What are some non-technical jobs for Digital Nomads?

UPDATED: JULY 2022

At Standard Luggage, we're focused on the Digital Nomad market. It’s what many people would like to call themselves, but most simply don’t have the guts to pursue this path. If you decide to become one, prepare yourself for an adventurous lifestyle, where no two days will look the same. Still, that is all fine and dandy, but that won’t pay your bills. Don’t despair, get a job instead. Most digital nomads opt out for jobs of a technical nature, where all they need is a laptop and a steady internet connection. 

However, problems may occur if you are not a tech-savvy person. Coding can bring you large sums of cash and a remote lifestyle, but not everyone is into this. Are you doomed to washing dishes where ever you go? Yes. Naw, we’re just kidding, you have no need to worry, there are now lots of jobs you can do, and here are some of them:

Proofreader

If you are a native English speaker, this could be the easy money you were looking for. As a proofreader, your job would be to go through the text, and make sure it doesn’t have any grammatical or spelling errors. Freelancing is becoming more and more popular, and this job is now in great demand. The best thing is, you don’t even have to be creative, nor have a special diploma to do it.

Writer

When it comes to writing, there are two conflicting opinions among people. One represent the idea that it could be done by everybody, while others claim that it is not as easy as it sounds, and that you have to have a special gift in order to become successful at it. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. You probably won’t make a fortune out of it, but if you put some effort into it, it will probably be enough to push you through to the end of the month.

Among writers, the most popular choice is blogging. You can write for your own blog, or find a job to write for someone else. The key to success here is to find a niche which suits you, no matter how dumb it might sound to someone. If you plan to write for your own blog, don’t write about general topics. Much better approach would be to find a small niche you feel comfortable writing about.

Social Media Manager

You know about those pages with millions of visitors? Well, somebody needs to make sure that everything goes according to plan. That might be you. Don’t worry, this job isn’t at all technical, although it may sound like that. You would only be in charge of maintaining order among casual visitors, and writing small posts from time to time. Easy peasy.

Translator

If you speak more than one language, this is the job for you. It isn’t that difficult, and the pay is quite good as well. Translators get all sorts of jobs, from legal documents to translating informal letters. Aside from translating yourself, you could also control other people’s work, similar to the jobs that proofreaders do. It can bring you connections, which opens up a lot of doors for any future collaborations.

Customer Support

Although this job can be performed from anywhere in the world, it does come with some limitations. The biggest one would be that it has strictly defined working hours, and that might present a problem if you plan to work from a country with a different time zone. The job itself isn’t too complicated, as you will get a list of frequently asked questions, so you should get the hang of it quite quickly.

Marketing Expert

In today’s society, competition is so stiff, that the marketing is often the only thing that separates a successful product from a complete failure. People around the world are noticing this, and experts in this field are now in higher demand than ever. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience in marketing, there are lots of books which can get you up to speed with the basics. After that, it is up to you to fully perfect yourself and work on your craft.

Join or form a band

Plenty of people think that you need to have exceptional talent in order to become a singer. However, think about it for a second. Do you really think that most local pubs have enough money to pay for a rock band with millions of fans? I'm sure you don't, but chances are that you've never thought about it from this angle.

So, if you happen to play an instrument, have a good singing voice, or simply know how to work as a DJ, why not use it to your advantage? You can spend your days touring the world as your favorite rock stars, only playing in significantly smaller venues. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Become a tour guide

Here’s a job that will suit you perfectly as a side hustle. It’s great because the schedule is fairly flexible, so you can always combine it with other minor jobs to make your desired income. On the other hand, you’ll also get a chance to meet a lot of new faces, and possibly form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Naturally, you’ll have to learn a lot of interesting things about the city you’re supposed to showcase to the tourists, but plenty of digital nomads have vast trivia knowledge they rarely get to use anyways.

Become a tutor

The great thing about this job opportunity is that you don’t even have to possess a college diploma in order to do it. While that’s certainly the case in your home country, the situation with digital nomads is quite a bit different.

You see, if you are a native English speaker, you have a service to offer to the world. More than a few people would be willing to pay you some money, just to have a chat with you. Ultimately, it’s one of the best ways to learn the language, without having to pay for the full price a proper tutor might demand.

