Mary Blackiston on living in Barcelona & life as a digital nomad

Mary Blackiston is a nomad copywriter from the U.S. She has spent the best part of a decade traveling the world and is currently living in Barcelona.

Read on to hear more about Mary’s journey as a digital nomad and why she has chosen Barcelona as her home away from home.

And if you’d Mary to show you how to become a nomad copywriter yourself, check out her brand new program here – exclusively for digital nomads!

Hey Mary! First thing’s first… tell us about yourself!

Hmm where do I start! Well, I’m a freelance copywriter and digital nomad. I love traveling (duh), plant-based food, yoga, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor sports. 

How long have you been a digital nomad?

I became a digital nomad 5.5 years ago. Although I’d call myself more of a part-time nomad now though, since I’ve been based in Barcelona, Spain for the past 3 years. 

I still like to get out of the city from time to time and would love to spend a year or two living in Asia as soon as I get my permanent residency here (fingers crossed!). 

What inspired you to become a digital nomad copywriter?

Well, I’ve always had itchy feet. I moved to France after college, then to Brazil… then moved to California (thinking I would stay there permanently). 

But a few years later… I got the travel bug again. I read Tim Ferriss The Four-Hour Workweek, I knew I had to find a way to break free from the traditional 9-to-5 and become location independent. 

Shortly after, I landed my first remote job as a content marketer for a digital agency. I spent 4 years in that role working and traveling around the world, before going freelance and transitioning full-time into copywriting. 

You’ve been living in Barcelona for a few years now.  Why have you chosen Spain as your home away from home?

I love Barcelona because it’s got everything: beach… mountains… good weather (most of the time anyway lol)… music festivals… good transportation and education system…

And I love that it attracts people from all over the world – I think that makes it infinitely more interesting. To me, Barcelona combines the laid-back vibe and semi-chaos that I love about Latin America with the organization and efficiency of Europe. 

What’s your favorite thing about the local culture?

Sant Joan festival! It’s a holiday that celebrates the start of summer, so everyone heads to the beach and there are fireworks, music, bonfires… it’s a ton of fun and one of my favorite nights of the year here. 

Do you consider yourself to be part of a community?

I guess so! The international community anyway. It’s pretty hard to break into the Catalan community, especially as a foreigner.

Have you heard of co-living?

Yes… but tell me more!

It’s kind of like co-working spaces. Only you don’t just go there to work and meet people. You live and work among other digital nomads. So you always have the facilities that you need to work remotely. And you get to experience local culture with other entrepreneurs and digital nomads! What do you think?

Love the concept! I actually was thinking of joining a coliving space in the Canary Islands. I get lonely while traveling alone, so I love that I’d be able to connect with other like-minded nomads from around the world. 

Did you know you can rent co-living spaces in Barcelona via Wooda?

Nope! Brb while I go take a look. 😉

If you could offer one piece of advice to your pre-nomad self… what would it be?

Don’t plan too far in advance! I tend to be a pretty last-minute planner anyway, but I’ve still wasted a lot of money on flights that I didn’t take because I changed plans at the last minute. 

As a nomad, it’s nice to leave plans open. My advice? If you pick a destination, buy a one-way ticket and see what happens! Life is more fun anyway when it’s spontaneous 🙂 

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