An Adrenaline Junkie’s Guide To Traveling the USA as a Digital Nomad

Photo: Jonathan Kemper

The US alone has more than 15.5 million digital nomads. This lifestyle makes it possible for you to travel and explore the world and follow your passions while still making money by working remotely. The people who seek thrill in life, aka adrenaline junkies, love this lifestyle the most. 

The US is often not ranked at the top of the list of all the destinations in the world for adrenaline-hungry digital nomads. However, you can live on the edge and enjoy life up close in the States as much as in any other country in the world. Here’s how you can do that. 

Earning On-The-Go 

When it comes to being a digital nomad, the first thing that you need to take care of is your income. As working a typical 9 to 5 job is out of the question with such a lifestyle, you are left with two options, have a stream of passive income, or have a remote job. 

But if adventure is what you are after, you cannot wait to save enough and have passive income to fund your nomadic life. The best option for adrenaline junkies who want to adopt the nomadic lifestyle is having a remote job or business that can be run through the internet. If you have any skill, you can sell it on one of the freelance marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork, or you can start an online business like an Amazon store. 

Whatever source of income you want to go with, just make sure that you have enough savings set aside in case you cannot earn for some reason.

Accommodation 

You cannot spend all your time on the road; you need to have a place to stay. When traveling is your way of life, you should have a place to stay that is affordable and offers all the things that you’ll need as a digital nomad. The best option for this are co-living and co-working lodgings. Accommodations, like the ones offered by Selina hotels, are much more than what’s offered by typical lodgings. You can live there, and also get a co-working place. 

This gives you a working place with internet and electricity where you can manage your online business or job. This takes away the hassle of having to find separate places for working and living. 

Another benefit of going with this approach is that you get to live with people who have a lifestyle exactly like yours. If you are into adventures, you can team up with like-minded people to take your adventure to the next level.

Photo: Daria Mamont

Skills You Need to Have 

Being a digital nomad needs a totally different set of skills compared to living in a town and having a 9 to 5 job. If you are an adrenaline junkie, you’ll need to have even more skills to follow your passion safely. Living as a digital nomad with a knack for adventure, you need to have the following skills: 

  • The first thing that you need to be as a digital nomad is a Tech Savy person. You’ll be working on your computer a lot, so you need to be able to solve any problems that arise while working online.
  • Time Management is another important skill to have when you have to divide your 24 hours between travel, adventure, work, and rest. 
  • Basic First Aid skills are a must because adventure sports come with an obvious risk of injury, and you might not always be able to call 911. 
  • If you are into the hardcore type of adventures, you also need to have some Survival Skills. Not that you want to be Bear Grills, but you need to know how to survive a day or two if things go wrong while you are away from civilization.

Sports The US Has to Offer 

It all comes down to the sports that you can enjoy as a traveling and working adrenaline junkie; after all, that’s what brought you to this lifestyle in the first place. Luckily, the US has a lot of sports to offer to people like you. You can enjoy: 

  • Due to the extensive coastline and the excellent beaches in the US, surfing is something that any digital nomad can enjoy. The best locations for this include North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, Huntington Beach, California, Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, and Cocoa Beach, Florida. If you decide to visit Hawaii don’t skip visiting historical Pearl Harbour and a couple of other highly interesting places.
  • Winters in the US offer a great opportunity to go snowboarding. The best locations include Park City Mountain Resort, Utah, Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon, Telluride Ski Resort, Colorado, and Mammoth Mountain, California.
  • If you want to turn things up a notch and want a really big dose of adrenaline, Base Jumping can provide that, and there is not a shortage of locations for that in the US. However, keep in mind that base jumping is banned at all national parks in the US but is allowed in Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service spaces. The locations for this sport include Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho, and New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia, among others. 
  • Overnight caving is another extreme sport that you can enjoy in the US. The locations in the US where you can indulge in this sport include Worley’s Cave, Bluff City, Tennessee, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Hobbit Caves at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and Beckham Creek Cave Lodge, Ozarks, Arkansas. 

Conclusion  

The digital nomadic lifestyle is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide, including in the US, where the number of people who identify as digital nomads has increased to 15.5 million in the last year. To embrace this lifestyle and follow your lust for adrenaline, the first thing you need to have is a steady stream of income, one you can earn while wandering, something like an online job or business. The next thing is accommodation, and the best option for that is the co-living and co-working spaces. You’ll also need important skills to efficiently and safely live as a digital nomad. Talking of adrenaline-inducing sports, there is no shortage of them in the US. You can enjoy surfing, snowboarding, base jumping, and overnight caving, among many more in the US. 

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