Start working on a cruise ship

Nowadays, getting a job on a cruise ship is easier than ever before. Still, how does that really stack up when it comes to digital nomads? Well, if you wanted to find a non-technical job that will allow you to travel the world, here it is. The paycheck is solid, but you will also have to work fairly hard. Still, it’s a decent option to have.

Become part of the flight crew

This job is similar to the abovementioned one, but it’s quite a bit trickier. For starters, you’ll have to meet certain criteria when it comes to looks and age group. Additionally, you’ll be forced to go through a few months of training first, before you even start to work full time.

Still, if you have patience, it’s a viable option. I know a few people who pursued this career path, and they got a chance to travel the world, while earning a decent paycheck in the process! The downside is that they only get to spend a day or two at each place they visit, but no job can be perfect.

Sales representative

Are you a talented speaker who would consider himself a people’s person? Perhaps you should test the market working as a sales representative. What makes this line of work so special is the fact that it will never run out of fashion; as long as humans will exist, there will be people wanting to sell a product. That’s where your charming self can slide in and fill in the void. Sure, you might start off going from home to home, or selling services by phone, but if you prove your value, you will quickly ascend the ranks. You might become an overnight success.

Pet sitter

Who doesn’t love to be surrounded by furry little bundles of joy every day, all day long? The good thing about this job is that you can do it anywhere across the globe. It also belongs in that side hustle category, but it is guaranteed to bring you great joy.

Project Manager

If you need a person to overlook all aspects of a project, making sure that all the deadlines and milestones are honored in due time, the Project Manager is the right person for the job. A good project manager has interpersonal skills and knows the business side of things well enough to always stay on top of all the issues that might come about.

HR Manager

Human Resources are there to make sure that everything runs smoothly within the company. When an HR Manager performs at a high level, all potential employee issues are quickly resolved and job satisfaction levels are at an all-time high. It’s a very responsible line of work, but it’s also rewarded by companies that know how to value their employees.

Data Analyst

For those who are communicative, but also willing to work hard in order to reach the target deadlines, the job of a data analyst might be the best option. While many people seem to think that in order to be an analyst, you have to possess a bunch of tech skills, the reality is that the job description of a Data Analyst varies greatly from one company to another. In order to progress in this role, you will need to have an analytical mind though, but to get started, you just need to be willing to work hard and follow instructions to a tee.

Recruiter

Due to a large fluctuation of employees, large corporations simply do not have the time that’s necessary to interview all potential new candidates in order to find the industry leaders and experts in the making. That is where the job of a recruiter comes, as this person is in charge of exploring the marketplace in search of top talent. Not only that this job is currently in high demand, but it can also be interesting to meet people from all walks of life on a daily basis.

Finance Manager

If you are good with numbers, know your way around the payroll, accounting services, and administration, you might want to look into the position of a finance manager. At a high level, this job can be very well paid too. However, more times than not, it requires formal education, so if this is your choice, you will need to invest significant amounts of time to get a relevant degree before being able to make a career out of it.

Delivery Driver

What better way to check out every nook and cranny of your desired travel destination than by working as a delivery driver? All jokes aside, while this job is not exactly on the glamorous side, when you combine a base salary with tips, you can earn a nice sum to cover your needs when living abroad.

Plumber’s Helper

Whether you’d like to believe it or not, these simple manual jobs are nowadays in high demand, and there are simply not a lot of people who are willing to try them out. We aren’t saying that it’s easy, but if you take your time and study the craft, you might learn something that can benefit you for the rest of your life.

Data Entry

Not all jobs are built to be exciting and challenging, but hey, someone still has to do it. One of such jobs that is very present in modern times is the position of a Data Entry specialist. The job consists of entering large sums of data into databases, a job that is both monotonous and crucial during the later number-crunching phases of data analytics. Is it for everyone? No. But it’s still an undeniably viable option.

Helper in the kitchen

We all love to watch popular cooking shows, but the portrayal of a Michelin Chef who is in charge of every single detail in the kitchen is far removed from reality. In fact, every restaurant needs help staff in order to keep things running. That sometimes includes chopping vegetables, cleaning, or preparation of simple side dishes. It won’t make you a millionaire, but it’s an honest job nonetheless.