How to Avoid Digital Nomad Burnout: Tips from a Full-Time Traveller
I couldn’t imagine my life any different, and having the freedom to travel around the world, work remotely, and feel completely free is one of the best feelings in the world. Saying this, it doesn’t mean it’s always easy, and it does come with its difficulties, such as burnout.
It’s so easy to romanticize this lifestyle, especially with how it’s portrayed on social media. I want to point out that I couldn’t imagine not having the freedom to live and work wherever.
Still, I also want to be real with you and acknowledge that loneliness, overworking, and decision fatigue are absolutely real. I’m sure almost every single digital nomad has experienced at least one of these in the past.
I have moments during our travel where it felt like we were travelling nonstop, and it didn’t align with the vision I had of this lifestyle. I wasn’t playing sports, going to the gym, and doing the things I love, and I felt lost.
This is something I’ve felt a few times over the years of living in this space, and I realized that if I want to keep enjoying this lifestyle, there are going to be some tweaks and changes I have to make to avoid burnout and fully enjoy this lifestyle I’ve made for myself…
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Why digital nomads burn out
Before we get into how to manage burnout as a digital nomad, let’s look at some of the common signs of burnout. If we can acknowledge these before they get out of hand, we can minimize the burnout and hopefully even avoid it completely.
Josie and I have been travelling and working remotely for close to 10 years now, and in hindsight, some very obvious things have caused us to feel burned out – but in the moment, we didn’t realize them.
Lack of routine
When I say routine, I’m not saying burnout happens because every day isn’t the exact same. You can definitely switch it up a bunch (I think that’s one of the reasons nomads chose to become nomads in the first place, right?). But we’re humans, and some sort of routine is necessary…
Maybe you love meditation and yoga, but because of constant travel, you forget to prioritize doing these activities. Or maybe you need 8 hours of sleep, but don’t always get this because you’re doing a ton of activities (or too much work).
It’s important to know your values and priorities, the things that make you feel good both physically and mentally, if you want to sustain this lifestyle long term.
I’ve found it in the past when there were periods I wasn’t exercising as much as I wanted to, I felt more burned out. I now know that I need that as part of my routine to stay happy and healthy.
Travel fatigue
It’s one of those things you don’t realize until you’ve started your digital nomad journey. Travel fatigue is 100% real and, in my opinion, is one of the main causes of burnout for people living this lifestyle.
Constantly hopping from place to place every few weeks (or every few days!) is just not possible in the long run while you’re also working remotely!
After living this lifestyle for a while, you’ll notice that more and more digital nomads start to slow down and switch to a more slowmad approach – and it’s because of travel fatigue and burnout.
Loneliness and isolation
This is a big one, and it’s one I think a lot of people (especially solo travellers) struggle with a lot.
This is why we’ve found it to be so important to travel to places (digital nomad hot spots) where you have access to a good community! More on this later in this post…
→ Did you know that SafetyWing’s Complete Plan includes wellness therapies and visits with a psychologist or psychiatrist? Check out their plan here.
Work-life blur
Where do we start with this one? There are so many reasons why a lot of digital nomads (us included) don’t have the perfect work-life balance nailed down.
From working too much because you’re an entrepreneur, working weird hours because of the time difference with your 9 to 5 (North Americans in Asia, we see you), or because you’re a new nomad just trying to make ends meet while you’re building up your dream lifestyle.
This, in my opinion, is one of the toughest challenges and something we can all work on.
Financial instability
Financial instability is so real for so many nomads – whether they want to admit it or not. I remember the early days of our digital nomad life, we also didn’t make the money and have the finances we do now, and we were constantly on a tight budget.
During this time, it’s easy to burn out because you’re constantly stressed about making enough money to fund your travels and hobbies. But thankfully, there are ways to make this lifestyle work on a smaller budget, which we’ll talk a bit more about later in this post.
Decision Fatigue
For all the solo travellers and solo digital nomads out there, I completely feel for you. It’s also why I choose community over everything when picking our nomad destinations.
If you’re travelling solo (but also if you’re travelling with a partner), and have to make every decision from where to stay, to where to work, to what to do in your free time, it can be A LOT!
Having to make all those decisions while also working can be very challenging. It’s one of the easiest ways to burn out. It’s something you might not think of, but after a few months of being on the road, you will likely feel it.
How to avoid digital nomad burnout
Now that we’ve covered some of the most common reasons for digital nomad burnout, let’s get into the nitty gritty of how you can avoid feeling burned out before it’s too late…
The reality is that lots of these lessons were learnt along the way by experiencing some of these struggles firsthand.
