This is where we will share any deals and digital nomad resources that we have come across that are perfect for anyone living a nomadic or remote work lifestyle.
Any products we recommend we have personally tried and are confident in recommending to you. We will also be sharing exclusive discounts that you won’t find anywhere else right here.
From health and travel insurance to amazing books for freelancers, productivity apps, digital nomad accommodation, must-have products, and more.
These are the resources and products that have kept us safe, sane, and satisfied over the years during our journey as digital nomads.
We only recommend products and services that we have personally used. If you have a product or service which you think is perfect with this list then get in touch with us, we’d be happy to try it out before recommending it to others.
If you have any questions about any of these products or want to share new products, just get in touch.
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Digital Nomad Resources: Table of Contents
- Health and Travel Insurance
- Digital Nomad Housing and Accommodation
- Best Gear and Tech
- Best Banks and Credit Cards
- Finding Cheap Flights
- VPN Providers and eSIM cards for Remote Workers
- Best Subscriptions for Nomads
- Best Coworking Spaces & Virtual Coworking
- Best Apps for Productivity
- Books for Nomads and Freelancers
- Resources for Making a Website or Portfolio
Global Health and Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
What travel and global health insurance you choose is ultimately a very personal choice. However, as a nomad, it’s important to look for one that considers our lifestyle.
Here are our favourite options when it comes to health and travel insurance for nomads, long-term travellers. and remote workers.
SafteyWing
Geared specifically towards remote workers.
We were personally very impressed SafteyWing during the early stages of the pandemic when they helped us with our emergency flight home.
We’ve always found communication with them easy and the claims process is clear and straightforward (read more in our full review). It’s also easy to add people to your insurance if you are a couple or group which saves money if you’re travelling with others.
They also have unique features on the horizon such as a remote doctor, remote mental health support, remote pension scheme, and more. All of which tells us that they have the real issues facing digital nomads in mind.
Insured Nomads
Another insurance company that has those who live a location independent lifestyle and need health insurance not limited geographically in mind, Its founders have lived as digital nomads and understand the unique situations you can find yourself in.
We’ve also had a great experience with Insured Nomads in the past and found them easy to deal with when making a claim.
The policies are very detailed and also come with a range of added benefits such as an INC membership which provides travel alerts, perks such as airport lounge use, counselling, a VPN, and visa and vaccination support. You can pick a solo, couple, or family plan making it easy to save money.
Digital Nomad Housing and Accommodation
These are our favourite ways to find accommodation while working and travelling.
While we have mostly relied on housesitting overall, finding short term accommodation has still been necessary for those in-between stages or in countries where housesits aren’t popular.
Read our accommodation and housesitting guides:
The Best Accommodation Options for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
How to Work Remotely Without Paying Rent
Getting Started With Long Term Housesitting
Trusted House Sitters
We highly recommend trying out housesitting, especially if you enjoy looking after pets or even miss having a pet of your own. It’s easy to get started with housesitting and also a wonderful way to meet new people and lifelong friends.
This is one of the cheapest ways to live a nomadic lifestyle. We’ve had the most success with Trusted Housesitters but there are local housesitting websites if you’re based in one country which may be more suitable.
Airbnb
Airbnb remains one of the easiest ways for remote workers and digital nomads to find accommodation quickly. It’s ideal for stays of one to three months or while you find longer-term accommodation. Many Airbnb hosts will do monthly stay discounts and you can even privately reach out to negotiate a rate that works for you.
Anyplace
A housing marketplace just for digital nomads and remote workers. You’ll find everything from co-living spaces, extended stay hotels, and private apartments on Anyplace. Most importantly, is that all the accommodation has been vetted as being suitable for working in and is fully-furnished. They also have Select apartments that come with video conferencing facilities. The accommodation is also fully flexible in that you can easily extend your stay or leave if needed with no hassle. The minimum stay is typically 30 days.
Agoda
Agoda offers private stays including villas, apartments, and long stay accommodation. They are particularly great if you are remote working in Asia and remain one of the most well-known brands in that region. It’s worth checking both Airbnb and Agoda when you are looking for digital-nomad-friendly accommodation. They also offer free cancellation.
Booking.com
Not just hotels, Booking.com also offers apartment stays around the world. This can be an ideal option when you need short-term accommodation while looking for something more long-term. You will often find very detailed user reviews which can be handy when looking for important aspects like WiFi strength etc.
flOasis
A new accommodation platform built by and for remote workers. All of the properties are checked as suitable to get work done while also providing a wholesome living experience. flOasis properties are so varied and yet have been vetted so you don’t have to worry that the internet might be bad or there’s no desk. Using their intuitive platform, you also have the benefit of joining their community of global nomads and accessing resources.
Best Gear and Tech for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
Here you can find some of the best tried-and-tested gear which is suitable for remote workers and digital nomads on the go.
Check out our gear guides for more options:
Best Luggage for Digital Nomads
Best Backpacks for Digital Nomads
Best Portable WIFI Options for Remote Workers
Best Laptop Light for Video Conferences
Best Laptop for Digital Nomads
Many remote workers use a Macbook Air but if you’re looking for a Windows laptop then we recommend the highly reliable and affordable LENOVO Yoga Slim 7. Its battery life is genuinely impressive, it’s lightweight, and comes in a variety of colours.
Best Backpack for Digital Nomads
Keep your laptop secure with the budget-friendly Amazon anti-theft tech backpack complete with a combination lock. There is space for a 17-inch laptop plus room for other tech and plenty of compartments. to keep yourself organized.
Best Budget Camera for Digital Nomads
If you’re not looking for a DSLR or mirrorless camera then we highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 for a compact point-and-shoot. It films in 4k, 20.3MP and has 30x optical zoom. Everything you need to capture your travels and vlog.
Best Wifi for Digital Nomads
We love Solis (previously known as Skyroam) to keep connected on the go. It works in 135+ countries and flexible packages include day and monthly wifi passes.
When we have lost connection, we’ve been so grateful always to have this option. (Use NOMAD20 for a discount). Check out our other portable wifi options or full review of Solis.
Best for Portable Gaming
We wouldn’t go anywhere without our Nintendo Switch (also available in the Nintendo Switch Lite). Most indie games and a growing number of AAA games are available on the Nintendo Store.
Want a relaxing game to start with? Try Animal Crossing New Horizons and for something fast-paced and addictive try Hades. You can also plug it into a TV for full-screen gaming.
Best for Reading on the Go
Having any kind of e-reader, even one on your phone (using the free Kindle app) means you can access an endless stream of literature at all times. As bookworms, this is so important for us, though we still manage to pack a few books.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite or Oasis are both excellent and you can email yourself .mobi files, PDFs, plus buy off the Kindle store.
Best Office Tech for Remote Workers
While, ultimately, you just need your laptop to work remotely having a few portable tools can make your work life more comfortable. We highly recommend investing in a lightweight laptop stand, an ergonomic mouse, and a multi-device Bluetooth keyboard to create a setup that you can pack up easily.
Best Headphones for Digital Nomads
Noise-cancelling headphones come in very useful as a remote worker and digital nomad. If you’re trying to drown out distractions it’s pretty essential. If you prefer in-ear buds then we highly recommend the Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Earbuds and if you prefer over-ear then try the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
Best Suitcase for Digital Nomads
The Osprey’s Farpoint 40 is ever-popular with digital nomads because it fits within EU carry-on guidelines and has lots of handy compartments for organizing. If you prefer a suitcase on wheels then the lightweight Genius Pack Carry On is ideal with an air-line approved power pack and external USBs, multiple organization compartments, and a laundry bag.
Best Filtered Water Bottle for Digital Nomads
Do your best to avoid single-use plastic bottles, keep hydrated, and stay healthy all at the same time.
The straw inside the SurviMate Purified Water Bottle purifies water, even from water sources like rivers, meaning whether you’re hiking or just on a day out you can hit your daily water targets. It’s smooth to suck out of and requires no effort except for refilling.
