Ryan Biddulph Digital Nomad and Travel Blogger’s 5 Expert Tips to Thoroughly Enjoy Your Travels
By Ryan Biddulph
One of the biggest mistake I made during my early travels was not genuinely enjoying my trips because I was so heavily attached to being online.
When I was interviewed on Richard Branson’s Virgin blog I shared how not being present for special moments was my #1 digital nomad failure, as I had never spent significant time offline until we did a house sit in a remote Costa Rican jungle.
Here’s the article:
10 Lessons in Failure from 10 Digital Nomads
Lesson learned.
I want to share 5 tips I’ve learned and followed over my past 6 years of world traveling to help you thoroughly enjoy your travels.
Move away from checking bucket list items.
Focus instead on drinking up and enjoying each experience you have on the road.
1: Ditch the Phone
Prepare to be horrified: I don’t have a phone with a card aka minutes aka internet connectivity when I leave the house.
Seriously.
I do have a smartphone but use it only to get online for business, wherever we happen to be staying.
At home = phone. Away = offline.
I buy no card for minutes because I am explicitly against being online once I leave the home office (this ties in to tip #3).
If you do have a smart phone with minutes, leave it in the hotel or house. Human beings got around just fine before the advent of cell phones. Research destinations prior to your road or walking trip.
If you get lost, there are these things called human beings you can speak to or, whom you can communicate with via hand signals, to get around.
Barring getting lost, calculators – used by shop owners and vendors – solve any commerce issues in most areas of the world. Tap in a few numbers, they do. Point. Then you pay.
Or fingers work quite nicely for conveying prices, too.
There is nothing worse than seeing a couple in a rich, vibrant, colorful place like Bangkok with their eyes glued to their phone during dinner, while a fascinating scene unfolds around them.
I became the storyteller that I am by ditching the phone and actually observing what is going on around me. By speaking to locals and by connecting with real human beings during my world travels.
2: See the Spot on Foot
You really get to know a city by doing the pedestrian bit. Do any destination like a local!
Traveling around city by bus, car or even via cycling causes you to miss too much. Walking around is the easiest way to recognize and explore fascinating ‘hoods, interesting restaurants and other places that are best discovered by pedestrians.
We only rent a motorbike if there is no other way to get around, like when visiting the rice fields around Bali or when we spend time on Phuket. Other than that, we get around via our own 2 legs to fully embrace wherever we happen to be traveling.
Walkers experience places.
Those traveling via car or motorbike or bus simply travel through.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Those traveling via car or motorbike or bus simply travel through. #Traveltips #TravelTuesday ” quote=”Those traveling via car or motorbike or bus simply travel through.”]
3: Cut Back on Work Time (or Online Surf Time)
If you work online or obsess over keeping current with your latest Facebook updates I suggest cutting back your online time to embrace your trips.
I cut my workload by at least 2-3 hours during our globe-trotting travels.
Why?
My biggest failure as a digital nomad was not being present when visiting some of the world’s most jaw-dropping spots. When I was on Nagigi Beach in Fiji I dwelt on emailing my list. Ditto for my online obsession when in the jungles of Bali, or while traveling through Costa Rica.
There is a time for online work or play and a time for offline travel. Respect the seasons. Get offline to soak up your travel experiences.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Respect the seasons. Get offline to soak up your travel experiences. #ATimeForEverything ” quote=”Respect the seasons. Get offline to soak up your travel experiences.”]
4: Do as the Locals Do
Eating at local haunts, visiting local spots, and engaging in local customs make for enjoyable experiences on the road.
Why are you traveling in the first place? In most cases, you want to have fun exploring a different culture, and living a bit more like a local is the easiest way to do so.
Kelli and I eat at a small Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in a Thai neighborhood when we visit Chiang Mai, Thailand. The owners speak about 3 words of English. We would not have it any other way.
This non-tourist spot serves up some of the best fare in Chiang Mai We feel like we are in Thailand, living and eating as Thais do, when enjoying lunch at this restaurant every day.
Do as the locals do.
Get more out of your travels.
Pass on tourist spots more regularly for memorable, life-changing experiences.
