91. What It’s Really Like To Be A Digital Nomad (6 Years In!) with Kayla Ihrig
“The digital nomad lifestyle is not the silver bullet out of bad habits or unhappiness, and no one should see it as such. It's a way into different surroundings, more stimulation and achieving goals, a more saturated way of living with intense highs and lows.” - Kayla Ihrig
Kayla Ihrig is on the podcast today, chatting about her new book “How to be a Digital Nomad”.
If you’ve ever wondered if traveling full-time is really as glamorous as it looks, or even if you are just trying to gather up the courage to go on your own solo travel adventure… this episode is for you!
We chat about:
Why Kayla quit her job to travel the world
What exactly is a digital nomad (you might be surprised by the history of the digital nomadism movement!)
The highs and lows of traveling full-time
Kayla’s answers to your questions (from culture shock to solo travel)
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TODAY'S GUEST
Want to connect with today's guest Kayla Ihrig?
Check out her book >> https://writingfromnowhere.com/book/
Find her on the 'gram >> @kaylaihrig
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GET IN TOUCH
Did this episode spark an interesting reflection or a question stirring in your heart? I love hearing from you!
Instagram: @meghanljohnston
Email: hello@meghanjohnston.com
Website: meghanjohnston.com
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00]
Welcome to episode 91 of With Heart and Wonder. It is our first guest episode of 2024, my goodness. And I wanted to give you a little backstory on this one. So sometimes I get podcast pitches and, our guests today, Kayla Ihrig sent me a podcast pitch. to come on the show and talk about her new book, which you are going to hear all about today.
"How to be a digital nomad:. And this pitch landed in my inbox and it sat there. For longer than like, I'm embarrassed to say like, um, normally I get back to people pretty quickly, but I just didn't know what to do with this one. And so it sat in my inbox for longer than I care to admit. And part of the reason was, is just, I think there's can be so much hype. Around, at least in my world.
I just see you know, all of these Instagram images of like, that boss, babe, lifestyle of people. On the beach, running these online businesses and, um, there's a lot about that. I have thoughts about, um, and so I just honestly wasn't sure. Um, and [00:02:00] Kayla followed up and we had a bit of a conversation and I had the chance to read her book.
And I was just so delighted, to see this holistic perspective that she brings to thinking about. life as a digital nomad. And I also got to learn about the rich history of digital nomadism, which I knew nothing about. so I am so excited to bring you Kayla today. This interview will absolutely be for you if you've ever wondered if traveling full time is as glamorous as it looks and all it's cracked up to be.
But it's also for you. If you are wanting to travel or embark on an adventure. Maybe not even somewhere very far, but going out on a solo adventure on your own. I think that this episode will also speak to you.
I know, I definitely do not have dreams of becoming a digital nomad myself, but I still got so much. Uh, this conversation with Kayla and reading her book. So without further ado, let me tell you a little bit about Kayla kayla Ihrig bought a one-way ticket out of the United States in 2017 and has spent most of her time abroad ever since. Pushed by the feeling that life was passing her by at her nine to five,
she found work online and fumbled her way through an attempt at executing the exact lifestyle she wanted. As a writer for publications like HubSpot and GoDaddy. She built an online business that now supports, both her and her husband, as they drift around the world. Her book, how to be a digital nomad is available worldwide on the 30th of January, 2024.
Meghan: Kayla, I am just so delighted to have you here. After reading your incredible book, which I know is coming out very soon, or depending on when listeners are tuning in, it may [00:04:00] already be out in the world. So I am just so looking forward to our conversation today.
Kayla: Oh, thank you so much for having me, Megan. I could cry. I mean so much that you enjoyed the book. You're one of the first people to read it, so uh, it's really special to hear that.
Meghan: Oh my gosh, it feels like such an honor, um, and yeah, I have to, I have to be totally honest with you. I'm not a huge, like I'm not a big how to book person, but what I love about your book, and we're, I mean, we're going to talk all about your approach today, is just, it didn't feel like a how to book. It was filled with all of these beautiful, beautiful stories and a lot of practical information, but a lot of just like, permission to be curious and to imagine and to playfully explore.
It's filled with so much heart and soul.
Kayla: Oh, that makes me want to cry. Happy tears. So sweet.
Meghan: Well, why don't we start off, Kayla, and, bring us back to you many years ago and your decision to leave your job and travel the world as a digital nomad. What led to that decision?
