Imagine this:
You’re sitting in a cafe, the barista delivers your coffee and you pull out your laptop to get some work done.
But in comes the morning rush of 9-5ers that are in a hurry or the family with kids trying to get a moment of peace or maybe the baristas are yelling to get their orders through…
All of a sudden 30 minutes have passed because you stared at everyone and got distracted. It happens to the best of us!
What can you do to help you stay focused in a noisy, chaotic environment?
Buy digital nomad headphones!
If you’re a remote worker, digital nomad or online entrepreneur – you are working from literally anywhere! Whether you’re at a cafe, coworking space or on the plane, it’s important to be able to put your head done and get stuff done.
We’ve been full-time travelers who work online since 2018. To this day, one of the best investments we have ever made is buying digital nomad headphones.
Here’s a list of the 9 best digital nomad headphones to help you stay focused as you work and adventure around the world!
Why Do I Need Specific Digital Nomad Headphones?
If you know anything about the digital nomad lifestyle, you’ll know that we live a little differently. Okay… a LOT differently than most people.
As we work online, we can also take our work with us everywhere we go! Matthew and I have worked on trains in Europe, on buses through Thailand and at cafes in Bali. We’ve had to learn to work no matter what the environment is like!
You can use these digital nomad headphones to work in noisy environments like:
- cafes
- flights
- buses
- ferries
- trains
- coworking spaces
- parks
- beaches (although we all know no one REALLY works from the beach)
We have worked from all of these places and learned that you need to have specific digital nomad headphones to weather any kind of environment you might find yourself in. And if you think ‘I’ll just work from co-working spaces‘, we have found they are (oddly) some of the noisiest places. Most of the recommendations on this list are wireless headphones and noise-canceling headphones. We’re in 2023 and I think it’s right that you have both of these things as the bare minimum features if you work remotely in any way!
If you’re like me and you enjoy the cafe environment of people hustling and bustling but need the peace and quiet to work – you need to invest in digital nomad headphones.
They have been game-changers for us and we can’t go back to not having digital nomad headphones again!
What Features Make These Digital Nomad Headphones Worth It?
Digital nomad headphones go much further than just a pretty color. In fact, there are a ton of different features you need to consider.
We recommend trying to imagine where and how you’d like to use these digital nomad headphones. Ask yourself these questions:
- Will I work from cafes often?
- Will I spend the majority of my time working from home?
- How likely am I to work from transport options?
- How much does noise REALLY bother me?
- Do I have a lot of meetings/conference calls?
As you answer these questions, it can become clear what kind of features you’ll need in a pair of digital nomad headphones. For digital nomads who work from anywhere, you need to make sure you pick the right pair because again, it’s a big investment.
But how do you choose the best digital nomad headphones? The easiest way to see if it’s right for you is to define what features are most important for you. Here are some features we look at before buying digital nomad headphones:
- Long Battery Life: You want it to last at least a couple of hours before having to charge it.
- Good Sound Quality: I’m no headphones snob but it’s always nice to have really crisp sounding music or calls.
- Decent Noise Cancelation: Since I bought my first noise-canceling headphones – I’m never going back!
- Portable/ Lightweight: It doesn’t have to be the lightest thing but it needs to be easy to transport.
All of these features combined make the best digital nomad headphones. We’ve added expensive and affordable options on this list but every single one has all of these features mentioned above!
With decent digital nomad headphones, you can live that laptop lifestyle without worrying about getting distracted by all the noise!
Let’s get started!
The 9x Best Digital Nomad Headphones To Help You Work & Travel Full-Time
Looking for a pair of headphones that can withstand the various environments of the digital nomad lifestyle?
You’ve come to the right place!
Matthew and I have been digital nomads since 2018 and one of the best investments we have made is into digital nomad headphones.
Good quality headphones are a must on our digital nomad packing list. We can’t imagine living this lifestyle without them now and we want to help you make the right choice on your own digital nomad headphones. That’s why I’ve also categorized this into 2 sections: over-ear and in-ear depending on what you prefer.
Here are the 9 best over-ear and in-ear headphones for digital nomads.
