What is a Digital Nomad?

What is a Digital Nomad?

Nomadic Lifestyle

For those suffering from a serious case of wanderlust, the digital nomad lifestyle can sound like the dream. Seeing far-flung areas of the world and being immersed for extended periods in a new and exciting culture is the ultimate goal of today’s travel nomad.

Backpackers have employed this nomadic lifestyle for years. Traveling from town to town, country to country, even continent to continent with only what they can carry on their backs. In turn, their lives have been enriched by these great adventures.

Traveling light and traveling cheap allows backpackers to stay on the road for extended periods of time. But, even so, the travel budget eventually runs out and backpackers are forced to take a local gig, or return back home for a period of time to build up their savings before going on their next adventure.

This work, then play, alternating lifestyle creates its own problems. When the backpacker is traveling, they are doing everything they can to stretch their budget to stay on the road. When they are working, they are doing everything they can to save for their next trip. It becomes a life of attrition with splurges for enjoyment appearing rarely and at great cost. Not to mention, this sort of lifestyle generally creates significant career disruption, resulting in underemployment and discontent in the workplace. And how many backpackers do you know with great retirement plans?

Signs to Everywhere, Digital Nomad Blog

The Working Nomad

For those looking to work and travel, allowing the great benefits of a nomadic lifestyle without the drawbacks of the traditional backpacker- introducing the Digital Nomad.

Investopedia defines Digital Nomads as “people who are location-independent and use technology to perform their job. Digital nomads work remotely, telecommuting rather than being physically present at a company's headquarters or office.”

Becoming a Digital Nomad, Cave ExploringThis combination of work while you play makes the digital nomad lifestyle the perfect balance for those with the strong desire to pursue their own inner wanderlust, but also want to continue to pursue their long-term career and financial goals.

Out with grey buildings, long commutes and 30 minutes of daylight at lunchtime. In with greener pastures, picture-postcard beaches and an ever-changing backdrop. Remote workers have the privilege to make any setting their office: from cafes in Paris, to hotel receptions in London, the beaches of Thailand, co-working spaces in New York, or the glacial plains of Iceland.

Working while traveling buys you enough time to truly immerse yourself in a culture, to hang with the locals and to see and do more than the typical tourist. It also means that rather than having a set travel budget that can be exhausted over time, digital nomads can set daily or weekly budgets that get replenished with their paychecks. A splurge for a show or rooftop dinner and drinks no longer means the trip has to be cut a week short. 

Remote working also affords the ability to pursue career or financial goals WHILE traveling. This allows digital nomads the ability to further their careers, secure their financial futures and even start their own businesses.

Digital nomads have an unrivaled ability to live an enriching career lifestyle, while having the freedom to see the world.

The Changing Face of Working

Thinking this lifestyle is just for a lucky few? Think again. The working landscape has been revolutionized in recent years, making remote working more of a reality every day. Today’s technology and connectivity means that many jobs can be performed from anywhere as long as you have a laptop and internet connection.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic this has become even more true, with businesses around the world forced to adopt work from home policies and procedures to keep employees safe.

Even before remote working took off in 2020 it has been a growing trend. Over 50 percent of business people reported working an average of 2.5 days a week from home in 2019. More recent statistics indicate nearly 70% of workers whose jobs can be done from home are now working remotely all or most of the time.

Coworking spaces are popping up around the world to accommodate remote workers without regular offices. And for those combining their love of travel with working, hotels, restaurants and bars are all starting to optimize their spaces for working nomads to use by the day. Those craving a more corporate setup can benefit from hot desks and shared office space in places like WeWork – there’s more than 800 locations in countries around the globe.

The remote work trend was already on the rise but Covid has proven to workers and employers around the world how manageable it is to work and run businesses entirely virtually. With vaccination efforts on the rise many are figuring out how to continue working remotely after Covid to transition into the digital nomad lifestyle.

Digital Nomad Travel

Tools of the Trade

Technology has made the world feel like a smaller place, and continues to make remote working easier and more reliable. With resources such as Slack, a collaboration hub that unites remote workers, and Zoom, which allows for video conferencing, digital nomads can effortlessly stay in touch with employers and clients.

There are also a growing number of community forums like the Reddit digital nomad space with tips, tricks and motivating stories as well as online groups to meet other nomads near you. These have become very popular to help overcome the isolation that can sometimes occur when working on your own in a different city or country.

Accompanying the growth of remote working are gadgets and products to enable this lifestyle. This includes items that are compact and light, to optimize working anywhere and everywhere. Gear such as power banks and portable laptop stands make it easy to extend coffee shop work sessions. Laptop backpacks with dedicated padded laptop sleeves are replacing traditional travel daypacks and electronics organizers make it easy to keep track of these extra items you wouldn't normally travel with.

But tools can’t handle the full workload. Being a digital nomad requires the discipline to knuckle down, manage your own hours, and get your work done - a difficult feat when something new lies outside of your window each day.

Digital Nomad Gear

Are You the Next Nomad?

Digital Nomad Careers, Exploring NYCIf you’re inspired to join the digital nomad community, it’s entirely possible!  

Here are a few important points to consider if you’re thinking of becoming a digital nomad:

  • Can you do your current job remotely or will your employer allow you to continue working remotely after Covid?
  • If you chose to go the self-employed route, what service can you offer and is there a market for it?
  • Can you earn enough money doing the job you want to do?
  • Where will you work from? Do you know what makes a great digital nomad destination? Will it be one of the best places for digital nomads? Will it give you enough comfort and space?
  • How will working remotely impact your well being?
  • What accessories and electronics do you need to travel light and still get the job done?
  • Can you manage working in different time zones?
  • Can remote working help you achieve your priorities and objectives in terms of career and personal fulfillment?

Becoming a Digital Nomad

It’s clear that remote working is one of the biggest changes in working culture in the past decade. In a recent study by Deloitte, nearly 75 percent of millennials admitted that seeing the world is their highest aspiration. Combined with the explosion of new remote workers due to the Covid pandemic, there’s no slowing down the rise of digital nomads.

For those who wish to combine flexible working with this aspiration to see the world, the nomadic lifestyle is as good as it gets. Liberated by the endless possibility of technology, it is the modern way to embrace working while traveling.

If you’re interested in living the digital nomad lifestyle, check out our full collection of digital nomad resources including How to Become a Digital Nomad and the Best Places for Digital Nomads.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.