If you’re living in places like North America and Europe, the internet is usually a friend rather than a foe. Blazing-fast download and upload speeds allow you to become one of the best digital nomads in the world (or at least in your eyes). With such a quick connection, you’re ready to hit deadlines, work on new projects, network, and more.
In other locations around the globe, you aren’t so lucky. Oceania, Asia, Africa, and South America may have some ideal spots for the productive digital nomad, but these continents also have sprawling areas with super-slow internet. Struggling to load pages, upload files, or do almost anything work-related is a familiar chapter in the digital nomad saga. This is especially true for those who like to step away from the oft-trodden digital nomad realms like Bali and Chiang Mai.
But fear not, brave digital nomad. You’ve come this far. So when the internet is atrociously slow, you needn’t worry. With these productive offline ideas, you can grow professionally and personally, stay on track, and even get some work done offline. The choice is yours.
1. Enjoy Your Surroundings…the Way Only Digital Nomads Can
Just like the internet, you can’t be connected all the time. According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who normally spent 13 hours in front of a computer screen were twice as likely to die as a person who’s inactive 11.5 hours out of the day. These statistics provide proof and insight into the importance of work-life balance.
For digital nomads, the importance of disconnecting is even more profound. Unlike a regular job, nothing prevents you from working long hours every day of the week. In addition, freelancers are particularly susceptible to overworking as they try to build income streams and expand their client base.
When the internet goes down or crawls along at anemic speeds, seize the benefits of being a digital nomad. Wherever you are in the world, you have a unique chance to network with others from around the globe, try local delicacies, or see a sport that’s entirely foreign to you. Don’t let the moment pass you by. Otherwise, what’s the point of traveling while you work?
2. Meditate
Relaxation is more than just taking a step back from work. It’s about improving your mind and body. But you don’t have to subscribe to the mantras of yoga to redirect your thoughts or focus your mind (unless that’s your thing). Instead, try a meditation session.
If you’ve never tried meditation, pushing thoughts out of your mind is burdensome. Deadlines, certifications, what to eat for dinner, and other ideas can creep into your head without warning. Yet meditation is all about the realization of extraneous thoughts, pushing them aside, and slowing your mind down. Just a few minutes of meditation a day can reduce your stress level, prevent anxiety, and improve your sleep. If you don’t know how to meditate, don’t fret. Just like any other activity, practice makes perfect. Once you’ve learned the basic principles and how to control your mind, you’ll wonder how you ever existed without meditation.
3. Exercise
When you’re constantly on the move, finding time to exercise isn’t easy. Between long-term gym memberships, a lack of fitness equipment, and constant working, staying fit as a digital nomad requires extra work on your part. Fortunately, internet outages are the ideal time to get away from the desk and improve your fitness.
If you often lack the motivation to exercise, start by finding hotels, hostels, AirBnBs, or other types of accommodation that have an onsite gym or swimming pool. With exercise options just a few steps away, you eliminate excuses for not going. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day, four to five days a week can make all the difference in your health and well-being.
If you can’t find lodging with a gym or you don’t have the budget, you still have plenty of other options. A favorite of many digital nomads is combining exploration with fitness. Instead of taking public transportation between two places, walk or bike. Along the way, you just might find a scenic park, unbelievable view, or your next favorite restaurant.
How you choose to exercise is entirely up to you, but the results will speak for themselves.
4. Hone Your Craft as a Digital Nomad and Remote Worker
Just because the internet stinks doesn’t mean you can’t improve at your trade. Whether you’re a writer, web designer, or another profession, you can find numerous ways to bolster your resume. Furthermore, you can gain more speed or competence at a job or find new tricks to improve your overall skills.
While online forums, YouTube videos, and online academies have become the foremost way to hone your craft, don’t forget about old-school approaches. Instructional books are an invaluable resource for the digital nomad perfectionist, veteran, or newbie. Within the pages of these books, you’ll discover a wealth of knowledge. The right books will enable you to improve your skill set or boost supplementary competency in other areas. Hopefully, these skills will make you a dual-threat and more attractive to prospective clients.
