I Asked 5 Digital Nomads from Around the World How They Make Money From a Beach in BRAZIL

I am in a beach bar in Brazil with a hundred or so digital nomads and entrepreneurs, and I'm going to walk around and ask them what they do to make money from this beach.

Hi. Are you guys digital nomads? Can I just ask you a couple questions about how you became digital nomads?

Okay. Okay. So, what's your name? Where are you from? I'm Verena, and I am German. And for how long have you been a digital nomad? For Uh, three years. And what do you do to make money online? I am a brand and web designer and help entrepreneurs build their businesses. Are you self-taught, or did you go to school for that? I studied international management, so I do have a business background. Um, uh, most of the design, uh, like web design things, is self-taught. Yes. What made you go nomadic? Why not stay in Germany? I have not lived in Germany for very long, uh, most of my life. I lived in Brazil, actually <laugh>. So, um, I went nomadic, uh, during the pandemic. I was working remotely, uh, before the pandemic as well. Um, and uh, right after the pandemic, I just, uh, wanted to travel, and, um, yeah, here I am. Do you ever see yourself, uh, going back to a traditional lifestyle, or do you think you'll always travel in some way? Uh, I will always travel in some way. That's how I've been raised. That's how I've been living my whole life. Um, so I am not; I'm not a white fence, uh, and, uh, settle down person. No. Thank you, <laugh>.

Sorry to interrupt, but are you guys digital nomads? Yeah, we know. Can I ask you what you do to make money online? Hi, I am Dev, and I'm from, uh, Pennsylvania in the United States. And for how long have you been working remotely? Uh, probably since 2021, like two and a half years. What do you do for work? So I run a blog. So affiliate, I basically have affiliate, uh, marketing. And then, uh, I also do consulting, uh, helping business owners with their operations. How did you learn how to do that? So I was in the Navy, um, for like six years. I worked as a project manager and engineer. I learned about things like managing people, teams, and processes. And then from there, uh, it just like, like, I just wanna make the pivot into online business. What would you say your average cost of living is as a digital nomad? Uh, probably like 2 to 3,000 a month. Yeah, 2,000 at the cheaper places, and then it can even be cheaper, but I like nice things. And then 3,000 and the more expensive places. What are some of the countries you like to go to the most? Oh, definitely Mexico. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah. Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Playa del Carmen. Nice. Yeah. And then in Europe, Lisbon. What would you say to people who are thinking of getting into this lifestyle but they’t sure how to do it or don't think they have enough money? I think Pick is a cheaper, more cost-effective place. Pick an easy place to start, like somewhere like Bali or Thailand. It's very friendly and easy if you're in the Americas. Uh, Mexico's not too bad. Um, and then I would say, like, surround yourself with people who, uh, bring out the best in you, but also, like, you could always prep. So one thing I did was, before I wanted to be nomadic, I spent a year trying to figure out, you know, what skill I could monetize, and then, um, I really saved a lot of money too so that I had a buffer. How much did you save before you went nomadic? I probably saved like, probably, 40 to 50,000, but that's also because I don't spend; it was a pandemic. It was easy to save, but yeah. But also, like, I had a really good-paying job, and I wasn't doing anything other than, like, it was pandemic times. Yeah. Thank you so much, and enjoy your day here at the beach.

What's your name, and where are you from? I'm Jesco, from Munich, Germany. How long have you been working remotely? Since 2012. Have you been traveling during all of that time? Like, usually, half of the year I'm traveling. Yeah. So you keep a home base there? Well, my home base has been changing as well. Like, like, Medellin, for example, six months, and then just completely go somewhere else. So it changes a lot too. And what do you do to earn money online? I work for an agency that recruits people through Facebook ads. So I create Facebook ads, and I do the whole process of guiding the clients to get their leads for their businesses. Okay. So basically, how do they set up their Facebook ads, their customer type, or the market that they're advertising to? So that they can get good people applying for their jobs. So it's for recruitment? Yes. Oh, okay. Yeah. And you've been doing that for more than 10 years now? No, this is, it's, it's just what I'm currently doing; I just do whatever just comes up. So I've also, uh, done a lot of blogs, written a lot of blogs, and done search engine optimization. Also, I produced a movie, and also, like, there wasn't cinema, so all kinds of things. Oh. That is so cool. What do you think are the core skills that make you successful as a digital nomad? Well, definitely, networking is important if you are a free freelancer, so that people know you and what you offer. So then a good network just helps that, you know Yeah. Who knows, like, how to get new clients if you're in this industry? And so traveling definitely helps to strengthen that network. Of course, just to keep learning new skills and educating yourself with the new technologies. Yeah. Do you use any sort of course or online learning platform, or do you just kind of use YouTube tutorials and things like Google? Yeah, I used to do Udemy courses, but for some reason, yeah, it's been a long time. YouTube is providing a lot of strong context content, so I've been relying mostly on that. Do you have any kind of passive income that comes in to help pay the bills, or do you mostly work per hour or per project? Yeah, different. I have some digital products. Like I wrote, I wrote books. I'm coming out with a video course Also, next year I have a rental property but it's not something I can live on.

from. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time.

