How Was It Living In Austin As A Digital Nomad?

It’s been around four months since deciding to sell everything to travel the US and world. You may be wondering, “Do I have any regrets?” I’m happy to say that I do not regret making the decision. I have felt the most liberated and filled with excitement. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My first stop was the number one city expecting a large influx of people in 2021—the beautiful city of Austin, Texas.

My family trip to Austin sparked my interest in leaving Louisiana and taking on this new endeavor. It’s hard to describe. Something dormant was awoken on a quick trip to this fantastic city.  

Honestly, I was nervous until the big day heading to the city. I had some things fall through financially, and fear started to kick in. I wasn’t sure I had made the right decision. I had a coming to Jesus prayer about making this decision. It was clear that I was stepping outside of my comfort zone and had to rely on God for the provision. My comfort zone had normalized my usually ambition perspective to staying in Louisiana. No disrespect with that statement. I had found myself no longer thinking or dreaming big. In reality, I find inspiration from my environment and experiences. This new chapter has inspired me to aspire to certain things.

Have you ever worked up and filled with excitement? That was how it felt the first day in Austin. I wanted to share my experience with the first stop of twelve locations on this experiment. I will discuss choosing where to live, working at Industrious, all of the food, and of course sightseeing.

City Living vs. Suburbs

When I first thought about Austin, I immediately wanted to live in the city again. I’m a city girl to the core that loves seeing people and being near everything. The street noise and people do not bother me one bit. In my Youtube video about Austin, you will see the two different Air Bnbs that I did stay on my trip. My first week was in the heart of East Austin. It was all that I would expect in a downtown luxury apartment. I had access to a gym, outdoor spaces, and other amenities.

The following location was in Pflugerville, an Austin suburb. I rented a room with two guys. You may be shocked by that. It was a beautiful one bedroom with a private bathroom. I decided to share a home in the suburbs for more space and quietness. Living in the downtown area had a huge price tag in Austin. After my first night, I decided to extend my stay to three weeks. It was precisely the proper distance from the city to not feel far away from everything. Plus, I was down the street from Target and Duck Donuts. LOL. Can you blame me for the excitement?  

The key to doing a shared space is knowing about your access to the home and area. I didn’t feel like I was just some stranger in their home. I lowkey left feeling like I was their roommate by the end of the time. It was great having conversations with them and making me feel welcome. I would highly recommend this specific Airbnb to anyone else in the future.

Industrious Austin

For years, I have always worked out of coworking spaces. I loved being able to get out of the house for a few days a week. I find that my work tasks are executed better when I work outside of my house. Ask anyone that worked remotely in the last year about being productive in the home. LOL. The battle between sleeping on the couch and sitting at your office desk is a real-life struggle. When I first started to consider the digital nomad journey, I knew it would be essential to find a work environment.

When I looked at opportunities in Austin, I found out about Industrious Austin. I was blown away by the entire Industrious Cowork brand. I did not find out about them until my Austin trip. My first day at Industrious Austin was everything that I could’ve imagined. The 9th and Congress teams were super welcoming and friendly. The space and the overall environment sealed the deal about making this decision.  

My YouTube video on Austin showed some great video snippets from space. Industrious Austin has three locations in the area. I visited two of the three—the perk to multiple offices to choose from in finding the best fit for your business needs. If you want to check out their spaces, please set up a tour of their area. Their office locations are conveniently located near parking options, city attractions, and main roadways for easy accessibility.

The Food Capital Of The US

Austin is not called the Food Capital of the US. I decided to call it that. LOL. Let’s say I partook of the great Austin food on my trip. I did everything from breakfast options, food trucks to restaurants. When I moved to the suburbs, I could refrain from food trucks all of the time. My downtown apartment was within walking distance from food trucks. My wardrobe is happy that it was only seven days.

During the thirty days there, I did not have a bad food experience once. I can’t remember every place that I did eat. Please do not judge me. I’m new to the blogging and travel blogging thing. I will do better with sharing my experiences. I would recommend going to Austin to sightsee and explore their food scene. 

The only things to expect are unbelievable choices and somewhat higher price points. I did realize that every time I went to get food, it was $25-35 outside of the food trucks. I would spend about $16-25 on the food trucks.

Sightseeing in Austin

Lastly, I did make a better effort to see the city compared to Baton Rouge. I had created a schedule to sightsee on Tuesdays and Thursdays intentionally. It forced me to take time from working all of the time and not experiencing the city's beauty. I did not get a chance to see everything that I wanted between work, rain, and hanging with friends. I did have a wonderful experience visiting Barton Creek and the Sculpture Garden.  

Four weeks sound like a long time. In reality, it does go fast. It takes about a week to get your bearings, two weeks to experience the city, then the final week is packing up and finalizing anything.

I look forward to keeping on this explorative journey.

Conclusion

I would recommend visiting Austin. It was a great jumpstart to exploring myself and a new life chapter. Is Austin my place and city? It’s way too early to say. I will say that I am excited to see what Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, and the other cities will bring.  

I have learned to allow myself to grow and explore. There is an abundance of things to experience right outside of your comfort zone.

Have you visited Austin before? If so, what was your experience? Please comment below. Let’s start the conversation.