Why I chose to be a nomad
I’m 26 years old. I love to travel. Many of my friends are settling down, getting married, having babies, buying houses, and fitting into the traditional career scheme.
This terrifies me.
When I think of being saddled with a mortgage payment, or being responsible for a family, or knowing what my life will be like for the next five years, I don’t feel comfortable and happy–I feel like hyperventilating! As for my career, I faced a conundrum. I like my job, I love my co-workers, my company, and my clients–but coming into an office and sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day? Not so much. It felt like my soul was slowly being sucked out of my eyes and into the computer screen, leaving an empty shell person at 5pm.
Call it a quarter-life crisis if you will, but I decided that I couldn’t bear to be 50 and wishing that I’d taken advantage of my youth. So I’m bound and determined to make the most of this time when I’m okay sleeping in sketchy hostels, carrying an overweight pack, riding chicken buses; basically, being comfortable with discomfort. And I love it!
What is a digital nomad, anyway?
I had hoped to provide an all-knowing Wikipedia definition, but surprisingly–or perhaps not-so-surprisingly–one does not exist.
The term “digital nomad” refers to a professional who is not tied to an office or even a specific geographic location. Using internet, telephone, and video capabilities, the digital nomad can work from anywhere–home, airport, hotel, cafe, etc. Other commonly-used terms are “location independent professional,” “flashpacker,” and “extreme telecommuter.”
What does a digital nomad do?
Many digital nomads are freelancers. I work remotely for a company in the United States, doing strategic communication and media. Prior to the digital nomad experiment, I worked on-site for almost three years. After working remotely in the US for a month, I decided to make the most of my location flexibility–finally, a way to reconcile my love of (obsession with?) travel with my professional ambitions!
“Nomad” is particularly appropriate in my case. Currently, I am traveling in Central America, limited only by weekday access to high speed internet. In the summer, I’ll be in the States, and in the fall, South America. As a digital nomad, I have a near-perfect job; I am able to travel the world for long periods of time without sacrificing my career (and paycheck).
For more information about digital nomad-ism, check out these links:
