One of the perks of the digital nomad lifestyle: working in a place like Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Last fall I was sitting in an Israeli café in Kathmandu writing about train travel in Europe.

Weird? Well, not really. I was supposed to be working on preparations for my upcoming tour to Singapore and Malaysia. But I was asked to write two more articles for the Eurail blog.

At that point, I had been in Kathmandu for about two weeks and had actually seen very little of the city. This is the digital nomad’s reality. I wish I could say I was out seeing cool things everyday: encircling stupas, photographic medieval squares, perusing the local marketplace. But like most people, I need to work. It just so happens that I can work from whatever place I choose to go. (Read more about What a Digital Nomad is)

Just like you, I have to really savor the moments I’m actually “traveling” or seeing things. My little sightseeing vacations are in actuality my days off. Like the 15 days I was trekking in the Himalaya or the short time I spent wandering around the well-preserved town of Bhaktapur, bumping into locals and getting a real feel for the place.

In the future, my goal is to both work more efficiently and take more time off to experience each place. Part of that goal includes following some of these guidelines that I set up to improve creativity and productivity.

It’s just a fact of my job and lifestyle that I can’t see everything interesting in every place that I go. Articles have to get written, photos have to be edited, and emails sent. I’d like to explore more of Kathmandu and get an impression other than “touristy backpacker ghetto” and “traffic-clogged streets”, and “polluted air” but I’m not sure I will.

That said, Kathmandu is still a great temporary base for a digital nomad. This location independent lifestyle is still an amazing way to both travel the world and experience different cultures–all while earning an income and pursuing my career goals and lifestyle choice.

Do you have a job you could take on the road? Have you thought about joining the new generation of digital nomads and making a new life for yourself on the road?

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