The 5 Best Digital Nomad Tools

More and more of you are working remotely these days. I do that too, as some of you may have guessed. Digital nomad tools have been a part of my everyday life for years. Working remotely requires not only a lot of discipline but also clever tools. Especially if you're traveling the world and don't always have access to your mailbox at home.

From a paperless office to scan services for your mail, training on the go, and simple business tools for invoicing, member areas, newsletters, etc., everything is included. In principle, you can start your digital business immediately with these tools. Or you can simply enjoy the fact that running your business will be easier and clearer from now on thanks to the right tools. So let's get started... oh, and if you know me, you also know that I'm not just going to list tools one through five for you. There's also a little surprise at the end. But don't cheat, we're starting here with point 1!! 😉

Paperless Office - An Office Without Paperwork

After all these years, I've digitized my office more and more. I've been living with a paperless office since 2009. If an invoice still arrives on paper, I scan it and burn it. Okay, I throw it away, but it can sound a bit more dramatic 🙂 The advantage isn't just that you have all your important documents with you on the go. You also have nice order at home and in the office. Nothing is piling up anymore. Your mind likes that, and it just feels better.

Of course, there's still a lot of paperwork to do even when everything is digitized. I haven't found any digital nomad tools for that yet. Unfortunately, you can't get around it at first. There might be a post about ways to reduce it at some point.

So that you can truly find everything, I recommend a clear folder structure to you first. The smarter and more precise you set this up, the easier it will be for you later on. I have a maximum of three levels so that it remains manageable.

I also named the files so that I can quickly find every document using the search function. I write the date at the beginning in YYMMDD format, so all documents are sorted by date when the sorting is set to „Name ABC“. Then comes the company or bank, essentially the sender, and then I mention what kind of document it is. For example: 210822_Hotel_The_Crane_Billing_Room.pdf. This invoice would now be filed under Reisen_Barbados.

Once you start this system and stick with it, you'll realize how easy and clear it all is. Of course, at the beginning, you'll spend days and nights scanning things in.

My Recommendation - Digital Nomad Tools

I use this for Google Drive and the SwiftScan App. These two can be easily connected together. You scan a document with SwiftScan and the app saves a PDF to your Drive, even with multiple pages without any issues. Once a month, I rename the files and sort them accordingly. The Pro version of SwiftScan costs about 8 EUR. The app is definitely worth it. I started right away with the Pro version, but you should of course try it out for free first.

Bonus Tip – Digital Nomad Tools
To all you minimalists out there. Surely you also have things in your life that you just can't get rid of. However, in rare cases, these are actually useful items. It's usually „just“ about the memory. Who gave this to you, or where and in what situation did you buy the seventh dreamcatcher in Bali? The Lonely Planet travel guide from Ibiza that led you and your friends to the best parties 10 years ago... etc. This is where Google Drive comes into play.

I photograph things that are important to me and then get rid of them, sell them, donate them, or give them away. This way, I always have the picture with me and can remember the great moments, but I no longer have the „junk“ lying around in my apartment or basement. This might sound harsh, but it has its advantages in the end.

2. Scan Services for your Mail

Following up on the first point, perhaps you also have the problem that your mail is thousands of kilometers away at home. While I'm writing this post, my mailbox is 7365 km away. That makes scanning it a bit difficult. To keep my ecological footprint morally justifiable for me, I use PEAX. This is a scanning service from Switzerland. You get an address in Baar in the canton of Zug and can have your mail sent there. If you stay under a certain number of shipments per year, the service is even free.

I've been using this service for 2 years and haven't had to pay anything yet. You get an email when mail is received for you, and then you can log in and download the PDF. It works really well. Afterwards, I rename the file and sort it according to my folder structure from Digital Nomad Tools, point 1.

A German counterpart, by the way, is Caya. I can't say much about it, except that many people use it and it's often mentioned in comparisons with other digital nomad tools.

Update: September 23, 2022

PEAX now unfortunately only offers a paid service. The cheapest option costs 19.90 CHF per month. However, this includes mail forwarding, so all mail is now automatically forwarded to PEAX. In total, you can receive 250 shipments with this. For me, this is a reason to move away from PEAX and look for an alternative. The cost isn't the problem, but the fact that all my mail exclusively goes to PEAX. This is ecologically pointless, as not all mail needs to be sent twice through Switzerland. Previously, I could control which mail was sent to PEAX and which was sent to my postal address.

If any of you have a tip for a similar service in Switzerland, please. contacted Me 🙂

3. Withdraw money abroad for free

Whether you travel a lot or just cross the border more often as a shopping tourist. Withdrawing free cash abroad and at the best exchange rates is always worthwhile. By free, I mean fee-free, of course 😛 (If you find a legal way to withdraw money for free, please be sure to let me know!)