Kayla: It kind of all started my last year in college. senior year, if everyone thinks back to like their last year in school before entering the working world, it's kind of like a really tricky time with big decisions and it's scary and lots of unknowns. And that year in my life, seven people died.
relatives, friends, roommates, boyfriend. It was all very random and just horrible timing of like spontaneous losses. And I entered the working world with this feeling that, like, I might get hit by, like, a meteorite that crashes through the atmosphere, I have no idea what's gonna happen, so life needs to be really fulfilling to balance out that, feeling that tomorrow could be it, you know, and whenever I entered the work world, I was only actually employed,full time in, an office [00:06:00] space for two years before I went traveling, but I felt like so many people were just waiting all day for 5pm, waiting all week for the weekend, waiting all year for their vacation, and I felt really deeply like I do not have time for that.
So, I saw these people online who were digital nomads and traveling and to me it was like a portal into another world and I became really obsessive researching and learning and messaging people. Can you tell me more about this? And I set off in 2017 and I was so scared. I can't even tell you how scared I was like, you do not have to be brave to try traveling.
I was not brave. I was. I almost did it out of terror, because I felt like, life's passing me by, I have to do this, and it was a lot of emotions, but I was able to, find work online, go traveling solo and backpacking, and I've been abroad most of the time ever since, it's been six and a half years now.
Meghan: Incredible. And I know you have been all over the world, and I know we'll talk more about that. Can we just take a moment just to define, what is it being a digital nomad? Because it is definitely not that you are on vacation 24 7. And I also know from reading your book, it's fascinating.
There's like a really What a fascinating history to the digital nomadism movement. Can you, can you tell us a little bit about what is it to be a digital nomad? And where did this all start?
Kayla: The really strict definition of a digital nomad is a person who works online and travels and doesn't have a home base. But now it's become more of an umbrella term to describe people who work remotely and who choose to do it from somewhere else.
like people who work from home can be digital nomads, but let's say they like to work from home, that's their thing, then they might not think, well, why don't I go try this for a week on vacation or visit my family for two weeks? So it's really about having that freedom and deciding to use it.
You don't have to use it all the time. I travel full time. I don't have a home [00:08:00] base or like stuff. I have two backpacks that I wear and maybe two boxes in storage. So I have very like few belongings, but you don't have to be extreme to be a part of it. That's how I see it. And it goes all the way back to the 80s.
A lot of people think that this is really new, and the technology that we're using, yeah, it's technically pretty new. Like, Wi Fi is actually not that old. Like, most of us are older than Wi Fi and Google, but as soon as computers were portable, people were doing this. So that started in 1983 with a man named Stephen K. Roberts, and I interviewed him in the book, and he was such a joy to talk to. And a quote that he said, he's also a writer, uh, something I like to share with everyone. He said, "you can't just dabble in passion, it's all or nothing." And he set off on his bike, and with a laptop, no internet back then, he like used a payphone and something called an acoustic coupler that put suction cups on both ends of the receiver and kind of like Morse coded his, text to a fax machine.
So technology's very different, but the people, I feel like the heart of it has always been the same.
Meghan: Yeah. Well, what really struck me is in, in his story, as well as you had another story of a family traveling in the late nineties, I believe. The Palmers and, um, and, you know, knocking on doors to ask people if they could borrow their landline and run it out the window to be able to connect their computers into it, it just struck me the way in which this, this decision to be a digital nomad is such an opportunity to do be creative in how you are living your life, how you're working, how you are showing up in your day to day.
Kayla: Yes. It changes how you speak. See every opportunity I think in a really tangible [00:10:00] way because you can all of a sudden say yes to so many things. one of the greatest privileges of like this whole thing for me, traveling has been amazing But I also got to say yes to being my best friend's birth partner.
She was a single mom giving birth to twins. And I could have never said yes to that if I was employed.
I got to say yes to spending more time with family. Whenever my husband's dad got sick, we got to Uproot and go to the Netherlands and spend time there. And I think, you know, heaven forbid something happens with my family, I'm so grateful that I get to be able to say yes.
You know, I'm booking a ticket. I'm coming. I'll be there. And yeah, that kind of profound flexibility has opened up so much and brought so much into my life.
