I've Been a Digital Nomad for 8 Years. 8 Unusual Gadgets I Always Pack - CNET

I vividly remember the first time I traveled. I was 10 years old when my mother sent my brother and I to Mombasa, Kenya. She's Kenyan and wanted us to experience our culture and meet family. She couldn't travel with us because of work, so my brother and I traveled from Milwaukee as unaccompanied minors. I was just old enough to be amazed by the experience of flying, walking through airports and landing in a country where English wasn't the primary language.

Decades later, in 2013, I had my first big work trip as an adult. I'm a consultant who owns a software company, and a corporation in Sydney hired me to come to its offices and train its team.

Flying to Sydney was a surreal experience. The client paid for Premium Economy seats on Virgin Atlantic, and the plane had a full bar. My hotel overlooked Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House. It was on this trip that I realized how much I loved working abroad, and the nomadic lifestyle began to call me.

The author in Sydney in 2013.

But I couldn't be a digital nomad yet; three young children waited for me stateside, where I had a home, cars and everything else that comes with a "normal" life. I continued to travel for my business, but they were shorter trips, which piqued my interest in what it would be like to live in Tokyo, South Korea, London, Dublin, Cairo and other places I visited. From 2013 to 2016, I traveled to 38 countries for corporate consulting training contracts. 

Later, when my children were older and living with their mom, I got serious about being a digital nomad. As the possibility of nomadic life became increasingly real, though, moments of excitement were quickly overtaken with the sinking feeling that I was abandoning my children and family. 

Therapy helped me understand that two things can be true: I can live a nomadic lifestyle, and I can still be there for my children. My kids were supportive of my lifestyle as a digital nomad. So, in 2016, I sold all my material possessions, sold my home and relocated to Medellin, Colombia, to embrace full-time digital nomadism. 

Since then, I've lived and worked in Mexico City, the UK, Paris, Madrid, Nairobi, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Cape Town, Rome, Lisbon, Nice and Barcelona.

Digital nomadism has allowed the author to visit nearly 90 countries.

What I like and don't like about being a digital nomad

What I like most about being a digital nomad is how freeing the lifestyle is. I like having fewer material possessions and the ability to travel anywhere, anytime. I enjoy experiencing new cultures, history and the foods of other countries. Consulting and digital nomadism have allowed me to travel to 88 countries and live in over a dozen. I've been able to build my business and be touristy; I work Monday through Friday, then explore whatever country I'm in on the weekends.

What's hard about being a digital nomad is being far away from my family. Technologies like FaceTime, Zoom and social media make connecting more accessible, but it's not the same as hugging my kids and hanging out with them in person. Luckily, my nomadic lifestyle means I can travel to them whenever I want. 

8 unusual gadgets I always pack

As a digital nomad, tech is essential for both work and life. I need to be able to do everything I would do if I had an office, but in an Airbnb, hotel or apartment rental instead. Some of my gear is obvious, like my laptop (M3 MacBook Pro), smartphone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) and tracking tags (AirTags). 

The author's work hardware for nomadic travel.

Below are a few of my more nomad-specific gear picks.

Make your travel tech work for you

Whether you're embarking on a long remote work trip or exploring digital nomadism, the right gear makes the journey easier and more enjoyable along the way. Experiment with your setup on your next work trip to find what works best for you.