Dreaming of becoming a digital nomad?
Ken Krell shares his insight into what it takes to enjoy a borderless life.
For our podcast, How To Date Men, we’re joined by Ken Krell - the man behind Pride Nomad.
In the conversation, we talk queer travel requirements, lessons learned, and the power of a borderless mindset.
Pride Nomad is all about helping LGBTQ people live and work wherever they want. Why was the digital nomad life something that you aspired to?
I've always been a traveller. I've always loved to explore the world. In 2009, when I left the States, it was more because I wanted to change my perspective of the world than it was to be like a traveller. I was done with the mindset of the US and the big economic crash kind of killed me - I was looking for a new start. And then I realised I could live anywhere. I could be anywhere. I could go anywhere.
I left for Thailand and then started exploring from there.
It just became kind of a natural progression. I never thought of myself as being like a digital nomad until someone gave it a name.
What is a digital nomad these days? Are there any core principles that you have to embrace in order to be able to describe yourself as a digital nomad?
The basic strategy of it is that you're running your life in a location-independent borderless mindset. You're working remotely wherever you may be. It doesn't matter how old or how young you are.
Your advice and guidance is targeted towards LGBTQ people - do queer people have specific or unique needs in the digital nomad space?
We all have the same needs of great Wi-Fi, good business opportunities, visas that are friendly to us. But then we have to be in a place where we feel accepted. We have to be in a place where we feel we're not going to get beat up at night. We do need to feel safe and accepted. We do need to know that we're wanted and that we are safe.
Have there been any mistakes you've made or key lessons you've learned in terms of your digital nomad experiences and the advice that you're giving to people around the world. What are some of the key lessons that have really stuck with you and shaped your experience of digital nomad life?
The first one is to read the room. If you're running around and you're a boisterous and you're fun-loving and all that, watch who's around you. If you're going someplace where they're low key and they're quiet, shut the fuck up. You represent not just your country, but also our queer community at the same time. And we really do need to understand other people's cultures before we jump into them.
The other thing is do not be shy. I know it's hard for some people, but talk to people, be out there, be willing to ask questions and jump in.
Are there specific destinations that are particularly popular at the moment in terms of digital nomads? Where are you seeing some of the trends around where people are wanting to base themselves?
Spain is right up there. Portugal as well. Mexico - because of its close proximity to the United States. Costa Rica has always been popular. Iceland is currently ranked 12 on our index - that was a surprise to me. The Philippines is also very popular. The world is a big place - there's so much to explore.
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