How to plan your fun as a digital nomad

Wondering how to plan your fun as a digital nomad? We have a simple but effective approach. Hint: it starts with a pen and piece of paper. That’s right. We recommend you go old school here and write down your list of things to see and do. That way you can hang it on the fridge or put it on the coffee table. Having it in plain sight means you will be more likely to make stuff happen.

Whenever R and I show up to a new location to stay and play, we start a list. The research begins before we arrive, but the list is what keeps us on track and helps us plan our adventures. We like to break our list into categories like shopping, food and activities, but do whatever works best for you. We also add to the list as we go along if we read about something fun or get a good recommendation from a local.

A flexible approach to making plans

I have found that periodically looking at the list and making a plan to check something off is one the best ways to experience a new location. It’s also a flexible approach to making plans since nothing on the list is set in stone, at least not until we make reservations.

Of course, not everything on the list can be done at all hours of every day. You may have to make reservations or adjust your work schedule. We like to take advantage of our weekends to explore nearby areas and that usually requires some extra planning. But planning is part of the fun in my opinion.

We knew we wanted to visit St. Augustine, Florida, during a recent six-month digital nomad stint in Savannah, Georgia. Given that St. Augustine is about three hours from Savannah, we had to find the right weekend to make the trip south. We needed to rent a car, find a hotel room and make some plans. It was not a heavy lift, but it required some coordination. But that coordination was totally worth it to check St. Augustine off our bucket lists.

Cross it off the list!

The best part of the list is checking things off. I love looking at the list towards the end of a trip to see everything we have gotten to see and do…and eat. We sometimes have to make a push to get everything checked off, but we’re committed like that.

Conclusion

If you are staying and playing as a digital nomad in a new location, I suggest you write down your fun and keep it somewhere where you can see it often. Then get busy having fun and checking things off.