Digital Nomad Lifestyle is a curious fusion of where work and wanderlust unfold, it is an exploration of new horizons where every nomadic adventure writes a story of its own, it is a sustainable and eco-friendly practice in lifestyle. The digital nomad Lifestyle is a matrix, that offers an escape from the traditional 9-to-5 work structure. It’s all about embracing a lifestyle that is free from geographical constraints, wherever their laptop opens, it becomes their workplace. Digital nomads do face challenges but it is easier for them to earn income along with building a career.

The rise in Digital Nomad lifestyle rose when COVID-19 hit us in 2020. The 2020 economic crisis and the lockdown caused an increase in remote workers, and most of them became digital nomads for the first time, opting to work in new states and countries, if they could gain access.  According to many surveys, digital nomads are not necessarily young people. The average age is noted to be 35 years old.

Is the digital nomad lifestyle for everyone?

The digital nomad lifestyle is often for individuals who want to have freedom and flexibility with their jobs and time to travel. They often live a minimal existence rich in experiences versus physical objects. They explore new cultures by staying at many locations from time to time each year. However, the digital nomad lifestyle is not for everyone. As if you don’t earn enough on the road, you may find yourself financially unstable even without the money to return home.

While being a digital nomad sounds appealing, there are a lot of downsides to it. It may sound appealing and it is, the locations may be majestic but the work that’s available for remote workers is not up to the mark, either your skills wouldn’t be used correctly or the firm wouldn’t pay you well. To maintain a digital nomad’s lifestyle, you would have to work harder for fewer jobs compared to a traditional office job. However, the rise in remote work and job opportunities has made it easier for workers to try out a digital nomad lifestyle while earning income and building a career.

Is it possible for a family to live a nomadic lifestyle? 

Yes, families also opt for the nomadic lifestyle, where the parents work remotely and sometimes blog or write about their adventures. They either homeschool their children or send them to virtual classrooms.

Pros and Cons of Nomadic Lifestyle.

The pros are as follows:

• Freedom from Traditional Work Settings.
• Opportunities to travel and learn about new cultures.
• More control over your time.

The cons are as follows:

• Expensive to travel on a daily basis.
• Working in different time zones is difficult as well as confusing.
• Unable to balance work/life situation.

Tools that help people who are living nomadic lifestyle are as follows:

Google Drive, Trello, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, and Skype, along with other communication and project management tools and app platforms, these apps/platforms are widely used by people who are living digital nomadic lifestyle.

Is the Rise of digital nomadism affecting Traditional work structures?

Yes, the rise of digital nomadism is influencing and affecting the traditional work structures plus the high and evolving expectations of employees. It seems that there’s a noticeable impact on the structure of the work environment in companies along with the rising expectations they’ll have for their employees. The new changes seeking to adapt in work environments from the inspiration of the rising nomadic lifestyles are Open office setups, changing patterns of working hours, and rewarding systems like trips. Remote work options and flexible schedules are becoming commonplace as they’re recognizing the benefits of allowing employees to work remotely.

Overall, the rise of digital nomadism is challenging traditional norms, encouraging an adaptable approach to work structures, and influencing the expectations of employees in terms of flexibility and maintaining the work/life balance, along with the autonomy they seek in their professional lives.

Article by Prarthana Shah | Edited by Saumya Sharma