What Is The Best Sport for Digital Nomads?
Kite Surfing of course!!
The best digital nomad sport in 2024 is, in my humble opinion kite surfing – and here’s why!
If you are a digital nomad, or entrepreneurial type like us, you thrive on freedom, adventure, and the ability to live life on your own schedule. As we know, it’s easy to get sucked into spending all of your time working if you’re not conscious of it and careful to set boundaries.
It can be pretty hard to find time to explore hobbies, and overwhelming when faced with loads of new options depending on where you’ve been travelling.
Join me as I explore the best sport for digital nomads!
Finding Active Hobbies to Complement Your Lifestyle
One way of making sure we spend enough time away from our screens and keep our bodies and minds active is through exercise and active hobbies. Many people find that just going to the gym or keeping up a workout or running regime is enough and whilst this type of exercise is good and easy to fit into a routine, I like to have some more stimulating activities to look forward to during the week.
Some of my favourites are Muay Thai, Paddle, wakeboarding, nature hikes, pickleball, football, and freediving (though I’m not very good at that yet…). My favourite though, by quite a margin has to be kitesurfing or kiteboarding which I started on my home island of Koh Phangan about 6 years ago.
Why Is Kite Surfing the Best Digital Nomad Sport?
Whilst it’s obviously a lot about personal preference, and level of mobility/ability, I want to talk about why, if you’re at all like me – a travel lover and a lover of fast paced sports and adrenaline – Kite surfing is the perfect sport to complement this lifestyle.
It’s not just about the thrill; it’s about integrating your love for adventure with your nomadic life. About taking advantage of a relatively new and absolutely exhilarating sport which allows you to get out of your comfort zone at times, and find complete peace and unity with nature at others.
On top of that it allows you to take advantage of and experience natural beauty that we as travellers are fortunate enough to be surrounded by in a way that others can not.
Here are 7 reasons why I think Kiting is the best sport for nomads and location independent entrepreneurs…
Perfect Blend of Work and Play
Kite surfing offers an ideal way to balance work with outdoor activity. Unlike routine gym sessions, it provides an exhilarating break from your work desk, allowing you to harness the winds and waves for that much-needed adrenaline rush.
Locations like Bali and Thailand, where Digital Nomad Adventures often journeys, are known for their excellent kite surfing spots along with co-working spaces just a stone’s throw from the beach. You can finish a project in the morning and hit the waves by noon.
One of the great things about having a kite school right in front of your office like we do at Tiki Beach, is that when it’s windy you can see other kiters out there and this often forces you to take a break from work to take advantage of sometimes rare and unexpected opportunities for a ride.
On the down side, when you have meetings or deadlines and you can see other people kiting it can be a bit of a biatch…
Community and Networking
The kite surfing community is vibrant and welcoming. Participating in this sport provides you with an opportunity to meet fellow nomads and locals, expanding your professional network and social circle simultaneously.
In places like Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand, community events often revolve around kite surfing and other adventure sports, which are perfect for making new connections.
People are generally very supportive and welcoming so it’s easy to make friends quickly, and if you’re learning such a cool sport alongside someone else and especially if you’re going on awesome kiting trips with like minded souls, it often leads to close and long lasting friendships.
Health Benefits
Kite surfing is not only fun but it’s also a great full-body workout. It improves your strength, flexibility, and balance. After a kite surfing session, you’ll find yourself more energised and ready to tackle your remote work with renewed vigour.
After a 2-3 hour session you can really feel it in your upper and lower body and when you start jumping you’ll feel like you have done 1000 sit ups after a decent session.
Mental Health Perks
Being out in nature and engaging in physical activity are known to reduce stress and improve mental health. The focus required in kite surfing also helps in cultivating mindfulness, which can enhance your productivity when you get back to work.
When you are good enough at it to not have to think too much it can become a really peaceful and meditative experience. Imagine being out on the waves or even flat water at sunset, being one with the wind and carving through the water with fish jumping around you. Life really doesn’t get much better.
Travel and Exploration
Us digital nomads have the unique advantage of being able to work from anywhere, and kite surfing encourages this exploration spirit. You can choose your next destination based on the best kite surfing spots, exploring different cultures and environments as you go.
Each location offers new waterscapes, wind conditions, and community vibes to experience. Often following the wind will lead us to spots we would never otherwise discover and many good kite spots are a bit off the beaten track so you get the chance to experience authentic local life and culture that touristy places often lack.
Affordable Learning and Gear
Many nomad-friendly destinations offer affordable kite surfing lessons and gear rentals. Places like Thailand, Sri lanka and Vietnam are all much cheaper to learn and rent gear in than places in Europe or Australia.
Once you have got the basics down we would advise getting a decent second hand set of equipment which doesn’t have to break the bank. Obviously the more you spend the longer it will probably last and the better it will be to ride.
Generally speaking you can pick up a set (Kite, harness and board) for about $1000 – $1500, and the good thing is, once you have the gear, it’s free to ride anywhere there’s wind. Unless you crash and break it or lose your board or something… Then you have to pay to fix or replace. Obviously.
Inspiration & Creativity
The very essence of being a digital nomad is to draw inspiration from your surroundings. Kite surfing in stunning locations not only boosts your adrenaline but also inspires creativity and innovation in your work.
As does travelling to new destinations, speaking to a diverse range of people and exploring new cultures. Apparently Steve Jobs said “creativity is just connecting different ideas” or something like that. If that’s true, which I reckon it is, the it makes sense that people who see more different stuff and talk about different things with people with different views would get more ideas and therefore be more creative.
Therefore if you are travelling around and doing more of the above because you are in love with kiting then it follows that the sport is good for your creativity and will probably help with inspiration for business and other things.
As our major goal at DNA is to connect people through cool travel experiences and help each other achieve our goals. And because we love kiting, we have decided to arrange some kite surfing / co-working retreats which we would love for you to join. Its the perfect mix of networking, learning new skills, and getting work done (if you need to).
You’ll meet like minded nomads and learn one of the best sports known to man. What more could someone need in life?
In Conclusion
Kite surfing in my opinion is the ideal sport for adventurous digital nomads looking to blend productivity with passion. It offers physical and mental health benefits, networking opportunities, and the sheer joy of mastering the wind and the waves. As you plan your next destination, consider the winds calling you to adventure – because with kite surfing, the world’s your oyster, and the ocean’s your playground.
If you already kite, then join our next extreme retreat and kite with us! If you don’t yet kite, then join our next extreme retreat and learn to kite with us.
If this article didn’t convince you that you need to learn to kite surf, then you should still join our community of awesome entrepreneurs and nomadic souls…
