Are you dreaming of becoming a digital nomad and traveling the world full-time? Or do you just want to work remotely and travel at any time of the year? If that sounds interesting then you’re in a good place! In this post, we’ll present you a list of the best well-paid remote jobs for digital nomads. All listed jobs will maximize your chances for a stable and good flow of enough money needed for all your traveling endeavors. We’ll also share our experiences and how we transitioned to 100% remote work. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Now that we have your attention, let’s dive in.
One of the few things we can thank the 2020 pandemic for is that it opened lots of work and travel opportunities. First of all, many people have noticed that they can combine pleasant with necessary, aka traveling and earning money, and they don’t have to sit in an office five days a week. Secondly, many skeptical bosses saw that fully remote work is possible in more positions than they thought and employees can do the work well from home or literally any place on earth. So as a result now we experience a blast of possibilities that weren’t available on such a huge scale just a few years ago. Looking for a remote job became as simple as it has never been. Remote job offers keep on springing up like mushrooms. So why not take advantage of them?
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Types of remote digital nomads jobs
You have three main options to consider for your remote working career: working 9-5, freelancing, or becoming a business owner. Each of them requires a different set of skills, time commitment, and mindset. Also, be aware that the path you choose will strongly influence your traveling style. Ok, let’s take a closer look at them.
Remote 9-5 job
The easiest and most secure option that almost guarantees stable income, much needed while long-term traveling. Often also the least time-consuming. You do what you have to do, close your laptop, and forget about it until the next day. Chances are high that you are already working in a profession that can be done remotely. All you need to do is ask your boss if it will be an option for you. If that won’t be possible, you’ll have to look for a totally new remote job.
Being a remote 9-5 worker is a great option for those who like to feel financially secure, and opt for slow traveling. The biggest downside of that option is working from Monday to Friday during fixed hours. It will limit your time for sightseeing during weekdays.
Also, be aware that for that you’ll probably need to start your own company. For example a sole proprietorship, limited liability company, or any other that will fit your needs. Most companies don’t allow working abroad while on a contract of employment. This is due to legal, insurance, and tax aspects.
Freelancing
If you want more flexibility and freedom, no fixed working hours, and not being tied to one company, freelancing might be a way to go. Being a freelancer means being a person who provides services to clients on a project-by-project basis. But it also means spending time looking for clients, and negotiating project requirements and prices. Definitely extra work, at least compared to 9-5 jobs. Finding freelancing jobs may not be easy at first, and even very discouraging. With time, a complementary portfolio, and a growing number of reviews, it will become easier and more profitable.
Business Owner
You can also be a business owner and run your company from almost anywhere in the world. And yes, freelancers are usually also business owners, but they provide services for others personally. Here we wanna talk about entrepreneurs who create a business that potentially at some point runs itself. So who could it be? For example, travel bloggers or influencers who earn money on things like their own products collaborations, advertisements, affiliates, etc. That could also be owners of smaller or larger companies, like software houses, gamedev studios or marketing agencies. Basically, any business where the whole team can work remotely and no office is needed.
But don’t think it’s an easy and fast route to making big money. Often it’s a very long and bumpy road with endless work, a constant need for improvements, new ideas, and taking care of a countless number of things. It’s probably the hardest and most challenging option but in the end, the most profitable, if done right.
Interested how money and travel go together? 💰🌍
Reality check about well-paid digital nomads jobs
This whole digital nomad lifestyle and working remotely sounds so cool and easy, right? Finding a remote job, buying a ticket, packing, and off to the world… Piece of cake! Well, it won’t always be that easy. Its easiness will depend on many things, but mostly on your work experience. So before we’ll show you a list of the best well-paid digital nomads jobs, we need to do a reality check with you, so you won’t get overly excited and disappointed in the end.