Best Cutlery Set for Eating on the Go
Something that became a lifesaver on so many occasions was a reusable cutlery set. So many evenings ordering takeout to a hotel or eating items from a supermarket before realising we had no cutlery were ended as soon as we had this tucked away in our luggage. It also makes you more eco-friendly day-to-day as you can say no to plastic straws, disposable chopsticks, and plastic cutlery.
Best Microphone for Podcasts and Youtube
It doesn’t get much better than the Blue Snowball in terms of portable home audio recording equipment.
If you’re making podcasts or youtube videos at home, recording audiobooks, or just want to sound great on Zoom then this USB mic really is ideal. You can also combine with a boom arm and pop filter for truly professional home setups.
Best Banks and Credit Cards for Digital Nomads
Banking for digital nomads can become a minefield of currency conversions and charges, here are some of our favourite banks tried out by ourselves or other nomads in our community.
N26 – Based in Germany and perfect if you’re from an EU country. We had such a great time with them until the Brexit situation meant they could no longer serve customers from the UK. Tragic. They offer 24-hour service and a range of accounts (and business accounts) to suit all needs.
Their basic account offers a virtual debit card and the paid accounts supply a debit card which is accepted worldwide. We do think it’s a shame you have to pay for a debit card considering this is standard with most banks below.
Tide – This was the account we switched to after not being able to use N26 and we were very impressed. They only do business accounts, not personal ones but they are ideal for freelancers with tax support, invoicing features, features to upload receipts, easy to sync with bookkeeping software, and different labels to identify payments.
A debit card was included for basic free accounts and typical features like free transfers, free withdrawals abroad to a point, and a card that works worldwide. Note, you need to have a UK address and phone number. (You can also use this code to receive £50 free ESAXBLKCC).
Monese – Monese are super easy to open an account with and require no proof of address or credit checks. Available if you live in one of 31 EU countries and UK. They have customer service in over fourteen languages, and they also offer joint accounts which is ideal if you’re travelling with your partner.
Basic accounts receive a contactless credit card, instant top-ups and spending notifications and budgeting tools to help keep your spending down. It works worldwide and offers cheap transactions for sending money. You can also link your Avois and Paypal accounts which is handy!
Wise – Previously known as Transferwise, this is one of the best ways to transfer money between currencies and countries without high fees. As freelancers, we always request that we’re paid via Wise rather than Paypal, if possible, as you can lose so much money in Paypal fees.
Wise also now has a bank card available for its customers (including those from the US, Australia, New Zealand) which can hold multiple currencies and operates in the same way as other digital nomad credit cards.
Stack – This is one of the few and best-prepaid cards available for Canadian remote workers. They offer great money management tools, cashback at numerous big retailers, no ATM fees, a card that you can use worldwide. We’ve only heard great things about this bank from Canadian friends.
Revolut – Revolut was one of the first companies on the block to provide internet bank facilitates that were ideal for travellers. Everything the rest of these banks offer they also offer but, like Wise, residents outside of the UK and EU can apply for a card.
Residents of countries such as the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Singapore are included. You do have to pay a small fee for your first debit card but the account itself is free.
Digital Nomad Resources — Finding Cheap Flights
Don’t waste your hard-earned money on expensive flights. Here are some of our favourite resources for finding the cheapest flights.
Scott’s Cheap Flights: A fantastic website and free weekly newsletter which sends the best flight deals from your designated airports straight to your inbox.
Most deals are 40-90% off normal prices and they focus on reputable airlines.
They also have a premium newsletter that sends out flight pricing errors, secret and premium deals, discounted peak season flights. We highly recommend signing up.
Secret Flying: Another of our favourite digital nomad resources, Secret Flying curate cheap flight deals from all airlines and send them to your inbox.
Love a layover? Great, it’s one of the best ways to get a good flight deal. Here are some great websites to help you plan a layover (that actually save you money) such as Clever Layover and Airwander.
Great sites for searching and booking your flights:
Skyscanner searches major and budget airlines as well as English and non-English sites.
Google Flights allows you to compare flight dates and destinations easily.
Momondo features most airlines and often shows cheaper flights than other sites do.
Kiwi.com will actually do the work for you and find flight routes that may use multiple airlines for more affordable trips.
