What is a digital nomad?
According to Forbes, one of the world’s leading economy magazines, half of the United States’ workforce will be working from home by 2020. That means no more 9-5 grind, no more long commutes and more ability to be able to live freely. But how exactly will these people work?
The answer, of course, is online. Meaning all they will need is a comfortable spot with a laptop and internet connection.
Hundreds of thousands of people are now in search of work opportunities they can do from the comfort of their home, without the struggle of transport and endless hours spent stuck in traffic jams. While many work online for the simple convenience of being able to work from wherever they like, others choose to do it for the sake of environmental awareness. The damage caused to our planet by the vehicles used, such as cars and busses, to get to and back from work is astronomical. Therefore working from home means less people on the roads, less cars, and ultimately, less exhaust fumes. Those who witness the daily routine of people driving for hours to get to work every day, or take the time to think about exhaust emissions, will have a better understanding of what I mean by the environmental damage.
In truth, online work from home is actually not a new concept, as there are many people in this age that are already making their income by being “digital nomads”. If you are already a digital nomad, that means you are living the life of a wanderer, with the freedom of living in any place you like in the world, as long as your work is on the screen of a laptop.
So where do digital nomads live?
There is no one place where nomads live; they travel and live as they please. However, due to the low cost of living and the ideal weather, most nomads end up in places such as Thailand and Indonesia. While a nomad earning $1,000 per month can’t even afford to pay half of a month’s rent in a city such as New York, they can live a pretty comfortable life in one of these Southeast Asian countries.
Two of these nomads are the British Dan and Suevan who have been living a nomadic life for the past two-and-a-half years. Dan works online at Book Creator, while Suevan is an online teacher who gives English lessons and homeschools their 10-year-old daughter. You can read up about their nomadic lifestyle through their blog on RTWfamilies.
What are some of the online jobs available?
Some of the leading online occupations are translation, software and programming, and social media management. In an age where everything is done on the internet, even traditional occupations such as teaching or consulting are also now widely online.
So how about you? Would you rather be stuck in a stuffy office day in and day out or live and work from the powdery soft beaches of Bali or Olympus, each work day closing with the kind of sunsets people work all year round to be able to witness?
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