With almost 10 years of full-time travel, we’ve been close to burning out multiple times – and we’ve even had instances where we had to look at ourselves and check in with each other to make sure we were doing alright.
We’ve learnt so much along this journey, and if you’re feeling burned out as you’re reading this, we hope the following tips will help you out!
Slow down
It couldn’t be more fitting, but we recently wrote a post about slowmading and the benefits of this type of travel lifestyle. To me, slowmading means staying in the same place for at least 1 month at a time, but often 2-3 months or longer.
One thing we love about slowmading and staying longer in each place is that it allows you to form deeper connections in that particular place – both with locals and with other nomads. It helps so much with travel fatigue, loneliness, and even a lack of routine.
We’ve created a few “bases” that we continue to return to over and over. Some of these places for us are Madeira, Bansko, Prague, and New Zealand – and also our families in Canada and Denmark.
We love returning to places like Bansko in Bulgaria, which we consider one of our bases. Even though we don’t live here full-time, it feels like coming back home whenever we come here…
We have our designated grocery store, our gym, we know when the weekly market is on, and we don’t need Google Maps to get around. And the coworking space we go to is where a lot of our friends return to as well, over and over, so we always have a community here!
It helps a lot with avoiding loneliness and the decision fatigue aspect of being a digital nomad.
We’ve spent 2 months in Bansko every summer over the past 5 years, and we always look forward to coming back because of the slow and chill pace of life here.
Build a routine
If you’re travelling and moving around constantly, one of the best things you can do is build a routine that you stick to no matter where you go. Whether it’s waking up at the same time every morning or making sure you work the same hours every day, the best thing you can do is build a routine.
Routine can help a lot with giving you a better work-life balance – especially when moving to a new place. For us, we always try to do is wake up at the same time every day, have our breakfast, and then go to the coworking (or café) around the same time every day as well.
One of the best parts about having a routine is the comfort it brings. Even though we may be in a different part of the world every few months, a good routine can really go a long way.
It can be simple things like a morning coffee walk, meditation, or even an afternoon yoga session. Whatever it looks like for you, I really believe it goes a long way in preventing burnout.
If you’re open to it, I’d recommend making a time block schedule. Inside the schedule, you can time-block for specific things to make sure you make time to do it and work on creating a bit of a routine.
Find a community of other nomads
One of the best things you can do is find a friendly and supportive community. It can be a handful of people or a full town, but being surrounded by others who understand you, who make you feel like the best version of yourself, can make a huge difference in avoiding burnout.
One of the best things you can do is join a coworking space or community meetups. It’s easy to feel alone in a new place, especially when you’re in a foreign country where they speak a language you don’t understand. We love and crave community, and it helps so much with burnout.
It’s one of the reasons why we started Pop Up Coliving (our month-long coliving stays in different countries). We love community and travelling with other nomads, and Pop Up Coliving is exactly that.
We have now grown an amazing community of people who love to travel and share experiences together!
Set boundaries with work
Regardless of whether you’re working for yourself or for a company, you have to set boundaries with work. Work-life blur can really impact your experience wherever you are.
Honestly, this is one thing we’ve struggled with for a long time, too, because we are entrepreneurs and work for ourselves, and we sometimes forget to take time off.
If this is relatable, here are some things that might help:
Make sure to take actual days off
If you’re working for yourself, it’s important to actually take days off and enjoy some free time. Whether it’s hiking or relaxing by the pool, it’s good to give your brain a rest and relax a bit.
It’s so easy to work non-stop, but it’s really important to relax and do other things you enjoy as well.
Say no
Opportunities and projects will always come up, so don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t feel completely aligned.
That doesn’t mean saying no to every opportunity that comes your way – but know that it’s okay to say no. If you want a good work-life balance and want to focus on things that spark joy and make you feel alive, sometimes you have to say no to one thing so you can make space for something better.
Listen to your body
I don’t know why this feels so hard sometimes, but you need to listen to your body. Especially when your body needs rest
Honestly, it’s one of the most important things we can do, and Josie & I definitely need to do this more often. Take care of yourself first, and everything else will work out.
Burnout shows up in many forms, and your body is often the first to tell you something’s not right… From fatigue, brain fog, and even anxiety, it’s good to understand the signs and know it’s okay to take a step back and slow down a bit.
The more in-tune you are with your body and know what signs to look for, the more you can try and deal with it early on.
And know what rest looks like for you… Is it doing sports, watching TV in bed, or going out for coffee at a cute café?
