4 ms·

I totally get that different people want very different things, and I do understand that commuting and meetings are part of the rut of compromise that most peop

I totally get that different people want very different things, and I do understand that commuting and meetings are part of the rut of compromise that most people feel they have to tolerate, but some people feel a burning desire to escape. I'm probably biased against this sort of lifestyle right now because I have a young family which would make being a "digital nomad" impossible; and perhaps there's a twinge of jealousy in there because I do enjoy travelling and periodically get a little sick of rainy England. (On the bright side, I don't have much of a commute right now...) I'm not sure having a huge house with a pool and a maid could really be considered a nomadic lifestyle. :-)

coldtea 12y ago
>* I'm probably biased against this sort of lifestyle right now because I have a young family which would make being a "digital nomad" impossible;* Yeah. You can always try it later, when the kids grow up and leave (I think the guy in TFA mentions he has already worked for "30 years" in normal offices, which would imply that too). Or can go for a month or so, during they school vacations. You work, and the kids have their holidays in the same remote place. Kids can grow to enjoy travel and its culture -- though I wouldn't take them away from their regular school and friends. >I'm not sure having a huge house with a pool and a maid could really be considered a nomadic lifestyle. :-) Well, if you have that house each time in a different city / country, I think it still qualifies!
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  We use holidays to reverse migrate from Asia to Europe, just rent a place for a couple of weeks and do work. Beijing has a lot of environmental problems, so it is important to get out often.
  - zodiac 12y ago
    What does "reverse migrate" mean?
    - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
      I live in Asia and am instead a part time nomad in the west.
enjo 12y ago
> because I have a young family which would make being a "digital nomad" impossible; My wife and I own a camper. We're not nomads, we take it out on weekends mostly. That said we do spend a fair amount of time in RV parks these days. I'm amazed by the number of young families living full time in RV's. The story is almost always the same: Both parents work in technology and they wanted to see the country while their kids were still young. In the U.S. almost every RV park has good wifi these days (seriously hotels, why can't you figure this out too?). They work a relatively normal work schedule and travel around at night and during the weekends. From my observation it's difficult, but by no means impossible. Here's a great blog from a family of 3 that's doing it: http://www.newschoolnomads.com/ http://www.newschoolnomads.com/
- bshimmin 12y ago
  Given the size of the UK, we don't really have a culture of this sort of thing here. (We do have caravans, but typically a family might spend a week in one, not a year.) It all sounds quite extraordinary to me; I wonder, is this good for the children? For their education?
  - HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
    Not having a camper, nor any interest in getting one, I don't have a dog in this fight. However, I do believe that "living differently" is good for people in general, children in particular. I live with wife & 2 kids on a small horse farm. One child can barely remember the suburbs (the city not at all), the other has never known them. I think that we are all better people for living "out there." Not that there's anything generally better about where we live, but because we realized that we had a choice and chose to live where & how we would be happier. And growing up seeing that there are many different ways to live instead of assuming everyone lives in a suburban housing development is probably the best thing we could do for their education. And BTW, the rural school district we live in is very good if you care about that kind of thing.

coldtea 12y ago

>* I'm probably biased against this sort of lifestyle right now because I have a young family which would make being a "digital nomad" impossible;* Yeah. You can always try it later, when the kids grow up and leave (I think the guy in TFA mentions he has already worked for "30 years" in normal offices, which would imply that too). Or can go for a month or so, during they school vacations. You work, and the kids have their holidays in the same remote place. Kids can grow to enjoy travel and its culture -- though I wouldn't take them away from their regular school and friends. >I'm not sure having a huge house with a pool and a maid could really be considered a nomadic lifestyle. :-) Well, if you have that house each time in a different city / country, I think it still qualifies!

seanmcdirmid 12y ago
We use holidays to reverse migrate from Asia to Europe, just rent a place for a couple of weeks and do work. Beijing has a lot of environmental problems, so it is important to get out often.
- zodiac 12y ago
  What does "reverse migrate" mean?
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    I live in Asia and am instead a part time nomad in the west.

enjo 12y ago

> because I have a young family which would make being a "digital nomad" impossible; My wife and I own a camper. We're not nomads, we take it out on weekends mostly. That said we do spend a fair amount of time in RV parks these days. I'm amazed by the number of young families living full time in RV's. The story is almost always the same: Both parents work in technology and they wanted to see the country while their kids were still young. In the U.S. almost every RV park has good wifi these days (seriously hotels, why can't you figure this out too?). They work a relatively normal work schedule and travel around at night and during the weekends. From my observation it's difficult, but by no means impossible. Here's a great blog from a family of 3 that's doing it: http://www.newschoolnomads.com/ http://www.newschoolnomads.com/

bshimmin 12y ago
Given the size of the UK, we don't really have a culture of this sort of thing here. (We do have caravans, but typically a family might spend a week in one, not a year.) It all sounds quite extraordinary to me; I wonder, is this good for the children? For their education?
- HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
  Not having a camper, nor any interest in getting one, I don't have a dog in this fight. However, I do believe that "living differently" is good for people in general, children in particular. I live with wife & 2 kids on a small horse farm. One child can barely remember the suburbs (the city not at all), the other has never known them. I think that we are all better people for living "out there." Not that there's anything generally better about where we live, but because we realized that we had a choice and chose to live where & how we would be happier. And growing up seeing that there are many different ways to live instead of assuming everyone lives in a suburban housing development is probably the best thing we could do for their education. And BTW, the rural school district we live in is very good if you care about that kind of thing.