As the world is slowly getting back into some kind of normality, I have been reflecting on the past two years where COVID-19 turned our daily lives upside down.
I guess I speak for all of us when I say: “Thank god the pandemic finally seems to be over!”
It came out of nowhere and affected all of us in a way that we could never have imagined. What started as a two-week lockdown in most countries turned into a two-year crisis that affected the whole world, restricted our daily lives, and changed our work environments and habits.
COVID-19 has definitely been one of the most challenging crises in modern times. But like every other difficult time, challenges always seem to come with an important lesson that can turn into a future opportunity.
Through my reflections on the past two years, I’ve found three positive takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic – that I think we can learn from.
1. Remote work has become "the new black"
It has been fun to witness the before and after effects of COVID-19 from the perspective of digital nomads.
When COVID-19 hit, it became extremely difficult to pursue the nomadic lifestyle, as most countries implemented strict travel restrictions and many flight routes got canceled.
While traveling became a real hassle – remote work, on the other hand, became the new normality. Everyone got forced into working remotely when numerous companies decided to send their employees home during the lockdown periods.
It was a big epiphany for many when realizing their job could be managed remotely. While companies saw the results in cost savings, the employees got a chance to enjoy the convenience of working from home and saving time on their daily commute.
Remote work is definitely not for everyone, but it’s no longer a term-limited to digital nomads.
Remote work has become “the new black”, and a lot of people enjoy the freedom of working from home. More and more companies are seeing the benefits of having a remote workforce, and big brands such as Spotify, Hubspot, and Airbnb, now offer permanent remote- or hybrid job opportunities.
I believe this development and the company’s new way of looking at remote work will lead to more people seizing this opportunity of a nomadic lifestyle.
2. Community is everything
I’ve previously experienced burnout as a result of trying to balance work and travels as a digital nomad. I’ve learned (the hard way), that we need to take care of our mental health to live a meaningful and productive life as digital nomads.
The lockdown made me realize how important community is for our mental health. When we surround ourselves with like-minded people, we get a sense of belonging and community despite the changing environments we face when traveling.
Socializing is one of the best ways to get our minds off work and stimulate brain activity. Something that we haven’t been able to do much of during the pandemic.
This lesson has taught me that I always need a plan for my social life/activities before embarking on a digital nomad trip, whether that means; traveling with a friend or partner, meeting up with new people through nomad communities & sports activities, or simply going to a coworking space.
3. The importance of health insurance
Last but not least, the COVID-19 pandemic made me realize the importance of travel- and health insurance. While it’s something most of us know, many digital nomads still travel without any form of insurance to cut costs low… I’ve been there myself and trust me, it’s certainly not the right place to try to save a few bucks.
While you might be young and healthy, traveling and being away from your natural habits and environment always comes at a higher risk.
When I’m travelling, I want to explore. That means jumping on a scooter in Bali, hiking through the jungle in Panama, or surfing the perfect waves in Costa Rica.
A good health insurance allows me to enjoy these activities with peace of mind, without stressing over; “what if” …”This could go wrong”.
If I run into unexpected events, I know I’m covered and have the right support system in place.
As humans, we tend to focus on events that we are in control of. But the pandemic has taught me how quickly things can get out of our hands. So do yourself a favor and figure out your needs in terms of travel- or health insurance.
As of June, we’ve partnered with the fintech company, PassportCard Nomads, to help bring more educative content to you on the topic of travel- and health insurance for Nomads & expats.
We have chosen to work with PassportCard Nomads as we believe it’s the best insurance provider on the market for digital nomads.
Together we’re on a mission to make sure that more digital nomads are well informed about the topic and understand their personal needs in travel- or health insurance.
With PassportCard Nomads, we present customized insurances for nomads & expats, that offers the best and most innovative insurance technology on the market.
What makes PassportCard Nomads unique?
PassportCard Nomads is the only insurance provider in the world to offer real-time payment via a rechargeable debit card (the red card), in the event of any insurance-related scenario. It means no out-of-pocket expenses for you.
In case of an emergency – you no longer have to wait hours on the phone, followed by pain points of paperwork processes, and not to forget high personal expenses that you need to have reimbursed.
Instead, The AI-patented technology behind PassportCard Nomads, will pre-emptively process your insurance claim and find the nearest medical facility. There will be no out-of-pocket expenses as the dedicated debit card gets preloaded with the amount needed to cover your medical bills.
Furthermore, we really like their flexible insurance policies, the 24/7 emergency assistance, and the app that takes away all the usual paperwork and makes it a stress-free process to deal with an insurance provider.
The outstanding service and insurance coverage from PassportCard Nomads really brings you peace of mind when traveling as a digital nomads – so go ahead and check them out.
