Digital Nomads – the Secrets Behind the Dream Lifestyle
By David L. Espina Rincon, Unsplash
Photographed: Svenja and Isabell (IG: @owao_net) and Julia (IG: @zwienie). Photo by: Elena Dimitrova
I've come across this quote time and time again. Isn't it so true? Is it really good for your wellness and wellbeing to work that way?
If you're someone with a traditional office job, do you sometimes wish you could be more inspired? A bit freer to travel more than 20 odd days a year? Have more time to take care of the small things? Do you wish that you could work 4 hours a day when you're not feeling that focused, or other days 12 just because you want to finalise a creative project? Do you feel guilty when you only seem able to work half your standard hours without getting distracted, but conversely resentful when your boss makes you do overtime?
Challenging the 9-5
Here are several reasons why a lot of people are challenging the traditional 9-5:
Wanting to choose their own working hours
Wanting to work from different locations
The desire for independence and being their own boss
Boredom
Wanting complete freedom
No wonder, then, that we see such a rise in people pursuing freelance and self-employment opportunities when their employers can't meet their demands for flexible working arrangements. Whether it's because you're having children or don't want to spend 3 hours of your day commuting, or your micromanaging boss is pulling you into what feels like a million pointless meetings.
The dream of working flexibly
The rise of the digital nomads
A Millennial Branding report found 45% of Millennials will choose workplace flexibility overpay. Those Millennials move from one job to the next reasonably often when they aren't entirely happy with their working conditions. I'm very familiar with this trend as this is the first time I have had a job in the past 7 years that's lasted longer than 2 years.
Pursuing freedom drives many people to start their own hustle –designers, yoga or pilates teachers, Zumba instructors, life coaches, eBay resellers, and marketing consultants. There are so many examples! There are so many reasons people are driven towards that entrepreneurship lifestyle. Freedom is perhaps one of the biggest motivators.
Now, a category of people has found the perfect way to combine location independence and the entrepreneurial lifestyle – the digital nomads!
By nrd, Unsplash
What is a digital nomad?
According to Investopedia, "digital nomads are 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 headquarters or office."
If there is one benefit of this whole pandemic, it is that it has proven to the world that most office jobs can be done from anywhere with a good WiFi connection. There is an excellent documentary on YouTube which takes a deep dive into the digital nomad lifestyle.
It shows the lives of several digital nomads, what their day-to-day looks like and, what they do for a living, what they like and don't like about this type of living. It's not a lifestyle for everyone (especially those who want stability and predictability), but seeing what all of the interviewed nomads have to say is food for thought.
By Alizée Baudez, Unsplash
Even before the pandemic hit, I'd always been fascinated by the digital nomads. Those tech-savvy people are carrying their laptops around the world, moving from one exotic destination to the next… Aren't they living the dream life? Not only do they go completely against the status quo of traditional office life, but they are constantly surrounded by incredible views, hot weather and lots of nature. They don't get stuck in one part of the world and only explore the rest during their 2-3 weeks of annual leave. On top of all that, they seem so much more enthusiastic and happy than the average office worker.
Most common digital nomad jobs
You must have come across these YouTube vloggers (e.g. Alina Mcleod, pictured above), documenting different travel destinations, filming on a beach, or testing camera gear from all over the world. It used to puzzle me how these people make money. Indeed, they can't be paid to show how cool their lifestyle is.
YouTube
I did a fair amount of research and concluded that although many of these YouTubers get money from their travelling videos, it's only one of their income streams. It's rarely the case that all they make comes from ads or brand partnerships (unless they have millions of subscribers).
In most cases, they operate just like the rest of us. They have to have an occupation that pays them when they deliver a particular service to a client (or an employer if they are okay with these people being based abroad).
Certain jobs make it easier for one to have a nomadic or remote worker lifestyle:
Web or app development
eCommerce entrepreneurship
Online marketing (often specialising in SEO or PPC)
Infopreneurship, blogging & affiliate marketing
Copywriting/content writing
Web, UI and graphic design
Software entrepreneurship
Online poker
Photographer or videographer
Language teacher
Main takeaways
Digital nomads are people who take their work with them and can work digitally from anywhere in the world where there is a good connection.
Many modern jobs can be done remotely.
One of their main drivers is the desire for freedom and the ability to change their location often.
You don't need to be an influencer to become a digital nomad.
Photographed: Svenja. Instagram: @owao_net Photo by: Elena Dimitrova
I hope that this digital nomad lifestyle breakdown has been helpful. I plan on doing part 2 where I'll cover slow travel, the pros and cons of the digital nomads' lifestyle, the importance of self-discipline and much more.
Humans weren't made to:
Sit at desk 9-5
Come home every night to watch Netflix
Explore the world for 2 weeks out of the year
Have ZERO creativity
Have every single aspiration beaten out of them
Overdose brains with trash dopamine
There is so much more to life…
- Unknown
The reasons behind the shift
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