How much money do I need to become a digital nomad?

It depends on your destination, travel style and income. Estimate monthly living costs for your first base, add startup costs such as flights, deposits, visa fees and insurance, and keep an emergency buffer. Some visa programmes also set their own minimum income or savings rules.

Is it legal to work remotely on a tourist visa?

It varies by country and is often unclear. Many countries treat tourist entry as not permitting work, and some have created digital nomad visas for remote workers. Check the official immigration source of the country you plan to visit.

Can I become a digital nomad with no experience?

It is harder but possible. Start by getting a remote role or freelance clients while you are still at home, for example in support, admin, content or online teaching, and build experience before you travel.

Do digital nomads pay taxes?

Yes, most do, somewhere. Which country taxes you depends on your citizenship, residency and where you work. This is general information; speak to a cross-border tax professional.

How to Become a Digital Nomad: A Step-by-Step Plan

Updated October 18, 2026

If you want to know how to become a digital nomad, the honest answer is that the travel is the easy part. The hard part is building income that works across borders and setting up the legal, financial and practical pieces before you leave. This step-by-step plan covers the order to do things in: income first, then legal status, money, health cover, taxes and your first base. It is written for people starting from a normal job, and it links to live remote jobs and our other guides at each step.

Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them Weightless may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we write.

Step 1: Decide what kind of digital nomad you want to be

People use the term for very different lives. Some move every few weeks. Others keep a home base and travel for a few months each year. Some stay in one new country for a year or more on a residence permit. Each pattern has different visa, tax and cost implications, so decide roughly which one you want before planning anything else.

Slow travel, staying a month or more in each place, is usually cheaper and easier to work from, because you can rent monthly, settle into a routine and find reliable internet. Fast travel is harder to combine with full-time work.

Step 2: Secure remote income before you leave

The safest path is to have remote income in place before you buy a one-way ticket. There are three common ways to get there:

Ask your current employer whether you can go remote, and whether working from abroad is allowed. Get the answer in writing, including which countries are approved.
Find a new remote job that hires in the countries you plan to live in. Start with remote jobs open outside the US or worldwide roles, and read our guide to digital nomad jobs.
Build freelance or contract income from clients while still employed, so you leave with a client base rather than hoping to find one on the road.

Step 3: Check your legal right to stay and work

A tourist entry usually allows sightseeing and visiting, not working. Whether remote work for a foreign employer counts as work on a tourist stay varies by country and is often unclear, so do not assume it is fine. Several countries now offer digital nomad visas or remote worker permits designed for people employed abroad. Read our guide to digital nomad visas for how these programmes generally work and where to find each country's official rules.

Also check your own passport's visa-free access, how many days you can stay in a region, and whether you need an onward ticket. In the Schengen Area, for example, short stays are generally limited to 90 days in any 180-day period, which our guide on working remotely from Europe explains.

Step 4: Build a money plan

Work out three numbers before you go. Your monthly cost of living in your first destination, which you can estimate with the cost-of-living calculator. Your startup costs: flights, deposits, visa fees, insurance and equipment. And your buffer: money you can live on if income stops, which matters more as a nomad because you have fewer safety nets abroad.

Then sort out how money moves. Check whether your bank charges foreign transaction or ATM fees, keep at least two ways to pay (for example two cards from different banks), and test how your salary or client payments arrive. Our guide to digital nomad taxes and banking covers this in more detail.

Step 5: Health insurance and safety

Your home health cover may not apply abroad, and many visa programmes require proof of insurance. Compare travel medical cover, international health insurance and any cover your employer provides, and read the exclusions. Check government travel advice for each destination, such as the UK Foreign Office travel advice or your own country's equivalent, and look up recommended vaccinations through official health sources well before departure.

Step 6: Understand your tax position before you go

Leaving your country does not automatically end your tax obligations, and staying somewhere long enough can create new ones. United States citizens, for example, are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live. This is general information, not tax advice; speak to an accountant who handles cross-border work before you leave, and read digital nomad taxes and banking for the questions to ask.

Step 7: Choose a first base that is easy

Your first destination should be forgiving: reliable internet, a time zone that suits your working hours, a straightforward entry process and an established community of remote workers. You can compare popular bases in our cities for digital nomads article and see remote listings by city, such as Lisbon, Chiang Mai or Bali.

Book your first few weeks of accommodation before arriving, ideally somewhere with a stated internet speed and a proper desk. You can move once you know the area.

Step 8: Set up your work kit

Pack for work, not just travel: a laptop you trust, a backup way to get online such as a local SIM or eSIM with data, a compact headset, chargers and plug adapters, and cloud backups of anything important. Turn on two-factor authentication for email and banking before you leave, and keep backup codes somewhere safe. Home office essentials for remote work has a fuller list.

Common first-year mistakes

Most early problems come from moving too fast. Booking flights before work approval, changing country every week, underestimating how tiring time differences are, and assuming a tourist entry covers working are the usual ones. Others forget that their phone number is tied to bank security codes, or let health insurance lapse between trips. Slow down, keep a written plan, and review it after each move.

Step 9: Run a trial before you commit

If you can, try a month working from somewhere new before giving up your home. A trial shows you whether the time difference works, whether you can focus in shared spaces, and what you really spend. Then use our first-month checklist for working remotely abroad when you make the bigger move.

Browse remote jobs for this

Live listings on Weightless, each showing who the employer says can apply, advertised pay where stated, and working hours.

Digital nomad readiness checklist

Remote income is in place, with the employer's or clients' approval to work from abroad in writing.
You have checked entry and work rules on the official immigration site of your first destination.
You know your monthly costs, startup costs and emergency buffer.
You have two ways to pay and have tested how income arrives.
You have health cover that works where you are going.
You have spoken to a cross-border tax professional.
Your first weeks of accommodation have reliable internet and a desk.

Frequently asked questions

How much money do I need to become a digital nomad?: It depends on your destination, travel style and income. Estimate monthly living costs for your first base, add startup costs such as flights, deposits, visa fees and insurance, and keep an emergency buffer. Some visa programmes also set their own minimum income or savings rules.
Is it legal to work remotely on a tourist visa?: It varies by country and is often unclear. Many countries treat tourist entry as not permitting work, and some have created digital nomad visas for remote workers. Check the official immigration source of the country you plan to visit.
Can I become a digital nomad with no experience?: It is harder but possible. Start by getting a remote role or freelance clients while you are still at home, for example in support, admin, content or online teaching, and build experience before you travel.
Do digital nomads pay taxes?: Yes, most do, somewhere. Which country taxes you depends on your citizenship, residency and where you work. This is general information; speak to a cross-border tax professional.

Sources

General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by country and change; check current official guidance.