Thanks to neo-banks, withdrawing money abroad is no longer a big deal. So, in this list of the top 5 Digital Nomad Tools the companies Revolut and Wise Don't miss out.

I've been using both services since 2019 and haven't paid any exchange rate fees since then. When you travel abroad, you simply set the corresponding country and pay locally as if it were a local bank card. It's super duper convenient.

You get a prepaid card (Visa or MasterCard) from both providers and can link it to your home bank account or a credit card. I use my Revolut card daily and for everything, including in Europe. I always carry the Wise card with me as a backup. I've set it up so that as soon as my card balance falls below a certain amount, a fixed sum is automatically topped up. This way, you can use the card almost like a real credit card. Topping up, withdrawing money, and paying in stores are free. In the long run, that makes quite a difference.

Revolut

I prefer Revolut because I find their customer service better and because they have a premium plan. This allows you, for example, to withdraw higher amounts abroad and also includes airport lounge access. However, this is only applicable if your flight is delayed. But it works great. Furthermore, there is cashback, which effectively covers the annual fee of about 150 EUR.

With these two digital nomad tools, you can definitely save a lot of money!

4. Further Education While Traveling

„Travel educates,“ tweeted Leonardo da Vinci on his blog when he was the first person to fly to America in 1492. Of course, I benefit from such traditions when I travel.

But besides cultural enrichment, there are other areas in which I want to further my education. Of course, there are numerous coaches and trainers out there who offer you podcasts 24/7. However, I prefer books. Books that unfortunately become baggage on trips. In 2014, I on our trip to the USA I envied the people who sat on the plane with their Kindles. How practical is that? I had three books with me that felt like bricks.

Amazon Kindle E-Book Reader

I also contacted Jeff Bezos, who promptly sent me one of these Kindle devices. Since then, I've gotten used to the difference between paper and e-book readers. The feel of the Kindle is really fantastically implemented. The surface feels very authentic, like paper, and thanks to E-Ink, the battery lasts about two weeks. Plus, you can take a huge library with you. The Kindle can hold about 10,000 books. That should be enough for the next few years.

Nevertheless, I had another problem: I really enjoy reading and read very quickly, but I'm not managing one or two books a week at the moment. I spend time every day running on the beach and also 30 minutes in the car. The kids have to go to school. Reading isn't exactly safe then 🙂

My recommendation

Audible. Over the last two years, I've become more and more accustomed to audiobooks. I can listen to them in the car and on the beach, and it allows me to read or listen to two books a week on the side. With the app on my phone, you can set bookmarks easily, so you can listen to important passages again. For me, Audible is one of the tools for digital nomads that I use daily. Once at the end of the month, I sort the bookmarks and then note down all the important sections in a document that I want to keep and implement.

Because remember: It's not about knowing as much as possible, but the power lies in implementation.

5. Packing List for Web Nomad Helene – Business Tools

Here is a very special highlight and the surprise mentioned above. The fifth tool I want to introduce to you is a professional miscellany of Digital Nomad Tools. Here you'll find one of the best invoicing tools on the market, and you'll get percentages off Memberspot, the most intuitive and best member area. So if you offer or want to offer digital products, then absolutely download the packing list from Web Nomad Helene down. With this, you have a basic set of digital nomad tools. I use some of the tools myself and am very happy with them.

Rank Math

My favorite tool is actually the SEO tool Rank Math, which Helene recommends. That might sound incredibly boring, but I love SEO and can really express myself with it on my blog. I use the paid version of Rank Math and regularly get to the first page of Google with it.

Helene has tested countless tools on the market and uses the tools she recommends in her packing list herself. This ensures that all tools work remotely and even with a weak internet connection. As a branding expert, Helene relies on tools for invoicing, newsletter services, membership areas, payment providers, graphic tools, and much more.

Packing List for Digital Nomads

Especially when you're just starting out with your business, you can save a lot of time and energy with all these tools. Helene has now put the packing list into a short video course where she gives you even more tips.

6. Conclusion

Working on the go and using great locations as your office has its advantages. But you also need the right equipment and preparation. With my 5 best digital nomad tools, you should be equipped. Equipped for the perfect start of your business or for optimization. Enjoy your travels and especially the many, countless opportunities that we all have had for a few years now.

Here again is the complete list of all featured tools for digital nomads

• SwiftScan App and Google Drive for your documents
• PEAX or Caya for your mail
• Revolut or Wise for your finances
• Audible for your professional development
• Packing List for Digital Nomads for Your Business

When building a business, you can Web Nomad Helene By the way, I can also help with that. Branding and brand building form the foundation for your business. Go ahead and check her out.

Please let me know in the comments where you're working from right now. What's an indispensable tool for you? Maybe it'll be interesting for me too, and I'll add it to my list.