Hopper uses data-driven tools to predict when flights will be the cheapest and help you find flight and hotel deals.
Read More: Find out favourite hacks for finding cheap flights and cities that offer you layover freebies.
Best VPN Providers for Remote Workers
A VPN (a virtual private network) is important for people working on the go with potentially sensitive information on their laptops. It’s also just great for security full stop. One of the more truly essential digital nomad resources.
We recommend Nord VPN and Express VPN as they were also extremely reliable options for us when we lived in China where many providers struggle against the great firewall.
We were able to access social media and the news as if we were elsewhere throughout the year. They also work for streaming content from other countries, if you want to keep up with your favourite shows.
Best eSIM Card for Digital Nomads
When we were looking for a SIM Card for the US, and having not picked up a prepaid one at the airport, we quickly realised that they weren’t as easy to find as we had assumed. This led us to one of our new favourite option for cheap data while abroad, Airalo eSim cards which are available in 190+ countries.
You simply purchase an eSIM card for the country you are travelling in, a regional SIM which will work as you travel across Asia, Europe, Africa, or the Caribbean islands, or you can purchase a global SIM.
You will be given a QR code to scan to add the sim to your phone, or detailed instructions on how to add it manually — you won’t need to remove your old SIM card. There is also a chat box or email contact if you need further support or run into trouble. It took less than five minutes to have data.
Airalo is one of our favourite ways to pick up data quickly and easily, anywhere. Use friend referral code (JESSIC4133) for free credit.
Read More: Best Portable WIFI and Mobile Hotspots for Remote Workers
Best Subscriptions for Digital Nomads
Here are some services you can subscribe to that will make life on the road or life working at home easier and more fun. Most of these are easy to share with someone else to reduce costs, so team up with a fellow nomad and save.
Kindle Unlimited: If you love to read then the Unlimited plan is a no-brainer and the range of books included in the subscription is, quite simply, huge. From travel guides to self-improvement books, literature, and poetry, this is the plan for people who want to read to their heart’s content and never run out.
Audible Plus: Get some audiobooks in your life! We personally prefer Audible plus to the original Audible plan as you get access to unlimited audiobooks per month meaning you don’t have to think too hard about what you spend your credits on. It also means you can juggle some non-fiction and fiction or indulge in poetry that you might not normally want to spend a whole credit on if you’re not a regular poetry reader.
Skillshare: One of the best ways to master some new skills online. The sheer range of classes on offer is staggering whether you want to improve your digital marketing or SEO skills or take up a new hobby like sewing, illustration, or a language. it’s one of the easiest ways to self-improve this year.
Spotify: Spotify is a great way to listen to music and podcasts — they even have some audiobooks on there. There are also family and couple plans which you can share with other nomads to bring costs down a little. Save and make playlists and have your favourite tunes with you at all times.
Netflix: There’s something about having a Netflix subscription while travelling that is so comforting. Your favourite shows are there no matter what and you can download a series or film for watching on train or plane rides if the in-flight entertainment isn’t doing it for you. We also love Nebula if you want to watch your favourite Youtube creators ad-free with original content and CuriosityStream for people who love to learn.
Headspace: If you find it difficult to switch off, get to sleep at night or have some specific phobias or anxieties you would like to work through then Headspace is such a helpful tool. I really don’t think there are many people who can’t benefit from at least their free plan. Setting aside a little bit of you-time in the morning or evening to refocus yourself can become a great part of your routine and particularly helpful for people who are moving around a lot meaning, inevitably, life can get chaotic at times.
Best Coworking Spaces
We’re a big fan of coworking, whether it’s virtual or in-person. Utilising coworking spaces whether you’re based in one place for a while or moving around more frequently is a great way to meet new people, find clients, and build a community.
We like to look for local co-working spaces depending on the city we’re in but if you’re looking for a global option then Impact Hub is a great choice. This one of the world’s largest communities with a hundred locations in over fifty countries, their focus is creating a global community for passionate entrepreneurs looking to create a positive impact.
Virtual Coworking
We’ve talked at length about why virtual coworking is a great idea for people on the go. While it can’t supplement the feeling of going to a physical coworking space, it can be a much more cost-effective way to network with others and get stuff done.
