How To Avoid Digital Nomad Burnout

As a full-time Digital Nomad for 2 years, I’ve seen my share of ups and downs. I’ve travelled from New Zealand to South Korea to Hungary to the U.K. and around. And during that time I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a Digital Nomad.I believe there is no right or wrong way to live the Digital Nomad lifestyle, there is just what works for you.

With that said, I welcomed a 2-month break at home with my family and friends for the holidays as I was starting to feel the dreaded “burn out” that frequently accompanies this lifestyle.

With the space and time to reflect on my full-time travel life, I was able to dissect what I liked, what I didn’t and what I want to do differently moving forward. And most importantly, how to avoid future burnout.

6 tips on how to avoid burnout as a Digital Nomad

1. Find real communities, not just online ones

One of the things I miss about my former life as an 8-5 commuter was the strong community of people I had around me. I loved these people and enjoyed doing life with them. It was one of the things I knew I was giving up to life my new lifestyle and I was okay with that, but it doesn’t mean I don’t feel the void.

As a nomad, your community quickly shifts to mostly being online. After all, everyone’s lifestyle is built on the freedom to be anywhere in the world at any given time. I’ve found great comfort in my online communities and was even been able to meet up with some of them in real life when our paths do cross! That being said, it’s also important to build real life communities in the places you are. Carolin Müller, a long-term Digital Nomad, made this statement when discussing how being a Digital Nomad affects your mental health:

“Everybody is moving and not always in the same directions, so it’s hard to keep friendships, or to stay in contact because you are always finding new friends. You have to try to focus on a few people, or make an effort to see the people back home… Because at the end we are social beings, and this is very important for our mental health.”

So, get out, meet people, make real connections. Common places to find and connect with others are through co-working spaces, local meetups, volunteer organizations, annual conferences, or organized group trips. You’re not alone, no matter where you are, so find others to share your life with.

2. Create routines where you can

There is a common joke that people “need a vacation from their vacation.” That’s because travelling is full of new experiences and small decisions at each turn, all of which can be exhausting and take a toll on yourself over time. Everything from learning a new currency, language and culture to navigating foreign public transportation systems and even trying to remember where you last put your toothbrush all consumes mental energy. Routine activities are done without active thought, thus giving you the mental space to put your energy and thoughts to other things. Less routine lives require your attention all the time to make active decisions. The majority of nomads are usually looking to avoid the traditional structure society places on us, but that doesn’t mean we should reject all kinds of structure. The level of routine needed will depend on your personality, but ultimately routines make you more productive and require less mental expenditure on mundane tasks.

Whether that is always packing your gear the same way, working the same schedule each week, or repeating travel destinations, these are certain things you can do to create a routine.

Many nomads avoid routine, but you really shouldn’t. It seems counterintuitive to create a routine on a life that is built on flexibility, but I promise it will help in the long run. Creating some structure in your life will give your brain some much needed rest so it’s not always working in overdrive.

3. Travel slower

In Sri Lanka

Your ideal speed of travel can only be determined by you, but remember, your lifestyle doesn’t have to always be a sprint. It is common for new Digital Nomads to hit the ground running and travel to new locations every few days or every week.

But the long-term nomads I know have all expressed that they prefer to spend at least a month, but usually closer to 3 months, in each location. That is why slow travel is the answer to Digital Nomad burnout. If you’re constantly moving around, as exciting as it is, it will catch up with you. The changing time zones, currencies, languages, local customs, etc all take time to get used to. It’s hard both physically and mentally.

Travelling slower allows your brain to process each new location and appreciate your experience before you jet set to your next destination. Plus, the longer you stay in one location, the more time you have to create routines and give adequate attention to your work responsibilities.

One of the ways I’ve managed to travel more slowly is by house sitting around the world. It’s not for everyone but for anyone who enjoys having home comforts and animal companionship while on the road, it’s a great opportunity!

4. Take regular breaks

Breakfast on our room deck, Turbine Boutique Hotel & Spa

A common discussion among my nomad groups is that people think our life is a vacation.

They want to know when our “trip” will be over, when we plan to get a real job or even when we plan to stop gallivanting and settle down. It can sometimes be hard for others to understand that we do have real jobs with real work attached to them. Which is why, when we hint at needing a break or feeling tired, it can be met with bewilderment or offence. As Alex In Wanderland puts it in her post about The Anatomy of Burnout,

“Travel fatigue doesn’t elicit much empathy.”

We may be working in Bali, but we’re still working… and likely working hard. I work harder as a freelancer than I ever did in my corporate job. In the same way as working in a corporate job, we all have to take breaks to avoid burnout.

Taking regular breaks throughout your workday is a great start. I personally try to follow the Pomodoro Technique – breaking work down into short, timed intervals (called “Pomodoros”) that are spaced out by short breaks. Even while we are “travelling full-time,” we also need to take full holidays, where you set your away message, don’t answer emails and completely disconnect.

If you have your own online business or are building a company, you may find it challenging to take time away.

However, breaks are not only important for your creativity and drive, but it can also act as a testament that your business is sustainable long-term.

Learn to create automation systems or bring someone else in to help you so you can step away. A great book resource I’ve found in helping you to achieve maximum result with minimum effort is The Four-Hour Work Week by Time Ferris.

5. Let your lifestyle grow with you

At Taj Exotica, Maldives

I mentioned at the beginning that I took an extended break at home for the winter holidays. I had (eventually) accepted that the way I was travelling wasn’t sustainable long term, and I needed to make some tweaks.

The hardest part of examining my past year’s travels was by being really honest with myself about the down times. I started to see shifting priorities that I wasn’t honouring in myself. For a great personal anecdote on this topic, I recommend checking out Matthew Karsten of the Expert Vagabond and his story of how his changing dreams led him to quit being a digital nomad after 7 years on the road. What is important to take away is that as your dreams begin to shift, so can your identity. And that’s okay. You aren’t giving up. You are growing, shifting, transitioning. Digital Nomadism is a lifestyle choice. It doesn’t just happen to you. It’s a conscious decision. And you get to make it work for you.

Just because you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it. It’s important to ask yourself on a regular basis what it is you want. And if what you want is different from what you’ve always been doing, don’t be afraid to make some changes.

The rapid changing online world plus the growing accessibility of travel means that a lifestyle built on those two things cannot stay the same forever. Don’t be afraid to adapt and evolve as you become a more seasoned nomad.

6. Find your joy

Snow fights be like…

I’ve met nomads at every stage. Those who are just getting started, those that have been on the road for 5+ years, and those that returned to location (in)dependence. 

The longer you travel, the more you’ll come to realize how you like to travel. It may or may not look like what you thought or how you began your nomad journey. I recently chatted with a fellow nomad, Sarah Benvenuti, who, after 5 years, has decided to have a home base near family and only travel half the year. She’s also started knitting again. And singing.

When I asked what advice she would give to other nomads, she said,

“Not everything has to be about the hustle.”

I’ve seen a similar transition with other seasoned nomads. They still love their lifestyle and want to keep travelling, but they are much more intentional with their locations, communities, speed of travel and activities they want to do. They are continually finding their joy. And you can too. 

I can’t say it enough: There is no right or wrong way to be a Digital Nomad. And if you find yourself on the brink of a burnout, take a step back. It may just be exactly what you need.