What is a Digital Nomad?
The new-age concept of the digital nomad is derived from the traditional nomad, who was known for having no settled home and moving around from place to place. Digital nomads are remote workers who travel to various locations while working. You may find them in coffee shops or co-working spaces, relying on their devices and a good wifi to do their work wherever they please. The alternative lifestyle of a digital nomad is fundamentally about prioritising life experiences and interpersonal connections over material possessions.
Want to know how to find remote work? Read our article about Finding Remote Work for on the Road.
Benefits of Being a Digital Nomad
- More flexibility: Digital nomads are blessed with the flexibility to work when they want, from wherever they want. If they’re not enjoying their location, they can move. If they’re feeling low on energy, they can take a walk rather than dwelling at their desk. However, the catch is to maintain focus despite the temptations.
- More time for yourself: Despite the importance of work, we would be lying if we said it’s our favourite thing to do. Most of us still work to live, not live to work. Digital nomads have more time to explore their surroundings, spend time with their companions, and do what they love.
- Increased creativity: Working somewhere different every day provides a lot of diverse situations that one can pull from creative inputs. Travel can cause an uptick in positive thoughts, leading you to be more inspired and creative. Who knows what will spark your ideas.
- Pay off debt and save money: Not only will becoming a digital nomad satisfy your wanderlusting soul, but it could also be a financially savvy choice. If you move somewhere with a low cost of living, you could save tons of money.
- Increased adaptability: Always traveling to new places has the tendency to push you out of your comfort zone. Putting yourself in uncertain situations over and over again will increase your willingness to engage with different people and cultures. From a scientific viewpoint, travelling actually develops dendrites in your brain and increases your brain’s capacity and perceptiveness during unfamiliar, challenging situations you come across in the future.
- Make lifelong connections: We’ve all heard the stories of people going on holiday and finding friends for life. Well, the life of a nomad is essentially an extended version of that scenario. It’s true that going through an adventure and memorable experiences build close connections between people. Most digital nomads find that they meet other like minded people on their journey and forge friendships with them. In addition, if you’re traveling with someone else, your relationship with them will be closer than ever.
Who Can Be a Digital Nomad?
Nowadays, there are minimal restrictions on who can become a digital nomad. Many digital nomads are freelancers, allowing them to take work when suits them, and travel on their own watch. Others maintain a full-time work schedule with their respective companies. There is no specific job type that is required to be a digital nomad, but more importantly you should understand what your skills are and how you can market yourself to get jobs. Digital nomad jobs can range from accounting, to sales, to software development. As you can tell, being a digital nomad does not mean that you are pigeon holed into any particular industry or role.
The Real-Life Stories of Nomads
By this point in the article, if the concept of being a digital nomad is beginning to intrigue you, there are a plethora of resources out there from real life digital nomads. Are you a true digital nomad if you don’t have a blog? To read some of the stories of people who have experienced the nomad journey, you can check out BENOMAD, who have a section dedicated to digital nomad stories. You can also check out the digital nomad suggested by Fizzle, in their article about 10 Digital Nomads to Learn From. If you’re looking for a more personal story, you can read the ups and downs of the digital nomad life of Michelle Retzlaff, who explains her stories and learnings.
Coliving as a Digital Nomad
The life of a digital nomad suits itself very well to coliving. Not quite sure what coliving is? Get a better understanding through our article; Coliving – A Tale As Old As Time. It may surprise you that the idea of shared living has been around for hundreds of years. For a long time, humans have taken advantage of the benefits of sharing common spaces and resources. With the rise of the digital nomad trend has also come the rise of coliving. Many digital nomads experiment with hostels, cafes and Airbnb, and find that those spaces do not lend themselves well to their need to be productive. That’s where coliving comes in. Coliving spaces offer the comforts of a hotel while also providing a good place to finish your work and connect with other people. And now comes the most exciting part of coliving for digital nomads…flexible leases! Unlike your typical rental agreement, coliving providers often allow people to rent their rooms for weeks, months, or years, with the possibility of month-by-month extensions.
Advantages of Coliving for Nomads
- More economical: One of the most obvious benefits is that coliving spaces are often cheaper than renting your own place. They also come move-in-ready, complete with furniture and any other basic amenities. Renting a coliving space is a great way for nomads to save money to spend on further travel and adventures.
- No opening hours: Popular spots for nomads to try and get work done are cafes, restaurants, libraries, and co-working spaces. One problem with these places is that they have opening and closing times. In a coliving space, you can work whenever creativity strikes, whether that’s 11:00pm or 5:00am.
- Inspiration: Being in a coliving living space can also be a great source of inspiration. Whether that stems from your new location, your beautifully designed apartment, or the like minded people you are living with, coliving spaces are a facilitator of creativity.
- It’s easier: Plain and simple. Having everything you need under one roof makes life easier. As a digital nomad, you might find that traveling from place-to-place can feel disorganised and disorienting. Coliving spaces come move-in-ready, equipped with furniture and basic amenities, making it a hassle-free way to organise all the critical aspects of a location-independent lifestyle.
- Satisfy social needs: One of the best aspects of living in a coliving space is that you get to share it with others. It provides a great opportunity to connect with others, share stories and spend quality time together. And even better, the socialisation process is organic so it works for introverts and extroverts. It makes making new friends easy.
- Community vibe: Chances are, if you’re a digital nomad you enjoy the community feeling. Coliving spaces pull together the same type of people. It’s likely that you and your roommates share similar lifestyle and goals. And of course, living together fosters a strong sense of community.
Ultimately, the life of a digital nomad entails traveling the world while working, to have the richest life experience possible. The concepts of the digital nomad and coliving go hand in hand. While traveling around, having the option of coliving makes life all-the-more easy, while also being economical and allowing you to maintain a flexible and social lifestyle. What’s not to love?
The Relogo team are relocation experts, well-versed in all things moving and accommodation. Our team works with you to empower and educate you, so you can make informed decisions from start to finish. Whether you’re staying for a short time or a long while, Relogo can assist you in finding the perfect place. With Relogo’s short term accommodation services, you have the option of trying out different coliving spaces with a flexible lease.
