Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | YouTube

Welcome to the Travel Transformation Podcast, the podcast where we talk all things travel and all things transformation. I'm your host, Jessica Grace Coleman, and this is a quick solo episode entitled How To Be A Digital Nomad When You're An Introvert.

I just want to point out that I am still in the Basque Country, still recording from my bedroom. And one of my housemates is in the corridor having a business meeting, and I don't know if you'll be able to hear her because I've got a very small mic and it's not as good as my usual mic I use when I'm at home, when I'm in the UK. But because it's small, I'm hoping it will pick up my voice and not her voice. So hopefully you'll be able to hear me okay, and hopefully you won't be able to hear her in the background, but let's see how we go.

I've only got a small window to record this in, between doing work, and there's a mastermind later. There's always a lot going on in this house, in this coliving, so I'm just recording it while I can. And I didn't want to wait another hour or two, because then something else is happening. Anyway, hopefully you can't hear my housemate in the background. So let's get to it. 

I am a digital nomad, and not a full-time nomad, because I spend a lot of time in my home country – although I still move around when I am in my home country sometimes, which totally counts as being a digital nomad, if you want to start that way instead of immediately jumping on a plane and heading abroad, because that can be a bit daunting and it can be very daunting as a whole lifestyle, really, when you're an introvert. Especially when you're a quiet, shy introvert like me, and especially if you feel a bit anxious about travelling on your own. Because, if you're a digital nomad, you're probably going to be travelling on your own for at least some of the time, even if you then stay in colivings and hostels, things like that, and get to know other people.

But if you're an introvert and you're a digital nomad, I would recommend not staying in colivings and hostels all the time, because it can be very draining. Very fun, but very draining. So that's the first tip. If you do want to do this full time, I highly recommend splitting your time between things like colivings and hostels and maybe getting an Airbnb by yourself or doing house sitting, doing solo activities, or if you have friends that you want to go and visit and you can sort of chill out there a bit. 

And it's not going to be as intense as coliving all the time, because I love coming here, but I've been here nearly four weeks now and last year I did the same – four weeks and then I went straight to Javea, to the Sun and Co. main house, and did three weeks there. I was meant to be there longer, but I cut it short because I wanted to visit Valencia and also I just needed some alone time, I needed my own room; I was sharing in Javea and it was seven weeks of coliving and doing all the coliving professional events and social events. It was very, very draining to someone like me, who's an introvert, who needs their own space, who needs to relax and recharge and all that kind of thing. 

So, the first thing – if you're considering becoming a digital nomad and you're an introvert – is to plan what kind of accommodation you will be staying in and see if you can mix it up. I lived on my own for three years and it was great. I loved having my own space, being able to do what I wanted to do, but it did get quite lonely at times. So I wouldn't want to stay in Airbnbs on my own for twelve months a year, l it would just be too hermity. It would be too much. Even if I was then going out and doing group activities and things to meet people, I think I'd want to mix that up with, like I said, colivings, hostels, things like that. 

So, look at your accommodation options: there's Airbnb, there's hotels, hostels, colivings, there's things like Workaway, where you will stay with a host family or just stay in accommodation with another group of people and work in exchange for room and board. That's a good way of meeting people, but I think that can be pretty intense too, especially if you've got your own job that you need to continue while you're doing it. You can go and visit friends and family and see if you can work there for a bit. There are lots of different ways of doing it. House sitting is great because that is free accommodation in exchange for looking after pets, and I love animals, so that's a win for me.

Just research all your accommodation options and figure out how you're going to do it. So, if you're going full-time, figure out how you can mix it up, maybe do a month here, do a month there, or do a month in a coliving, then two weeks on your own and that kind of thing so it doesn't get too overwhelming, too daunting. Also, maybe plan like a few months ahead so you're not worrying about where you're going next, but maybe don't plan too far ahead because then it can also get overwhelming and daunting. And, also, you might meet people on your travels and decide to go travelling with them or go and visit them in their home country. So it's good to leave breathing space in your calendar for that. 

If you're going to be a part-time digital nomad, then it doesn't matter too much if you live alone. You can go and stay in a coliving and then, when that becomes too much, you can go back home. There are no rules about this stuff – unless, obviously, you work for a company and they have actual rules about working remotely and working from different countries. So, if you do work for someone else, obviously check that first.

But this episode is more about being an introvert and how you can do that as a digital nomad. Still, even though it seems like maybe it's more of a thing for an extrovert, an interesting thing is that I thought it would be mainly extroverts in places like colivings, because it is very sociable, it's very ‘go there to meet people and hang out with people.’ But I found a pretty even balance, I would say, between introverts and extroverts in those places.

