When you are a digital nomad, there are certain things you can decide to give up – but your hobby isn’t one of them. 

Your hobbies and interests are still relevant even while you are on a travel mission because they keep you motivated and full of life. 

However, tons of digital nomads don’t keep up with their hobbies and interests while traveling. They think traveling alone is enough to fill their lives, but that’s not the case. You need to constantly keep up with your interests and hobbies to get the best out of your trip. 

Below are the ten best hobbies you should learn while you travel: 

1. Hiking

If you are a nomad who loves hikings , incredible opportunities are waiting for you. In almost every country you visit, you won’t miss the mountains to climb. You only need to make sure that you base your travels around the mountain ranges you have always wished to climb. 

Mountain climbing is not a walk in the park, and to become a good mountaineer, focus on the steps and how to get to the top rather than worrying about how steep the entire mountain is. 

2. Writing

As you travel the world, you’ll come across different exciting stuff, meet different people and you need to put these experiences somewhere. 

That’s where writing comes in . It doesn’t matter what you’ll be writing. Whether it’s your journal, a letter to your best friend, a novel, or even a blog, it’ll still help you remember some of the fascinating things you saw and experienced while you were traveling. 

Besides capturing what you come across during your travel, writing can also help you organize your thoughts. When you are alone, there are chances that you’ll have so many ideas. The best way you can remember them later is by writing them down. 

3. Kite Surfing

Kite Surfing is one of the hobbies and interests that digital nomads love. It’s done by surfing on water using a wakeboard. To learn, you start by taking control of a smaller kite on land. 

Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you graduate and start using board over water. It may seem next to impossible when you’re just starting out, and the actual process is not definitely easy, however, nothing is impossible especially when dealing with real-world tasks such as kitesurfing. The good thing is that you can kitesurf anywhere in the world. 

4. Meditation

Most people think meditation isn’t essential and exciting perceptions are surrounding it. For example, some people believe that you must practice meditation for at least thirty minutes every day and have a unique style of practice. 

Like any other hobby or interest you have, meditation has no limit for practice . And, you can use different styles you can adopt such as moving meditation, Vipassana, prayer or even mindful meditation. 

Below are the benefits of meditation:

  • Increased relaxation
  • Increase in creativity
  • Increase in awareness
  • Increase in discipline
  • Improvements in posture
  • And many more

5. Language Learning

If you are moving to a particular country and you can’t speak their language, then you should start learning the basics of the said language – because you are going to find it difficult communicating with the locals. 

You can use apps like Duolingo, but the fastest way to learn a foreign language is to try speaking with natives one-on-one. All the same, some people would not love to embarrass themselves. So, they choose to learn the language from apps like Duolingo before putting it into practice. 

6. Bodybuilding

This is not a favorite hobby among travelers, but what you don’t know is that gyms are much easier than it sounds. Therefore, there is no reason why bodybuilding should be scary to travelers. You may ignore gyms when you are traveling, but some consequences come with it such as losing muscles and strength. 

Gyms are common, and you can find them nearly in all the places you are going to travel to. Tons of people want to look good, and that’s why missing a gym center is difficult. Even in small towns, you will still find gyms. 

7. Yoga

Yoga started in India more than a thousand years ago and it involves a series of exercises with many benefits. There are a lot of styles – some of them demand physical strength while others involve inducing altered states. 

You can either practice yoga as a stand-alone or use it to supplement one of your exercise routines. Yoga can improve your physical strength as well as developing your confidence. Some people have also found out that yoga can reduce aches. 

Yoga can be the best hobby for travelers because you can learn it for free and even practice it in your room. If you also feel like you should attend a yoga lesson, you can still find them in most towns across the world. 

8. Chess

Chess has become more popular, and it’s now played nearly in every country. The good thing about chess is that you can play the game no matter how old you are – you only need to know the rules of the game, and you are good to go. And the best of all is that Chess’ rules are the same everywhere. If you are a traveler and see people playing in perks, be sure to ask for a game. 

Another advantage of chess is that you don’t have to carry along your chess board wherever you go. You’ll always find people playing chess on the streets. So, go ahead and join them. Most people are willing to play with you. 

9. Reading

Reading is a staple hobby for most digital nomads. You can always start your journey reading a book, and once you complete that book, you can exchange it at a hostel. You remember the character Santiago – from the novel, “the alchemist?” Santiago had the passion, and on his mission from Spain, he had read tons of books before he reached Egypt. 

E-reading is by far the best for digital nomads. You can read from right where you are. You can use Kindle to read, and it’s okay. E-reading can be best for you if you don’t have a library of books as you travel. 

10. Photography

This hobby is common for those who love traveling. Usually, one of the basic requirements of digital nomads is to have a camera. It’s no secret that you’ll always want to take photos of things that excite you as you travel. Animals, landscapes, mountains, and many more are some of the things you’d love to take pictures of. 

Taking photos is fun, but it has got some challenges. You have to be an expert to take quality photos. As a beginner, you may not take the best photos, but keep on sharpening your skills, and you’ll become a pro. 

Over to You

There are tons of hobbies for long-term travelers who don’t require much. It’s basic that you need discipline and practice to achieve your goals. For example, if you want to become the best photographer, then you must take a lot of photographs. To become the best footballer, you must train every day. Traveling shouldn’t make you give up your hobbies.