My favorite digital tools, services & apps

INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS

If you need to get paid in a foreign currency or pay someone who doesn't have PayPal or Venmo - voila! The transfer fees are sooo much cheaper than PayPal, wire transfer, or anything else!

VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK

It’s important to think about your online security and data privacy as well as your physical safety. I use NordVPN to protect my financial data, passwords, and client info when I’m working from a public wifi network. …It’s also great for streaming Hulu ;p I even know some nomads whose work doesn’t know where they are…

GETTING AROUND ABROAD

Doing some planning and not sure if you can physically get from A to B? Rome2Rio is a lifesaver for trip planning.

GETTING AROUND ABROAD

Landing in a new country where you won’t have cell service, as a nomad does? Install Airalo as your second esim so you have data when you land. Makes getting around a LOT easier, and I like having data for safety as well. There are cheaper options, but I’ve found this esim to be the easiest and most convenient.

CAR RENTAL

I didn’t rent a car until I was 27, and it’s still not a default move for me when I’m traveling. But, it is amazing what renting a car enables you to do! You can really get off the beaten track, explore places like a local, and have so much freedom.

AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS

If you don’t get Priority Pass through your Chase travel card (see my financial recs here), it’s totally worth getting on it’s own. I had never been in an airport lounge before 2019 – it’s mind-blowing how the other half lives. Comfy chairs and couches, outlets wherever you look, free food and coffee, your own nice bathrooms…if you’re flying a lot, you will easily make your investment in a Priority Pass from saving on airport food within a year.

LODGING & HOTEL BOOKING

Agoda is starting to compete with Booking.com in terms of having great discounts and sometimes being cheaper to book through them. I found they’ve got some great options for longer-term stays, especially in Asia.

LODGING & HOTEL BOOKING

As a nomad, I’m working, not just on vacation & partying, so I don’t stay at hostels a lot anymore unless I’m on vacation. However, A) HostelWorld has some non-hostels – for cheaper prices than on other sites and B) there are some hostels that are great for working and way cheaper than other options.

TOUR BOOKING

Get Your Guide is an up-and-coming booking site. I like the variety of their tours – and they even have super practical stuff as well – I used them to book my transportation from Rio de Janeiro to Ilha Grande for a weekend trip. Sometimes it’s easier and faster to go with transportation designed for tourists, and not spend hours transferring buses and wrestling with another language.

AUDIO FITNESS WORKOUTS

Aaptiv is SO great for working out on the road. I can choose a workout by type, length, what body parts I want to work, what equipment I have available, and choose my music. Then one of their trainers tells me exactly what to do! This is perfect for my digital nomad life - sometimes I have a gym, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I want a little motivation on an outdoor run, or someone to guide me through a yoga session.

TRANSLATION

If you've ever been in a situation where you're trying to communicate with someone, and neither of you speak the other's language, but you have wifi, Google Translate is a game changer.