How to search for accomodations for digital nomads
Here I am again talking about one of the most debated topics on my blog: how to search for accommodations for digital nomads with families.
Premise: It’s much simpler than it seems, but let’s go in order.
We are a family of 4 who live on the road, working remotely: we are the so-called digital nomads, but with a family.
In a world of carefree, light-traveling wanderers, who go viral with content showing their peers getting married and having children while they enjoy life in the most Instagrammable locations in the world, here we are too: a couple who decided that having children didn’t have to mean giving up on traveling.
Who are digital nomads?
Let’s start from the beginning. Before discussing how we organize ourselves while traveling, it’s necessary to define who digital nomads are and what they do.
The term is relatively modern and refers to people who work remotely without a fixed location, often traveling frequently based on their needs.
I’ve already discussed digital nomads around the world in several articles:
Do digital nomads have families?
Well let’s say that answering this question makes me smile because younger people see this lifestyle as an ideal to chase, even if the most famous digital nomads are already well over 35.
Age aside, the families who lead this lifestyle can be counted on the fingers of one hand because it is not easy to manage the needs of a family while constantly moving… Often when the children arrive, the digital nomads stop in one place, losing their status as frequent travellers.
Not us… we continued to travel with children, proving that they are the best travel companions. Furthermore, we are continuing to do so in a truly complicated period of their growth, exploring educational paths that are truly off the beaten track.
Rights and responsibilities of a digital nomad family
Beyond the economic factor, what truly complicates living as digital nomads with a family is the practical and bureaucratic aspect. Speaking as a European citizen, I must admit that traveling as a family of four around the world, always dealing with the different bureaucracies of each country you find yourself in, is truly exhausting, which is why we are currently in Europe where, for us, no visas are required.
Beyond the economic aspect, when it comes to visas and documents, it becomes essential not to make mistakes that could jeopardize entry into countries. Each place has its own laws, and knowing them is certainly not a walk in the park. For the technical aspect, I refer you to the article Where to be digital nomad with kids: the perfect country for a digital nomad family.
When traveling with children, it is important to have everything in order, including in the realm of education. We have chosen homeschooling, so we are fairly free from constraints and deadlines, but we also have documentation to produce and consider.
If you’re interested in delving into the topic of homeschooling, below is the link to the article Homeschooling, the learning adventure.
When a digital nomad family decides to settle down
For us, taking occasional breaks is a must. We do it to devote more time to work and also to break the tight rhythms of indefinite travel.
Even though we have no rush and always move very slowly, stopping in a “stable” manner for a while allows us not only to spend less but also to reorganize our ideas and plan future movements.
Where to stop? Search for accommodations for digital nomads
We are not a family with great needs, our budget is always very limited when traveling indefinitely, and often when we stop, it’s precisely to complete work or, why not, to seek new clients.
We never work “in person,” which makes us independent of any geographical movement. When we like a place more, we just stop, without much ceremony.
Of course, looking for accommodation for the medium term is quite different from when we search for accommodations during travel, where we often stay no more than a week.
The perfect home for digital nomads with families
Being a family of 4 and working from home, we try not to compromise too much on the house and its spaces. For us, it’s almost essential that the house has:
- 2 bedrooms
- outdoor space
- kitchen.
The two bedrooms are necessary because often in the afternoon, Giulia studies in one room while Aldo sleeps in the other, while we work.
The outdoor space is very useful for letting the kids play and keep them busy without them destroying anything. Sometimes, letting them play outside gives us the opportunity to focus on work without having to keep a constant eye on them, worrying that they might hurt themselves or break something.
As for the kitchen, it’s important for us to save on food, and especially because being vegetarians, it’s often not easy to find restaurants that suit our tastes.
This is what we look for in a medium-term accommodation, and often to find something suitable for us at a lower price, we move away from the city center and services. That’s exactly what we did here in Portugal. If you want to discover the wonderful village where we will be staying for the next few months, I’ll leave you to the article Ericeira, the surfing paradise in Portugal.
How to search for the accomodations for digital nomads with families
I have already extensively discussed how to search for accommodations for a family vacation in the article How to plan a trip with kids while saving as much as possible.
When it comes to medium-term stays, we often rely on word of mouth or local groups on various social networks.
Always remember that asking is half the battle, and often it’s the people you ask, the people you randomly meet on the street, who will change your life.
Sometimes agencies can also be helpful, although it’s important to keep in mind that when going to their offices, they often require several months in advance as a security deposit.
The mindset to find the right home for a digital nomad family
I often find myself discussing this topic in bars or during various social encounters with other people, and I realize how much the aspect of accommodation influences the mood of travelers.
Matteo and I have always been on the move and have never stayed in one place for more than a few months. Our constant in life is change, and not having fixed points. This way of living and thinking has made us very indifferent towards objects and comforts: we travel with a backpack each, our photography equipment, and some kitchen utensils. Our world is not in memories or objects, and this makes life much simpler than one might think.
Speaking with other travelers, I realize that stressing out about finding the perfect house (which we will inevitably leave anyway) is not a good strategy.
We have never been without a roof over our heads; sometimes we found it on the same day of check-out, other times it was a shack without heating, but we have always adapted and patiently found the right place for us. Beautiful things don’t happen unless you go looking for them and know how to wait for them.
Approaching this challenge lightly allows us to enjoy what we have around us, to truly meet other people, and to see places that we might never have discovered if we hadn’t booked that house viewing at the end of the world 😂.
Even the search for accommodation is a journey, especially for those who don’t take vacations but make travel their routine. We always do it together with Aldo and Giulia; they come to every meeting, peek into every room, decide with us (sometimes even more than us), and often they are the reason why future landlords choose us as temporary tenants.
Once you abandon prejudices and open your mind, you can find wonderful places to call home… for a while.
Secrets to renting the best home for digital nomads with families
There’s no real trick; the world is wonderfully diverse, and every place has its “rules.” Digital nomads are not viewed the same way everywhere in the world, and I dare say fortunately, because it’s only in Italy that the idea of a freeloader wanting free accommodation in exchange for some stories is associated with this figure.
This is a practice we don’t follow; our work is worth more than a few nights in a hotel, and we don’t make these compromises for merchandise exchange anymore, but that’s another story.
When we’re looking for a house for a longer period than the traditional holiday rental, we try to present ourselves as we are, without filters or deception.
One last piece of advice, which doesn’t apply to everyone, is to try asking the holiday accommodations you liked the most if they’re willing to rent out the place long-term. It’s not an easy practice, especially because it’s hard to find people willing to forgo the income from a holiday stay in favor of a long-term rental. However, I can assure you it happens more often than you might think. Sometimes, even the owners of rental properties understand that it’s better to earn less but over a longer period, rather than risk having the house empty for a few nights. Not to mention the issue of check-ins: not having turnover of tenants is a significant time and cleaning cost saver.
Questi sono tutti argomenti utili da mettere sul piatto in caso di trattativa; i siti dove trovo gli affari migliori per cercare alloggi per nomadi digitali sono sempre:
I hope this article is helpful for your search for a place to call home…
Digitally Yours
☀️ Sara ☀️