Meghan: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And just to clarify for people, because, there is like the total Instagram image, right? Of the person working for themselves with their laptop on the beach. And I know that one of the things that you you write about is just that this can look so different. Like, there's infinite possibilities and that One decision is working for yourself, but there are people who are digital nomads, but do in fact maintain their jobs at companies and corporations.
Kayla: Yeah, absolutely. You don't have to leave a job that you like. I profile people in my book exactly like that, who love their corporate careers and they are not looking to give them up at all. It's like, not a plan B until their business takes off. They really enjoy all those benefits and, there's so many people, like, as diverse as any other group is in life, like, digital nomads are just as diverse in the way that they're making money, spending money, where they're doing it.
It's This is how their family looks. it's actually like just an enormous group of people who share this like desire for flexibility.
Meghan: Absolutely. I would love to chat with you about,the way in which travel. Mm hmm. can be this chance to, we've talked a little bit about creativity, but also to find our courage, our strength, to kind of surprise [00:12:00] ourselves.
Kayla: Oh, yeah. Travel really does that to you where you all of a sudden are put in situations and you don't know what to do. like on a very basic level, like imagine going to the grocery store and everything's in a different language and you're like, but what is it? You think, is it butter? Is this lard?
Do people here eat that? you're having to like, And you kind of have this amazing, it's like this constant cycle of like, I'm not sure, but I'm gonna try this. And sometimes it doesn't work. And so what? You buy the wrong butter. And then nothing bad happens to you. And sometimes you make a miscalculation and you end up sleeping in the airport overnight, or, you know, it's not always glamorous, but you always survive it.
And you think, well, okay, that didn't work out how I expected, but, It's fine. It's actually totally fine.
you're doing things every day that you don't know how to do, and you realize that you actually don't need to know everything, you have this incredible confidence.
And I really enjoyed hearing that in reviewing people for my book about how so many people were like, Oh, well, I figured this out. And I actually always wanted to get into real estate. And then they, well, that confidence like bled right into the next dream. And that was a real theme this was one thing that they took.
Tackled, and then it was a domino effect for all the other things after.
Meghan: yeah, yeah, and just, I can imagine just holding onto these stories and these moments where you did rise to an occasion, or you did find strength. Or you were resilient, like you made it through. You just said something that, that really twinked for me. And um, I think, I mean a lot of the people that I work with and interact with.
struggle with decision making and they struggle with like this pressure to get it right the first time like to justto do it perfectly, um, and to not make mistakes and I think it's almost impossible when you're traveling to always make the right decision. Can we talk a [00:14:00] little bit about this and how traveling can actually maybe strengthen our ability and our capacity to make decisions?
Kayla: Oh yeah, it's such good, it's such a good conversation. It's like standing in front of one of those tennis ball machines that's like, like shooting out tennis balls. That's decisions traveling.
you are, I'm forced to evaluate and think and decide, and I get it wrong half the time, and nothing bad ever happens. Sometimes I waste a few bucks but it's all survivable and just build your skin to that.
Meghan: what do you think is the biggest change that you've noticed in yourself since in these six and a half years of being a digital nomad?
Kayla: Oh, wow. I used to like to feel like I kind of knew what was going to happen. Like, if I was, someone said, Hey, we're going to go somewhere. Do you want to come today? Like, it's like get in the car. And I would say, yeah, how long does it take? Cause in my mind, I'm kind of like thinking about when we'll arrive and kind of like scheduling things out.
it used to make me feel prepared. And I realized that I, well, it's impossible to do that whenever you don't have information, or especially whenever you don't speak the language fluently, like, you'll never know all the details of, like, oh, that bus only comes every hour on Sundays, and you didn't know that, but it's written right there on the sign, and you can't read it.
I have let go of that so much, and I found myself being able to kind of just enjoy time more and stop always thinking. I was kind of always thinking a week down the road, a few hours ahead of me. I was really like living in the future, and it feels kind of almost cliche to say, but
traveling has forced me to, like, think about what's happening now. You can't plan everything out. And that's been a gift for me,
enjoy life more because of it.
Meghan: It, it sounds just like this more mindful presence and finding joy in the little moments.
Kayla: Yeah, absolutely.
Meghan: I opened it up to question, questions from listeners. And one question that came through was, What have you found the most challenging about being a digital nomad? I know there's a lot of challenges to pick from. Uh, [00:16:00] so feel free to touch on as many as you like. But it would also be fun to know, What has been the biggest challenge for you?
