I gave up my $2,100 apartment in Los Angeles and have been living as a digital nomad for 4 months. There are 4 major lessons I've learned along the way.

• Daniel Ferrer traded in the life of a desk worker for life on the road as a digital nomad.
• He traveled across 11 countries in four months, but the experience came with its own downsides.
• Nevertheless, Daniel thinks the experience would make anyone rethink their place in the corporate ladder.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daniel Ferrer, a 37-year-old Los Angeles native turned digital nomad. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I didn't start out intending to be a digital nomad. What began as a two-week holiday in Bangkok turned into the realization that with good time management, I could do my job from anywhere.