Times are a changing and paradigms are a shifting. One rising trend is that of the digital nomad. Armed with wireless internet, their smartphones, tablets, laptops, cool travel bags, and their wits digital nomads work remotely wherever they decide to live or travel. As long as you can do/submit you work via the web, these days you can roam as freely as your hearts content. Add cool services like Airbnb and Turo, and you can find an affordable place to stay and a car to get around pretty much wherever you go. Digital nomads also make use of coworking spaces, cafes, house sitting agreements, and shared offices in to do their work. It's really up to you to get as creative as you'd like. So what do you think? Could you be a digital nomad? Before you start dreaming of filling your Instagram feed with pictures of you and your laptop in exotic places, let's examine so of the pros and the cons of the digital nomadic lifestyle.
Pros
The most obvious advantage to the digital nomad lifestyle is of course the ability to travel freely. With no brick and mortar location to tie you down, you're free to work anywhere you can get yourself set up. There's also the freedom from a rental agreement. What most people find they dislike most about their jobs is not the work itself, but rather the work environment, the co-workers and the management. Being a digital nomad offers recompense from what has become the standard stale office archetype. Traveling often means you're also getting accustomed to new cultures and worldviews and new environments. Seeing more helps to expand perspective and creativity. With proper budgeting and taking advantage of travel and lodging savings programs, you can begin to build savings to invest in your business and to enjoy and experience more life.
Cons
It's not all sunshine and rainbows on the digital nomad trail. Being far away from friends, family, and familiar environment can be difficult. You will have to adjust to different laws, customs, time zones, and life philosophies. Majority of digital nomads rely on wifi to get their work accomplished, and there are times when travel can present a difficulty finding steady, reliable wifi. Your most constant and heaviest expenses will be food and lodging, and it works a little differently everywhere you go. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of digital nomadic life is maintaining your work leisure balance. Traveling in and of itself can be exhausting and of course you'll want to explore and enjoy your new environments. Finding the ideal balance between work and play is the most quintessential element in in making the lifestyle work and be enjoyable.
