Photographer Becca Siegel shares insights on digital nomadism, remote work, and affordable travel destinations. Topics include negotiating remote work, traveling with a baby, joining programs like Remote Year, maximizing credit card rewards for affordable travel, and the importance of community in slow travel.
Slow travel and digital slow-madism in affordable destinations promote deeper connections and environmental consciousness.
Traveling with a baby shifts priorities towards relaxed experiences, appreciating local joys over intense sightseeing.
Practical tips for traveling parents include carrying essential items like a thermometer and leveraging connections for baby gear.
Deep dives
Deciding on Destinations and Slow Travel
When choosing travel destinations, the focus is on locations where you get more for your money, such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and parts of Mexico. Emphasis is placed on maximizing value for accommodation, dining, and entertainment. Slow travel, including the concept of digital slow-madism, is preferred to rushing between many destinations to allow a deeper connection and reduce environmental impact.
Planning Travel and Changing Expectations
Travel planning involves a shift towards slower, more relaxed experiences, particularly influenced by traveling with a baby. Priorities have evolved to appreciate the small joys in new places, like enjoying good coffee or experiencing local surroundings, rather than intense sightseeing or hiking.
Impact of Settling Down and Having a Baby on Wanderlust
The experience of settling down and having a baby has led to a reevaluation of wanderlust expectations. While the desire to travel remains, priorities have shifted towards more relaxed and fulfilling experiences, balancing family needs with exploring new destinations. Adapting travel activities to better suit family dynamics has become a key consideration.
Traveling with a Baby
The speaker shares their experience of traveling with their baby for the first time, going to Canada and later to South America. Initially overwhelmed about packing baby essentials for a trip, they adapted and found joy in the travel experience. They obtained a passport and global entry for their baby, despite her age, and highlighted the humorous process of taking a passport photo for a baby.
Travel Gear and Remote Work
The conversation shifts to practical tips for traveling parents, emphasizing the importance of carrying essential items like a thermometer when traveling. The speaker recounts a situation in Canada where they forgot a thermometer, leading them to now always travel with one. They also discuss the value of renting baby gear at destinations and leveraging connections to borrow baby supplies, advocating for traveling lightly by staying with friends or acquaintances who have children.
You’ve heard about being a digital nomad- maybe you’ve seen the jealousy-inducing headlines over on MSNBC or Buzzfeed, but you’ve convinced yourself that nobody actually does that. Digital nomads aren’t really a thing. Well, we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but they actually do exist and we’re joined by real life digital nomad, Becca Siegel from Half Half Travel. Becca is a well-traveled photographer and digital content creator with a unique approach to travel blogging and remote work that we’re going to spend a lot of time discussing today. She has contributed her travel expertise to various publications like USA Today, Huffington Post, and she and her husband have been featured in the Oprah Magazine, Lonely Planet, Travel & Leisure. Today we’re excited to discuss the highs and lows of being a digital nomad, how to negotiate remote work, the most affordable locations to travel, why joining a program like Remote Year makes sense, traveling with a baby, and more!
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