Kayla: I think that the, like the, the theme of all the challenges is decision fatigue and how, um, in a way you can sometimes feel like you can never totally relax because you don't know where you're going to be next month or down the road. If you're traveling full time, then you're always planning what's next and you're always having to think, do I like it here?
Do I want to stay here? Am I too cold? Do I want to go somewhere warmer? Do I want to go, uh, to a different place? You know, my board? You're kind of having to always answer all these questions because you could leave tomorrow. I mean, right now I'm in this B& B with my husband in Croatia, and we paid for two more, for more weeks, but we could leave tomorrow.
We don't have plants here. We don't have kids. We don't, you know, like, we could at any point do anything. And almost that, like, Magnitude of Decision can kind of create a paralysis whenever you're, like, overwhelmed and unable to act.
Meghan: Yeah, what are the strategies that you've found to support yourself in, in navigating that?
Kayla: I've started planning things out in a little bit bigger chunks, like planning for, like, maybe two or three months at a time, and then I can close that book in my mind and Not think about where I'm going next. I can look forward to what's upcoming, but it doesn't, it's not a to do. That's like itching to be scrapped, you know, ticked off the list.
That's been really big for me. Kind of batching, like anything else in life. You don't want to think about like, you know, making dinner every night. You meal prep for a week and then you, it's over with.
Meghan: I love that you spoke to this. It's one of the biggest things that has been helpful for like coaching clients that I worked with is this idea of like not having a decision constantly lingering over you, but being able to put it to the side and like, okay, we're going to decide that in a few weeks or in a month from now, or there is this period where there is no decision that needs to be made.
And hearing you describe all of the different decisions that are there and, [00:18:00] and, I mean, you were just speaking about some of the, the day to day and the things that happen, um, in terms of your travel plans, but I also know there's all of the decisions of things that come up when you're dealing with unexpected things, right?
Like potentially health issues or, or things that happen when they don't go to plan.
Kayla: Oh, that's the worst. Health issues abroad are the worst thing. They're the absolute worst. Yeah. Sometimes it's easy. Like my husband just had an issue with his tooth and he. Google dentist near me, and then he read the reviews for people who said that the dentist spoke English, and it went well. And then he made an appoint he walked in and made an appointment.
It was so easy. Sometimes it's like, just as easy as anything else, but sometimes it's doing a doctor's appointment at the hospital through Google Translate. And you wonder, you feel scared, because whenever you're sick, it really hits on those feelings of, I want to be home. I want someone here to take care of me.
Yeah, you're very vulnerable. Yeah.
Meghan: And, and, and, uh, I mean, I don't know that I'll ever get this example out of my head, but in your book you talk about, you know, just cultural differences in healthcare as well, and like walking naked from room to room because there's no robes given and I don't remember what country that was in.
Kayla: That, I almost hesitate to say the country because, uh, I told that story on another podcast. I got a message from somebody who lived there. That would, that doesn't happen here. And I said,
Meghan: Oh, okay.
Kayla: me there. I mean, I would never make that up, but true. It's actually not that uncommon. I've heard this from people in quite a few countries that, oh yeah, they don't do robes.
So you, uh, you just go, yeah. From one place to the next without bottom naked. So it's like, no bottoms. They're like, just go to the next room. Oh, it's scary. It's so funny how all those things matter so much to you, and you don't know how much they matter. But it's, uh, even like how the doctors look, how that matters so much to make me feel safe. [00:20:00] I went to the doctor in the Netherlands for the first time and they were wearing like jeans and a Levi's t shirt, you know, and I was like, where's your white coat? Where's your name tag? Where's you introducing yourself as Dr.
So and so? It was very casual and they didn't ask questions except, what's wrong today? I'm used to like the American like blood pressure, family history, like everything, you know, they like profile you. extensive. And it's, it just makes you feel, You feel unsure and maybe unsafe and it's all in your head potentially, but it's exhausting.
It's not fun. Those aren't the fun moments of being abroad.
Meghan: But they do sound like they're just such incredible moments to just challenge our assumptions and to be curious and to see these other ways of living, which is one of, one of the gifts of traveling.
Kayla: Yeah, it really does make you realize that there's no right way, and even in medicine, because I used to think medicine is science, and medicine is like half science and half culture, and it's amazing, it's so interesting to see all the different ways of doing things, and, um, how people react, I don't know, it's just so interesting, I feel like you have, you realize that you have, there's no base for anything, like nothing's normal, and, And that also means that you're the one who's not being normal a lot of times, because other people think normal is something else, but you don't, and you're kind of always out of place, but in a way that makes you constantly learn and reflect and evaluate.
