5 ms·

Digital Nomads: The Big Picture – A Comprehensive Look into the Lifestyle

4 points by fluidsonic 7y ago

Ayesh 7y ago
I had a good chuckle at this posts tone -- it sorta make you think if digital nomads as some species. I have never set foot in an office to work in my life (I'm 27), and I make 100% of my income from location-independent work. I can agree with the point about loneliness - it truly can feel lonely sometimes in unexpected ways. I'm currently in Amsterdam where I feel quite OK, but Balkan countries are one of those places that you have to try hard to socialize. There is also a point about costs. I tend to be on the budget traveler end, but I splurge once Inna while on a good place. However in the long end, it can save you a lot of money because I'm not paying rent, taxes (I only pay ~5% because I don't live in my own country for the majority of the tax year), car payments, internet, etc.
- fluidsonic 7y ago
  Thanks for the heads up! I guess my life as a software developer made me a bit too scientific here. Have you found a way that helps you with loneliness?
  - Ayesh 7y ago
    Hiking and cycling communities tend to be quite friendly. I cycled Europe quite a lot, and have met many similar minded people. Long distance hikes are a good way to meet cool people too. Europe is full of them, and the longer hikes mean you get to meet and make friends with people for a few days. For bigger cities, free walking tours are both fun and a socializing place.
- gregjor 7y ago
  Some might call me an introvert, but I never feel lonely. I make a point of talking to at least one stranger every day. I force myself if I have to. It may just be a casual "Where are you from?" at a bar or coffee shop, or asking someone directions (even if I don't need directions). That habit has forced me to stay out of the shell so many travelers crawl into, and I've met some great people during my travels.
gregjor 7y ago
First off, thanks for the comprehensive articles. You did a much better job than most of the digital nomad pieces I've read. Also thanks for the cautions on taxes, and advice to get professional advice. Americans especially can get surprised when they find out the IRS follows them everywhere. But I do have to question the 4.1 million American DNs, and the 16 million aspiring American DNs. Those numbers don't come close to matching my own experience as a digital nomad, or itinerant freelancer as I call myself. The numbers for US digital nomads don’t make sense. Either the definition includes so many people as to make the term meaningless, or the survey methodology has severe flaws. 4.1 million digital nomads from the USA. Consider that the entire US military, all branches, including reserves, comprises just over 2 million Americans. Most Americans know someone in the active military or reserves, but few Americans even know what “digital nomad” means. Do you think the 4.1 million number seems credible? That would mean about 5% of all Americans who traveled in 2018, or 10% of non-business travelers, call themselves digital nomads. If you look at the nature and duration of American travel (a week or two in Europe, or a spring break trip to Mexico) it doesn’t add up that a huge percentage of those travelers qualify as digital nomads. The US State Dept. estimates that 9 million Americans live abroad, not including military posted overseas. The vast majority of those are retirees, followed by employees in overseas offices. Do they count as digital nomads? If grandma and grandpa retire to Ecuador, post photos to Instagram, and make a few dollars from a rental house back in the US, does that make them digital nomads? What about a 20-year-old taking a gap year frugally doling out savings from a summer job in Chiang Mai while trying to write a game for the app store. Digital nomad? I have traveled and lived abroad for almost ten years, working as a freelancer, staying in many countries. I rarely meet digital nomads even though I sometimes stay in cities (Chiang Mai, Ubud, Ho Chi Minh City, Amsterdam, Prague, Austin) supposedly teeming with them. I don’t meet many of them in co-working places or coffee shops either. And I’m not a shy introvert — I go out of my way to meet other travelers, and go out of my way to talk to other Americans when I hear them speak. Anecdotally they make up a tiny percentage of travelers I meet, far outnumbered by regular tourists. 4.1 million American nomads, and presumably an even larger number of digital nomads from other countries, should have more of a visible presence. I know more German, Russian, Finnish, even Estonian digital nomads than I know Americans doing it. I don’t mean to gatekeep, but the 4.1 million number just seem ridiculously high.

