For the past eight years, I’ve been running my content and online education business from my laptop, from remote surf islands to major cities around the world.
One question I get asked all the time is: What does your actual setup look like? What tools do you use? What’s on your laptop? What can’t you live without?
So today I’m sharing my complete business stack.
Every app, tool, subscription, and piece of hardware that keeps my business running no matter where in the world I am.
If you’re new here, hi! I’m Danielle, founder of The Wanderlover. I’m a full-time traveler, online business owner, and I document all of it while helping others build location independent businesses of their own.
My Digital Nomad Business Stack
I’m going to break everything down into five categories:
- Productivity
- Business essentials
- Content creation
- Finance
- Travel tools
Then I’ll walk you through the hardware I actually carry with me around the world.
I’ll also be honest about what I love, what I’ve tried and eventually stopped using, and what I genuinely think is worth paying for versus what you can skip.
Productivity Tools
ClickUp
ClickUp is my brain.
Everything lives inside it. Content calendars, client projects, team tasks, launches, standard operating procedures, and basically anything that needs to get done in my business.
I used Asana before switching to ClickUp, and it just never clicked for me the same way.
What I love most is how flexible it is. You can keep it incredibly simple when you’re starting out, or build out a sophisticated system as your business grows.
When I was working completely on my own, I probably used only twenty percent of what ClickUp could do. Now that I have a team spread across different time zones, we rely on it every day to stay organized and aligned.
Apple Notes
Don’t overthink this one.
The native Notes app on my iPhone and Mac is where some of my best ideas are born.
Voice memos while I’m walking.
A script idea at six in the morning.
A random business thought after a surf session that I quickly type into my phone before I forget it.
It’s simple, it syncs across every device, and it means I’m never more than a tap away from capturing an idea.
Don’t underestimate the simplest tool in your stack.
ChatGPT and Claude
AI has become a core part of how I work.
Whether I’m brainstorming content ideas, outlining videos, writing emails, refining copy, or organizing my thoughts, I use both ChatGPT and Claude almost every day.
Each has its own strengths, and together they’ve become indispensable to my workflow.
Business Essentials
Apple Storage and iCloud
Everything is backed up to the cloud.
Always.
This is completely non-negotiable when you’re traveling because laptops get stolen, damaged, or left behind more often than you’d think.
Your files should never exist on only one physical device.
iCloud keeps everything synchronized across my MacBook, iPhone, and iPad automatically.
Zoom and Google Meet
These are what I use for client calls, team meetings, podcast interviews, and collaborations.
I generally default to Zoom, but Google Meet has become significantly better over the years and comes included with Google Workspace, so I happily use whichever the other person prefers.
Loom
Loom completely changed the way my team communicates.
Instead of scheduling another meeting just to explain something, I record a quick screen share, send the link, and my team watches it whenever they’re online.
No scheduling.
No time zone headaches.
No endless back and forth.
If you work remotely, it’s a game changer.
ThriveCart
ThriveCart powers all of my digital product sales.
It handles checkout pages, order bumps, upsells, affiliate tracking, and everything related to selling my courses and digital products.
One of my favorite things about ThriveCart is that it’s a one time payment for lifetime access, which is incredibly rare in software these days.
The value is honestly hard to beat.
Voxer
I use Voxer to communicate with coaching clients through voice messaging.
It’s much more personal than email and much more flexible than trying to schedule another Zoom call.
Calendly
Calendly removes all the back and forth of scheduling.
People simply choose a time that works, and everything automatically syncs with my calendar.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign powers my email marketing.
It’s where my newsletters, automations, funnels, and customer journeys all live.
Web Hosting
Every online business needs reliable hosting.
Your website is one of the few things you truly own online, so it’s worth investing in dependable infrastructure.
Content Creation Tools
Canva
Canva is where almost every visual asset I create begins.
Graphics.
Lead magnets.
Instagram carousels.
Presentations.
Templates.
Everything.
I’m on the Canva Pro plan, and the Brand Kit feature alone makes it worth paying for because it keeps all of my colors, fonts, and logos consistent.
Adobe Creative Suite
For more advanced editing and design work, I still rely on Adobe.
Lightroom is where I edit travel photography to create a consistent visual style.
Photoshop comes in whenever I need more precision than Canva can offer.
CapCut
CapCut is my editor for short form content.
Instagram Reels.
TikToks.
YouTube Shorts.
It’s incredibly fast, intuitive, and has become surprisingly powerful.
The automatic captions alone save me hours.
If you’re still editing every short video inside Premiere Pro, I’d seriously recommend trying CapCut.
