How I Became a Digital Nomad (And Built a Freelance Marketing Business I Actually Love)
What started as a cancelled trip around Europe unexpectedly became the beginning of KW Creative, a freelance marketing business, and a whole new life in Spain.
The Year Everything Changed
In 2020, the world changed almost overnight. Before COVID, working from home was still relatively uncommon in Australia. After the pandemic hit, suddenly almost half the country was working remotely.
For many people, it was stressful, isolating and uncertain. For me, it ended up changing my career forever.
Like so many others, I started seeing work differently. I realised it didn't necessarily need to happen in one office or even one country. I don't think I knew it at the time, but I was taking my first steps towards becoming what people now call a digital nomad.
The funny thing isā¦ I never planned to become a digital nomad.
I Didn't Quit My Job to Start a Business
One thing people often assume is that I always wanted to own my own marketing agency or business. But thatās not the case.
When I resigned from my full-time Marketing Manager role in March 2020, I wasn't chasing entrepreneurship. My husband Jake and I had spent years saving for an indefinite adventure overseas. The plan was 6 months travelling around Europe before moving to Canada on a 2 year working holiday visa.
We packed our entire lives into two backpacks and two suitcases and planned to stay with my mum for 3 nights before flying to Portugal.
But we all know what happens next. The borders closed. The flights disappeared. The world stopped. And suddenly we found ourselves unemployed, living back at Mum's house, wondering what on earth we were going to do.
Exploring Western Australia Instead of Europe
Rather than travelling through Europe, we spent the rest of 2020 exploring our own backyard in Western Australia.
At the time, it felt like our dream had completely fallen apart. But in realityā¦if COVID hadn't happened, KW Creative probably wouldn't exist.
The Freelance Project That Accidentally Started KW Creative
Circa September 2020, a friend of a friend contacted me to see if I would design a logo and website for someone they knew. I wasn't even running a business then. I laughed to myself thinking, "Well... Iām not doing much else right now so I guess I could do this."
I registered KW Creative, designed my own logo and website, set up an Instagram account, and dove into my very first client project. I genuinely thought it would be a one-off job that would keep me busy for a little while.
But then another enquiry came through. And then another. Before I knew it, I had built myself a freelancing business, somewhat accidentally.
I spent the next two years slowly building KW Creative, working with businesses across Australia. I made plenty of mistakes, but I was able to refine my processes, build better systems, and gradually grow a loyal client base.
It turns out that those two unexpected years staying in Australia gave me the foundation I didnāt know I needed. Leaving for Europe when we initially planned may have been a premature move taking the business overseas, without the stability
Getting Married... Then Moving to Europe
By 2022, international travel had reopened (š finally!), and we settled on exploring Europe. Before we left though, there was one very important thing we wanted to do firstā¦ get married!
We decided to keep things simple and eloped in Perth with just our celebrant, a photographer and 4 witnesses. Later that day, we invited our families to what everyone thought was a farewell dinner, however we surprised everyone that it was, in fact, our wedding reception.
Just a couple of weeks later, we boarded a one-way flight to Athens with two suitcases, two backpacks, two laptops, and absolutely no idea where life would take us next.
Running a Business While Travelling Europe
For 8 months, Jake and I slowly travelled through Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Montenegro, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Czechia and England. The sightseeing and travel itself was everything we hoped it would be, only now with an unexpected addition: a new business.
With a full workload of Australian clients, people often asked me how I managed to balance both. Truthfully, it came down to good planning, (mostly) reliable internet, and becoming very organised.
Because of the time difference, most of my client meetings happened first thing in the morning. I'd jump on Zoom calls first thing in the morning, then close my laptop and spend the rest of the day exploring wherever we were. I reserved evenings for answering emails, refining designs, planning projects, or working from wherever I could find a decent Wi-Fi connection.
Working remotely certainly wasn't always glamorous. From an inspiring Mediterranean ocean view, to a lethargic motel room, each scene reminded me how grateful I was to have built a business which allowed me such an array of office settings. I realised then I could continue growing and adapting KW Creative no matter where I was headed, and this made me feel so empowered!
