What are Digital Nomads – And How Can You Become One?

What are Digital Nomads – And How Can You Become One?

If we cast our eyes over the gig economy in the UK, we can see that this entity has grown markedly over the course of the last five years or so.

More specifically, this entity has more than doubled in size since 2016, while this growth has been largely driven by an increase in the number of workers seeking out second jobs.

We’re currently seeing an extension of this trend, however, as we sit on the brink of remote workers scattering across the globe en masse and creating an entire generation of digital nomads.

But what is a digital nomad, and are predictions of a revolution including these workers significantly overblown?

Who Are Digital Nomads?

The term ‘digital nomad’ is far broader than some people give it credit for, as it typically conjures up images of a Millennial expat working remotely and in an exotic location such as Costa Rica.

However, we remain in the grip of a brand new normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, as remote working continues to rise to prominence and a growing number of people embrace the digital nomad lifestyle.

To this end, the modern definition of digital nomads includes individuals who work flexibly but not necessarily from home, many of whom look to seek out short-stay accommodation leases (for a month or so) for so-called “workcations” and through reputable platforms such as Airbnb.

This trend is expected to continue even as the age of “social distancing retreats” draws to a close, as remote workers continue to seek out creative and exotic locations in which to complete their daily tasks. This may include everything from cottages to rural forest cabins and overseas locations, depending on each individual’s budget and their preferred method of working.

There’s a clear takeaway here; with the number of so-called “digital nomads” continuing to rise while this description becomes increasingly broad and inclusive as trends and behaviours shift.

Are Digital Nomads Set to Take Over the World?

The rise of digital nomads has also coincided with the digitisation of economies and industries across the board, with everything from dropshipping to indices trading now accessible to remote workers and people on search of a secondary income stream.

This is a natural and seemingly unstoppable evolution, of course, but the question that remains is whether the prediction of a digital nomad revolution is accurate or wildly overblown?

The short answer is that we simply don’t know, but there’s no doubt that the trend for remote working is becoming increasingly prominent and diverse with every passing year. Of course, the coronavirus continues to accelerate this trend, but there’s no doubt that this has gathered momentum throughout the digital age.

There are restrictions, however, as a large percentage of remote workers simply won’t have the resources to travel and work freely, while others may work in roles that don’t allow such a luxury.

The demand for a digital nomad lifestyle will surely grow as it becomes more accessible in the near-term, however, and this will definitely be an interesting space to watch over time.