I’ll be honest, sometimes staying motivated is damn tough. No matter what it is, there are some days where you can conquer the world and other days…the exact opposite happens.
How do we combat it?
Well, seeing as we are the generation of the Internet (hello, misunderstood Millennials!), we all crawl to YouTube. Yes, the video platform is my go-to, as well as many others’, for when you need information, motivation, or straight-up entertainment. Without it, people ages 12 to 24 would truly be lost, living lives according to their parents and working for 45 years at a place they hate.
In the case of becoming a digital nomad, I have a short list of essential YouTube channels I use to stay on track, learn new things, and be inspired to actually do this. Here are my top 6 YouTube channels to follow if your goal is to be a world traveler:
Digital Nomad Girl
Reason: This is square one
Not sure what you want to do? Have a million ideas running through your head and you want to try all of them?
Fear not! Digital Nomad Girl is here to help. While her channel is small and half of it is dedicated to fashion and beauty, she has a terrific bunch of videos for figuring out what you want to do when you go abroad. The best one to get you started can be found here.
She also gives a transparent look at how much she makes from her different ventures, along with multiple travel vlogs to let you look into the life of a digital nomad who’s really making it work.
For a digital nomad compass, go with Digital Nomad Girl.
Lost LeBlanc
Reason: Inspiration City right here
I discovered this person a few weeks back, and since then, I have started following him on Instagram just to see how crazy epic Christian LeBlanc’s life really is.
Update: It’s pretty epic.
Lost LeBlanc quit the career he spent 4 years in school working towards, left on a one-way trip to Southeast Asia with about $5,000 to his name, and in 8 months destroyed the digital nomad game by following his passion.
He has some travel tips sprinkled into his channel, but his main focus is travel vlogs and inspiration. He has multiple video series for different locations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.
If you’re looking for some eye candy (in more ways than one) and some travel vibes, Lost LeBlanc is your man.
Zoey Arielle
Reason: Minimalism and the Law of Attraction
Talk about an amazing story.
Zoey, after two horrible relationships, decided to put herself first. She went against the grain, packed her bags, and landed in Italy, where she has been living for the last 9 months! She is now traveling around Europe and will soon go back to her roots in Canada. If you want to follow her inspiring adventure, check out her Instagram.
Zoey’s videos center on minimalism while living abroad and the Law of Attraction. (And, of course, she documents her travels via vlogs.) The way she describes keeping possessions to a minimum and manifesting things into your life shows how genuine of a person she is. She also inadvertently tells you her story of struggle before turning her life around for the better. (And she wrote a book about it.)
If you want to watch a truly wonderful person who is full of cheer in defiance of what she’s been through, Zoey Arielle is my top YouTube choice.
Gary Vaynerchuk
Reason: Get off your ass and do it
Widely considered as the Social Media King, Gary Vaynerchuk doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to living the life you want. While his style is rather brash and heated, sometimes that’s what you need to hear. (And by sometimes, I mean all the time.)
His content is about building your business and putting in the work. Now, this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with being a digital nomad; at the same time, though, it has everything to do with it, because in order to be a digital nomad, you have to be an entrepreneur.
To stay grounded, you have to fall in love with the process more than you love the fruits of that process. You have to bust your butt for a decent amount of time in order to see real results from your WHY. Gary preaches this and much more on his channel and all over social media.
For more ideas on how to provide value to the world, follow Gary Vaynerchuk. On all platforms.
Nomad Capitalist
Reason: Travel finances and taxes
Andrew Harrison brings quality information to the table. Whether it’s avoiding costly tax laws in foreign countries or which nation is the quickest to gain citizenship in, this is the guy that will tell you how to travel efficiently.
Sadly, the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Reality — taxes, income, passports, airport security, international banking — hits often and hits hard. Be prepared to tackle any challenge by soaking up the knowledge Nomad Capitalist provides. It isn’t interesting by any means (unless you’re into this sort of thing), but these videos are crucial to digital nomad survival.
For smooth sailing around the world, Nomad Capitalist is a very important resource.
Chris the Freelancer
Reason: Day in the life
A self-taught coder based out of London, Chris the Freelancer is one of the major digital nomad influencers on YouTube. From coworking spaces across Southeast Asia to interviews with other digital nomads to advice and vlogs, Chris does it all when it comes to giving you great travel tips.
If your passion includes working from a laptop, like coding or being a writer (right here), Chris has a few YouTube playlists based on coworking spaces and initiatives.
Chris also vlogs his journeys, but he doesn’t record and then trim it down to the highlights like most travelers. He keeps the nitty-gritty in there, to show his audience what it really means to be a digital nomad. It’s not always easy; Chris gives a unique glimpse into the truth of travel.
In order to gain real perspective on this life you have chosen, Chris the Freelancer is here to help.
Now, I know it’s effortless to fall down the rabbit hole that is YouTube; I have fallen victim to it plenty of times. It works the same way as Medium: You start with one which leads to another and so on and so on. Paralysis by analysis and incessant self development leads to nowhere fast.
So don’t go to YouTube and never get out!
Use it sparingly, like seasoning. Yes, it can get rather addicting, but if you can fight the temptation to click on the next video and instead utilize the lessons you just learned, then nothing can stop you.
For me, I literally watched a Gary Vee video right before busting this article out. That 10 minutes of attention, paired with a premeditated post subject, made writing this a total breeze.
So use YouTube to learn, get inspired, and see how others live as digital nomads. And then do it yourself.
Who knows? One day you might be on a list like this!
“I ventured off into the unknown and it was the best decision of my life.” -Christian “Lost” LeBlanc
I’m Here to Help…
What’s holding you back from packing everything up and leaving? Comment and share throughout this article. I’ll try to respond to everybody. My goal is to help those on the edge of doing something bold act on their intuition and live the life they’ve been dreaming of!
Adventure Awaits…
Thank you for reading my Journey Journal. If you found value in this post, please hit the heart-shaped share. To join our adventure to Cape Town, South Africa and beyond, follow me on Medium. More content coming, so stay tuned! #vagaBOND
