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Digital Nomads

Oh, so, you're a Digital Nomad, wow, cool passport you got there, and more..


Let's see what Wikipedia says first:

Digital nomads are people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, co-working spaces, or recreational vehicles. It is often accomplished through the use of devices that have wireless Internet capabilities such as smartphones or mobile hotspots. Successful digital nomads typically have a financial cushion or need to develop high levels of self-reliance and self-discipline.

The most common types of digital nomads include retired or semi-retired persons (including snowbirds), independently wealthy or entrepreneurs, and (often younger) remote workers. People typically become digital nomads for many reasons, including the quest for financial independence and a career that allows for location independence. Although digital nomads enjoy advantages in freedom and flexibility, they report loneliness as their biggest struggle, followed by burnout.

Most important but generally not mentioned (because it's not fun) part of it is that, you need to have a good passport that helps you get to anywhere by just jumping on a plane, without getting in line at the consulate of the country you're planning to go, for a visa and guarantees that you're not going to immigrate there.

For example most population of the world is going to prove with bank accounts, and land and home registers and company letters even to go for a language school to be allowed to go there.

I've seen friends pay upfront for a year of language course, proof of bank accounts and land registers of the family, working at a big bank denied visas to go to a country to receive the education she already paid for a year in advance.

I've seen a married couple friend trying to go for a vacation with their 1 year old child, for a week, and having both been denied a visa, both working at proper companies, BUT, their 1 year old has received a visa. Maybe they should have sent their baby as they had already paid for the international flights and hotels.

So it is not about the mindset first, it's about the passport you have first.

Only a couple of passports have the privilege to be a global citizen and move any where they want, any time they want and stay as much as they want there.

For the rest of the world, you're definitely not going to stay for the next year impulsively at a developed country, a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure, if you decide to go global, yay!

So it's basically for their citizens.


Let's jump into another conclusion, as it's free. Let's assume you have a lucky passport, the next step is that you probably are alone.

Because it's never easy for a family of four with one kid at kindergarten and other at whatever school, to decide to spend the next 6 months at a beach in Bali, and move to Slovenia for the next 6 months. It's almost impossible for this to work. And apart from that it will give hard time for the kids, as they biologically and psychologically need roots to grow on, long-lasting close bonds to build their personality, a somehow cultural belonging to shape their identity. It's not a nonsense saying that "it takes a town to raise a child". Kids not only need their parents to be around, they also need familiar dependable people around them, an extended family, a tribe, a community, whatever, to grow up to be healthy individuals.


OK, so, you have a lucky passport and you're alone.

Now, you also need to have a job that allows you to move to any country you choose. Even most big companies that allow remote work are currently not allowing their employees to leave the town. Again, have friends going through this. So, having a remote-allowed job may not help.

Perhaps you should be a freelancer, lucky not to be asked to meet in person to work with, contractors generally want to have meetings face-to-face, and also lucky to make money routinely, as most of the freelancers have some months that they have no paid jobs at all.


Well, having mentioned money, let's talk finance. There are very small amount of countries that you can live in with under 1K USD of income. Plus plane tickets to get there are generally going to cost around that much too. You'll rent a place, probably buy some stuff to start there, or maybe you're going spend that on a rented house with those amenities. You need to be healthy enough to not be affected with climate and nutritional changes, as there are no proper health insurances that will help you, even if you are at a country with some kind of decent health facilities. Most of the countries also have taxation rules if you stay more than six months so that will double the legal fun. So you'll probably need a proper, over-the-median-income earning, and a proper legal advisor or accountant.


So, as far as I understand, digital nomadness, global citizenship, future of the remote work, unless there are majestic legal and infrastructural shifts occur globally that will affect all mankind, is, for, single healthy introverted people with powerful passports, that are extremely specialized in one of the required aspects of any business or creative work that will help them to be chosen to be worked with, without even meeting face-to-face, so that they make money enough to travel as much as they want, rent as much as they want, start all over as much as they want.


Well, this is very specific.

And, this is not something new.

Hi!

I am Devrim Vardar.

I write code, fiction,
and non-fiction.

Full-Stack Developer, Startup Entrepreneur & Sociology PhD.

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