5: Enjoy your Travels – Slow Travel
Enjoy your own version of slow travel to thoroughly soak up the sights and sounds of your desired destination.
If you work a full-time 9-5 job, do your best to schedule 2 weeks or more of travel throughout the year, focusing exclusively on one spot.
If you are retired or a full-time online entrepreneur, travel for months through specific spots.
I have seen and experienced brilliant stuff on the road because my wife and I spend 1, 2 or even 4 months in a single location, like when we visited Savusavu, Fiji.
Doing the slow travel bit helps you embrace life like a local. It also inspires you to make friends with both ex-pats and locals in these places, enhancing your travel experience.
Your Turn
How are you enjoying your travels? How do you ensure you enjoy your trips be they work or pleasure?
And if you enjoyed these tips, be sure to share with someone who would too. And also do go ahead to Pin this post and Share it on social media… #SeeDoBemore
About the Author
Ryan Biddulph is a blogger, author, and world traveler who’s been featured on: Richard Branson’s Virgin Blog, Forbes, Fox News, Entrepreneur, Positively Positive, Life Hack, John Chow Dot Com, and Neil Patel Dot Com. He has written and self-published 126 bite-sized eBooks on Amazon. Ryan can help you build a successful blog at Blogging From Paradise, so go connect with this amazing human!
After you’ve left a comment, Do Go ahead and CONNECT WITH Ryan and Bond some more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google.
The favorite part upon reading this is when you already know it by your own and you just realize that your ideas and theirs are exactly the same!
Jake Terrell | activitylife.info
Hi Jake,
It sure is and we love what we do. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
these are such awesome recommendations. i love being untethered when i travel.
You know what am saying Dawn 🙂
Thes are such a great tips for travelers. I will definitely share this to my friends.
These are all great tips to enjoy your travels. It is so important to slow down and just take everything in to make it an amazing experience. Experiencing what the locals do enhances your trip more. Thanks for sharing the information.
These are simple bu effective strategies which if followed would help us to revel in the beauty of our vacations spots. The whole idea of multi tasking to me is overrated anyway.
That is exactly spot on Ingrid coz this planet is ours to enjoy and preserve for future generations. Multi Tasking is the killer of many a dream!
Thanks for these tips. I really have to do better in staying “unplugged” when on vacation. I always feel the need to check on work then end up working while on vacation. That has just got to stop.
Great tips! I have the hardest time cutting back on work. That’s my big downfall, for sure. My husband jokes that he’s going to make sure I “forget” to pack any work, ha!
I almost agree with all of them, except ditch the phone. There are so many apps that make travel better (Yelp, etc.) and the cameras are too good!
These are some really great tips. So many people forget to just enjoy themselves and slow down some.
I must admit you almost had me choking on that first one – No Phone!?!? I’m not sure how I would be the first few hours but I’m sure it would lead to a more enjoyable and present experience once I got past the withdrawals 😉
Very helpful tips! I always try to find a restaurant that the locals frequent. It is a great way to learn more about their culture and culinary preferences.
These are very helpful ideas! I want to travel more and take my work on the go more often!
Such a great tips for traveling. I will definitely share this article to my friends who love to travel..
Ohhhh, you had me at monkeys lol. I love these tips, thanks for sharing! Travel is the ultimate experience 🙂
Oh how I envy you, well lets just say I’m jealous that you made your way to travel in all those scenic places. I definitely agree with doing as the locals do. You did well by yourself to get to that place of traveling.
Yep Gladys the locals offer us insights on how to really enjoy these places.
When I go to Africa, I am definitely DITCHING my phone and I cannot wait! I mean, I will use it to take pictures, but it will be on AIRPLANE mode and I will not connect to any WiFi – because um, guess what?! THERE WONT BE ANY WiFi!! YESSSS!!!
Bingo GiGi. Exactly. Other than 2 hours a week on Friday, we were completely off the grid online-wise for 6 weeks in a remote Costa Rican jungle. So freeing. Enjoy that epic trip.
My favorite tip is to do as the locals do. This is the true way to learn about your destination.
Exactly Elise. We always love doing as the locals do. Makes the trip more authentic.
It sure is the most fun thing to do Dr Elise 🙂