How the digital nomad came to be

A new trend emerged among young workers, especially during the pandemic.

- Gabriel Pe

The shift to remote work or even hybrid work encouraged young professionals to reevaluate how to live and work. Some decided to uproot from their daily routine to explore the world, venture out of their comfort zones, and take to the road and enjoy the journey. These new workers are digital nomads, and their lifestyle has gained popularity during the pandemic.

Who are digital nomads?

In their simplest forms, Digital nomads are individuals who work remotely via the internet, hence the digital. The nomadic life is much more interesting and exciting. Digital nomads, like their namesake, do not stay in any location for extended periods, only lingering as long as they want or for the duration of their travel visas or work permits.

When work shifted mostly to remote and hybrid due to the pandemic, people saw the perfect opportunity to bring work to different locations. In the US, a study found a 50% increase in workers becoming digital nomads from 2019 to 2020. The same study notes that 10 million Americans identify as digital nomads. Another study predicts their number to grow to as large as 1 billion globally, as work adopts a remote setup.