Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or immigration advice. Always conduct your own research before making relocation, employment, or financial decisions.
Like any life-changing endeavor, becoming a digital nomad is a pursuit you should approach with wide-open eyes. You’ve likely read a bunch of articles already that romanticize working from beachside cafes and whatnot. This isn’t yet another one!
In fact, our aim is to provide an evidence-based deep dive into why the circumstances for becoming a digital nomad now are the best they’ve ever been. This article touches on everything from infrastructure and tech developments like coworking spaces and eSIM cards to the psychological and legal shifts that paved the way for the current favorable climate. Read on to understand the bigger picture and ground the new path you’ll pursue in reality.
The Normalization of Remote Work
While it’s lamentable that it took a global pandemic to prove what everyone who had the privilege of WFH before it already knew, companies could no longer ignore the facts. Not being physically present inside an office building has little negative impact on one’s productivity. If anything, study after study affirms that people who don’t have to waste time on commutes and idle chitchat get more work done and tend to be happier while doing so.
Some companies were hesitant to adopt the changes, and return-to-office mandates aren’t uncommon. However, there’s also been a noteworthy shift in how forward-thinking enterprises perceive productivity.
Why insist on a traditional 9-5 when maintaining output quantity and quality is the only real thing that matters? Adopting this mindset has led companies to embrace and benefit from asynchronous work. Meanwhile, nomads get to set working hours according to their current environment without fear of falling behind or misalignment.
Growth of Remote Work Opportunities
Despite these improvements, a traditional yet remote working relationship with a single company isn’t the norm for most digital nomads. Freelancing lends itself better to the lifestyle due to the flexibility you get in terms of work scope and rates.
While admittedly more precarious, freelancing is also more viable than before. On the one hand, the acceptance of contract work rose in tandem with its remoteness. Companies have far fewer qualms about hiring freelancers to help complete one-off projects faster.
On the other, there’s the expansion of freelance marketplaces. They take a small cut of your earnings, but they also do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to connecting clients with the freelancers who meet their needs the best. This lets nomads spend less time on the networking side of their business and focus more on client satisfaction.
More Room for Professional Development
Despite not necessarily pursuing a conventional career, enterprising digital nomads have better chances for growth than some of their office-bound colleagues.
For example, compare an in-house marketing professional with a freelance one. The former knows how to maintain branding consistency and create impactful campaigns for their long-term employer. Meanwhile, the latter needs to use the same skillset to satisfy multiple clients, all while also developing skills like self-discipline, time management, finance and logistics management, as well as professional negotiation.
All of these, not to mention the multicultural exposure, position digital nomads as strong candidates and make them more likely to become entrepreneurs themselves.
Friendly Nomad-Specific Immigration Policies
Despite the mindset changes and greater work opportunities, the modern digital nomad explosion wouldn’t have been possible without a third crucial prerequisite – legitimacy.
Back before 2020, nomads were operating in a legal gray area. However, countries soon realized that the increasing number of nomads was a boon for the local economy. They make more money than the locals and don’t compete with them for jobs, yet spend much of what they earn here.
Consequently, enterprising countries have invented and adopted the digital nomad visa. Versions of it are available in more than 60 countries and growing. The visa lets nomads who can provide proof of income and health insurance stay in a country longer, usually up to a year, while working for clients abroad. Some countries incentivize nomads with tax exemptions, and some even offer citizenship opportunities.
Lower Living Costs
Unless you’ve set your sights on the Bahamas, Switzerland, or Europe’s Nordic countries, your living costs as a digital nomad will likely be noticeably smaller than domestic ones. Even a modest Western salary goes far in nomad havens like Vietnam or Indonesia.
Choosing such countries comes with many perks. You can choose more spacious accommodations in the safest neighborhoods, experience local cuisine and culture, and work less and still save up.
Infrastructure Improvements
The digital nomad boom legalization has also led countries to build the specific infrastructure needed to accommodate this new type of workforce. Coworking spaces come to mind first, but less visible developments are equally important.
For example, banks are making it easier for non-residents to open local accounts, while businesses attract nomads by supporting international payment platforms. Digital nomads have also given rise to coliving and mid-term renting practices, where local landlords make accommodations available in accordance with nomad visa stay limits.
Connectivity Improvements
Stable, high-speed internet is a non-negotiable prerequisite for attracting digital nomads. We’re in the middle of a global rollout of fiber optic and wireless 5G internet infrastructure that ensures both the local populace and their nomadic guests have adequate access. Meanwhile, it’s become normal and expected for Airbnb stays, apartments, cafés, restaurants, coworking spaces, etc., to offer free Wi-Fi.
It’s also become easy for nomads and other travelers to forego Wi-Fi altogether if they’re concerned about its safety. Say your destination is Vietnam, getting the best eSIM for Asia lets you stay connected wherever there’s local mobile access without having to purchase a local number or swap out your original SIM card. It’s safer than public Wi-Fi and more reasonably priced than roaming. Plus, maintaining connectivity when moving countries is as simple as selecting another plan.
The Proliferation of Cloud-Based Tools
Excellent internet infrastructure and the pandemic have also helped birth various cloud-based platforms that help accommodate working from anywhere. Everything from messages and video calls to project management or team collaboration can now be done via dashboards and browser windows.
This creates an ecosystem where a distributed team can be just as agile and productive as a group of people sharing the same office. Switching to the cloud means individual apps are less hardware-intensive, while a mobile-first approach to responsive design lets you work effectively even from smartphones, further expanding your freedom and options.
The Rise of Digital Nomad Culture
Community is one of the most reassuring aspects of being a digital nomad today. Not only are there more nomads than ever, but experienced ones are happy to share their wisdom and help newbies thrive.
Strong supportive communities aren’t hard to find, especially for the most attractive digital nomad countries and city hubs. They’re an invaluable source of information that can help you work through your fears and make far fewer newbie mistakes.
Most importantly, digital nomad communities have an active local presence. They regularly organize meetups and networking events.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ll agree by now that the title we chose for this article isn’t hyperbole. Economic, cultural, and infrastructural development really do contribute to a zeitgeist that lets people embrace the digital nomad lifestyle with fewer obstacles and better outcomes. Seize the opportunity and steer your life into a possibly uncertain but definitely rewarding direction.