Meghan: I know one of the things that I really appreciate about you and it's coming through in this conversation, but just is. You are very real and honest about. There is no like, just like, glossy like, Instagram filter that we are like, putting over what it is to be a digital nomad. I'm sure you've met a lot of people who thought it was one thing, dived right in, without sort of preparing for the realities of what it is to [00:22:00] travel abroad.
And I'm curious, what would you say if there's anyone listening who's maybe, you know, seen those images of the Laugh House on the beach and said, ooh, that's what I want next. What are the things that you would recommend someone think about before diving in before quitting their job or selling their house and diving into digital nomadism?
Kayla: You need to be picturing yourself working as much as you're picturing yourself doing all those other things. Like, if you think, I want to be a digital nomad, and you examine the daydream, and you think about beach, hikes, museums, margaritas, whatever it is, and you're not picturing working from a cafe or airbnb, and meetings.
You're not picturing the lifestyle. You're picturing a vacation. It's not your fault, because you don't see a lot of the other stuff online. I see these articles sometimes float by my news feed. That's like, I became a digital nomad, and it ruined my life. And whenever I read it, I think, gosh, you weren't saying yes to what you thought you were saying yes to.
and I think that it does live up to the hype, the lifestyle. I think it's even better than it looks online, but it's kind of like looking at the peak of Mount Everest and saying, oh, it's even more beautiful in real life, but then no one tells you that you actually have to climb the mountain.
And that's, to me, is what the book is about. And it's about, hey, you've got all this other stuff too, and it's just as beautiful and just as saturated and wonderful and exciting, but it's all of life happening. Like if you go abroad for five years, you will experience everything that you would have experienced at home.
Like health issues, loss, your credit card expired and you forgot and you got locked out of your account. All of life's boring, mundane, you want like things, they're gonna happen to you. And it's so important to remember that you're not escaping life, you're just living life somewhere else for a while.
Meghan: And that part of the decision to escape what can sometimes be like that numbness and autopilot that we're on in [00:24:00] life is an embracing of not just the highs, but the lows. And it's almost like it potentially gets amplified when you're traveling.
Is that right?
Kayla: Yeah, you nailed that. Yeah, you also you're not alone or you're kind of not distracted like normal life if you're leaving like let's say like a desk job and going abroad
you're going to wake up alone with your feelings. And in a way, some people hit a bit of a low point. I've heard that from a lot of people that, and I had it as well. I talk about it extensively in the book that I realized that, uh, I had some bigger shortcomings internally than just my lack of vacation days, because I was not any different than I was back at my desk job.
I was the exact same person I was, and I kind of pinned on all of these, like, recent decisions, like, these, like, you know, emotional scouting badges. Like, look at me. I did it. I went traveling, but, you know. So, um, yeah. I was still the exact same person who, like, worked all day and wasn't that engaged with life.
Like, it wasn't, it was me. I was a part of the problem and I didn't perceive that as I was exiting normalcy.
Meghan: I love that you speak to that so much because I think it's so easy in our daydreams and our imaginations to say like, oh, if I moved here, or if I did that, and to imagine ourselves as this different person, right? And what I just hear you saying so clearly and so beautifully articulating is just that like.
You are going to be the same person and traveling does offer all of these opportunities for self reflexivity and for growth if you choose to to to see it and to really embrace it.
Kayla: Yes. Yeah, you have to see it as a transformation and not as, like, when the plane lands. I will be different in these ways and I'll be better. You're always imagining yourself being like better than you are. At least I think that's most people's tendency. And then it's [00:26:00] almost quite like you can be disappointed to just be with your old self.
And I think digital nomadism can make you a better person. Like a lot of big transformative things in life, like becoming a parent or starting a business or going to school. Any of those things are like big. You know, uh, catalysts. And I think that digital nomadism can make you a better person, but it's gonna be some lows before the highs.
Meghan: Yeah, yeah. And maybe always some lows come as well. I love, love, love this line from from your book. You say, "The digital nomad lifestyle is not the silver bullet out of bad habits or unhappiness, and no one should see it as such. It's a way into different surroundings, more stimulation and achieving goals, a more saturated way of living with intense highs and lows."
