Kevin Casey - The Over-40 Digital Nomad

Edition 1.0 (2017)

D ISCLAIMER, TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT AND COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The author/publisher of this eBook has used his best efforts in preparing this eBook. The author/publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, or completeness of the contents herein. The information in this eBook is strictly for educational purposes. If you choose to apply ideas contained within this eBook, you are taking full responsibility for your actions.

The author and publisher disclaim any warranties (express or implied), or fitness for any particular purpose. The author/publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising indirectly or directly from any use of this material, which is presented as is and without warranties.

This eBook is copyrighted by Kevin Casey and Kimberley Publications. No part of this eBook may be copied, changed in any format, sold, or used in any way other than what is outlined within this eBook under any circumstances.

K evin Casey is a freelance writer and author of several books, including:

Jobs Abroad: The Australian Travellers Guide to Working Overseas (1992)

Attracting Frogs to Your Garden: Creating an Ideal Habitat for Native Frogs in Your Own Backyard (1996)

Australian Bush Survival Skills: A Complete Guide to Surviving in the Wild (2000)

Australian Chess Brilliancies: Creative Attacking Chess from Down Under (2009)

The Jet-setting Copywriter: How to Fund All Your Overseas Adventures through Freelance Writing (2016)

The Over-40 Digital Nomad: A practical guide for mature-age global adventurers (2017)

When not writing, Kevin explores the most pristine river systems on earth, normally alone and with minimal equipment. You can check out his river exploration videos and stories at www.remoteriverman.com

Kevin combines travel, adventure and professional freelance writing into an adventurous and rewarding lifestyle. Check out his travel/writing blog at www.thejetsettingcopywriter.com

You can contact Kevin through his website at www.kevincaseycopywriter.com

W hen you close your eyes and try to visualise a digital nomad, what image springs to mind? For most of us, its probably a smiling twenty-something sitting on a beach with a laptop perched across their knees (hammock optional). This is certainly the default projected image for this lifestyle.

But does this stereotype accurately reflect reality? No, not really. The average age of todays globe-trotting freelancer/entrepreneur is much older than you think.

This is a book for (and about) mature digital nomads. It outlines the most important practical aspects of how to become a location-independent freelancer and also provides inspiration and advice from a number of over-40 nomads who are currently living this lifestyle. One of the best ways to learn how to do something is to hear from those who are out there doing it.

Some of todays older nomads started combining work and travel even before the term digital nomad was in common use. In many ways, theyre the pioneers of the DN movement. Others are late bloomers, deciding on this lifestyle late in life and using their accumulated years of business acumen to forge new careers in freelancing. There is no ideal age to become a digital nomad; the perfect time is when it feels right to you whether youre 19 or 59.

Maturity, of course, is only partly about age. It is also about experience - and the over-40 nomad has this advantage in spades. This is not to say that younger nomads cant also glean useful information from this book its messages can be applied by anyone who wants to better understand what successful location independence is all about.

Its hard to find accurate information on the status of the digital nomad movement because the phenomenon is in such a state of flux. What was true three years ago may no longer apply today. Attempts to survey digital nomads have been fairly sporadic, but one thing is clear: the typical profile of a digital nomad (or location-independent entrepreneur, if you prefer) is NOT a 19-year old backpacker with little savings and a vague idea about quitting my job to travel the world.

Digital nomads come in all shapes, sizes, ages, nationalities and backgrounds. With close to 3 billion people having access to the Internet (and growing), location independence has redefined what it means to be at work.

In a 2014 Upwork survey, 74% of digital nomads said they chose the lifestyle to reduce their ties to a physical workplace, with two-thirds going freelance and one-third opting to create an online business or team. Once they went nomad, over 90% said they were happier with their work lives. Nearly 8 out of 10 expected to remain location-independent for the rest of their lives and 59% saw an increase in income after making the change (24% made less money and 17% made about the same as before).

One advantage cited by digital nomads was increased productivity - with 79% proclaiming that becoming location-independent made them more productive in their chosen work.

The most comprehensive survey into digital nomadism ever, conducted by Welance in 2016, involved over 500 respondents (with over 60 questions for each) and shed even more light on the DN world. It found that:

64% of surveyed digital nomads were male and 36% were female

45% were single and 55% were in a relationship

Programmers made up 22%, marketers 9% and designers 8% of DNs. Professions covered quite a wide range and included film producers, stock traders and even DJs.

29% of respondents fell into the 26-30 age group; a full third were in the 31-36 age bracket and 18% were between 37 and 45 years of age.

Unsurprising, DNs can and do work from just about anywhere on earth with functional Wi-Fi Armenia, Haiti, Ukraine, Peru, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Indonesia, etc. However, the survey also found that DNs are by no means always fully nomadic: most regularly return to a home base of some kind.

The most common length of stay in one country was 1-3 months (44%), with 25% staying put for only 1-2 weeks. Some folks took the nomadic part of DN life seriously: over the course of a year, 9% paid a visit to over ten different countries in pursuit of their adventures.

Some high-flying DNs reported making over $5,000 per month (11%), while 19% were making $2,000 - $3,000 a month and 27% were on $1,000 - $2,000 per month. These figures suggest that the income of nearly half of all digital nomads falls below the $1,000 per month mark a mark that might be considered a bare-bones-minimum income for long-term DN sustainability, even in the cheapest nomad hotspots around the globe. I would consider $2000 per month a more realistic minimal DN income if you want to have much in the way of destination flexibility, a non-Spartan lifestyle and an essential emergency fund.

Perhaps the most telling result of this survey was that 85% of respondents said they were very happy with their decision to become location-independent.

So how many over-40 digital nomads are out there in the world? No one really knows - but its a sure bet the number will continue to grow. I didnt become a location-independent freelance copywriter until I was in my fifties and my age has proven to be no barrier whatsoever. My only regret is that I didnt think of the idea sooner!