How To Live A Nomadic Lifestyle: A Case Study With Entrepreneur Ravi Rajapaksha

During the turbulent times of 2020, the concept of being a "digital nomad," or a person who spends most of the year traveling while maintaining a profession that can be done remotely, has gained more popularity than it ever has before.

Yes, there are several obstacles to international travel because of the pandemic. However, now that big firms have announced that employees can work from home in the coming years, many employees who were formerly confined to a single place have far fewer barriers to overcome before embarking on a trip.

In addition to this, the gig economy is continuously expanding, and an increasing number of employees are opting to follow a lifestyle that is more aligned with that of a freelancer. As a result, it's not hard to understand why digital nomadism is becoming more popular.

But what about those people who run their own businesses? In what ways may they benefit from engaging in digital nomadism? In order to acquire an insider's perspective on the matter, I had a conversation with entrepreneur Ravi Rajapaksha, who has been traveling for years while also operating his own companies, which range from a safari tour company to a public relations agency.

You decided to prioritize your passions and take the plunge into the nomadic lifestyle. What inspired you to make that decision?

It was important to me that the work I did for a living be either something I was passionate about or something I could do on the side while I enjoyed my life. I had no intention of working my way up the corporate ladder, at least not right away. I yearned for a more unconventional way of living.

My early years sparked a lifelong interest in seeing the world. I was fortunate enough to call a neighborhood near one of Sri Lanka's most popular attractions home. Being surrounded by such grandeur has increased my desire to see new places and expand my horizons. The inspiration to initiate my own business came from my father, SamindaRajapaksha, who runs his own successful business. In the same vein, my mother, Priyanka Damayanthi, was rooting for me to achieve success in all of my endeavors, and she wanted to see me pursuing a career in something that I was passionate about.

I realized that a nomadic lifestyle is what's best for me. So, I quickly learned that I could finance my nomadic lifestyle by creating my own business, and I really did that. I began my career journey in the tourism industry as a tour guide and eventually went on to create my own safari tour company, called Sri Lanka Elephant Safari.

After that, I set out to establish a name for myself in the industry, and I grew in popularity as a prominent public figure and social media influencer quite quickly. I also founded a fast-growing public relations firm on Instagram. And all of these things have made it possible for me to live the life that I have always imagined.

What was your first step in making the nomadic lifestyle a reality for yourself?

As I've mentioned before, I founded a company called Sri Lanka Elephant Safari to promote tourism, but as time went on, the company morphed into a social media marketing firm. At this point in my life, I stopped worrying so much about my professional resume and began building the life resume I had always wanted. I went on numerous adventures and accumulated many life experiences.

Since I've been there and done that, I figured I had some useful insights to share about making a living, rather than just existing, for financial stability. Since then, I've developed my profession into what it is now.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your travel and business plans?

The pandemic was, without a doubt, the hardest thing I've ever had to overcome. As a result of the economic downturn, my existing businesses, which were supposed to help fund the new one, suffered severely.

However, being quarantined gave me plenty of time to reflect on my life up to that point. That's how I came up with my own PR firm, Nextenco.

What would you say to other budding entrepreneurs who are interested in this nomadic lifestyle?

In my opinion, being willing to learn from setbacks is crucial, particularly for budding entrepreneurs. As long as you can put food on the table, failure is OK. You should reconsider your approach to money and success. Being financially successful means achieving a balance between what you need and what you can make.

It is without a doubt that we will continue to see more individuals, like Ravi, adopting the nomadic lifestyle as employment as it continues to grow in the coming years. It's not just for remote workers anymore. It is also for entrepreneurs that work remotely.