly affordable but may not align with your lifestyle.
Others may feel deeply aligned energetically, culturally, or emotionally but not be as affordable.
This is why I always tell people to stop choosing countries only based on aesthetics and start thinking about daily life.
Can you realistically see yourself grocery shopping there?
Working there?
Building routine there?
Handling stress there?
Being there alone?
That matters….ALOT
3. Understand Visas BEFORE You Move
This is where people get themselves into trouble.
You cannot just randomly move to most countries permanently because you “feel called there.”
Every country has visa rules, stay limits, re-entry requirements, and consequences for overstaying.
Some countries allow:
Tourist visas
Digital nomad visas
Student visas
Retirement visas
Work visas
Investment visas
Some allow extensions; Some do not.
Some allow “visa runs”; Some are cracking down on them heavily.
Before booking your flight, research:
How long you can legally stay
Whether extensions are possible
Whether you can work remotely legally
Entry requirements
Required documents
Re-entry rules
Healthcare/travel insurance requirements
I wrote a full blog post breaking this down in more detail because this is one of the biggest things people overlook before trying to move abroad. READ IT HERE
4. Understand Currency Exchange Rates
This is another thing people underestimate until they arrive somewhere and suddenly realize their money doesn’t stretch the same way every month.
Currency exchange changes constantly.
When I first moved to Brazil, the exchange rate was around 5.3 BRL to 1 USD.
Now it fluctuates closer to 4.9–5.0 at times.
That affects:
Rent
Food
Transportation
Spending power
Savings
Long-term budgeting
And depending on your bank or card, the actual exchange rate you receive may be lower due to fees.
A country that feels “cheap” one month may feel very different six months later depending on the market.
You need to:
Track exchange rates
Understand international fees
Have multiple cards/accounts
Build emergency buffers
Avoid budgeting too tightly
Living abroad long-term requires financial flexibility.
Not just enough money to get there, but sustain it also. Read my Blog post that goes deeper into this, HERE.
5. Figure Out How You’re Actually Going to Make Money
This is the biggest question of all!
A lot of people want the nomad lifestyle but have no sustainable plan for income when they start thinking about it.
You need to decide if you are going to:
Live off savings?
Sell your belongings?
Work remotely?
Build a business?
Freelance?
Create content?
Teach?
Consult?
You’d be surprised how many people plan to live off their savings and figure it out once they are there… but savings eventually run out for most people and there is no clear back-up plan.
So unless you already have significant money set aside, you need another type of strategy to make it work long-term. I share how I afford living as a full-time nomad, HERE.
Below, is a list of the most common ways nomads sustain themselves financially:
1. Remote Jobs
This is one of the most stable paths.
Examples:
Customer service
Project management
Tech
Marketing
Copywriting
Recruiting
Teaching English online
Virtual assistant work
Graphic design
Data analytics
Many people specifically search for remote-first companies before moving abroad.
2. Find Work in the Country You Want to Live In
Some people teach abroad, work in hospitality, work at international schools, or get sponsored through local jobs.
This can also help with work visa opportunities depending on the country.
3. Start a YouTube Channel
Personally, I think YouTube is one of the strongest long-term creator platforms because the payout potential is higher than many other social media apps.
But people need to understand this takes time. I’ve found that some people have found great success with facebook, instagram, and tiktok too… I haven’t been one of them yet lol.
It can take many creators a year or longer to monetize though….so that is a possible downfall.
The more personality, relatability, storytelling, and niche you have, the better. I’m personally planning to put more into my storytelling on Facebook and IG.
My third YouTube channel monetized in about 3 months because I understood my niche and audience better by then. I also post daily.
YouTube creates an avenue for:
Ad revenue
Affiliate opportunities
Brand deals
Sponsorships
Community
Search traffic
Evergreen content
It becomes an ecosystem.
Checkout my YouTube channel HERE!
4. Freelance Writing
Travel writing, SEO blogs, newsletters, ghostwriting, and copywriting can all become income streams.
Platforms like Substack have also allowed many creators to monetize their writing directly through memberships and paid content.
If you enjoy storytelling, education, or documenting your experiences, this can become a legitimate stream of income.
5. Brand Deals & Partnerships
Once you build an audience, brands may pay you to:
Review products
Share hotels
Promote services
Create travel content
Promote apps
Create campaigns
This works especially well if you build trust and a specific niche audience.
6. Start an Online Business
This is one of the biggest ways long-term nomads create flexibility.
You can:
Sell digital products
Sell ebooks
Teach courses
Offer coaching
Consult
Create memberships
Teach skills you’ve mastered
The biggest thing is building around a niche and solving a specific problem.
That’s exactly why I created the Butterfly Effect School of Transformation. Inside the self-paced enrollment option, I teach people how to:
Build a business
Find their niche
Structure offers
Create sustainable income
Build learning communities
Market themselves online
Create digital products and resources
You can learn more here:
Butterfly Effect School of Transformation
7. Mix Multiple Income Streams Together
Honestly, this is what many nomads end up doing.
Instead of relying on ONE thing, they combine:
Content creation
Freelancing
Remote work
Affiliate income
Partnerships
Digital products
Coaching
Consulting
That creates more stability.
8. Build an Emergency Fund
Please do not move abroad with your last few dollars.
Unexpected things happen:
Flights change
Medical emergencies
Visa issues
Housing problems
Theft
Currency shifts
Burnout
Family emergencies
You need backup money.., o pleeeease have emergency savings.
6. Decide What You’re Doing With Your Belongings
This is another emotional and logistical step of preparing to become a full-time nomad, that people underestimate.
What are you doing with:
Your apartment or house?
Your car?
Furniture?
Clothes?
Storage?
Mail?
Important documents?
Some people:
Sell almost everything
Put things in storage
Leave belongings with family
Downsize dramatically
Keep a home base
You’ll quickly realize how much stuff you own that you don’t actually need… and you must learn how to become detached and let it go if you are going to downsize to a couple of suitcases.
I wrote this blog post when I was preparing for my travels… it was very emotional. READ HERE
7. Learn How to Be Alone
This lifestyle can be beautiful, but it can also feel lonely sometimes; Especially in the beginning.
You’re constantly adapting:
New cultures
New routines
New languages
New people
New environments
Some people discover they love solitude and others realize they deeply need community.
Both feelings are okay.
But emotional preparation matters just as much as financial preparation. Read my article here, that goes into the loneliness that comes with solo nomad life. READ HERE
8. Stop Waiting for the “Perfect Time”
At some point, you do eventually have to leap. You can prepare forever and still feel scared.
I think many people already know they want a different life, but fear keeps them frozen in familiarity.
You don’t need to have every detail figured out before starting.
But you do need:
Awareness
Planning
Flexibility
Creativity
Resourcefulness
A willingness to adapt
The people who are able to sustain this lifestyle long-term usually are not the people with the most money.
Truth is, it’s all about learning how to adjust, create opportunities, build community, and remain flexible.
That matters far more than aesthetics ever could. Check out my blog post that goes into how to know when it’s time to take the leap. READ HERE
Did I miss anything? Share in the comments!