When I first quit my 9-5, booked a flight, and decided I was going to work remotely, I didn’t put too much thought into what I would need – if anything?
My first thoughts about remote work tools was “if I have a laptop, I’m sorted, right?”. Wrong haha! It made so much sense to me that I’d literally just need my laptop, some earphones maybe, and obviously my charger but then I should be done. And I can tell you my digital nomad life certainly started off that way, but it’s definitely not like that now!
I feel like you can go in either direction – my, “laptop and go” or the “over equip” route. Both present their own problems! When you regularly relocate and travel across the world, it’s not ideal to have a whole bunch of stuff in tow – shoutout to overweight luggage fines!
I went through the phases of both under- and over-equipping myself, but now I think I’ve made a solid list of must-haves! Allow me to share my digital nomad gear list…
Digital Nomad Gear You Need
1. Laptop Accessories
Non-negotiables! You absolutely need the following:
- A laptop stand
- Wireless keyboard
- Wireless mouse
Yes, the idea is that it’s just you and your laptop traveling the world…but not at the expense of your neck, back, and posture! Trust me when I tell you having this setup will make you so much more comfortable. Of course, there will always be times when it’s easiest to just have your laptop out – on trains, planes, buses etc. – but generally, this should be your go-to!
2. Portable Chargers
Somewhat self-explanatory but make sure you’ve got all of your chargers in order! There’s nothing worse than realizing your phone or laptop is about to die but you don’t have anything to charge it with – especially if you have a deadline or you’re lost!
I recommend:
- Multi-purpose portable chargers
- A changeable adapter that can be formatted to suit any country
- A small but powerful power bank
- Cable organizers! Maybe even one of those cable cases to keep everything organized and easily accessible
3. If You’re An Apple Addict Like I Am
As a quick explanation for any of you who are wondering, why Apple? One of the reasons happens to be that I used to work for them! But don’t worry, I don’t just support them for that reason. I LOVE how everything works together, how I can be typing on my laptop and get the same text on my phone, AirDrop from one device to another, sync with my iCloud, it just makes sense to me. And, I feel, makes my life easier and more efficient – a total win as a remote business owner.
For all my fellow iPeople:
- Apple Care – if anything happens, trust me, you’ll regret not having this
- iCloud – if you happen to lose a phone or docs on your laptop, iCloud is there to restore what you lost
- Airtags – don’t even ask questions, just do it! Welcome to the world of putting Airtags in your luggage and making sure it actually comes with you. Put one in your laptop bag too, just in case it decides to go ‘walkies’.
- AirPods – wireless perfection, that is all
4. The Ultimate Success Toolkit
Much like my digital nomad gear checklist, I’ve also spent years perfecting my remote life hacks. If you’re one of my subscribers, or have followed me on social media I have no doubt you’ll be familiar with the first one!
- ClickUp – praise be to ClickUp! Honestly, the best productivity and project management tool. I use it every day with my team as we’re all spread over different time zones & it just keeps everything organized, helps me to set tasks & see what everyone is up to and how I can support them. I love it so much, I actually wrote a blog about it – give it a read to see why you need it.
- Google Drive – this HAS to feature on the list. I can’t remember the last time I opened Pages or Word, everything is a Google Doc or Sheet now. Offline editing, shared views, and access from anywhere, it’s perfect for the nomad life.
I honestly have SO many more helpful hacks I could share with you to optimize your business and your life. If you’re interested in working SMARTER & not HARDER, I’ve made a FREE PDF with 33 of my most helpful hacks (in my opinion!).
Download 33 Helpful Hacks for FREE
Connect with me on social media for more about the life of a happily homeless digital nomad, I’d love to learn more about you!