And so there's always going to be someone or a group of people you can find who are similar to you in terms of how introverted they are and who will probably want to do more quiet activities instead of getting drunk and being loud every night. Although, I won't lie, that is me sometimes – it depends how much I've drunk. 

So, in the coliving house we've got introverts, extroverts, ambiverts, and in the last couple of weeks I was part of the Introvert Club, which was me, Basil, and Bjorn, and it got started last year with Barbara as well. And basically, when everyone is getting drunk and doing limbo competitions in the garden, and having dance parties at 03:00 a.m., we'll be in the corner playing cards or playing Jenga or just talking over wine and that is just as fun to us. The other stuff is to them – I'm not saying it's either/or.

Sometimes we'll join in with the dancing and maybe the limbo thing – but I've got a dodgy back, so not so much that for me. And other times they will join in and have some card games or just talk. So it's not an either/or thing, but just find your tribe, I guess – find your people and that can help you when you're in a place like this.

Or just hang out with people and not talk to them – that's an introvert's dream. Just go to the pub, have some drinks, you don't feel forced to talk, you don't feel like you have to make conversation if you don't want, because we're just happy to sit in silence or just to talk occasionally and, that's fine. So find your people and book accommodation with this in mind, but know that if you do go somewhere that's very sociable, you probably will be able to find people who are still quite introverted and like you. So that's cool.

So, what else can we do as introverts? I find a lot of introverted travellers might also be quite anxious travellers. That's not true of everyone, of course, but it's true of some people. Even extroverts can be anxious travellers. So, I’m thinking about this through the lens of introverts, but also people who might just be anxious in general, whether that's social anxiety, anxiety over travel, or just general anxiety.

So, one thing I talk a lot about is having a space to retreat to, if you can get your own room. You can't always, but these days a lot of colivings have their own rooms, even a lot of hostels these days – you can get a private hostel room, if it's a nice boutique hostel… just somewhere you can relax and retreat to when you need to rest and recharge, however you need to recharge: reading, listening to music, sleeping, watching TV, talking to friends, whatever it is, in your own room. I cannot say enough how good it is to have your own room when you're an introvert in these places. 

Similarly, plan your downtime. These environments can be very fun, but they can be very draining, as I mentioned. So plan for breaks, plan for early nights if you need them. If you're travelling a lot, make sure you plan for days in between when you can just rest. Because travelling itself can be exhausting, as we all know, and if you add to that all the social anxiety of meeting new people constantly and hanging out with them and doing self-development stuff and playing games and putting yourself out there, it can be absolutely exhausting.

Like, right now, I am exhausted, a lot of the people in the house are exhausted. We're all on that kind of level because we've all just been doing so much. So make sure you have breaks throughout the day where you can retreat and get away from people if you need to.

And also, in between accommodations, in between travels, if you can do slower travel, that's great, so you're not burnt out all the time – and take advantage of doing solo activities when you're travelling, whether that's walking around a museum on your own, going for a walk in nature on your own, if you have a hobby like painting or drawing… a lot of people in the house here have been drawing and painting in the evenings. And if you can just take yourself off to a place in the garden or your room and do that for a bit, that can sort of help recharge you as well. Also, if you do journaling, meditation, or anything like that, self-reflection can really help you when you're in an intense environment with lots of people – or if you've been travelling a lot. 

Remember, this is all about being a digital nomad. So, on top of all the social stuff and all the workshops and everything else you do, you've got to get your work done at some point.

So, boundaries are huge. I've been a lot better at it this year than I was last year. I've been coming to my room and working on my own up here a lot more when I know I get distracted otherwise. And saying no to things. I felt, last year, that I had to go to every workshop, every skillshare, especially every mastermind, because that's all about helping a person going through a certain issue and you want to help your friends, but sometimes you’ve just got to work, sometimes you've just got to rest. And being able to say no to things is a game changer – without feeling guilty, that's the main point. So yeah, the Joy Of Missing Out is the new FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). 

For example, last night I came to bed at about half eleven because I was very tired, and a lot of the times we've been staying up till like two, three. The other night I went to bed at half four, five and I was just like, ‘What am I doing?’ I'm not going to be able to function tomorrow. So I went to bed at half eleven and then, at about 11:45, I heard everyone running around, talking excitedly, and I was like, ‘What's going on?’ And I kind of pieced together that they were all going to jump in the pool around midnight. And the pool is cold here in the day, so at night it's going to be very cold. I heard them say, “Let's wake up the people who are asleep!” and I was just like, ‘Nope! There's no way I'm getting out of my nice comfy bed to jump in a freezing cold pool and drink gin outside when I've decided to go to bed early so I can get work done tomorrow.’ And I did not feel like I was missing out. I felt nice and cosy in my bed, and I felt very happy with my decision.

