Whether they’re working from a beachside café or a bustling overseas city, digital nomads enjoy a free-spirited work life that is becoming increasingly desirable.
Today, there are an estimated 40+ million digital nomads worldwide. That’s predicted to increase to around 60 million by 2030! It’s clear that this is no passing trend – digital nomads are here to stay.
Dreaming of breaking free from your own 9-to-5 grind? Finding the perfect digital nomad business idea can be easier said than done. First, you need to think about earnings. Will your idea fuel your wanderlust and sustain your travels?
Then, you’ve also got to think about market interest - and how your unique skills fit in. Will people pay for what you can offer? What is your skillset suited to?
If you’re struggling to find inspiration, we’re here to help. Whop has gathered 100 of the best digital nomad business ideas, so you can enjoy earning while you explore the world. Let’s get started.
What is a digital nomad business?
Digital nomads are people who work remotely via the internet whilst traveling. They don’t have a fixed location for their workspace. So, in essence, they can work anywhere.
Digital nomads can work as they travel abroad, or go on a road trip around the country. They can work from a coffee shop, park, or even a sunny California beach.
A digital nomad business is any business that enables this nomadic lifestyle. Some jobs are naturally unsuitable for this way of working, requiring employees or freelancers to work at a specific location. Meanwhile, digital nomad businesses can be run anywhere, as long as there’s an internet connection.
100+ business ideas for digital nomads
Keep reading to find over 100 business ideas across 11 different niches. All of these options can be done remotely.
Online coaching
In 2022, the online coaching market size was valued at $2.19 billion worldwide. That’s set to skyrocket to $6.79 billion by 2031. Online coaches advise and provide support to their clients, helping them to develop their skills and reach new goals.
Coaching is a broad industry, so it’s worth narrowing down to a specific niche. Lucrative coaching niches include executive coaching, business coaching, and wealth coaching.
The right niche for you will depend on your skillset. Have 5+ years of marketing experience? Then a digital marketing coach is the ideal digital nomad business idea for you.
Or perhaps you’re a guru when it comes to trading? Or a god-tier weightlifter wanting to pass on your skills? If you love travel, why not become a travel coach and help starry-eyed explorers find their dream journey? Whatever your niche, there’s a course waiting to be made.
For example, Closer Cartel offers high-ticket sales training through online coaching sessions, courses, and community membership.
As an online coach, you’ll schedule appointments with your clients and speak with them over video or voice calls. Some coaches charge per hour, but you can also charge for a block of coaching sessions. Plus, with platforms like Whop, you can manage all your processes - from scheduling appointments to invoicing clients - on one dashboard, saving time and money.
Below are some of the top digital nomad business ideas for coaches on the road:
- Global travel coach
- Digital marketing coach
- Spiritual coaching
- Health and wellness coaching
- Financial freedom coaching
- Dating coaching
- Personal development coach
- Fitness coach
- Family and relationships coach
- Ecommerce coaching
Social media marketing
Over five billion people across the globe use social media. That’s 63.7% of the earth’s population! Naturally, businesses want to tap into that ready-made audience. According to data from Buffer, 93.7% of businesses are active on Facebook, with X, Instagram, and LinkedIn being other popular choices.
TikTok is also a hot marketing platform. Data from Adobe found that over half of business owners surveyed used TikTok to promote their brands.
There are many different ways to leverage social media marketing for your digital nomad business. We’ve curated a few ideas below:
- YouTube video editor
- Instagram account management
- Digital brand manager
- Influencer marketing consultant
- TikTok video creator
- Social media marketing agency
- Facebook ads strategist
- TikTok consultant
- Social media content writer
- Digital PR specialist
Affiliate marketing
By the end of 2024, it’s estimated that spending on affiliate marketing will reach $15.7 billion worldwide. It’s a lucrative industry, and it’s also a great passive income stream for digital nomads.
