10 Apps Designed to Help Digital Nomads Thrive
A digital nomad is someone who has managed to break free from the cubicle and travels the world while still managing to make a living. In order to be a digital nomad, you have to understand that the digital part comes first. If you can thrive remotely, you are ready to be a part of the evolution of professionals making the world their office. To max out your full potential, be your most productive, and increase the chances of you reaching your goals and dreams, we’ve created a list of apps that can help you get there.
Google Docs
I first started using Google Docs when I worked at an ad agency as a copywriter fresh out of college. My boss practically forced me to switch from Microsoft Word to Google Docs and it was probably the single biggest and most beneficial change I’ve made professionally.
Google Docs allows you to create documents online and if you have the app, it allows you to do it offline as well. For written content creators this is a must have. The documents are stored in the cloud and updated in real time and if you send an invite to another user, two or more people can work on the same document at once. Also, since it updates in real time, there’s no need to worry about whether or not you’ve saved or sent the most recent version to your collaborators. Another huge benefit is being able to work on documents on your mobile setup in case a client calls for you to make a quick edit.
Recently, Google added a translation feature to Google Docs as well. We are currently using it for my book publishing company Lucid House Publishing to speed along translations for our clients. You still need a translator to review the translations because it’s far from perfect, but the good news is that you aren’t having to translate entire documents or manuscripts from scratch.
XE Currency Converter
As a digital nomad, you’ll find yourself frequently moving between countries at a pace faster than you can calculate and keep up with the conversion rate. The XE Currency Converter is an app designed for just that purpose. You tell it what country you are currently in and it will do instant calculations without depending on an internet connection. XE Currency is available as an iOS, Android, Windows app, and as a web service.
Workfrom
For coffee shop-loving digital nomads, Workfrom will be extremely useful because it’s designed to show you the best cafes, restaurants, and pubs around the globe, along with data about their prices, meal options, noise levels, ambience, wifi signals, and more.
Currently, the app focuses primarily on major U.S. cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco with new destinations in the works. It’s a free service with tons of spots with unbiased reviews.
Hopper
Hopper gives you a calendar, allows you to pick your desired destination, and then analyzes days of the week and search volume to give you the lowest predicted flight prices. Of course, the best part about saving money on traveling expenses is that it leaves you more room in your budget for a co-working space, delicious food, and maybe a date or two with a fellow digital nomad.
Slack
Slack emerged as the premier team coordination platform over the past decade. The cloud-based instant messaging platform enables digital nomads and remote entrepreneurs to easily communicate with their employees or freelancers from anywhere in the world.
You can create channels for each of your businesses and sub-channels within that, so you may have one for marketing, one for design, etc. If you become adept with Slack and now how to use Fiverr to find affordable labor, you can grow your business rapidly.
Shopify
Ten years ago, dropshipping was still somewhat of a secret. Nowadays, every digital nomad is keenly aware of dropshipping and has a general idea of how to leverage Shopify to execute a business in that space.
Instagram influencers are launching bikini lines, protein powders, supplements, and anything you can imagine — all without touching inventory or overworrying about logistics and delivery. If you have a basic understanding of marketing, CSS, payment systems, and HTML, Shopify gives you a low or no-hassle ecommerce platform. Shopify offers mobile-optimized websites with secure checkout processes, secure hosting, and more than 70 payment getaways to select from, and help running your digital marketing campaign. This go-to digital nomad ecommerce platform starts from $29 per month and up.
Later
Instagram is one of the first ways many digital nomads get to display the fruits of their labors and lifestyle to their friends and the wider world. Savvy millennials were some of the early adopters of the philosophy that the individual is their own brand.
Later is an app that helps curate your Instagram feed. More specifically, Later is a scheduling app that allows you to schedule your posts in advance and visually coordinate the layout. Additionally, you can prepare hashtags, bulk upload photos, and preview your posts before pushing it live.
Canva
Canva allows you to create beautiful graphic designs from the palm of your hand. You can instantly upload to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and set up infographics, invitations, photo collages, or inspirational text over images.
The best part about Canva is that you don’t need to be a graphic designer to make incredible graphics. The drag and drop interface is built for ease-of-use and the app offers up dozens and dozens of templates. For social media managers and anyone building a brand, Canva is a must-have.
Your network is your net worth. A digital nomad has to work nurture the relationships they currently have, while continuing to branch out — especially as a freelancer. Business opportunities, collaboration, and recruitment are all based on who you know and identifying value within that group.
The news feed and Facebook-like interface lends itself to discovery and provides instant touchpoints and conversation starters. However, instead of cat videos and memes cluttering your feed, you can expect to see professionals figuring out how to promote their business and fill a niche in the market.
Snapseed
Out of all the smartphone editing apps, Snapseed is one of the best there is. Simply swipe or touch the screen to edit photos. If there’s a particular area of the photo you’d like to fix, use the brush tool, which will allow you to use your finger to target it.
Additionally, if you make a mistake on the app and do not like the way your edit turned out, you can undo any of your prior steps. No matter what space you’re in as a digital nomad, there’s always a chance you’ll want to document your journey along the way. Snapseed is an essential part of making sure you’re telling the best visual story you possibly can.