Kayla: I'm so happy that that resonated with you.
Meghan: Well, I just, I truly do think, I mean, it's just so easy to imagine ourselves like traveling the world and all of the, I think we picture all of the wonderful things and not necessarily. The real stuff, you know, like you said, like being in the grocery store or like not being able to access money because of an issue with your credit card or these things that can happen.
And at the same time, I know we've, we've talked a lot about the, some of the things that can go wrong. And I also know that one of your deep beliefs is to believe in the plan A version of your life. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
Kayla: I was doing my desk job and realizing it's not perfect. And, you know, in a perfect world, maybe I would have my own business and be able to travel and do all these things.
But,that's okay. Life's not perfect. And I kind of subconsciously realized that I was living the plan B and I never failed to achieve the plan A. I just never tried and I [00:28:00] started kind of digging into this concept and talking to people and realizing that it's not uncommon at all that people feel like I wanted to be a doctor.
Then if you ask, oh, did you not get, did you fail out of medical school? No, people just, not everyone's thinks to act on that belief of what like the best case scenario is. And I think that a lot of people believe that those kind of like 2 percent chances in life can happen to them, like the bad. It's like, the medicine labels, like 2 percent of people, all their hair falls out and they die.
And they think, gosh, that could happen to me. But then you look at the other, the other side, what about the top 2 percent that you could build? If it's your dream, the business of your dreams, have the family of your dreams, the travel, the anything, you need to believe in all of it, if you accept the odds of the bad, you need to accept the odds of the good, and I hope, I don't know, I believe in plan A, that's one of my mottos, and, uh, I think that it's like a really transformative thing to, to internalize that.
Meghan: To internalize it but also to act on it, right? Because there's so many people also who are maybe just like walking around hoping they'll meet their soulmate or walking around hoping they'll be like discovered by an agent and be put in a show on Broadway. but what does it mean to believe in the plan A enough to believe in yourself enough to actually take the steps on the journey?
Kayla: Yeah, it takes a lot of belief, and, uh, it's okay, you don't have to share it, like, you don't have to say it out loud, you don't have to say your big dream to other people if you don't want to, I know a lot of people believe in the power of, like, speaking things into, existence, but it can be small, I think admit it to yourself first.
And Tim Ferriss talks about this a lot in his book, The 4 Hour Workweek. what would you do if you couldn't fail? If you, it was impossible for you to fail, what would you do with your life?
And that is like, to, to at least admit that to yourself, whatever it is, that is like a spark that could really light a fire and change your life.[00:30:00]
Meghan: Yeah. Well, and one of the things that I so deeply believe is, is even if in answering that question, what would you do that you couldn't fail? Maybe it's not that you do exactly what comes to mind, but maybe it gives a little clue or an insight into some changes that you can make right now that aren't as big, but would bring the joy that you associate, you know, like if you wish that you had become a ballerina, like maybe you're able to start dancing again, Perhaps you'll never perform in New York, or maybe you will never like write a best selling book.
But that can give you clues into the things that will bring you more of a sense of joy and things for you to explore and get curious about.
Kayla: Yes. And you know, the dreams don't have to be realistic at all. I don't, I, somebody, a friend of mine told me that, that she doesn't believe in realistic dreams. And I love that. even as I was writing the book, I thought maybe, it'll be a New York Times bestseller. And that's like, Catching lightning in a bottle, you know, but I know I maybe worked I don't know if I did but maybe not writing but when promoting the book, you know I worked a little bit harder thinking it's possible for me too and you don't have to achieve honestly I don't have to become a new york times bestseller to have gotten closer That I would have been if I didn't have that idea in my head.
Meghan: Of course, that makes so much sense. I'd love to talk for a moment. What inspired you to write this book?
Kayla: I was really inspired to write more about the digital nomad lifestyle, the real sides, uh, during the pandemic, whenever people started working remotely, and the image of digital nomadism got, it's had this like, radical shift, because in 2017, whenever I set out traveling, the public perception was that it was weird, it was dangerous, extreme, it was not a positive image.
At least that those were the reactions I was hearing from a lot of people. It was like, Oh, you're like throwing away your life to [00:32:00] do this. And then all of a sudden the pendulum swung so far, so fast in the other direction, because everyone was used to working remotely in 2020, that all of a sudden everybody knew the term digital nomad and said, oh, it's amazing.
