How to Build a Sustainable Digital Nomad Career in 2025

Why wouldn’t you want to be a digital nomad? Career flexibility and freedom are among the best feelings.

Statistics published by the UK’s The Guardian show there are around 40 million global digital nomads, with that number expected to rise to 60 million by 2030.

If you want to be part of that number, you need a sustainable digital nomad career (no, we aren’t talking about sustainability). We’re talking about a career that lasts.

Read on to find out how you can build one in 2025!

Laptop lifestyle with coconut in the tropics

Why You Should Be a Digital Nomad

Being a digital nomad isn’t just about the freedom to work from anywhere (but that is the part you’ll love the most).

It’s a lifestyle that allows you to explore new cultures, meet fascinating people, and escape the monotony of a 9-to-5 office job. Beyond the adventure, it also creates a work-life balance tailored to your needs.

Imagine having the flexibility to adjust your schedule to hike in the morning and work in the afternoon. Or join the Pilates morning workout hype and spend a few hours working after? It’s not total flexibility, but it is more than a 9-5 or a shift work job would give you.

Remote work opportunities have surged in recent years – there are now three times the number of remote work job postings than in 2020.

While that might not technically be digital nomad if we’re talking freelance work, it is still more work/life freelance. If total freelance work isn’t for you and you can’t find your niche (more on that in the next section), we’d look for remote work jobs.

Finding Your Niche

First things first, let’s ask ourselves something: what are you really good at? Not, “okay-ish,” but really good.

Do you have strong capabilities in graphic design, content writing, coding, or even marketing? Identify your prime skills.

Now, try analyzing deeper. What specific sub-sector can you focus on? A web designer who specializes in e-commerce? A SaaS blog writing machine?

At first, niching down can be restrictive, but it allows you to compete effectively in a congested marketplace. It’s easy to want to be a Jack of all trades, but specialists tend to have more lucrative opportunities and better clients.

To define your niche, think about blending your skills with an industry or topic that you are passionate about. For example, if you love traveling and wish to pursue a career in copywriting, focus on writing for travel blogs or tourism companies.

Find your strengths by picking small projects in different niches before committing to them fully.

Selling Yourself

Nobody will market you better than you. Learn to market yourself.

Draft an elevator pitch focusing on your skills, experience, and how you can add value to clients. While confidence is helpful, having results to back it up matters more. On Zoom calls or even while writing email proposals, communicate clearly on why you are the best candidate for the job.

Start by building your personal brand, which includes creating a website with a  website builder, setting up a LinkedIn profile (your ultimate tool for networking), and refining your communication style. Ensure everything is cohesive to clearly convey to potential clients who you are and why they need you

Make outreach to clients personal. Take time to understand their business and their challenges, and then articulate how you can help. No templates and no clichés. Templates are easy to ignore and even easier to spot.

Reviews and testimonials are highly underrated. Positive feedback from previous clients can be a game changer for convincing new clients to give you the job.

Networking as a Digital Nomad

You won’t get far without networking. Luckily for you, there are a few easy ways to do it.

LinkedIn is one of the biggest for networking as a digital nomad, freelancer, or business. It’s like the X (Twitter) of the self-employed/business world. Regularly post your work, network and communicate with people in the same niche, and look for collaborations.

It’s so easy to grow a network on LinkedIn if you put the effort into networking yourself. You can also join groups on LinkedIn that relate to your niche and make it easier to meet the right type of people.

The key goal here is to form outreach. Never ask for the sale first. Instead, ask questions, ask if people need help, and in the end, build a strong network.

Meeting people off the internet is also essential. There are spaces for remote workers, coworking spaces, and meetups—everything that is popular among remote work professionals is available in tourist areas preferred by digital nomads.

If you go to places like Bali, you’ll be amazed at how many cafes and open working spaces are full of digital nomads looking to collaborate.

There is much value in networking beyond just work. For a digital nomad, it helps build a community to support the lifestyle.

The Best Places to Live to Be a Digital Nomad

Sometimes, moving to a different country or at least traveling to another country for some length of time and going to the digital nomad hotspot hubs is the best thing you can do. It’s not essential, but there’s a lot of opportunities.

There are locations like Bali, Chiang Mai, and Medellin, which are well known for affordable living and being a center for digital nomads wanting to collaborate. London or Los Angeles are similar vibes but they are more expensive. Still, you’ve got the cool vibes and networking opportunities to go with it.

Where you go depends on what you’re trying to achieve and whether being in that type of environment will benefit you.

Take into account the local cost of living, internet speed, and the remote working community. To give you an idea, Bali is a hotspot for digital nomads because of cheap villas, and Lisbon is known for its tech center and good weather.

Some countries offer long-term digital nomad visas, so make sure to check any additional requirements as well.

✈️ Join the Digital Nomad Society!

Everything About Finances

Tax returns are what ruin a digital nomad’s lifestyle.

Each country has its own tax policies, and as a remote worker, sometimes, you’ll have to juggle several tax systems.

Invest in a digital nomad-friendly tax advisor. Build a financial cushion. Freelancing may leave you with loose pockets and uncertainty, so try to have savings set aside for at least three to six months.

Always be vigilant about your spending and set up apps for your invoices and payments. And if you don’t charge tax or VAT, make sure you’re putting it aside after every invoice!

If you are thinking about moving abroad to a digital nomad hub, consider using services like Wise or Revolut to handle many currencies while charging minimal amounts in fees. If you have income in one foreign currency but consume in another one, then both currencies will have an impact on your economic standing.

Conclusion

So, going back to the question we asked in the beginning: ‘Why wouldn’t you want to be a digital nomad?’ There’s so much potential in this style of career if you want to live a less confined work lifestyle. The hardest part is finding your niche!

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Danielle Hu

Danielle Hu

Danielle Hu is a multiple 6-figure travel influencer, business coach, and Host of The Wanderlover Podcast. She has traveled to over 65+ countries running her online business and surfing in remote tropical destinations. Her mission is to help creatives and coaches achieve time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.

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The Digital Nomad Society

Join the success club for new and aspiring  Digital Nomads

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Hi, I’m Danielle

My mission is to help you design a location-independent lifestyle through online entrepreneurship, to achieve time freedom, location freedom, financial freedom.

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