Riverside
Riverside is where I record my podcast.
One of its biggest advantages is that it records everyone’s audio and video locally.
Even if someone’s internet connection drops, the final recording stays high quality.
If you’re interviewing guests from different parts of the world, this feature is invaluable.
Libsyn
Libsyn hosts my podcast.
It distributes each episode to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and every other major podcast platform automatically.
It’s reliable, straightforward, and does exactly what I need it to do.
Financial Tools
Running an online business while living internationally makes your financial setup much more important than people realize.
Having the right infrastructure saves time, money, and a lot of headaches.
Mercury
Mercury is my US business bank account.
There are no monthly fees, no minimum balances, the user experience is excellent, and it integrates seamlessly with the rest of my financial tools.
If you’re running an online business with a US company, I highly recommend looking into Mercury.
Wise
Wise is how I send and receive money internationally.
If you’re paying contractors overseas, receiving international payments, or simply moving money between currencies, Wise can save you a significant amount compared to traditional bank transfers.
Xero
Xero is my accounting software.
It connects directly to my bank accounts, categorizes transactions, tracks income and expenses, and makes tax season much easier.
I’ve also used QuickBooks.
Both work well, but I personally prefer Xero.
Stripe and PayPal
Stripe is my primary payment processor.
It integrates perfectly with ThriveCart and makes selling digital products incredibly simple.
PayPal is there for customers who specifically request it or for situations where Stripe isn’t the preferred option.
Travel Tools
Holafly
Holafly is my preferred eSIM provider.
I activate my data plan before I even land, so I’m connected the moment I step off the plane.
No searching for SIM cards.
No changing physical cards.
No expensive roaming charges.
Google Maps Offline
Before arriving anywhere new, I download the offline map.
It’s completely free and has saved me countless times when I didn’t have data or WiFi.
It’s one of those tiny habits that makes travel dramatically easier.
Roame.travel
Roame is one of the most underrated travel tools I use.
It searches flight award availability across multiple airline programs at once, making it much easier to book flights using points and miles.
SafetyWing
SafetyWing is the travel health insurance I recommend to most digital nomads.
It’s affordable and specifically designed for long term travelers.
That said, it isn’t comprehensive maternity insurance, something I learned firsthand.
It’s a great baseline policy, but it’s important to understand what it does and doesn’t cover.
NordVPN
Whenever I’m working from cafés, airports, hotels, or coworking spaces, I use a VPN to keep my data secure on public WiFi.
My Hardware Setup
MacBook
Your laptop is your single most important business tool.
I use a MacBook because of its processing power, reliability, and how seamlessly it integrates with my iPhone and iPad.
Whatever laptop you choose, make sure it’s powerful enough to handle your workload, especially if you edit video.
External Hard Drive
Even with cloud storage, large video files need somewhere to live.
I travel with a compact external hard drive and back up my footage after every shoot.
HyperX QuadCast
This is the microphone I use for podcasting and recording high quality audio.
Good audio matters far more than most creators realize.
People will forgive average video.
They won’t forgive poor sound.
Sony ZV-1F
This is my primary camera.
It’s compact, travel friendly, has excellent autofocus, and has filmed YouTube videos across dozens of countries.
It performs far beyond what you’d expect for its size.
Tripod
A lightweight adjustable tripod allows me to film anywhere without needing another person.
As a solo creator, it’s one of the simplest investments that makes a huge difference.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Whether I’m on a plane, in a café, or working from a coworking space, noise cancelling headphones help me focus.
I personally use Sony or Bose, and both have been excellent.
Nordace Backpack
Everything I need to run my business fits inside one backpack.
It’s organized, comfortable, and designed for constant travel.
Building a Business That Works Anywhere
Building a business that runs from anywhere in the world doesn’t happen by accident.
It takes the right tools, the right systems, and the right strategy underneath everything.
The software itself isn’t what creates freedom.
It’s how all of these tools work together to support your business while you focus on creating value.
If you’re building your own online business and want more than just a list of tools, if you want the roadmap for choosing your niche, creating your offer, building your content, and setting up your sales systems, that’s exactly what we build inside Wanderlover Business Academy.
Final Thoughts
That’s my complete digital nomad business stack.
Every app, tool, subscription, and piece of hardware I use to run my business while traveling the world.
Location freedom is absolutely possible.
It starts by building systems that allow your business to function from anywhere, not just from a desk in one city.
And remember, you don’t need every tool on this list on day one.
Start with what solves your biggest bottleneck today, then add more as your business grows. The best business stack is the one that helps you spend less time managing your business and more time actually living the life you built it for.
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