One thing you can do to take care of yourself is build wellness habits, whatever those might be. Yoga, cold plunge, playing a sport, or reading a book in the sun in the morning are all good examples. Or maybe you need a digital detox and just being out in nature.
There are so many different things you can do to take care of yourself – you just need to find what works for you!
What to do if you’re currently dealing with burnout
If you’re currently dealing with burnout, here are some things that can help you recover quickly.
Don’t panic
I think the biggest thing to realize is that you are in charge! And just because you’re feeling burned out, it doesn’t mean this lifestyle wasn’t meant for you…
All it means is that you might have to change things up a bit. We’ve covered a lot of these steps already, but slowing down, sticking to a routine, and talking to a friend are things you can start working on right here, right now. You just need to decide what works best for you.
One of the best things you can do is talk about it with other digital nomads and remote workers. So many people deal with this at some point during their journey, and the more open you are with others, the more open other people get, too.
If you’re not currently in a place where there is a digital nomad community, join one of the many Facebook Groups and talk about it (you can even post anonymously). A good one we’ve found is Digital Nomads Around the World.
Being able to share, reflect, and brainstorm ideas on how to combat burnout, the easier it will be to get through it.
Take a reset month
One of the absolute best things you can do if burnout starts creeping up is to take a reset month. Extend your stay where you are or go to a location where you feel relaxed and at home.
For us, it’s the small mountain town of Bansko because life is so relaxed and simple here. It’s very affordable (which helps with finances), the community is great, and it’s really easy to get into a routine, which also helps a lot.
We have “reset months” every summer for two months, where we stay in Bansko for the entire time, and just enjoy life, and it really helps with the amount of travel we do throughout the year.
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, give it a go. Try and give yourself 1-2 reset months somewhere you love and feel relaxed at where you can get into a good routine and don’t have to make too many decisions.
Get support
Another great thing you can do is talk to someone about your current situation and the struggles you are dealing with.
This is actually one of the reasons why we like the SafetyWing Complete Plan as a travel medical insurance, because things like wellness therapy and mental health support are covered too.
You’d be surprised how many people experience burnout in some way, shape, or form. The more access we have to therapy, wellness tools, and outlets for support, the better.
It’s something you definitely shouldn’t be ashamed of doing – and the worst thing you can do is keep it to yourself. This lifestyle can be lonely at times, and the best thing you can do is to talk to somebody about it.
Simplify your life
This goes hand in hand with taking a “reset month”, but if you’re feeling burned out, an important thing to do is to simplify your life.
Sometimes we make too many commitments and plans, and it then becomes a little overwhelming. In that case, you need to take a step back.
Start by making fewer commitments and prioritizing better sleep and physical care. Sleep is so important, but for many people, it’s one of the first things to go – especially when you’re trying to grow your business or working full-time while also trying to see and do everything in a new destination.
Protect your health and well-being
We mentioned earlier how the SafetyWing Complete Plan covers wellness therapies and mental health support, which is amazing!
Their plan also covers a range of other things like regular medical check-ups, doctor and specialist visits, cancelled accommodation, and lost luggage.
Having insurance coverage like the kind SafetyWing offers is one of those things that’s really important to have, and it gives you peace of mind knowing you’re covered in case of an emergency.
The reality is that these types of events often happen when you’re stressed or already dealing with a lot. Whether you get SafetyWing’s Essential or Complete Plan, knowing you have reliable insurance makes all the difference.
The whole point is to take the stress off your shoulders and make this journey easier for you. Check out SafetyWing’s Complete Plan here!
You may also like…
- Why Slowmading is The Future of Travel
- Our Journey: From Broke Backpackers to Full-Time Travel Bloggers
Conclusion: Sustainable nomad life is all about balance
I think the biggest takeaway in all of this is that burnout is real – but it’s manageable, and you are in control. The cliché “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” couldn’t be more true for this lifestyle. Don’t let the excitement and FOMO in the early stages of your nomad journey push you to the point of burnout.
Do everything on your own terms, listen to your body, and take care of your physical and mental well-being, and you will have the time of your life.
Of course, there will be challenges along the way, but if you’re prepared for them and know in advance how to handle them, you can still avoid burnout while dealing with them.
If you have any questions about the digital nomad lifestyle, or if you are feeling burned out and want to talk to someone else who has felt this way too, then please reach out. We’re more than happy to help and chat.
You can send us a DM on Instagram (@redwhiteadventures), or you can leave a comment below!
We really hope this guide has been helpful and that you take some of this advice and put it into practice in your day-to-day life. Like we said before, burnout is 100% real, but it’s also 100% manageable if you know what to do and how to avoid it.
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