alivewithad

A newsletter where you learn how to become a digital nomad from people who have been doing it for years.

Read Time: 8 Minutes

Hey everyone, Shagufta here. I am here with the second edition of alivewithad where I bring some of the best Digital Nomads to learn from them.

In this newsletter, I interview seasoned digital nomads to ask questions about their travel journeys.

Now, let me introduce the 2nd guest of my newsletter!

Light, Camera, and Action 🥁 👟🧗🏻‍♀️

Nomad of the Week is 🦘 Dina Ramadan

Say hi to Dina Ramadan 👋🏻

Let’s hear her story in her own words.

Hey, I’m Dina. I’m a digital nomad coach who has traveled to 45 countries and coached hundreds of people. I help clients build a life of freedom, independence, and travel by assisting them in building a business based on their skills, interests, and personalities.

Anyone can have their dream business and life if they focus their energy on personal development & awareness and work hard to make their dreams come true.

Dina is an inspiration for people who dream of becoming a digital nomad, living their lives on their terms, especially those in corporations.

Nomad Story:

Q. How did you become a digital nomad?

I became a digital nomad in my last corporate job. After Christmas in 2013, my boss sat me down and said “Dina, this job isn’t for you. You should look into life coaching and read the 4-hour work week by Tim Ferriss.” I then left my job, and with my saved money I went to Thailand. When I came back I decided to look into life coaching and then signed up for a diploma in performance coaching and a master's in Organisational psychology. When completed, I started up a coaching business and built myself up from there.

Q. Highlight your favorite destination and tell us why.

There are SO many destinations I love. But the one I will talk about here is Morocco. In Morocco, you can surf in warm seas, hike in green mountains, trek on camels in the hot desert, wander medinas and a completely blue city and you are only half an hour away from Spain. It has EVERYTHING. It’s also incredible value for money and a completely different culture. It’s worth a visit.

Q. The biggest challenges you’ve faced on the road.

COVID was probably the biggest challenge. Countries were closing borders and getting very strict. I was in Malaysia at the time and they decided to put me in an immigration center until it was safe to fly again. It was pretty crazy and was so happy to be leaving Malaysia when the time came.

Q. How do you balance work and travel?

So I recently hired a business partner so I no longer do everything myself. That was a game-changer. He helps me in the tech side and we always come up with ideas together. It’s so nice to share the workload. It means I can travel while knowing things are getting done.

Q. Any unique skills or strategies you’ve developed while being nomadic?

So while nomadic, I work 4-5 days a week, 4 hours a day. I sometimes do work, not in this timeframe, but I tend to do my core hours in the afternoons when I allocate time. This routine keeps me knowing what to do and when to do it. It also allows my clients to know when I’m available to talk. It also means I can go for morning hikes and gym sessions and also see friends after work.

Pro Tips from the Nomad

Productivity tip:

I stay in hostels on weekends so I can meet people and then stay in an Airbnb during the week so I have space to focus on work. Always ask your Airbnb host for wifi speeds and whether there is a desk to work.

Travel tip:

My travel hack for when you have too much stuff for your luggage is to put it in a plastic shopping bag. When you get passed security as duty-free for a plastic shopping bag. Put your stuff in there so when you go onto the plane they will think you’ve been shopping in the airport and will allow you on the flight!

Tech/tool recommendation:

Working with a coach who has done it before you. They can support you on your journey of self-discovery, give you tips (i.e. marketing tips) to be more successful, and introduce you to their network and hacks to improve your life as a remote worker. It’s genuinely the best way to be better.

Favorite Digital Nomad Resource:

Skyscanner.com for finding flights

Booking.com/ Airbnb.com/ hostelworld.com for hotels

digitalnomad.coach for digital nomad coaches

Dina has a career assessment program for you:

In this experience, you will understand what digital nomad career would suit you. You will answer 75 questions about your personality, skills, interests, experience, etc. and then you will talk to a qualified coach of 11 years (that’s Dina!) to assess your answers. When you figure out what you want to do, we will then look at how to set up this business and get clients in 3 months.

Start your coaching experience here:

https://digitalnomad.coach/digital-nomad-career-assessment

I would love to thank Dina for her contribution to the second edition of our travel newsletter.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Nomad FAQs

My answer for Bruce will be, Wise. It is amazing.

Conversion rates are high + The user interface is incredibly user-friendly.

Freelancer business growth

As a Digitial Nomad, you need to travel a lot.

So, it is quite difficult to chase clients, so build a strong personal brand and attract high-paying clients.

You can take my profile as an inspiration or Anirban’s.

Nomad gear guide

While working in a busy place a calming mind helps a lot.

So, you can try a noise-cancelling headphone

Bose Quitecomfort

Work from anywhere deals

Outsite offers co-living spaces designed specifically for digital nomads, with locations worldwide. They provide discounts based on the length of stay:

15% off for stays of 7+ nights

30% off for stays of 30+ nights

35% off for stays of 60+ nights

Living a nomadic life isn’t easy and will probably never be.

But, with the right people and resources, anything is possible.

Thank you for reading the second edition of alivewithad!

I’ll see you next Sunday with another guest. Until then, keep traveling and keep exploring.

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