What the Heck is a Digital Nomad?
Anthony working from our hotel in Koh Lanta, Thailand
The official Oxford Languages definition of a digital nomad is, “a person who earns a living working online in various locations of their choosing (rather than a fixed business location).”
It sounds simple because it is! We work entirely from our laptops in various locations of our choice. That’s not to say that being a digital nomad IS simple. There are plenty of logistical hurdles and frustrations from taxes to insurance; there is definitely a learning curve involved. But honestly, it is so worth it to have the freedom that we do.
Even before meeting Anthony, I knew I appreciated the combination of being able to travel the world while making money. Anthony is the same, which probably led us both to work aboard luxury superyachts, which is how we met in case you’re new here. I just never really put together how to do it beyond yachting, it seemed too good to be true. I love to travel and all, but deep down I knew I wanted all the other aspects of life like a career (outside of hospitality) and a family. While being a yacht stewardess technically allowed me to make a good income while traveling to beautiful destinations, I still felt like it wasn’t enough for me. It’s also probably worth mentioning that a lot of yachties burn out by 30 and seek land-based positions, because it can be a hard lifestyle to live long-term.
I think the first time I heard the term “digital nomad” was in a travel podcast called Extra Pack of Peanuts referred to me by Anthony. That podcast, along with the Zero to Travel and Location Indie podcasts really led me to understand how this lifestyle works and how to make it our lifestyle. I dug into resources and articles online like this one and began to realize that I may just be able to have my cake and eat it too.
The location indie concept is based on the “triangle of freedom” which includes location freedom, time freedom, and financial freedom because it’s hard to be fully “free” without the three of these. I guess you could say a homeless person is location and time free, but without financial freedom, they will struggle to thrive. On the flip side, for someone who has financial and even location freedom, but isn’t time free, their happiness may also suffer. I’m fully aware it’s hard to have it all, but ultimately you can at least make that your end goal.
As much as we love traveling, we know that this lifestyle will get tiring and we’ll want to put down roots and raise a family. However, this doesn’t change our end goal. Since learning more about this lifestyle and building up my online work this past year, I may stay a digital nomad for the long term, who knows! Since we will be set up to live and work anywhere, who’s not to say we’ll settle down in the US while still working fully online? This way my time stays my time and I earn what I put into it.