meet the nomads
Hi! We’re Allan & Katharina, the travel-obsessed duo behind Nomads Beyond.
Originally from New Zealand and Austria, we left our office jobs in 2019 for a backpacking trip to Mexico (where we met!) – and we’ve been on the road ever since.
Over the last 6+ years, we’ve slow-traveled through 20+ countries, lived on beautiful beaches, hiked active volcanos, and turned full-time travel into our everyday life as digital nomads.
We have found so much freedom and happiness in this way of living – and share destination guides, practical tips, and slow travel tools that make it possible, so you can do it too.
We hope our stories inspire you to hit the road, fill up on meaningful travel experiences and create an intentional life beyond the ordinary – even on a budget, even if it means taking an unconventional route.
It all started in a hostel in Mexico City.
Our desire to live a life beyond 9-to-5 turned into full-time travel when we met in a hostel in Mexico, just as the pandemic hit.
At that point, we had both left our corporate jobs and sold almost all our belongings to travel.
We decided not to return to our home countries and ended up traveling 2 years in Mexico. 💃 Many more countries followed!
Even before we met, we had both lived in multiple countries and visited 20+ countries as solo travelers. We always say, that traveling is in our DNA.
We never had the urge to settle down or buy a house and often felt out of place because of that. But the more places we see, the more we want to see.
Back then we couldn’t imagine a nomadic life or traveling full-time for half a decade. But turning into digital nomads fulfilled our wildest dreams!
Slow travel life in Mexico, where we turned into digital nomads & full-time travelers in 2020.
01. Exploring Vietnam’s North on a scooter / 02. Hiking Lion’s Head in Cape Town, South Africa / 03. Wandering the colonial streets of Antigua, Guatemala / 04. Housesitting in Grenada, Caribbean
Being digital nomads is more affordable and doable than you might think!
To financially support our travels we began using platforms like Workaway to exchange our skills for a place to stay, realizing you don’t need heaps of money to travel.
We also quickly learned that slow travel is the key to truly local experiences and sustain full-time travel for years – mentally, physically and financially.
Working remotely doesn’t just satisfy our wanderlust, but also taught us how to navigate and afford a life on the road that is filled with meaningful travel experiences.
We choose home stays and street food over hotels and restaurants, because digital nomad life is so much more than laptops-on-a-beach. It’s a great way to root yourself in local cultures and leave a positive impact.
That’s why all our destination guides are full of immersive experiences, cultural highlights and budget-friendly tips that go beyond the typical tourist hotspots.
When you take the leap, you can turn any budget into full-time travel. What we can do, you can too! 💪
Hi, I am Allan!
I grew up in New Zealand, but after finishing my law degree, I spent years abroad, working in hospitality in London, Hungary, Toronto, Scotland and Turkey. My first backpacking trip overseas took me to South America.
Hi, I am Katharina!
I grew up in Austria, but have spent more years abroad by now than in my home country – oops! Before becoming a digital nomad, I studied in Denmark, volunteered in Uganda, solo-traveled Asia, and moved to Amsterdam for my first job.
This or That: Digital Nomad Edition
Our picks – what are yours?
| CO-WORKING | |
| DATA | |
| WINDOWS | |
| NIGHT OWL | |
| SOLO WORK | |
| SITTING DESK | |
| GADGETS |
Our Nomad Bucket List
Here are a few items on our wish list we can’t wait to make happen and document on this blog!
| Master house sitting for amazing stays |
| Fly first or business class once without burning $ |
| Explore California in a camper van |
| Document our travels in video |
| Eat every type of taco in Mexico |
| Hike up Table Mountain in South Africa |
| Slow travel to Nepal, Japan and Taiwan |
| Study Spanish and do a homestay in Guatemala |
| See pink dolphins in the Amazon, Colombia |
| Start an online slow travel community (COMING SOON!) |
Questions we get asked often
Working remotely, traveling slowly and watching our spending can go a long way. In fact, we spend less per month abroad than we would in our home countries! 👀 We share all our budget travel tips on this blog.
No, we use TrustedHousesitters to stay in awesome locations like Thailand, Mexico, London, and the Caribbean rent-free. If you love pets, it is the best way to extend your travels, have comfy accommodation, and live like a local!
No 🙃 because we travel slowly. We often stay weeks in one place, which helps us settle in, keep routines, and truly get to know it. We balance our time between exploring, work, and travel rather than packing our days like a tourist on vacation.
Yes, traveling full-time has taught us that there is soo much good in the world! However, we always research a destination and use common sense. We are also always equipped with offline maps and travel health insurance made for nomads.
We find a lot of joy in minimalism and love sunny places, so we travel with only two light backpacks each; one we check in and one as a carry-on with all our electronics. What we need for 2 weeks is what we travel with year-round.
You’ve already taken the first step by reading this blog! Our detailed destination guides, digital nomad tips and resources are here to help you become a slow traveler and nomad too – without spending years figuring it out on your own.