Who are Digital Nomads?
Digital Nomads are independent online workers whose technology-dependent lifestyle enables them to work remotely from anywhere in the world. Whether they are in a hotel, in a cafe, on their bed, or on the beach, they can do their assignments so long as they can connect to the internet.
In 2018, the State of Independence in America research showed that around 4.8 million people identify themselves as digital nomads. Of the remaining population, a whopping 17 million people plan to become nomadic shortly. The majority of digital nomads' profession comprises people from the Creatives industry, followed by IT and Marketing professionals.
Becoming a digital nomad means traveling anywhere in the world while still earning a living through full-time or part-time online jobs. It is no wonder that many are becoming attracted to this kind of lifestyle as it highly connotes 'freedom' from the traditional 9 to 5 office structure. There is almost no need to interact in person with teammates, and there is no need to go through daily traffic to get to work.
With the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic, many people have been forced to work remotely. Traditional businesses also have slowly opened up to the concept of enforcing a work-from-home set up for their workers. The structure improves the employees' safety by reducing person-to-person contact and displays the plausibility of keeping businesses operational even if employees stay in their homes to work.
With the unexpected situation that the pandemic has brought forth, together with continuing technological advancements in keeping people connected, it is expected to see a continuous rise in the digital nomads' trend in the years to come.
Digital Nomads are independent online workers whose technology-dependent lifestyle enables them to work remotely from anywhere in the world. Whether they are in a hotel, in a cafe, on their bed, or on the beach, they can do their assignments so long as they can connect to the internet.
In 2018, the State of Independence in America research showed that around 4.8 million people identify themselves as digital nomads. Of the remaining population, a whopping 17 million people plan to become nomadic shortly. The majority of digital nomads' profession comprises people from the Creatives industry, followed by IT and Marketing professionals.
Becoming a digital nomad means traveling anywhere in the world while still earning a living through full-time or part-time online jobs. It is no wonder that many are becoming attracted to this kind of lifestyle as it highly connotes 'freedom' from the traditional 9 to 5 office structure. There is almost no need to interact in person with teammates, and there is no need to go through daily traffic to get to work.
With the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic, many people have been forced to work remotely. Traditional businesses also have slowly opened up to the concept of enforcing a work-from-home set up for their workers. The structure improves the employees' safety by reducing person-to-person contact and displays the plausibility of keeping businesses operational even if employees stay in their homes to work.
With the unexpected situation that the pandemic has brought forth, together with continuing technological advancements in keeping people connected, it is expected to see a continuous rise in the digital nomads' trend in the years to come.
Best Places To Work As A Digital Nomad
The decision to be a digital nomad is not as spontaneous as one might think. It entails so much planning as this lifestyle is a long-term commitment.
There are many significant factors to consider in choosing which country is best for digital nomads. A few factors to consider are the general safety of the place, the culture in the area, the kind of people in the neighborhood, the daily activities that people engage in, the weather cycles, and personal preferences on what is considered conducive for working or studying.
But among the beforementioned factors in narrowing your selection, these three are the most important when choosing the best countries to work remotely:
These are the first things that people often look into before considering their personal preferences. These will dictate the viability of maintaining the lifestyle of a digital nomad.
On the Pursuit for Fast Wifi
Having a fast and consistent internet connection is a must for the digital nomad. Working remotely will highly depend on how reliable the internet connection is in the area.
From this comprehensive list from Nomadlist, here are the top 10 cities in countries with the fastest internet speed, mostly coming from Europe and North America:
- Faro, Portugal - 156 Mbps
- Kansas, U.S. - 93 Mbps
- Buenos Aires, Argentina - 90 mbps
- New York City, USA - 75 Mbps
- Los Angeles, USA - 72 Mbps
- Copenhagen, Denmark - 72 Mbps
- Warsaw, Poland - 70 Mbps
- Berlin, Germany - 69 Mbps
- Kyiv, Ukraine - 66 Mbps
- Oslo, Norway - 66 Mbps
While not everyone who works remotely needs blazing fast internet speeds, they want to have an uninterrupted connection to finish their work. It all depends on the nature of work, so speed may not always be an essential thing to consider.
Living on a Budget
More often than not, the digital nomad lifestyle is all about the freedom to travel and the pleasure and excitement that goes with it. No wonder some people think that only those who are well-off can afford to be a digital nomad.
Contrary to popular belief, expenses are a huge consideration for remote workers since traveling can be highly costly. Remote workers will usually spend months in a particular place, and the day-to-day cost of living makes a significant impact on the budget, such as rent, utilities, and food.
This list from Numbeo ranks countries with the lowest cost of living, most of which are in Asia:
- Pakistan
- Libya
- Kyrgyzstan
- India
- Afghanistan
- Uzbekistan
- Georgia
- Zambia
- Algeria
- Nepal
Many expats and digital nomads choose to work in countries that will not push them to struggle financially if they happen to have zero income for a month or two to pay for their expenses. This safeguard enables them to continue their lifestyle without resorting to loans and other forms of debt.
Passport to Becoming a Digital Nomad
Technically, working in a foreign country with a travel visa is illegal. In addition, tourist visas usually expire after 30 to 90 days. Those who come from first-world countries with powerful passports may not find this essentially challenging, but for those with third-world passports, this technicality can be quite the roadblock to their digital nomad dreams.
Fortunately, though, with the rise of the Digital Nomad concept, many countries are opening up to the seemingly complex notion of this emerging category of travelers. We are now seeing revolutionary changes to visa laws in some countries and now made ‘digital nomad visas’ available, enabling remote workers to stay in a country longer and with a clear intention to ‘work,’ although remotely.
Here are some of the countries offering visas for digital nomads:
- Barbados
- Mauritius
- Cayman Islands
- Georgia
- Estonia
- Czech Republic
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Germany
- Iceland
- Mexico
Some countries also make it easier for foreigners to apply for a work visa to encourage more people to seek employment opportunities. Some allow self-employed individuals to stay for up to a year with options for visa renewal.
Do Not Skip the Insurance
The new age generation is increasingly valuing quality experiences more than anything, and the importance of work/life balance and flexibility has more weight to them now than ever before. This ever-changing shift in priorities has paved an increasing demand for travel as most people find this way of ‘escape’ as their ultimate break from their heavy workloads. Many are jumping on the Digital Nomad bandwagon, as this unique lifestyle offers the best of both worlds.
This unique lifestyle is not all rainbows and butterflies, though. Being a wandering professional probably puts you more at risk of different elements, traveling to other countries, and exposing yourself to hazards every time.
With this in mind, being protected becomes vital to ensure you are covered for whatever may happen and wherever you are in the world. International Citizens Insurance offers nomad travel insurance options for Digital Nomads and travel insurance for a variety of other types of global travelers. When choosing the best countries to work remotely, always consider your fallback and protection, and never skip the insurance!
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