While we love the destinations and the adventures, bringing people together is our favorite thing about what we do. We saw this in action when we launched our inaugural residency in early 2023. We loved meeting each and every one of our residents and want you to meet them too! That’s why we sat down with Monika Guwalani for a conversation about her journey from investment banker to digital nomad content creator, and her experience in Goa with Nurall.
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How did you get started as a digital nomad?
When COVID hit and my investment banking company was forced to go remote. It felt like investment banking was really sucking the life out of me and I didn’t want to do it anymore. Around that time, I had just started documenting my travel experiences and started writing very casually about it on Instagram, so I got the handle @bootsofahitchiker as a way to tell stories from the perspective of my boots because I was attached to these really amazing pair of hiking boots I had. I quickly realized it was also about the people who were walking with me on those trails, so I started talking about cultural immersion and meeting people. I did interviews on the streets and I highlighted stories of different people around the world.
Then I got acquainted with nomadism as a concept and when I started reading about it, it made sense to me. It felt like a community that I belonged to be in, so I quit my job and over the past two years of being nomadic, I’ve lived in over nine countries and about 40 cities in India.
How did you hear about Nurall?
We connected on Instagram and gave me a great perspective on what they were doing and I absolutely loved it. It sounded like a great idea to get to know people and learn about nomadism a little more. I was just telling somebody yesterday, that “Thank God, I went to Goa with Nurall” because honestly, it has helped me upscale my business quite a bit.
I got a lot of business ideas, for sure. There were so many people from different backgrounds: one guy was making gaming glasses, somebody else was selling tofu and I was like, okay that’s pretty cool. My brain expanded when I went to Goa. It was wonderful the kinds of insights that I got.
What was the biggest takeaway you had from Goa?
I started saying yes more easily to things. It’s been like over two months since the residency and I’m glad I’ve said yes to everything that came my way. I’m in a more collaborative headspace now.
What were the social activities like?
I’ve been to Goa before, but it was just for two days so I hadn’t explored a lot of Goa. So I’m glad it was a lot of cultural immersion with Nurall. There was a story attached to every place that they took us like this really cool bar in a Portugese-style house and well…I remember partying in Goa to be honest!
Navneet was a great host and he had a bunch of recommendations and we totally trusted him with it. Every night we just kept having a lot of fun, so like I wouldn’t think it through and we’re like okay, I’m sure the place that he’s taking us to is great. So I think having somebody on the ground to give really good recommendations was super helpful and it definitely showed me a different side of Goa.
READ MORE: Navneet Prakash is Leading Muay Thai in Khao Lak
What’s your advice to someone who wants to get started at being a digital nomad?
You should beta-test the lifestyle before you plunge into it completely and figure out if it’s for you or not. And it’s not necessary to keep traveling fast and keep moving places. It’s okay to be slow with it. I realized that really late that I can travel slowly and be fine with it, otherwise, it was just rushing through destinations. Test the lifestyle for a month or two before you plunge into it completely, just to figure out if it’s for you or not.
On the other side, there’s no barrier of age or country that you come from— you can make it happen if you want to.
What’s the biggest benefit of being a digital nomad?
Apart from the flexibility and the travels and the views I get to work from, it’s the freedom of creation. So your work is an extension of yourself and that’s why a lot of people are following their passions Just bringing an idea to life, from wherever you are in the world, is very appealing to me. I'm really happy about the concept that I can think of something and I can create it. Even if you're working for the company, it's also about what you want to do.
What sort of content can followers find on your Instagram?
I talk a lot about solo travel, tips and tricks, and a lot of local cultures, off-beat experiences, and how people can venture into the digital nomad lifestyle. A lot of nomadism is something I’m trying to focus on right now, so who digital nomads are, what can they do, what are the jobs, and what are the volunteering opportunities.
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