Beyond your main and secondary skills, you can also read books that teach you how to become a more effective business person or entrepreneur. From inspirational texts to step-by-step methods on how to become a successful digital nomad, books such as “The Personal MBA,” “The 4-Hour Workweek,” and “The Laptop Millionaire” can put you on the path to success, even if you’re away from the internet for an hour, day, or week.
5. Take Up a Hobby
Being a digital nomad is an exciting adventure, but don’t forget — it’s still a job. Beyond that, what you do with your free time plays a determining role in your mental health, stress levels, and social interactions. While hanging out at the pool or going to a pub is fun for a few weeks or months, the novelty can wear off quickly. That’s why you need a hobby.
Hobbies are a stress-free way to help you learn a skill, build connections with others, and indulge one of your joys outside of the workplace. If you don’t have a hobby, there’s no better time to start than when you don’t have any internet. With minimal distractions, you can focus your time and energy on an activity that makes you a well-rounded, interesting person and a next-level digital nomad.
If you’re not sure what interests you or what you’d enjoy doing, here are some hobby ideas to get you started that easily translate to the digital nomad lifestyle:
- Cook. Many cities in Europe, Oceania, and Asia have places where you can learn to make local cuisines.
- Play an instrument. You’ll find an instrument store in almost every place around the world. As a digital nomad, think portability. You probably don’t want to buy an 88-key electric piano when a ukulele or violin provides a more manageable situation when you’re off to the next destination.
- Paint or draw. Armed with just a pencil, pen, or a few paints, you can indulge your inner Picasso. If you feel artistically challenged, grab an adult coloring book. (Yep, that’s a real thing.)
- Hike. If you’re close enough to the wilderness, try hiking. Not only will you get some exercise, but nature will treat you to sights and sounds worthy of your next envy-producing Instagram post.
- Join a sports league. Even the unathletic can enjoy the fun and excitement of rec-league sports. Over the years, I’ve played wiffle ball on the beach in Vietnam, coed netball in New Zealand, and pick-up soccer in a park in Sydney. Not only will the competition get you motivated, but you’ll find plenty of like-minded people to build your network or share a beer with.
This is a wholly incomplete list of hobbies, but you’ll find that at least one of the hundreds of available hobbies will add a layer of happiness to your life that you drastically need.
6. Get Your Affairs in Order
One of the most difficult tasks for digital nomads is finding the time to get all your affairs in order. We’re not talking grocery shopping and paying bills here. Taking care of your business may include those errands you’ve been neglecting for weeks or months at a time. Although the internet is necessary for many of these, you probably still have other chores that need your attention:
- Pack your bag in Tetris-like fashion to fit the most stuff possible
- Create a to-do list for your future endeavors
- Go souvenir hunting for friends and family
- Edit pictures and videos to upload to your website or social media
If none of these suggestions pertain to you directly, think about what you can do without the internet to streamline your next migration.
7. Attend a Social Event with (or without) Other Digital Nomads
Regardless of your interests, your current city is likely to have a social event to entertain you for a few hours. Some favorites of digital nomads include:
- Pub trivia. It’s a great way to mingle with locals and other digital nomads, as well as indulge your inner “Jeopardy!” contestant and enjoy some food and drink.
- Yoga in the park. These types of events are springing up in major cities and always welcome newbies.
- Art exhibits and galleries.
- Museums.
- Local sporting events.
- Paint and sip. During a session of paint and sip, you learn how to paint while you sip wine and fraternize with other participants.
If you’re at a loss of how to find these events without the internet, find the community board at a local café or ask around. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to attend social gatherings and how willing people are to help you enjoy your visit to their city.
Whenever you facepalm or feel rage building due to intermittent internet outages or slow speeds, remember that all is not lost. You can still be productive, even if that doesn’t directly translate to a completed job. You just might find out that the disconnected world isn’t that scary after all.
What creative ways have you and other digital nomads you know gotten past internet issues? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to tell us what you think. We’d love to hear from you!
iStock image: PeopleImages
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