When you see articles and social media posts about digital nomads, the image portrayed tends to be of millennial men. But a recent FlexJobs survey of 500 digital nomads found that the average nomad was actually a married female GenXer — a full 70 percent were women digital nomads!
So we wanted to bring more location-independent women entrepreneurs into the spotlight.
5 women digital nomads
Meet five female digital nomads who are running their empires from their laptops.
- Tanya Kraisingr — high performance coach.
- Kit Whelan — digital marketing consultant, 7in7 co-founder.
- Viktoria Schenk — social media manager.
- Felicia Hargarten — DNX co-founder.
- Nicole Dominguez — web developer.
Now that we've introduced these amazing women digital nomads, let’s learn more about them.
1. Tanya Kraisingr — high performance coach
What was your life like before you became a digital nomad?
I was living in Los Angeles and just had my first baby. I was a working (yet miserable) freelancer. After a year contracted for an awful client, I decided I would no longer work for anyone else. I filed my incorporation papers for my new business. About three months later, my husband and I decided to leave the stress of keeping up with life in LA, sell everything we own, and leave the United States to travel full time. First stop was his hometown in Czech Republic.
Related: Take these 5 online security precautions before you travel
Describe your life now.
Our little trio (my husband, myself, and my soon-to-be 3-year-old) call Czech home base now and travel six-plus months out of the year. I have my business teaching entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses and master themselves (self-development). I do private consulting via Zoom as well as in-person bootcamps (groups and private), as well as teaching live classes online (and on-site) and create courses.
Last year we traveled through Thailand, Bali and Vietnam. My son speaks three languages and picks up many phrases from the countries we visit.
You can follow our family's travels on Instagram @NomadNoProblem. You can follow my business and life tips as a CEO momma and nomad on Instagram @TanyaMFK.
How often do you travel while working?
Full time. We are always traveling, even when we are at home base. Since we are based in Europe, we visit neighboring cities and countries often.
Why did you choose this lifestyle?
My husband and I met while traveling. We love to travel. We love the freedom, the discovery, the food. The challenges teach us so much as well as the world school for my son. We didn't want to wait to live. We want to experience all we can now. The regular life wasn't for us.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start a business that allows them to travel long-term?
Do it! There is no "right time.” The time is now. You will succeed, and you will fail. The point is to fail forward. Success is not avoiding failure, it's keeping momentum between the failures to reach the successes.
Yes, you can do it. Yes, you can travel alone.
And honestly, you're never really alone. There are strong networks everywhere. The adventures, the stories, the opportunities are all there, but you can never imagine them living a life in a box.
Related: Challenges of women entrepreneurship and why we must support each other
2. Kit Whelan — digital marketing consultant, 7in7 co-founder
What was your life like before you became a digital nomad?
I was living in LA and had quit my ad agency life the year before to work on the 2008 Obama campaign. After the election, I was really mopey because I thought I'd just have to go and get another full-time job again. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn't want that. Thankfully, my boss from the campaign told me she was going back to running her freelance businesses and said she could always use someone like me to refer her clients to. She guided me on how to set up an invoicing system, get my first clients, everything!
Describe your life now.
I've been running my business for 10 years now. I describe myself as a "social media consultant" because it helps people understand what I do. My small consultancy still has just one employee, but I have used a small network of subcontractors to help grow, and in my next two years I plan to develop that even further, without ever becoming a full agency.
I also co-founded 7in7, the conference for experienced digital nomads happening over seven years on seven continents, which keeps me quite busy.
And I have a podcast with my friend and fellow location independent woman Viv Egan called Nomad + Spice. All of this can make it hard to have plenty of time to myself to explore, have Netflix binges, and hang out with friends, but I make it work!
How often do you travel while working?
Literally 100 percent of the time. But traveling as a digital nomad isn't like traveling as a muggle (aka a non-nomad). I'm not out sightseeing, staying in a hotel, and moving every other day. I usually stay in an Airbnb apartment for one to two months at a time, making sure my WiFi is super fast for home office work sessions.
Why did you choose this lifestyle?
Honestly, I barrelled into this life not knowing what path I was starting down. Back in 2009, I had never heard the term digital nomad. I just wanted to see the world and figured I could get some work done while doing it. I told my partner, "Let's just keep going until the money runs out." Now it's been 10 years, and the bank accounts still look pretty good.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start a business that allows them to travel long-term?