So, it's just coming to the realisation that you don't have to do everything. Even if people are out there having fun, you don't have to do it just because they are. Do things on your own timetable, get your work done, rest when you need to, and really work on those boundaries – because it's so important when you're a digital nomad and you're trying to balance work and play.

Also, if you can, choose off-peak travel times. So, if you're only a part-time digital nomad, consider going travelling in the shoulder season, which is like the quieter seasons. If you're going out for the day and you set your own times for work, then consider going places in the week, maybe instead of the weekend, where it's going to be a lot quieter, less crowded, and so you can have a more relaxed experience.

Use apps and online websites and things to help you, as an introvert, travel more easily. I use Google Street View a lot, especially if I'm travelling on my own somewhere and I've never been to the place. If it's a different country, I don't speak the language… it's a lot less daunting if you go on Street View beforehand. Maybe start at the airport or wherever you're getting to or the train station and figure out exactly how you're going to get to the next place – whether it's a train, a bus, a taxi, an Uber – and then make sure you know the street of the accommodation you're staying at so you can recognise the street when you get there and so you recognise the building outside and you know exactly where to go. That eliminates a lot of stress, I think. I use Google Street View all the time.

Just be kind to yourself. Remember, it's okay to say no. It's okay to take breaks. It's okay to go to bed early when everyone else is staying up till three. It's okay to spend time alone, and it's okay to do what makes you happy and to do what you need to do to get you through the workday and to get all your work done. Basically, it's going to be different for everyone. Don't feel like you have to do exactly what other people are doing. 

Also, if you have really strong anxiety while travelling, I would suggest starting small. So, if this is solo female travel in particular – or just solo travel – if you've never done it before, start small. Go away for a night somewhere, go away for a weekend somewhere on your own, and build up that solo travel muscle. 

And, if you want to be a digital nomad, you can do the same. You can go away for a couple of days while you're working and see if you can balance it. Do the work and play and explore the area. If you can do that, try it for a week. If you can do that, try it for two weeks. You don't have to immediately say, “I'm going away for twelve months, and I'm going to be working the whole time,” because that's just too much and you won't be used to it. 

Also, if you practice self-care of any kind, make sure you do that while you're away. Some people do it at home every day and then, as soon as they start travelling, the whole routine goes out the window. And, if you can, try to at least keep some of your routine every day – if you have a morning routine, if you do exercise, if you do meditation, if you do journaling, if you do modern-day journaling, like talking to ChatGPT about your problems, anything like that. If you can try and do at least one or two things from your usual routine when you're travelling, you'll feel so much more grounded and so much more yourself and so much more tethered, I think. So that's definitely something to think about. 

And just make sure you have a support system. If you are anxious about travelling, make sure you keep in touch with your friends back home – your family, your partner. If you're travelling solo without your partner, make sure you just keep in touch with people from your normal – air quotes – normal life. And yes, just make sure that if you need to, you have the support there, because it can be overwhelming, like I said. 

And travel coaches… I've had so many travel coaches on this podcast. Just go back and listen to pretty much any interview I've done with a travel coach and you will see how they can support you while you're away as well. So that's always an option. If you are totally, really anxious about travelling or have really bad social anxiety, I would highly recommend seeking professional support. Just get some guidance, get some help if it's really stopping you from going travelling or from doing all these social things, because it just seems like too much. Professional help, like therapists and counsellors, can help so much. 

Those are just a few tiny points on how to be a digital nomad and be an introvert. Just to go over them again… Basically, it's picking the right accommodation, picking the right type of travel, having your own space, having your own room if at all possible, knowing what helps you rest and recharge, and make sure you do that, have boundaries. It's okay to say no. Embrace JOMO – the Joy Of Missing Out. Make sure you do whatever you need to do to get your work done, to make sure you get enough rest, to keep healthy, to keep your routines. Plan ahead if you need to, like with Google Street View, all of that good stuff. And, yeah, if you really are struggling but you really, really want to try this lifestyle, start with small steps and ask for support if you need it.

Those are just a very few tips I've been able to come up with. Like I say, I’m on a bit of a clock here because there's a mastermind in a little bit and I want to go to that and help one of our housemates. She's thinking about a career change and we're just going to help her brainstorm and come up with some ideas and give her our own advice and experiences and hopefully help her come to a decision.

So that's also a good thing. If you go to a coliving, you could do a mastermind on how to be an introvert as a digital nomad – find out that way!

That’s all I've got to say on this episode. I hope it helped. Let me know if it did help you – you can DM me on Instagram @traveltransformationcoach. And, until next time, I'll catch you on the flip side, bye! 

Do you want to learn how you can use travel – and travel-related principles – to completely change your life?

Written by Travel Transformation Coach Jessica Grace Coleman, this guide walks you through 10 ways you can transform yourself – and your life – through travel... even when you can't travel!

Intrigued? Get your free guide right now!