If you already have experience in some niches and proof of that – great! Your chances are high that you’ll quickly find a well-paid remote job or freelance assignments. If you don’t have any work experience or skills useful for working remotely – it won’t be that easy for you. Chances are very low that somebody will hire you, especially for a good amount of money. Your road to working remotely will be longer and harder. You’ll need to learn, do some courses and certifications, and probably (but not necessarily) gain some experience in the office. Also, in that case, don’t expect super high earnings straight away. Unless you’ll find some golden goose or something then congrats!
Ok, now that you know what to expect, it’s finally time to show you a list of the best well-paid digital nomads jobs. Note: we listed only ones that we are pretty sure can be well-paid. We know them from our experience and various acquaintances.
Best well-paid remote jobs for digital nomads
Software Developer
It’s one of the best-paid remote jobs for digital nomads, if not the most. A developer is someone who creates, maintains, or improves various types of software, applications, websites, or systems. His primary goal is to write clean, efficient, and functional code that meets the needs of the end-users or clients. There are plenty of specializations for software developers (frontend, backend, web, mobile, etc.), and plenty of languages that the code can be written in (Python, C#, Java, JavaScript, etc.).
Software Tester / Quality Assurance Engineer
Where are developers there are testers and QA’a. They are responsible for finding bugs developers might create and ensuring that the product is ready to be released according to the standards. Testing can be split into two subgroups: manual – where everything is checked manually according to a given test plan, and automated – where test cases are executed automatically. In the latter, testers write the code to test the code, and similar skills are needed for the software developer. On the other hand manual testing is quite an easy way to start in the IT industry which many choose to do.
Management positions
Management positions refer to roles in which an individual is responsible for overseeing and directing the work of others within an organization. These positions can vary in scope and responsibility, but generally involve managing people, finances, and projects in order to achieve the goals of the organization. The specific requirements will vary depending on the industry and position. Examples of management positions: Project Manager, Delivery Manager, Product Owner, Operations Manager, or Department Head. For those positions, it’s crucial to have already existing experience and know-how in the domain as a lot of things depend on these people.
Scrum Master
If you’re more interested in helping teams and solving different problems, scrum master might be a job for you. Scrum masters are servant leaders and play an important role in the Scrum framework the most popular way of creating products in an agile way nowadays. Their main focus is to make sure that the scrum is understood and enacted It also involves removing obstacles that may be impeding the team’s progress towards goals, facilitating meetings, and helping the team to continuously improve. Scrum master also closely works with the product owner and organization.
Graphic Designer
Graphic designers use their artistic and technical skills to create visual content to effectively communicate messages and ideas. They can work on a wide range of projects such as advertising, branding, web designing, creating concepts, mockups, and sketches, creating visual elements for games or applications, or creating 2D or 3D digital assets. Everything depends on the specialization and niche. They work in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Sketch, Blender, and others depending on the niche and project.
UX/UI Designer
UX/UI designers are responsible for creating user-friendly interfaces (UI) and experiences (UX) for digital products and services. They work on a wide range of digital products such as software interfaces, websites, mobile games, or mobile apps. They need to take into consideration people’s needs and behaviors in order to create interfaces that are intuitive and easy to navigate. UX/UI designers work closely with users, business, and developers. Soft skills required to communicate and understand the needs together with some artsy taste are crucial. They don’t need programming skills, but having a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is helpful, especially in communicating with developers. They work in programs like Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, or InVision.
Marketing Specialist
Marketing is a very broad term that covers a lot of specializations. There are marketing specialists for social media, email marketing, advertising, content creation, or managing communities. But whatever the specialization, performed tasks always are aimed at reaching the target audience to promote the company and/or products and services to drive sales or increase brand awareness. In smaller companies there is often only one job named “Marketing specialist” and a person has to take care of all marketing aspects, which is very exhausting and often frustrating. We recommend choosing one specialization and focusing on improving your skills in it.
Copywriter
If you have solid writing skills you can try your hand at copywriting. Nowadays those skills are in high demand, as there is a constant, ongoing demand for new content. You can for example write posts for websites, articles for news outlets, prepare compelling social media content or email campaigns, prepare landing pages, product descriptions, or advertising texts… The possibilities are endless.
