Michelle Checchi (29) left the US in 2019 and plans to travel the world for a few months until her savings run out.
Currently, Checchi is a freelance writer and video producer. Her income fluctuates around USD 4,000/month (more than VND 94 million) and, according to information from Insider, only works 15-30 hours a week (average 3-4 hours/day).
“Instead of hanging out in one fixed place, Checchi likes the feeling of living in many parts of the world, being a tourist and traveling everywhere,” she said.
Trends in digital nomads
Checchi is one of the young people who tend to work remotely online, through digital devices such as phones, computers and not in a fixed place.
This is the trend of working “digital nomad”, the digital nomad chosen by many young people. They only need Wi-Fi, an electronic device such as a laptop or phone, they can work from anywhere and often move between countries. This job is mainly in the professions such as marketing, communication, IT, design, tutoring or consulting.
The concept of digital nomad first appeared in the book “The Digital Nomad” published in 1997. However, it was not until 2014 that this working lifestyle exploded in many countries around the world.
According to MBO Partners statistics, 15 million people are currently practicing this form of “digital nomad” in the US, an increase of 42% compared to 2020 and 112% compared to 2019. This work is very flexible and easy to schedule and has a good income. The digital nomad in particular creates favorable conditions for young people to travel anywhere and still earn money as a normal job.
As of June this year, more than 25 countries have supported this trend by issuing digital nomad visas. This is a document that allows “nomadic” workers to legally travel to other countries to work remotely.
In addition, the context of the Covid pandemic in 2021-2022 has caused problems in travel and tourist visas, but the trend of nomadic work has not cooled in the country. The reason is that the digital nomad community can meet the demand for workforce for the technology sector that almost leads the economy.
On the other hand, the pandemic has also increased telecommuting. Currently, many young people are familiar with the style of “working from home” or “working remotely”.
As for Michelle Checchi, the cost of living in the US is quite expensive, so living abroad and working in many places helps her live a more comfortable life.
High income
After graduating in 2015, Checchi was responsible for local news production for four years. However, she has always had a desire to travel and experience freedom.
In September 2019, she sold most of her belongings, drove across the country and decided to take a one-way flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. Checchi said that during her first months abroad she traveled to Cyprus, India and Nepal and lived very frugally.
But after about three months, when her reserves were running low, Checchi had an idea: What if she found a way to make money even while working remotely without needing a business? Checchi started looking for work on the Upwork website and other platforms to get freelance writing jobs.
“I thought, if I get a full-time job, I’ll just stay in one place forever. I want a job where I am free, go to many different places and still have a job,” said Checchi.
Although she had found a number of similar jobs with her desire, the income was not good at first. Checchi only earned a few hundred dollars and it was not enough for her to return to the US.
But gradually Checchi’s workflow started to evolve. After about six months, she was earning the same amount as a news producer (about $50,000 a year), but only had to work half an hour a day. Notably, she can also travel the world.
A few months later, Checchi was earning more than his old salary. In the month of June, she earned $17,000 from remote video production for a conference.
Checchi also has more than 68,000 followers on TikTok. She often posts videos with content sharing travel tips. She also just made money through this social network, although not much.
In addition, Checchi often takes on the role of ghostwriter: writing on behalf of individuals or companies, writing articles or website content. But gradually she tends more towards the video making position. Checchi has a wide variety of clients, but she often shoots and produces content for companies in the travel industry – projects that often pay for her travels.
Disadvantages of doing digital nomad
When not traveling, Checchi has a place to stay in the city of Tel Aviv. She believes this is a “middleman of access” between Europe and Asia. She pays 871 USD/month (more than 20 million VND) to rent an apartment in this city. The cost of living here is also quite expensive.
When Checchi travels for a long time, she rents this apartment again. And when she “relocates,” she’ll choose to stay in motels or Airbnbs, which help her maintain a monthly housing budget of about $900. This is a huge savings compared to the $3,100 average rent (June price) for a studio apartment in New York, where she previously lived.
But this work has not always been a bed of roses. During the pandemic, Checchi had to return to the US and stay with his family in Staten Island, New York for a while. Besides, the travel expenses are also a “headache” for this job.
In addition, since people have to “move here and there”, people will find it difficult to meet both friends and family. This will be a challenge for many of you. So this job is not for everyone.
But Checchi enjoyed it very much. She has friends “everywhere” and loves the feeling of meeting new people.
Vietnam jumps into the trend
Currently there are many young Vietnamese who choose this way of working. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are favorite locations for all digital nomads. However, lately, Phu Quoc is becoming a “Island Paradise” of nomads.
Thuc Hanh, a digital nomad, said, “I like Phu Quoc Island because there are many places to stay that meet all my requirements, such as a house with a view of the sea, quality dining and an airy workspace”.
Synthesis