Over-Ear Headphones For Digital Nomads
Want to block everyone and every noise out?
You’ll want the over-ear digital nomad headphones. It all depends on what feels the most comfortable for you. Matthew loves over-ear headphones because it’s just a more solid all-around headphones that have better noise cancellation and battery life. The only thing is that they are a bit chunky for my liking.
Here are the 5 best over-ear headphones for digital nomads who work online and travel.
1. Sony WH-1000XM5
If you’re wanting the all-around best over-ear headphones, there’s no better choice than the Sony WH-1000XM5.
The design is very sleek and stylish with over 4 colors available: silver, midnight blue, black and white. More than that, these headphones pack a punch in terms of features such as autoplay/pause, conversational awareness and noise-canceling capabilities.
- Price: $398
- Battery Life: 30 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 25.6 ounces
One of the coolest features of these digital nomad headphones is the multi-pairing function. You can connect multiple devices and easily switch through your devices. The noise cancelation on the Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of (if not) the best in the market.
If you want a pair of digital nomad headphones that will help you focus, concentrate and block out the noise around you – the Sony WH-1000XM5 is the best over-ear choice for you.
2. Apple Airpods Max
Are you an Apple fan? When these Airpods Max came out, they were quite expensive and it didn’t seem like people wanted to spend the money on them. However, I’ve seen these pop up more and more in popularity.
The simple, sleek and elegant design is what attracts so many people to these over-ear headphones. They are available in 5 colors: space grey, silver, pink, green and sky blue. All of which look absolutely stunning and ✨aesthetic✨ as they say.
- Price: $549
- Battery Life: 20 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 13.6 ounces
I personally love Apple products! If I were to choose over-ear headphones these would be my first choice because of the beautiful design and colors – but that’s me! Matthew wouldn’t choose these because he cares more about the features and specs.
Spoiler: The Apple Airpods Max are expensive! If you can look past the hefty price tag – you’ll enjoy high sound quality, excellent noise cancellation and up to 20 hours of listening time.
If you love design, color and aesthetics – you should consider the Apple Airpods Max because you’ll get all of that but also amazing features and specs.
3. Bose QuietComfort 45
Do over-hear headphones hurt your ears after a while? I totally get that!
The Bose QuietComfort 45 are some of the most comfortable pair of over-ear headphones you can buy on the market. The padding is very soft and makes it easy to wear for long hours throughout your day.
- Price: $329
- Battery Life: 24 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 8.40 ounces
Love using voice assistant? This pair of headphones has great voice command feedback that won’t frustrate you! More than that, you get excellent noise cancellation which is great if you normally find yourselves in noisy environments whether that’s at cafes or if you take public transport.
4. Anker SoundCore Life Q35
All of the digital nomad headphones listed so far have cost over $300 USD at least. We believe everyone should have an option and that’s why we’ve included the Anker SoundCore Life Q35.
This is more of a mid-range price for headphones and it’s a great option if you don’t want to spend too much but also don’t want the cheapest headphones. They are made by Anker who has been famous for making great tech accessories.
Their headphones are amazing value for money because you still get features like wireless, noise-cancellation and high sound quality. Now you can’t expect it to be as good as the top digital nomad headphones but it’s still a great option!
- Price: $129.99
- Battery Life: 40 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Weight: 9.6 ounces
If you want over-ear headphones that are comfortable, light-weight and have a long battery life – it’s hard to say no to the oh-so affordable Anker SoundCore Life Q35. These affordable over-ear headphones pack a punch in terms of value for money, quality and comfortability.
5. Marshall Mid ANC Active
Want digital nomad headphones that just look so cool?!
For real though, the Marshall Mid ANC Active is a great pair of digital nomad headphones that look amazing but also sound amazing!
- Price: $299.97
- Battery Life: 20 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 7.33 ounces
The Marshall Mid ANC Active is a stunning pair of headphones with a distinct design and high-quality features. While the price is a little higher than what you get compared to the Sony or Apple headphones, we think it’s still a great pair of headphones to consider buying.
In-Ear Headphones For Digital Nomads
Don’t like bulky over-ear headphones? Me too!
