Helpful websites for travel and remote work
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What insurance do digital nomads actually need?
Digital nomads need travel medical insurance built for long-term, multi-country use rather than a single-trip policy, plus free embassy registration for longer stays. A monthly subscription model like SafetyWing fits nomad life better than trip-based plans, since it renews automatically as you keep moving. Embassy registration adds a free safety net most travelers skip entirely.
- SafetyWing. Travel medical insurance built for digital nomads, sold as a monthly subscription instead of a per-trip policy. This is what I personally use on the road.
- Local embassy registration programs, like STEP for US citizens. Free, and worth doing before any longer trip.
What’s the best way to manage money while traveling?
A multi-currency tool like Wise for converting money without high fees, combined with a credit card that charges no foreign transaction fees, covers most of what digital nomads need for managing money abroad. Wise avoids the poor exchange rates traditional banks apply, and a no-fee card removes the small charges that add up fast across dozens of transactions in different currencies.
- Wise, for holding and converting multiple currencies without getting destroyed on fees.
- A no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. See my Chase Sapphire Reserve post for the one I use.
How do I stay connected to wifi and data while traveling?
An eSIM provider lets you download a data plan for a new country before you land, skipping the airport SIM-shop line entirely. Pairing that with a reliable VPN covers both connectivity and security, letting you reach home banking and streaming apps safely from public wifi. Together these two tools solve almost every connectivity problem nomads run into.
- An eSIM provider like Airalo. Download a data plan for a new country before you land instead of standing in an airport SIM-shop line.
- A reliable VPN, for security on public wifi and for reaching your usual banking and streaming apps from abroad.
What are the best sites for booking travel and accommodation?
Booking.com covers accommodations, while GetYourGuide or Viator handle tours and activities, giving digital nomads reliable options for both lodging and things to do in a new destination. These platforms have wide global coverage and flexible cancellation policies, which matters more for nomads moving frequently than for typical one-week vacationers.
- Booking.com for accommodations.
- GetYourGuide or Viator for tours and activities.
- My Airbnb Alternatives post for when you want something different from the usual platforms.
How do I find community as a digital nomad?
Structured programs like WiFi Tribe and Noma Collective group nomads together for built-in community, while city-specific Facebook and Slack groups solve the same problem for solo travelers. Both options fight the isolation that comes with moving between cities alone. Searching “[city name] digital nomads” before arriving almost always turns up an active local group.
- WiFi Tribe and Noma Collective. A structured program for working remotely alongside a group instead of solo. I spent 12 months leading one of these programs—sadly, Remote Year is no more!—and it’s how a lot of my own nomad life started.
- Facebook and Slack groups for digital nomads in specific cities. Searching “[city name] digital nomads” before you arrive almost always turns up an active group.
How do I stay productive while working remotely?
A shared cloud drive for backing up work and photos protects against losing everything to a single failed laptop hard drive. A simple offline document holding your passport number, insurance policy, and emergency contacts covers you if your phone dies or gets lost. Both are low-effort habits that prevent high-stress problems later.
- A shared cloud drive for backing up work and photos as you go. Don’t rely on a single laptop hard drive, I learned that one the hard way.
- A simple offline document with your key info (passport number, insurance policy, emergency contacts), in case your phone dies or gets lost.