Digital Snowbird Lifestyle: Work 9 to 5 While Traveling the World | 21 Stephanie Zummo

Stephanie is a COO who has mastered the art of balancing a demanding remote career with traveling the globe. For the past few years, she has been perfecting what we call the digital snowbird lifestyle by spending half the year in Montreal and the other half escaping the winter to explore the world as a digital nomad.

In this episode, we talk about how Stephanie transitioned from a traditional office setup to working from beach towns and jungles across Mexico, South Africa, and Bali. We get into the actual logistics of managing a remote team across massive time zone differences and how her travel style has evolved over the years.

Key Takeaways
• How the digital snowbird method gives you the best of both worlds between routine and travel
• The reality of managing a North American team while living in Asia and working from 10 PM to 3 AM
• How the digital nomad experience changes when you transition from solo travel to traveling with a partner
• Why moving to a new city every week is a trap and why slowing down is essential for remote workers
• Practical advice for taking the leap into remote work if you are stuck in a cold winter climate

Tags: #DigitalNomad #RemoteWork #DigitalSnowbird #TravelAndWork

Timestamps
00:00 Getting off the news and protecting your mindset
05:15 The nomad community and crossing paths globally
09:45 Stephanie's origin story of working from anywhere
13:30 Testing the remote work waters in Mexico
15:50 Managing a Canadian team as a COO from abroad
18:15 Working the graveyard shift in Bali
24:45 Breaking down the digital snowbird lifestyle
32:15 Managing a split life and keeping up with friends back home
36:20 The pros and cons of solo travel versus traveling with a partner
41:50 The biggest mistake new digital nomads make
47:20 Highlights and challenges of working remotely from Asia
53:20 Advice for starting your own remote work journey
58:45 Why the dirt path is worth the trade offs

Want to engineer your way onto the nomad dirt path without sacrificing your career?
Book a free call with Grayson: https://calendly.com/grayson-engineeredflexibility/30min

Follow Stephanie:
https://www.instagram.com/steph.zum/