The Ultimate Digital Nomad Travel Guide For Oahu, Hawaii
From one digital nomad to another, let’s go steady in Oahu. If you’re considering digital nomad travel on the island of Oahu, we have the travel guide for you. Below, we break down everything from where to stay in Oahu (spoiler alert: Outsite), to the best hikes and beaches you have to experience. For those who are exploring the digital nomad lifestyle, we’ve packed this guide full of information to help you understand more about this whole remote work and travel thing.
Remote working at Outsite
Snorkeling on a Dolphin spotting eco tour
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Table of Contents
What is digital nomad travel?
It’s best to think of digital nomad travel as a lifestyle. Digital nomads work remotely and travel to different destinations across the globe. You can live this lifestyle for anywhere from a month, to a year, to indefinitely. As remote jobs become increasingly common, more people are taking advantage of these flexible work policies and proving that you can work from anywhere.
Related: 10 Remote Work And Travel Tips To Get You Started Today
Alan Davis Beach, East side, Oahu
Pink Pillbox hike, West side, Oahu
Outsite in Oahu, Hawaii
What is the salary of a digital nomad?
Not surprisingly, the salary of a digital nomad can vary widely depending on the industry. According to CitizenRemote, digital nomad salaries are usually between 50-99K annually. This information is accurate for us – and we’ve been able to travel to amazing destinations, like Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Belize, on these salaries.
Digital Nomad Travel Insurance
The truth is, travel isn’t always easy, and travel insurance will help you minimize the risks of your digital nomad lifestyle. The main reason we adore travel insurance is that it gives us flexibility with our flights!
As you plan your travels, we recommend purchasing VisitorsCoverage Insurance. You can choose Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage if you want to be able to have flexibility with your travel plans as a digital nomad. Fixed flights don’t allow you the flexibility to adjust your travel plans as things change.
Another reason we love VisitorsCoverage: they’re planting 15,000 trees in partnership with One Tree Planted. Purchasing through this company means that your dollars will be contributing to reforestation in the Amazon Rainforest, California, and India.
We always like to say that when we travel, we expect at least one thing to go wrong. Whether we miss a flight, lose our bags, get bitten by a Balinese monkey, or crash our drone into a massive Spanish bridge (all real things that have happened to us) — we expect to have some minor inconveniences when we travel. Ultimately, the best way to protect yourself as a digital nomad is to purchase travel insurance.
Why Work Remotely in Hawaii?
Now that we’ve covered the basics of digital nomad travel, let’s talk about why Hawaii is the perfect match for digital nomads. We spent 5 weeks working and living on the island of Oahu – and this trip made us fall in love with Hawaii and our remote work lifestyle.
Working remotely in Hawaii allows you to experience immense natural beauty and the laid-back island life. There seems to be a never ending supply of different hikes and new beaches to explore here.
What’s more, Oahu is the perfect destination to form a community as a digital nomad, because there are more people living and working in Oahu than the other islands like Maui and Kaui.
Digital Nomad Travel in Hawaii
If you’ve always wanted to explore Hawaii, we highly recommend doing so as a digital nomad. Traveling this way will allow you to:
- Stay longer
- Support the local community
- Enjoy the benefits of a nature rich lifestyle
- Connect with like-minded travelers.
Plus, traveling this way is more cost-effective. It’s possible to spend about the same amount of money to stay for a month or more as you would for a week-long vacation, if you follow our tips below. Starting with where to stay in Oahu…
@baggagegirls We have been crushing on @Outsite for a while now — and we finally got the chance to stay in one of these coliving homes during our 5-week trip to Hawaii 🌺 A few things we LOVE about Outsite: 🌎 Sustainably minded 🤝🏻 Connects you to a communtiy of digital nomads 🏡 Stay in amazing homes for affordable prices 💻 Designated work spaces & fast wifi We’ll be posting our FULL review along with a Remote Work & Travel Guide on Baggagegirls.com 💌 #baggagegirls #digitalnomadhouse #remoteworkandtravel #traveltips #sustainabletravel
♬ original sound - Baggage
Coliving House in Oahu
If you want to work remotely in Oahu, Outsite is your perfect match. We stayed at the Outsite Wailupe – a coliving house in Oahu – for 5 weeks straight. Honestly, we were blown away by this company and the house itself.
A few things we LOVE about Outsite:
- Unlike Airbnbs, Outsite homes include everything from shampoo, to laundry detergent, to olive oil and spices for cooking.
- Meet fellow digital nomads from all over the world and build community as a traveler.