Hiking Over 1,000 Kilometres Across Europe
Without a doubt, the most memorable part of our travels was hiking from Germany, through Switzerland and France, all the way to Girona in Spain. Over the course of more than 60 days, we walked well over 1,000 kilometres carrying everything on our backs, including our camping gear, cooking equipment, clothes... and two laptops.
Our routine remained consistent, wherein most early mornings were dedicated to Australian client calls, then weād hike for up to 9 hours, and by the late afternoon weād arrive at our next place to stay. After cooking dinner, washing our clothes, and stretching, I would finish the day on my laptop completing client work and answering emails. This was the routine day after day, for 60+ days! In fact, during these 2+ months we were hiking and working, I had my busiest season of projects and client work.
Looking back, it sounds completely ridiculous, and perhaps it was. But this season built my confidence immensely, especially now I knew my business could not only survive, but also thrive, even if I was in a different place every single night and hiking throughout the day.
Would I do it again? With some convincing, potentially. Although I might wait until I've forgotten just how difficult some of those mountain climbs were.
When we reached our destination in Girona, Spain, we celebrated our long and beautiful journey with a coffee from our friends at Oniria Cafe, a fresh haircut, and a warm cooked meal, before eventually flying back to Australia. When we returned home, we genuinely expected that chapter of our lives had come to an end and that maybe we'd continue travelling whenever we could. We never imagined we'd actually move overseas permanently.
Then Spain announced its Digital Nomad Visa.
Almost overnight, everything changed again.
Suddenly there was a legitimate pathway for people like me to continue running my business while legally living and working in Spain. After endless research, paperwork and a huge leap of faith, Jake and I packed our lives up once again and returned to Girona ā this time as (hopefully soon-to-be) residents.
Building a Home (and Finding Gazpacho)
Moving to Girona, life became much slower in the best possible way.
After years of living out of suitcases, constantly planning our next destination and never really knowing where we'd be sleeping in a week's time, having somewhere to call home became one of my favourite things.
We created routines, found our favourite cafƩs, made amazing friends, decorated our apartment and slowly built a life that genuinely feels like ours. Perhaps the sweetest surprise of all was finding Gazpacho, our crazy orange cat, who wandered into our lives on the streets and decided he'd chosen us. As any cat owner knows, when a cat makes that decision, there's really no arguing with it.
Ironically, becoming a digital nomad gave me something I hadn't expected ā the desire to stop moving.
What Being a Digital Nomad Really Taught Me
People sometimes ask whether I still describe myself as a digital nomad, and the honest answer is... probably not.
I don't feel the need to constantly move from country to country, and I don't think that's what I was searching for initially either. What I was looking for was freedom: the freedom to choose the clients I work with, the projects I say yes to, and the lifestyle I want to build around my business.
Today, I work mostly with Australian and Spanish/European clients, but instead of working from airports and Airbnbs, I work from my apartment in Girona. The time difference has actually become one of my favourite parts of running an international business because while Australia is sleeping, I'm working. Plus the shorter window of overlap condenses my meetings to just the mornings for me, and the afternoons/evenings for my Perth clients.
Looking back, I don't think becoming a digital nomad was ever the destination. It was simply the vehicle that helped me build a business (and a life) I genuinely enjoy waking up to every day.
Thinking About Starting Your Own Freelance Business?
Iāve learned careers rarely unfold exactly the way we imagine they will. I never planned to become a freelancer, move to Spain, or build a marketing business from the other side of the world. Yet somehow, every cancelled flight, unexpected opportunity and change of direction led me to exactly where I was meant to be.
Whether you're dreaming of becoming a digital nomad, starting your own freelance business, or simply creating a career that gives you a little more flexibility, this would be my number one piece of advice for you:
You don't need to wait until everything feels certain. Some of the best decisions I've ever made started with absolutely no idea what would happen next.
And if you're building a business of your own and need a hand with your branding, website or marketing, I'd love to be part of your journey.