We actually made a whole podcast episode about this! My biggest piece of advice would be to take inspiration from people you meet, from Instagram accounts, and online communities ... but at the end of the day, no one can decide your path but you.
Don't live someone else's life. Live yours.
Related: 4 skills you can sell as a marketing consultant
3. Viktoria Schenk — social media manager
What was your life like before you became a digital nomad?
I was a marketing student. I used to travel while studying.
Describe your life now.
I'm currently living in Indonesia. I start working at 3 p.m. and can finish around 10 p.m. sometimes. During the day I go surfing or to the beach. I try to make the most of my day. I'm a social media manager focusing on travel and leisure industries. I'm French, so most of my clients are French.
How often do you travel while working?
In my current situation, I try to travel at least once per month for a short trip around Indonesia.
Why did you choose this lifestyle?
To be independent, to not be trapped in an office, to discover new cultures, new ideas.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start a business that allows them to travel long-term?
Set your goals, keep focus, step out of your comfort zone, be fearless and everything will be fine.
Related: How a small business social media manager can save you time and make you money
4. Felicia Hargarten — DNX co-founder
What was your life like before you became a digital nomad?
I was living a pretty normal life, studied economics and tourism, and worked for different online startups in Düsseldorf and Berlin as a marketing and event manager. However, I loved to travel a lot already and did one big all-around-the-world trip. I think that was the point where I knew I wanted to become location independent.
Describe your life now.
Right now I am sitting in the north of Brazil and will stay here for four to five months before I go to Thailand. I am working on a new product which takes a lot of time. But if I don't work, I go kitesurfing as the Kitesurfing Lagoon is right in front of me. Kitesurfing is one of my biggest passions. I started in 2012 by accident.
It was not planned at all. My plan was to change jobs and to travel some months in between. While being on the road together with my boyfriend Marcus, everything came together, and we started to use our skills we had learned in online startups as freelancers. Together, we started DNX, a company that helps digital nomads be more successful through podcasts, tools and resources, a Facebook community, a festival, and other offerings.
How often do you travel while working?
I have home bases from which I travel once in a while. But I love to stay at a place for several months. I have certain criteria for such places. I love nature/islands/places at the sea, places with healthy food, where I can do sports like yoga or kitesurfing, and where there is a nice community of entrepreneurs, kitesurfers, or spiritual people, as well as locals.
Why did you choose this lifestyle?
To have more freedom and adventure in my life.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start a business that allows them to travel long-term?
Follow a proven strategy and funnel, and don't lose yourself in content marketing like posting, blogging and podcasting without selling a product. Find something where you are an expert in it and make an online program out of it.
Related: 5 things to ask before teaching online courses
5. Nicole Dominguez — web developer
What was your life like before you became a digital nomad?
I was in my very early twenties living in New York City, working for startups and small tech companies doing web development.
Describe your life now.
My life now is really hectic and changes week to week. Sometimes I’m in a new city or country every week. Sometimes I get to stay in one place for longer. I generally work 16-20 hours a week as a freelance web developer with long-term, consistent clients.
The rest of the time I’m on trains, planes and automobiles, or running errands, exploring the city, being a tourist, trying local food, etc. I try to blog about my adventures when I have the time.
How often do you travel while working?
Like, every day? My nomad style is no apartment or house, live out of a small carry-on suitcase, work remotely from laptop wherever I am.
Why did you choose this lifestyle?
I detailed my reasons for being a digital nomad in this blog post, but mainly I was having a personal crisis and needed something different. Years later, and I’m still doing this! With being able to work remotely, I didn’t see a reason to stay in one place. It’s a huge opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Also, this lifestyle allows me to do much more international networking which helps me meet new clients.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start a business that allows them to travel long-term?
Start working on your business before you sell all of your stuff and get on a plane. You’ll want a solid foundation to lean on, as traveling can be stressful — you don’t want to add the stress of where your next check is going to come from. Have savings set up as well!
Related: Starting a freelance web developer business? Ask these 5 questions.
Editor’s note: If you want to make your digital nomad dreams come true, you’ll need the right tools. Check out Microsoft Office 365 from GoDaddy, with plans that include Outlook, Microsoft Office, OneDrive and more. It’s everything you need to work remotely and stay connected.