Remote Faces – A free virtual coworking option for remote teams, online communities, and solopreneurs. Just enter your email, join a room and go.
Focusmate – Focusmate is a lovely site that connects you with other people who want to focus on a task for exactly fifty minutes
My workhive – A friendly community ready for you to try coworking virtually with. They have been working virtually for several years and have amassed a global network of freelance and remote workers.
Read More: For more options and information, check out our virtual coworking guide.
Best Apps for Productivity
In a world full of distractions, sometimes we need a little help to get things down, switch off, and build good habits. Here are some of the best productivity, organisation, and habit-building apps that we love to use.
Notion – Notion is a handy tool as it blends all of your workspace apps onto one platform so you’re not flipping between different sites.
Meeting notes can be taken down or other notes with its google docs style features, scheduling and planning features are present which easily replaces Trello and Asana, plus a chat function is present.
Forest – If you find you’re not getting enough work done thanks to social media or your phone distracting you in general then Forest is a fun app that sorts that out for you.
Just ‘plant a tree; when you need to focus and the tree will keep growing for as long as you leave your phone alone if you use your phone the tree will die. Growing your own forest is strangely satisfying and they plant real trees for coins spent in-app. Simple and effective.
Offtime – With a similar philosophy to Forest, Offtime helps you get off your phone and live in the real work or focus but goes further and syncs across all of your devices, schedule downtime into your day, and shares data on how you use your phone.
Habitica – This adorable app turns your daily tasks into an RPG style game. Just list the tasks you need to do and earn coins and experience points when you complete those goals which help you level up by completing those goals.
This app is primarily for building good habits into your life and sticking to them; if you’re looking for a few ideas try our easy self-improvement tips.
Read More: Tips and tricks for keeping productive and efficient when you’re working from home.
Great Books for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
If you’re looking for an ideal read, written by people who are freelancers or digital nomads themselves, then here are some of our recommendations.
The Digital Nomad Handbook – Written by Lonely Planet.
The Nomad Handbook is a practical digital nomad resources guide, inspiring and motivating people to achieve their goal of travelling more, starting a whole new way of living and creating a flexible work/life balance. It’s available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
Survival Skills for Freelancers – Written by Sarah Townsend
Survival Skills is a kit for new and experienced freelancers alike. With its personal anecdotes, practical advice and tales from the freelance community, it busts the myths about being your own boss and lays things out in an actionable way.
It’s available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
You’re the Business How to Build a Successful Career – Written by Anna Codrea-Rado.
From the writer of the wonderful The Professional Freelancer newsletter, in You’re the Business Anna offers insight from finding clients and setting rates, to saving for taxes and dealing with insecurities
Hype Yourself: A no-nonsense PR toolkit – Written by Lucy Werner.
If you’re like us and struggle with blowing your own trumpet then this is for you. Hype Yourself is an invaluable toolkit for getting you and your business featured in the media: newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. It includes expert tips from journalists and industry specialist
Resources for Starting Your Own Website or Portfolio
Whether you are a freelancer who is looking to promote their services or you’re looking to start your own blog then we highly recommend these resources for getting set up.
Hosting:
We recommend Siteground and Bigscoots. Bigscoots is particularly good if you’re looking to scale up as it works out much cheaper than Siteground once you’re getting that high traffic.
We also found their customer service to be better and our sites experienced less downtime.
SEO keyword research: We recommend Keysearch for all your SEO needs. Search for keywords to get your content ranking and use their content assistant to get the most out of your content. Discover more SEO tools for small businesses.
Themes:
We absolutely love Generatepress for how quick and customizable it is. We have tried several options across this site and our other sites and this is our favourite for simplicity and speed.
It also combines well with page builders such as Elementor. If you’re looking for specific themes, then check out Theme Forest for endless options.
Quick Portfolios:
We highly recommend Journo Portfolio for a quick and easy writing portfolio or you can make a quick, professional-looking portfolio or website with Squarespace which has templates for just about any portfolio you could imagine.
We hope you enjoyed these digital nomad resources, please consider sharing this page and bookmarking for future use!