Can go work in Bali. And I thought, Whoa, we need to talk about all the in between because it's there's so much missing here. So I started sharing bits of that online and a publisher found my writing and, reached out to me and said, we want, uh, do, do you want to write a book about this topic? And, uh, I actually thought it was a scam at first because I thought, no, I can't just get a DM on LinkedIn where somebody was offering me this book deal.
But we spoke and came up with a proposal and, within like a month. I had a book deal offer, which was really, really incredible. And I was so scared to say yes, but I felt like I wanted to do my best at documenting the lifestyle as it really is right now for people to learn from and to use, I don't know, I think about it like 20 years from now as well.
Like I want this to be like a really honest, vivid snapshot of now for people to, you know, go and become digital nomads, but also to reflect on. And, uh, I just saw it as another, like. link in the chain of a big movement that I'm a small part of.
Meghan: Beautiful. And, and I absolutely love just the honesty that you bring to your book and the personal stories. And I can see it being such an incredible resource for people. I've got another question for you that came from one of the listeners. how do you navigate the feelings? Now, they, where's this, when you get back from a trip and you feel changed, but your home life hasn't?
But I'm curious if maybe, you know, you can answer this both from when you go back to, to where your family lives in, in the US, but, and where you used to live, but also even just like, how do you navigate moving from one place to another and from culture to culture? [00:34:00] What are the strategies that you've adopted to really care for yourself during these transitions?
I
Kayla: from, uh, going back home and being changed, uh, starting there, that's such a difficult thing that a lot of people really struggle with. And, I would say that if you're feeling like you're really pulled away, Hey, like you go home and you think, oh, I just want to go. I want to keep traveling.
Um, you feel like you don't fit back into your old life. I would encourage anyone to explore long term travel as a solution to that. And then, yes, you'll come back and experience the same thing of, I'm different than I was, and people around me don't understand how I'm different. But that is just one of life's, like, It's not almost not even specific to travel because like whenever you're best friend as a baby Maybe they feel the same way that you don't get their life anymore It's something that we experience in all of these different, you know, everyone's on such on such an independent journey I know it's kind of a cop out answer but um I always try to focus on talking about things with people that we have in common still like people not everyone can relate to The struggles that I have on a regular basis, but everyone can relate to, all the big things.
I think like feeling tired, wanting something different, I don't know, you kind of have to focus on the shared subjects and accept that those might be kind of like a dwindling number of subjects. That sounds a little bit bleak, and I didn't mean for it to be that way, for it to come out that way,
Meghan: I think you've offered like a really, really practical, like focusing on the shared experiences and, and maybe I'll add maybe like shared values. Also, because I think there can still be shared values that are expressed differently, and we can learn a lot.
like, you could have a family member who believes in caring for the environment, but, but the ways that you're doing it are really different, and that can be a chance to, to, to learn from one another and to be inspired.
Kayla: Oh, that's a beautiful way to say that. Yeah.
Meghan: Yeah. [00:36:00] And what about, Kayla,
I'm like imagining, you know, if you're hopping around and, often going to places that are sort of nearby with some similarities, but if you're like in Bali and then all of a sudden you're in Colombia, how is it just for yourself navigating the kind of, the constant culture shock?
Kayla: I think that it all starts with physical care because it's really easy in just normal life to like be dehydrated or realize that you haven't been eating great or sleeping well. So I've Eat really well like focusing on really good food. Uh, and drinking loads of water. I drink more water than anybody.
I could like win a water drinking contest. I am so hydrated! But, it, you feel better anyway, I just, This is like I wish I could impart this message to everyone. I would, like, get a billboard. It's like, drink more water. You will feel better. And, uh, sleeping well, like, focusing on getting enough sleep.
I sleep, like, nine or ten hours a night. Um, I don't set an alarm clock. I go to bed early. Uh, it changes your life to feel physically good in that way. I know some people deal with chronic health issues that are different, but kind of, like, setting the foundation in that way.
and the culture shock. It's funny, I think at first I used to do a lot of, I used to do a lot of research, like, uh, is there anything I need to avoid doing, I was so worried of doing, about doing something wrong, that I realized that I stopped acting normally whenever I was around people, that I, I couldn't, I was like fluent in the language, so I like stopped smiling whenever I like went up to the cashier, because I'm thinking, oh I don't know what to say, and then they, and even saying basic words like, I lived, I had a home base in the Netherlands for years, and they're Hello is hoy, or that's hi, like hoy.