4 points by fluidsonic 7y ago

I had a good chuckle at this posts tone -- it sorta make you think if digital nomads as some species. I have never set foot in an office to work in my life (I'm 27), and I make 100% of my income from location-independent work. I can agree with the point about loneliness - it truly can feel lonely sometimes in unexpected ways. I'm currently in Amsterdam where I feel quite OK, but Balkan countries are one of those places that you have to try hard to socialize. There is also a point about costs. I tend to be on the budget traveler end, but I splurge once Inna while on a good place. However in the long end, it can save you a lot of money because I'm not paying rent, taxes (I only pay ~5% because I don't live in my own country for the majority of the tax year), car payments, internet, etc.

fluidsonic 7y ago
Thanks for the heads up! I guess my life as a software developer made me a bit too scientific here. Have you found a way that helps you with loneliness?
- Ayesh 7y ago
  Hiking and cycling communities tend to be quite friendly. I cycled Europe quite a lot, and have met many similar minded people. Long distance hikes are a good way to meet cool people too. Europe is full of them, and the longer hikes mean you get to meet and make friends with people for a few days. For bigger cities, free walking tours are both fun and a socializing place.
gregjor 7y ago
Some might call me an introvert, but I never feel lonely. I make a point of talking to at least one stranger every day. I force myself if I have to. It may just be a casual "Where are you from?" at a bar or coffee shop, or asking someone directions (even if I don't need directions). That habit has forced me to stay out of the shell so many travelers crawl into, and I've met some great people during my travels.

gregjor 7y ago

First off, thanks for the comprehensive articles. You did a much better job than most of the digital nomad pieces I've read. Also thanks for the cautions on taxes, and advice to get professional advice. Americans especially can get surprised when they find out the IRS follows them everywhere. But I do have to question the 4.1 million American DNs, and the 16 million aspiring American DNs. Those numbers don't come close to matching my own experience as a digital nomad, or itinerant freelancer as I call myself. The numbers for US digital nomads don’t make sense. Either the definition includes so many people as to make the term meaningless, or the survey methodology has severe flaws. 4.1 million digital nomads from the USA. Consider that the entire US military, all branches, including reserves, comprises just over 2 million Americans. Most Americans know someone in the active military or reserves, but few Americans even know what “digital nomad” means. Do you think the 4.1 million number seems credible? That would mean about 5% of all Americans who traveled in 2018, or 10% of non-business travelers, call themselves digital nomads. If you look at the nature and duration of American travel (a week or two in Europe, or a spring break trip to Mexico) it doesn’t add up that a huge percentage of those travelers qualify as digital nomads. The US State Dept. estimates that 9 million Americans live abroad, not including military posted overseas. The vast majority of those are retirees, followed by employees in overseas offices. Do they count as digital nomads? If grandma and grandpa retire to Ecuador, post photos to Instagram, and make a few dollars from a rental house back in the US, does that make them digital nomads? What about a 20-year-old taking a gap year frugally doling out savings from a summer job in Chiang Mai while trying to write a game for the app store. Digital nomad? I have traveled and lived abroad for almost ten years, working as a freelancer, staying in many countries. I rarely meet digital nomads even though I sometimes stay in cities (Chiang Mai, Ubud, Ho Chi Minh City, Amsterdam, Prague, Austin) supposedly teeming with them. I don’t meet many of them in co-working places or coffee shops either. And I’m not a shy introvert — I go out of my way to meet other travelers, and go out of my way to talk to other Americans when I hear them speak. Anecdotally they make up a tiny percentage of travelers I meet, far outnumbered by regular tourists. 4.1 million American nomads, and presumably an even larger number of digital nomads from other countries, should have more of a visible presence. I know more German, Russian, Finnish, even Estonian digital nomads than I know Americans doing it. I don’t mean to gatekeep, but the 4.1 million number just seem ridiculously high.