Copywriters who write content for various online platforms should also have a solid knowledge of SEO best practices. It’ll help improve the website’s search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to the site. Also, copywriters often offer proofreading and text editing services as it’s closely related.
SEO Specialist
A good SEO strategy is essential for improving the quality and quantity of organic traffic to websites. And that is exactly what SEO specialists do – with their professional knowledge and tools they optimize websites to rank higher in search results, thus they help businesses increase their online visibility and attract more people. SEO specialists have to have a good knowledge of things like keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, or technical SEO. They also must stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and algorithm updates to know what is working best.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is probably a remote job that requires the least professional skills and knowledge, at least in its basic form. It’s a good option for those who currently work in an office. Virtual assistants usually provide administrative and technical assistance. They take care of tasks like answering emails, scheduling appointments, making calls, or making travel arrangements. In the most advanced version, which provides more money, virtual assistants also specialize in something like managing social media, conducting research, or preparing website posts with good SEO.
Online Consultant / Coach
If you’re really good at something that can be taught online and you have the right skills, you can think about becoming a consultant or coach. The options for remote consulting jobs are literally endless. It can be something connected for example to marketing strategies, finances, sales business operations, project management, investing, health and wellness, or fitness. The key is to identify your area of expertise and find a niche that aligns with your skills.
Photographer / Videographer
Do you have photography or videography experience? Well, that’s great because there are many well-paid options for digital nomads who are experienced and good at that. For example, you can take photos of videos for brands, hotels, or restaurants, do sessions for people in some cool places, or make deals for documenting events in the area. Showcase your work somewhere on the internet, on your website, or on social media do a bunch of networking and the sky is the limit.
Blogger / Influencer
First of all, being a blogger or influencer is something that won’t give you quick money if you’re just starting out. It’s a long road since the start of blog/social media channels to see the first buck (it’s said that for many blogs 2 years is the minimum). But if you won’t give up and survive this bumpy and not-easy journey, after some time you might end up with a really great “passive” income thanks to things like advertising, affiliates, or various cooperations. SEO knowledge, writing, marketing, social media, photography, basic graphic design, video editing, website management, and communication are only some of the many skills that you’ll need.
Our remote work experience as digital nomads
Since August 2021 we’re full-time digital nomads and slow travelers. Before 2020 out of the two of us only Sonia had an opportunity to try remote working – she could work from home whenever she wanted to. In 2020 Wojtek, a person who constantly claimed that his work cannot be done remotely was forced to do it and… he liked it so much that he decided he’ll never come back to the office again!
What do we do now, in early 2023? Wojtek still works remotely in his 9-5 job, providing consulting services as a scrum master. Sonia some time ago left her job (marketing specialist in a software house), and now is 100% focused on growing Happy Little Traveler brand and our company. Our goal is to make it the main source of income and free ourselves from selling our 9-5 hours.
Where to look for well-paid digital nomads remote jobs?
Digital nomads jobs can be easily found at dedicated remote work-looking websites like:
We also highly recommend looking for websites focused on your home country like Just Join IT, No Fluff Jobs, or Rocket Jobs in Poland. It’s way easier to land a remote job in a company from your home country due to various legal and tax reasons. So look locally first and when you’ll be ready the whole world of opportunities awaits.
The second best option is to look at LinkedIn, both in the jobs tab and via your connections.
The next option is to look at Facebook Groups like Digital Nomad Jobs: Remote Job Opportunities, Remote Jobs and Digital Nomads, or Remote Work & Jobs for Digital Nomads.
There are also dedicated websites for freelancers like Upwork, or Fiverr.
Best well-paid remote jobs for digital nomads – Summing up
So, there you have it, a list of the best well-paid remote jobs that are perfect for digital nomads. If you already have something that can be done remotely that’s great! Just pack your bags and off you go! If you’re not there yet do the necessary changes and live your life the way you want and not how others will design it for you. And if you’re just starting your career then fingers crossed and good luck! At least now you know what works and what is the best place to start looking.
