If you’ve ever packed up your life for a big move or taken a leap into the unknown, you’ll know this: risk is part of the deal. For digital nomads and remote workers, risk isn’t just something we avoid — it’s something we dance with. And sometimes, the riskiest detours lead to the richest rewards.

That’s exactly what happened to me.

The Risky Leap

I’m Linda, co-founder of Nomad Stays and a full-time adventurer at heart. My partner, our dog, and I left Australia to bring our startup to France under the French Tech Visa. We’d done the paperwork, ticked the boxes, and geared up for a smooth two-week processing time.

Reality check: his visa arrived after nine months, mine after over a year. A YEAR. For a co-founder. That little “hiccup” left us floating in visa limbo — no base, no clear path, just a lot of uncertainty and a startup that couldn’t hit the ground the way we’d planned.

For many, that kind of delay would feel like failure. But for nomads, risk is part of the lifestyle. The trick is what you do with it.

Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” — Helen Keller

The Pivot: Volunteering as Strategy

Instead of waiting around, I turned risk into opportunity. While my partner and our pup stayed in Spain, I hopped over to Scotland and Ireland and started volunteering at hostels, BnBs, and even a castle.

Yes, it was unconventional. But it was also brilliant.

Volunteering gave me:

A crash course in the tourism industry: I was talking directly with hoteliers, spotting gaps, and understanding what travellers actually needed.A way to stretch resources: trading skills for stays meant lower costs and higher learning.Real-world market research for Nomad Stays: insights I couldn’t have gathered from behind a laptop.

What looked like a setback became my own version of a nomad MBA.

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein

The Hidden Payoffs of Risk

Here’s the thing: risk doesn’t always look glamorous in the moment. Some days, it was messy. Some days, I was tired. Some days, I wondered if it would ever pay off.

But it did.

I explored new countries, connected with my family heritage, built supplier relationships for our business, and gained a whole new perspective on the travel industry. Most importantly, I learned that the willingness to embrace uncertainty is what creates resilience — the exact skill every remote worker and digital nomad needs.

Risk is the rent you pay for the life you want.” — Unknown

Six Years Later

Fast forward: we’re now settled in France, visas renewed, startup thriving, and me still giving back by mentoring others. That “year of waiting” — the risk we didn’t choose but embraced anyway — turned out to be one of the most valuable chapters of my life.

The Nomad Lesson

For digital nomads and remote workers, risks are unavoidable. You’ll face visa issues, unstable Wi-Fi, cultural mix-ups, or business pivots that don’t go to plan. But here’s the gold: those risks often become the experiences that teach you the most, connect you the deepest, and shape your journey in ways you could never script.

So next time you’re staring down uncertainty, ask yourself: What if this risk is actually the reward?

Because sometimes the scariest detours become the stories — and the strategies — that set you apart.

You can’t discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — André Gide

✨ Ready to take a smarter risk? At Nomad Stays, we make it easier for digital nomads to leap into the unknown with confidence by helping you find affordable stays designed for remote work. Because when you remove the stress of “where,” you can focus on the adventure of “what’s next.”