- No need to go on the hunt for strong wifi, Outsite provides everything you need to work effectively.
- Increased productivity from working alongside other people in a beautiful space.
- Private bedrooms and bathrooms with shared living spaces means you feel like you’re at a hotel with the added benefit of common areas.
- Safe and ideal for solo travelers, as other people will be aware of your comings and goings. All doors and rooms come equipped with key-pad locks.
- Live more like a local. Each coliving home has a community manager, someone who lives in the area, who can share community events, and location specific tips that you wouldn’t otherwise know.
If you do choose to stay here, we’d love it if you’d book an Outsite through our link so that we can make a small commission on your purchase at no extra charge to you.
Outsite has 50+ locations across the globe, so be sure to keep this company in mind for your next trip and check to see if they have a house wherever you’re traveling!
Benefits of being a digital nomad in Oahu
Where do we begin? Oahu is a hub for surfing and outdoor adventure – and it draws a crowd of young, adventurous, creatives. The energy on this island is exciting. Plus, Oahu is large enough that you can’t explore the entire thing in one week, making it the perfect destination for slow travel. Here are a few more benefits of going steady with Oahu:
Work hours
Hawaii is 6 hours behind EST, 5 hours behind CST. Therefore, most people in the house worked from 6am-2pm every day. This allowed us to have our afternoons completely free to explore and try new hikes and beaches.
No passport required
Because Oahu is located in the U.S., you don’t have any of the hassle associated with traveling abroad. Hawaii is easily one of the best destinations in the U.S. for digital nomad travel. If your company requires you to stay within the U.S., this is the place for you.
No language barrier
You won’t have difficulty communicating with the people you meet, allowing you to form quicker connections and develop lasting relationships. This can definitely be done abroad too – but it’s made easy in Oahu!
Best Coworking spaces in Oahu
If you decide to stay at Outsite Wailupe, you won’t need an additional coworking space. It’s incredible to have a beautiful office and outdoor space right outside your bedroom door. However, if you’re staying elsewhere, here are a few great spots to spend your work day:
Ka Waiwai
First up, we admire this coworking space for its emphasis on creativity and supporting the Hawaiian community. We also chose this space because of its flexible policies. This space has a variety of plans, day passes, and reservations for you to choose from. If you want to learn more about the local community during your stay, Ka Waiwai is a great place to start.
Treehouse Kailua
Next up, this coworking space is conveniently located next to a bunch of different restaurants and cafes in Kailua. Plus, it includes everything from a kitchen to an outdoor shower.
Exploring Oahu while working remotely
The Eco Tour you have to try
Most things you do in Oahu will be free (see below), but if you spend money on one activity during your stay, it should be this Swimming with Dolphins Eco Tour. This local company is eco-certified and female owned.
Tours are led by a marine biologist and naturalist who will educate you on the ocean, the wildlife you see, and the marine life specific to Hawaii. This opportunity to get in the water with dolphins in their natural habitat was truly special.
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@baggagegirls Let’s BREAK UP with toxic travel together 💔 it’s Toxic Travel Tuesday and this week we’re talking about choosing sustainable tours / eco tours when you travel! I spent my 23rd birthday swimming with dolphins on the island of Oahu, Hawaii 🩵 I can’t recommend this tour enough to anyone traveling to Hawaii 🌎 (I’ve linked it in the comments below 💌) #ecotok #sustainabletravel #traveltips #ecotourism #ecotours #oahutraveltips
♬ original sound - Baggage
Crouching Lion hike, Oahu
Koko Head hike, Oahu
Diamond Head hike, Oahu
Top 6 beaches in Oahu
- Cromwells (10 minute drive from Outsite)
- Sharks Cove (North Shore) – bring your mask and snorkel!
- Waimea Bay (North Shore)
- Sunset Beach (North Shore)
- Alan Davis Beach (East side)
- Secret Beach (East side)
These are ranked in no particular order and based on our experiences. We have only recommended beaches and hikes that we actually tried ourselves!
Other activities in Oahu
- China Walls (10 minutes from Outsite)
- Botanical Gardens
- Kailua Farmers Market – on Sundays
For more information, check out our full guide to the Best Hikes & Beaches in Oahu.
Secret Island Beach, Oahu
Secret Island Beach, Oahu
North Shore, Oahu
That’s a Wrap
There you have it, a complete digital nomad travel guide to the island of Oahu, Hawaii. If you want more information on traveling to Hawaii, or what it’s like to stay with Outsite, check out our other posts below.
xoxo,
Baggage girls
