How it started
I was a little child when I started dreaming about faraway lands. I was born in Italy and spent all my childhood and teenage years following an ordinary life even if, deep down, I had always longed for more. I wasn’t dreaming of a conformist lifestyle, I was visualizing myself exploring the Amazon forest, walking in Asian rice fields, meditating in a Buddhist temple, swimming in the Australian barrier reef, dancing with Kenyan kids.
I was dreaming of the extraordinary and I was so committed to living it!
…That’s why, at the tender age of 19, I took my first solo trip with a one-way ticket to the United States with the minimum savings I was able to lay aside. I was excited, oh, so excited to leave everything and embark on a life-changing adventure by myself… but it’s so easy to focus on the excitement and forget everything else. It’s definitely not simple to go away from everyone you have known all your life, leaving your comfort zone to jump into the unknown. Despite the challenges of solo traveling, though, that first trip got me closer to understanding my life purpose. 
In the States, I went on my first road trips, witnessed for the first time landscapes that I had hardly ever imagined, and connected with people from all over the world… discovering the world really left me speechless but turned me into a storyteller. I longed to write about each and every experience, I was dreaming to share all of it with the world and hopefully inspire someone to do exactly the same: pack a bag and go on a wild solo adventure!
I went back “home” after an eight-month trip and started sharing my first travel articles online.
How?
I was fully dedicated to looking for platforms where I could share my story but it was so hard to get accepted, especially as an inexperienced writer. Fortunately, I was able to find the first platforms that accepted to publish my experiences in their blogs but they were all not remunerated opportunities. I was working so much, putting my precious time into refining, and perfecting my articles just for the sake of having experience in the writing field. In the meantime, I was working in a winery to be able to save money to travel again.
The struggle was definitely worth it as it helped me better my writing skills and gave me a good amount of experience that I could share in my portfolio and with future clients.
That period felt endless though. I felt trapped in a reality I didn’t want to live in and was discouraged by the thought of not being able to earn from my biggest passion.
That’s when I started thinking of alternatives and found out there was the possibility to legally work in Australia.
As soon as I had enough savings I moved to the land Down Under! It was another incredible experience where I had the chance to wander, grow and connect. I was working in hospitality for my whole working-visa year. While in Australia, I continued looking for online opportunities to work as a writer – I felt motivated by the thought that I had so much to share from my experiences and after searching for almost one year, I started finding my first remunerated jobs!
The First Taste of the Digital Nomad World
Some blogs were interested in my Aussie adventures and paid me a great amount of…
$20 per article.
Yes… $20 per article.
That means I was spending around 8 hours to receive $20! Eight hours of my free time since I also had my job that took most of my time and I craved to keep some extra time to discover that huge Country too!
The excitement of finally getting paid for my articles lasted a very short time until I realized it was absolutely not possible for me to make a living out of my dreams. I got incredibly discouraged and stopped looking for a way to become a digital nomad.
Almost Giving Up
I continued working in hospitality until I felt I had enough savings to take a six-month solo trip across Southeast Asia.
During that period, I didn’t think about trying to achieve something, I was focused on living my life, fully enjoying the present moment, and making the best out of that incredible, extraordinary experience!
My first stop was Indonesia, then Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand.
That trip was so much different from the ones I had experienced until then. Third-world countries have way more to teach and show.
During those six months I got inspired like never before, I was writing and writing and writing.
But you know what was different?
I wasn’t trying to write to achieve something. I was writing for myself, for the purpose of sharing the most authentic, real, and life-changing experience of my life.
The Rebirth
When my savings were almost over, I decided to work again in a foreign country and I chose New Zealand, where I stayed for eight months working in tourism.
During those eight months, I decided to write a book!
I was tired of desperately looking for someone to make me feel validated as a writer. I was tired of feeling like my time was being wasted and I had to beg for recognition. That’s why I chose to work for myself, making that little girl who was dreaming to inspire people to travel the world proud and write a novel based on my life-changing experience in Southeast Asia!
Writing my book has been the best choice I could ever make!
It took me eight months to write it, but so much more to be sure about my creative process and go ahead with publishing it!
Wow, the feeling of receiving my first income from my book sales was like a dream come true, but it was indeed not enough to live, nor travel!
The first positive reviews gave me so much motivation to keep going with my writing career so I started looking again for opportunities to work online. 
Finally, it happened!
My book was like a business card, it opened so many doors to incredible opportunities! Clients started noticing my work and validating my words like never before!
With the savings I could make from my job in New Zealand I went to the Philippines, then India and Sri Lanka where I slowly started to be able to earn enough to stop looking for occasional jobs here and there.
I could never imagine myself working in an office, in a restaurant, or in any place that requires you to follow a routine. I daydreamed of exploring different cafes every day, working from my laptop in front of the beach, on the peak of a mountain, or while hanging on a hammock.
One day, while sitting barefoot on a pillow with the laptop on my legs, I was getting inspired to write an article for a blog that wasn’t underpaying me. I was on the Indian west coast, searching for inspiration while staring at the infinity of the Arabian Sea… and it hit!
I realized I was finally living the life I had always dreamed of!!
Has it been easy?
Definitely not.
But, was it rewarding?
Oh, the freedom, the passion, the autonomy, and the pride that comes with it!
If you are reading these words and hoping to achieve your dream to become a digital nomad, I heartedly want to tell you: Don’t give up!
Advice to Becoming a Digital Nomad:
- Be patient
- Don’t be hard on yourself
- Talk to people about your ambitions
- Work for You
- Never forget why you’re doing it
Be Patient:
You cannot expect to become a digital nomad in one day! Transitioning from your current job, to a freelance one might not be an easy journey but I can assure you it will be rewarding! Be patient with yourself and with others when it seems like they’re not seeing your talent.
Be patient with the process.
Don’t be hard on yourself:
It’s easy to be hard on yourself and get discouraged.
Why can’t I achieve this?
Why aren’t they accepting my application?
Why aren’t they seeing my talent? Do I even have the talent?
You might be filled with whys and existential questions, but the reality is that there is nothing wrong with you… the digital world is a competitive world and you need to have a lot of perseverance to make it!
Talk to people about your ambitions:
Some people like to keep their dreams and goals for themselves and it’s absolutely okay if you’re one of them! Though, sharing your ambitions with people may help you know about opportunities or online platforms which may be exactly what you need to become a digital nomad! The world is full of opportunities, talking about your visions might help you manifest them!
Work for You:
Whatever is that you’re trying to achieve as a digital nomad, do it for YOU, not for others! If you’re passionate about something and you share your authentic voice, someone will notice it sooner or later! If you’re only trying to please, chances are that you might not stand out.
Be the most authentic and passionate version of yourself, originality wins!
Never forget why you’re doing it:
This is one of the most important parts, as it allows you to keep going! Visualise yourself with the freedom that only being a digital nomad can give you. Imagine how incredible it will be to work from your favourite place in the world without wearing an uncomfortable suite.
Never forget the goal, and never forget what drives you – it will be your strongest fuel!
I’m writing my story from a colorful Mexican cafe while sipping a cappuccino. If I can, you can too!
I hope this motivates you to follow your ambitions… You got this!
To learn more about Melany’s story, follow along her Instagram profile here!