And I used to say that in such a weird way because I didn't feel natural and I was trying to be normal and I was like, oh hoy. I'm sitting here with this like grimace on my face and this like weird tone and I realized I had to kind of like let go of like trying to do the quote like do the normal thing because it was making me not behave like this.
[00:38:00] So, like, I smile a lot, and I always have a few words of the local language, like, hello, please, thank you, the basics. And sometimes more, depending on how long I'm staying somewhere. But, just, I think relying on, like, normal body language goes so far. smiling, and not Sitting there in your head like, oh I'm trying to think of how to say thank you, and instead you just like give this weird panicked look and grunt and walk away.
You have to be like, have like your normal like warm open body language. I think that does a lot for you.
Meghan: such good advice. I'm wondering if you can also speak to solo travel. I know that you currently travel with your husband. And that you met him while traveling, but I know that there might be listeners who are thinking maybe about being a digital nomad, or maybe just like trying to get the courage to go take a trip by themselves somewhere.
Can you tell us anything about solo traveling Almost like a pep talk for that person.
Kayla: You will not be alone as much as you think you will be, depending on the planning that you put into place. So if you were to go rent an Airbnb, Like around the world by yourself, you would be alone in that Airbnb or that hotel, but there are all these other ways to structure a trip that you're not alone at all and you're around a lot of other people who are looking to mingle and become friends.
So you can stay in a hostel where there's tons of other people. Maybe that's not for everyone listening. I know hostels are rooms with bunk beds if anyone has never, uh, stayed in one. It's kind of summer camp vibes. So, uh, maybe that's not for everybody, but you can also stay at co living areas where you have like your own bedroom and bathroom, but you share common areas and everyone's working online.
So you instantly have people there and everyone goes there to meet each other and if you are looking for cheap travel as well you can actually get a lot for free when you're traveling through Work Exchange and you can volunteer at these places where lots of other [00:40:00] travelers are coming to volunteer and you can stay there for free in exchange for doing some work and meet tons of other people who are doing the same thing.
So some organizations just to kind of rattle off some names, Workaway, Cruise Seekers, is uh, Work Exchange on Boats. Sailboats, um, world Packers and trusted house sitters. Those are a couple work exchange, trusted house sitters. You would be alone actually, but the rest you would be with other people. And then there's also paid group trips as well for solo travelers.
But that's kind of just a few quick options and, um. It actually takes effort to be alone if you put yourself in these group environments.
Meghan: As we weave our way to the end of this conversation, I'm curious if there's anything else on your heart that you feel like sharing today.
Kayla: I hope that if anyone feels like they've been wishing for something that they thought was maybe too indulgent or too extravagant. Some people see travel that way as both indulgent and extravagant. Um, if you're listening, maybe it's travel, maybe it's something similar. And you feel like, you know, life's not bad enough for you to make a big change and do this.
Like, you know, life needs to be pretty bad and you need to have like a near death experience to justify radical change. I would just say that, like, this is your sign to do it. Because you don't need to wait. Things don't need to be terrible to want more. Things can be good and you can still want to push it farther.
as I was writing the book, I came, I had this thought, you know, it's okay to just say life feels like a whistle and you want it to feel like a symphony. You don't need things to be bad or horrible or someone to tell you, hey, go for it. You know, this is right for you.
Meghan: I love that idea of a symphony and I'm so grateful for all that you shared today. I'm so grateful for this beautiful book that you are putting out into the world. Where can people learn more about you and about your book?
Kayla: If anyone wants to connect, my [00:42:00] website is writingfromnowhere. com, and you can send me a message on there anytime. And my book is available at all, uh, normal book retailers, Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and, um, I'm also working on getting it into independent bookstores, but that normally doesn't happen until after the book's been out for a little while, so if you have an independent bookstore, I would encourage you to check there first if you're interested to try to support them.
Meghan: Amazing. Thank you so much, Kayla, for sharing all of your wisdom, your stories, your reflections. It's such a joy to have you here today.
Kayla: It was so nice talking Meghan thanks so much for having me
Meghan: Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. As always, I would so love to hear from you how did this episode land? Was there a particular story or gem of wisdom that Kyla dropped that is circling around your mind or your heart?
You can reach out to me @meghanljohnston on Instagram.
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Meghan: [00:44:00]