Exploring the Digital Nomadic Lifestyle

Ah, remote work. Some despise it, and some live for it. But for many, the concept of working from home, or anywhere in the world for that matter, wasn’t something that crossed their minds often until recent years. With offices closing down and many turning to the internet for online sources of income, the nomadic lifestyle saw a rise like never before. But to assess whether you would enjoy living as a digital nomad, one must first understand what that lifestyle initials.

What Does Being a Nomad Mean

Looking back at human history, you might be surprised to discover that all humans were nomads at a certain point in time. This meant they belonged to no land, hunting and gathering food and resources in the places they currently stayed in until moving to a different location. But then things changed.

With the invention of new tools and the evolution of humankind, we started to favor settling down, choosing a piece of land and growing a farm that would sustain us. Then instead of having one farm, two more grew next to it, and then three, and then… you get the point!

However, just as humans evolved, so did the meaning of nomad living. Only now, you’d be referred to as a digital nomad. This means that like our ancestors, you travel around from place to place exploring foreign cities and countries but sustain yourself by working online.

Luckily, there is no deeper, more detailed meaning than that, as living a digital nomad lifestyle can look very different from person to person. But the main characteristics all digital nomads experience when adopting this lifestyle is the ability to break free from the ‘normal’ routine of the corporate world living and create the life they want.

Things To Consider Before Deciding to Become a Nomad

• You Would Travel A lot

Ever dreamt of visiting every continent on this planet at least once? Or how about daydreaming of the day when you go through all your old passport stamps, checking off destinations from your bucket list? Well, nomad living might just be the thing to get you closer to those goals. Not tied down to a city or office, you’ll be able to roam freely, exploring different countries, cultures, and foods with every plane ticket or train ride you book.

But you should know that traveling as a nomad will look different for everyone. Some might prefer to spend as little as a few weeks in a city, exploring its streets and getting to know its locals before deciding to pack up and head to their next adventure. Others might enjoy spending a longer period renting out a place for a couple of months. Some even fully move to a country, usually on a digital nomad visa, and spend a year or more taking their time to get to know a place, its culture, and its people.

• Remote Work Will Become the Norm… And You Have to Be Okay with That

One of the main characteristics of the digital nomad lifestyle, if not the most significant one, is that you have to find a job that will sustain your travels all the while allowing you the freedom to move frequently. And when you think about it, only one type of work can offer you precisely that.

Therefore, before taking that big step and handing in your resignation or putting up your furniture for sale, consider how much you’ll enjoy remote working. For some, this might be the aspect they love most about nomad living. However, others might enjoy the typical office job for the routine it offers and the strong relationships built with co-workers and loyal clients formed over the years.

If you have never tried remote work before, then perhaps start small with an online side hustle. You might end up falling in love with the job and its style if you decide to quit your day job. Soon after, you might decide that it’s time to pack up and ship out to the rest of the world!

• Traveling Will Not Solve All Your Problems

You’re sitting in a café, joking with a friend about how you want to leave your city, well, your life behind really, and start fresh somewhere else. A brand-new country, or better yet, a new continent where no one knows your name. However, as much as we hate to admit it, running away from our problems rarely works. Usually, it just makes those problems worse.

While traveling can feel like medicine for your soul at times, make sure that you adopt nomadic living for the right reasons. Be sure to also realize that island hopping or a beautiful waterfall won’t magically fix all of your problems. While becoming a digital nomad has its advantages, it also comes with several disadvantages.

Constantly on the move, you might, on some occasions, experience loneliness, especially when all your loved ones are miles and miles away. The notion of not having a home base also comes with other challenges, such as having to, more often than not, live out of a suitcase or even a tiny carry-on bag. This can be particularly challenging to someone who loves collecting mementos and dislikes being a minimalist.

Conclusion

So, is nomadic living for you? Unfortunately, that is a question only you can answer. However, always remember that there is no right way to become a nomad and that the lifestyle will look different for everyone. Therefore, if becoming a digital nomad interests you, try to find a way to achieve that lifestyle that works for you.

Photo: Olesya Kuznetsova/Shutterstock

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