With affiliate marketing, you’ll promote another brand’s products or services through your content. You’ll be sent a unique link with a tracking ID. This shows to businesses when you’ve referred a customer their way. If a customer buys something through your link, you’ll receive a commission.
As with the other entries on this list, there are a variety of ways to make money through affiliate marketing. You’ll need to create content that aligns with the products - and engages your audience. Different types of affiliates include:
- Blog content writers
- Review websites
- Social media influencers
- Coupon website owners
- Email marketers
Website and app design
According to Siteefy, around 252,000 new websites are created every single day. In the US, 73% of small brands have their own website. Aside from maintenance for existing sites, that’s another 27% who could potentially need a website.
Beyond this, if you’re a web or software whizz, there are plenty of other roles to take on the road. In 2023, the mobile app market size reached a staggering $252.89 billion globally. So, if you know your way around JavaScript or Python, there’s a lot of scope to bring in money wherever you are.
- Web developer
- Website graphic designer
- User experience designer
- Mobile app developer
- Web app developer
- User interface design
- Cloud developer
- Video game designer
- SEO specialist
- Website analyst
Digital products
This year, global spending on digital goods is predicted to reach $135 billion. As it sounds, digital products are products that are accessible online or downloadable.
As they don’t physically exist, there’s no need to replenish stock or pour lots of money into production. That makes digital products one of the best digital nomad business ideas. Once you’ve created a compelling digital product, you’ll have a steady passive income stream to support your travels.
eBooks are a popular digital product, with an estimated market size of $17.2 billion. You can use eBooks to create in-depth guides on niche topics. For example, The Crypto Playbook gives beginners the knowledge they need to become an expert in cryptocurrency, including industry tips, secrets, and strategies.
Online courses and workshops are classed as digital products, but there are others you can sell, including:
- eBooks on marketing, dropshipping, and other niches
- Stock photography creation
- Graphic design and vectors
- Digital planners
- Digital templates (e.g., Notion templates)
- Social media graphics
- Spreadsheets
- Paid podcasts
- Voiceover artistry
- Online subscriptions
Dropshipping
Valued at $250 billion in 2023, the global dropshipping market is soaring to new heights. It’s predicted to reach over $930 billion by 2030. Dropshipping is an ecommerce model where your business doesn’t actually hold any stock. Instead, when you receive an order, you’ll then forward this to your third-party supplier. They’ll take care of fulfilling the order.
This business model is ideal for digital nomads, as you won’t have to make room for your stock. It’s also a good option for start-ups, as your initial investment will be lower. You’ll only buy stock as you sell it.
Keep an eye out on websites like Google Trends to see what consumers are looking for online. Some of the most popular niches for dropshipping brands include:
- Pet products
- Phone cases and accessories
- Hoodies and t-shirts
- Stationery supplies
- Earbuds and earphones
- Fitness equipment
- Essential oils
- Baby clothes
- Eco-friendly products
- Skincare products
Print-on-demand
If you like the idea of outsourcing your order fulfilment but want more say in the design process, print-on-demand is for you.
You’ll create a design, which can be added to a variety of different products, like t-shirts, mugs, and more. Then, once an order is placed, your supplier will create the items and ship them directly to your customer. Popular print-on-demand companies include Printify, Gelato, and Printful.
Print-on-demand is currently very popular as a business model, with the market size valued at $7.67 billion in 2023. That’s predicted to grow to $38.21 billion by 2030.
Again, it’s ideal for on-the-go digital nomads. No stock to worry about - in terms of cost or space. Popular product niches you can specialize in, include:
- Art prints
- Water bottles and tumblers
- Tote bags
- Stickers and stationery
- Clothing (e.g., hoodies, jackets, etc.)
Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants provide administrative support to organizations and individuals remotely. They take care of admin tasks, including making travel arrangements, scheduling appointments and meetings, managing budgets, and answering phone calls and emails.
