Digital nomads are people who live in a nomadic way while working remotely using technology and the internet. Such people generally work remotely in temporary housing, hotels, cafes, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles, using Wi-Fi, smartphones, or laptops to access the Internet.
Some digital nomads are constant travelers, while others are only nomadic for a short period of time. Digital nomads are often younger remote workers, backpackers, retired or semi-retired persons, snowbirds, and/or entrepreneurs
Why do people become digital nomads
People typically become digital nomads due to a desire to travel and location independence. Compared to living in expensive cities, a digital nomad lifestyle also has cost advantages. Digital nomads can take advantage of different rules and global labor arbitrage to preserve their independence and wealth
Challenges of Digital nomads
Although digital nomads enjoy advantages in freedom and flexibility, they report loneliness as their biggest struggle, followed by burnout.
Other challenges include:
- Maintaining international health insurance with coverage globally
- Abiding by different local laws including payment of required taxes and obtaining work visas
- Maintaining long-distance relationships with friends and family back home.
In some cases, the digital nomad lifestyle leads to misunderstanding and miscommunication between digital nomads and their clients or employers. Other challenges may also include time zone differences, the difficulty of finding a reliable connection to the internet, and the absence of delineation between work and leisure time. The importance of developing face-to-face quality relationships has been stressed to maintain mental health in remote workers