Hi, uh, what's your name, and where are you from? Hi, I am Sergio Sala. I am from Mexico. And for how long have you been a digital nomad? It has been close to 10 years now. How did you start out in this lifestyle? What were you doing for work? I started as an architect, but then I, uh, learned to do websites. So I became a web designer. Then I started writing about my life because I started traveling, and then I became a blogger. And as a blogger, I became a YouTuber. And this is my full-time job now. Wait, how did you go from being an architect to blogging? That's a long story. Uh, but it's a, it's, it's just following what I thought. It was great for me to follow my creativity. And at the end, everything is combined because YouTube is for me, because I review city guides around the world; basically, it's architecture and creativity altogether, you know? And when you first started out, that was more than 10 years ago? Yeah. What was your monthly income back then, and where did you go to be able to afford this lifestyle? Wow. Yeah, in the beginning, I had to go. I started in Lima, Peru, and I was doing more social projects and things like that, so I didn't have to spend that much money. But eventually we would, I got more clients, and I started to charge more as a freelancer. I started to get better places, and one of the best places was Chiang Mai. I spent, like, a year there. So you don't, you don't, and you don't have to spend there that much. So you can live there longer. I stay almost a year in something there. Do you know what you spent in that year to live there? That is a good question. But it was so cheap. I mean, I don't know, like 800 to a thousand tops per month, you know. And what was your cost of living in Mexico when you left? Ooh. I mean, when I started making more money, I was able to get better places; it's around a thousand to $500 per month. So from like 800 to 1500 a month, you could sustain this lifestyle. You've done city guides for a lot of different cities. Uh, what is someplace that surprised you that you really enjoyed? I mean, the most recent one, I just came from Fukuoka, Japan, which is the last video that I just published and the first time in Japan. And realizing that Japan is a great place for digital nomads just blew my mind. And I want to go back, probably next year. How was the internet there? Because the last time I was in Japan, it wasn't that good. It's so great right now. Like the, the, the, there's a lot of co-working spots. It's a, it's a very, at least for Fukuoka, it is a store, a whole start-up to community. So they focus on great, great wifi speed. Nice. So what kind of person would you recommend this lifestyle to? Any encouraging words or advice for people that are thinking about doing it? Anyone, just follow your intuition. If you feel like you want to do what we do and live everywhere. I mean, there's so many options right now. The online skills that you just need to learn own skills and find, uh, a way to make it work for you. And, uh, slowly travel, you know, it takes time takes to get, get used to this thing. It's not, it's not a vacation. That's what I tell people. It's a different way of life. It's a digital normal life. Do you think that the most important skills you've acquired in this lifestyle are more technical skills or maybe more soft skills? I think you need a bit of both. You know, like, but I think to be honest, yeah, I think technical to make it work, to make, start making money out of it. Soft skills is more when you start exploring the cities and standing in the community and things like that. Is there anything that you've struggled with in this lifestyle? Uh, Yeah. Saying goodbye to people, <laugh> because we're moving all the time and it's nice to have things like this, like Nomad Cruise, you get to see people that you haven't seen in a while. Yeah. But that's the only thing. Like, it's, it's a great lifestyle, but we are moving all the time. It's just hard to, to to know that. Yeah. You, you won't see them for that long, you know? Yeah. Well thank you so much Sergio. It was so good to see you here on this beach and enjoy the rest of your cruise. Thank you, Kristin. The first time we saw each other in person, it's, it's nice. I know. It's good to meet in person. Follow, subscribe to Sergio's channel. <laugh> Yes.

Hello. And what is your name? Where are you from? My name is Dina. I am from California. Okay. And how long have you been living this lifestyle? Probably about two years. Uhhuh. What were you doing for work before you started, and do you do the same thing now? I do the same thing. Um, I was a clinical psychologist, so I'm still a clinical psychologist. I just do everything remotely now. Okay. Is there anything you've changed about your business since being a nomad and being here in Brazil? <laugh>? Um, some of the hours I work are a little different, um, because I do work US hours, so, um, and then just doing everything via Zoom, whereas before I was working with clients in person. Okay. What type of billing systems or software do you use to do your job? That's a good question. Um, the billing system is through the agency where I work, so they take care of all of that. So you're still a California tax resident and US tax resident, I guess Yes, I am. Do you ever go back to California to visit, or do you have a home base there? I have a home base in California, so I spend quite a bit of time there. Um, but it varies by year, but um, it can be anywhere from a month that I'm there to six months. Were you apprehensive about anything before getting into this lifestyle, or did you feel really comfortable? Well, I think I transitioned in slowly. Um, so I was more comfortable doing that. And then building community helped to kind of ease that apprehension. And you have found a lot of community here with Nomad Cruise and Nomad Base? Yes. Yes, I have. And with other, um, communities as well, but that's kind of where it started from and branched out. How many cruises have you been on so far? This is my fifth. Wow. Yes. That's amazing. Who would you recommend Nomad Cruise to? For people that are interested in this lifestyle or who are also looking for community and who travel a lot. Thank you so

much Dina. And enjoy the rest of your time in Brazil. Thank you, Kristin.

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