In-ear headphones are super portable, light-weight and compact. Nowadays, you don’t have to sacrifice sound quality and noise-canceling capabilities have changed the game for in-ear headphones.
I love the small and simple in-ear headphones that don’t irritate me when I wear them. Again – it all comes down to preferences and this is mine! Matthew prefers over-ear because the quality is so much higher but these days, the in-ear are really starting to compete with over-ear headphones in terms of quality!
When you’re living the digital nomad life, your headphones need to suit you. It’s important you choose one that’s functional, portable and something you like just cause!
Here are the 4 best in-ear headphones for digital nomads.
6. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Looking for in-ear headphones that fit comfortably and have rich sound quality?
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds might just be what you’re looking for! They have a sleek design that was created to fit securely so it rarely pops out of your ears. But these digital nomad headphones don’t just look and feel good, they sound great!
- Price: $279
- Battery Life: 6 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 0.317 ounces
The only thing that might annoy you with these in-ear headphones is that the charging case can be pretty bulky which isn’t great as digital nomads. We want to have everything as compact as possible but that being said – it isn’t THAT chunky.
7. Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds have a minimal-looking design, voice assistant capabilities and are leaders in their industry for crisp noise-canceling headphones.
These digital nomad headphones also have great call quality which makes Zoom meetings a breeze no matter where you are!
- Price: $278
- Battery Life: 8 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Weight: 1.45 ounces
It’s definitely in the higher price range for in-ear headphones but it’s that price for a reason. This is one of (if not) the best in-ear noise-canceling headphones that you can buy in the market today. If you’re okay with the earbuds being a tad bulky, these are a great pair of headphones for digital nomads.
8. Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Generation)
These are my in-ear headphones of choice! I’m an Apple user and I just like having everything the same which makes it easier for the devices to talk to each other.
I used to just have the normal Airpods without the noice-canceling feature and I will NEVER go back! For our flights, I always use my Airpods Pros to block out the sound of crying babies or just the engine noise to peacefully watch a movie. My brother has even used his as earplugs when he can’t sleep through the night!
It’s safe to say I can no longer live without these!
- Price: $249
- Battery Life: 4.5 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 0.38 ounces
The Apple Airpods Pro is a sleek, minimal and portable design with rich sound quality and noise-canceling capabilities. It’s easy to switch between transparency mode (which allows you to hear what’s going on around you) and noise-cancellation mode (which blocks everyone and everything out).
They often go on sale on Amazon and I got mine for about $199 USD on Black Friday. I was hesitant to switch to these jelly buds but I must say it hasn’t bothered me at all. If you love Apple, these Airpods Pro are the best choice digital nomad life!
9. Soundcore by Anker Life P3 Noise Cancelling Earbuds
Want an affordable option for wireless in-ear headphones that also have noise cancellation?
Your best option is the Soundcore by Anker Life P3. They only cost $79.99 USD which is a great deal because noise cancellation capabilities can really hike the price up.
For such a low price, you still get noise cancellation, 4 different color choices, enhanced call performance and 35 hours of battery life. That’s insane value for money!
- Price: $45.99
- Battery Life: 7 hours
- Sound Quality: High-quality
- Noise Cancelation: Yes
- Weight: 2.24 ounces
Our friends had these headphones and we tested them out in comparison to the Airpods Pros noise cancellation. There really was no match – the Airpods Pro blocked out way more sound while we could still hear a bit of the background noise on the Soundcore by Anker Life P3.
While it’s not the best pair of in-ear headphones – it’s an AMAZING option if you want to save a lot of money on digital nomad headphones.
Are Digital Nomad Headphones Worth it?
Yes!
If you’re someone that works online (and in cafes or coworking spaces or anywhere) and travels the world – digital nomad headphones are definitely worth the investment!
The most important features you need to have are noise cancellation and just make sure it’s something you like! After all, you don’t want to spend your money on something that’s a leader in the industry but you can’t stand the look or feel of it.
Our top choices are the Sony WH-1000XM5 for over-ear headphones and Apple Airpods Pro for in-ear headphones.
Which are your favorite digital nomad headphones? Comment below and let us know what you use for the digital nomad life!