It’s the ideal time to join the virtual assistant bandwagon. The industry is valued at $3.07 billion globally. By 2030, that’s set to reach $14.10 billion. You can also specialize in a variety of areas, depending on your skillset:
- Translation services
- Social media account management
- Online customer service
- Website management
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Transcription
- Research
- Data entry
- Ecommerce virtual assistant
- Real estate virtual assistant
Online courses
E-learning has become big business in the past decade. In 2023, the industry was valued at over $250 billion. That’s predicted to soar to above $840 billion. It’s never been easier to monetize your skills.
Online course platforms make it simple to create, sell, and promote your course. For example, Whop features a free course creator tool, so you can build and sell your lessons on the same platform.
That’s what Tori Trades did with her Learn to Trade course. The online course includes short modules on everything from psychological barriers in trading to chart analysis. It also comes with course member access to Tori’s Discord community. Bundling different types of digital products together is simple with Whop.
So, what should your course focus on? Ultimately, that depends on your area of expertise. On Whop, popular courses on our platform have covered:
- Trading
- Cryptocurrency
- TikTok affiliate marketing
- Amazon FBA
- Ecommerce
- Reselling
- Real estate investing
- Dropshipping
- SaaS
- Remote sales
Paid online communities
76% of internet users have been involved in online communities. From community sites to Discord and Telegram communities, these digital spaces allow members to connect with like-minded people and learn from experts within the group.
You can create paid memberships to your online community. These can be tiered, so customers can pay for what they’ll use. For example, American Dream Trading offers several different tiered memberships to their Discord community.
This includes a free tier, which offers access to the free area only. Other offerings include a Mentorship Discord, Premium access, VIP access, and Complete access, depending on the package chosen.
Popular paid community niches include:
- Entrepreneurship
- Fitness and sports
- Music production
- Ecommerce reselling
- Sports betting
- Self-development
- Amazon ecommerce
- AI content creation
- Digital marketing
- Wealth and business
Writing services
Around 7.5 million blog posts are published on the internet each day. From product descriptions to eBooks, words are the foundation of most online content. If the written word is your passion, there are many ways to make money as a digital nomad. As AI continues to advance, there’s space to train AI programs, too.
Many writers use freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr to advertise their services. Upwork, for example, has around 12 million freelancers on the platform. Some writers find this to be too competitive and set up their own agency, promoting via a dedicated website. Types of writing services you can offer include:
- Content writer
- Copywriter
- AI trainer
- Resume and CV writing
- SEO writing
- Blog writer
- eBook writing
- Ghostwriting
- YouTube scriptwriting
- Email newsletter writer
What is the best business for a digital nomad?
There you have it - 100 different businesses that you can run as a digital nomad. When it comes to deciding which one is best for you, it really depends on your skillset, interests, and the amount of time and money that you have to dedicate to your business.
However, for maximum profit with minimum start-up costs, you should consider selling digital products. Digital products can be created for free and sold over and over again, to a global audience. And, when it comes to selling digital products, there's one platform that stands out above the rest - and that's Whop.
Whop: The ecommerce platform for digital nomads
Whether you’re flying to Paris or driving around the British Isles, life as a digital nomad offers many exciting options. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said for ecommerce platforms.
Many digital commerce platforms limit what you can sell. Some focus on course creation, others on coaching, while others host only live videos. With Whop, you can do all this and more.
On Whop, you can sell all things digital. That includes everything from eBooks to online community memberships. You can also create and sell courses, host coaching calls, use affiliate links in your online community, and sell access to part or all of your whop. You create your central hub - your whop - upload the features that you need for your online business, and start selling.
Whop is the ultimate ecommerce platform for entrepreneurs craving the nomadic lifestyle. There’s no hefty monthly fee to add to your expenses. We only charge a 3% transaction fee when you make a sale - so, even if your business is still a start-up, you can embark on your nomadic adventure with Whop.
Take your first step towards a new way of living by selling on Whop. Create a free account and set up your store in just fifteen minutes.
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