Holidays and travel? Digital nomads know it every day

The ability to work online is a convenient solution for the age of people; it gives a chance to reconcile household and professional duties, saves time on commuting and returning from the office, gives the opportunity to focus on specific tasks, not necessarily on likes or dislikes in the team. Of course, there are also those for whom the office is the center of social life, a point where they concentrate better and separate their private and professional life while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. However, the choice that the modern market gives us between stationary work and that with a laptop at hand is a new convenience that allows a completely different way of life; moving away from the traditional model, giving opportunities for, for example, numerous trips. Who are digital nomads? What is their way of combining work and traveling abroad?

How is it that we work, travel and are called digital nomads?

Work used to be closely related to the place; it was usually the place of residence and changing jobs often involved moving to another city or even country, abandoning the old way of life and moving away from family. The era of digitalization has changed the way we communicate, accelerated the pace of our lives and streamlined many processes. All this has made the labor market more “remote” and “virtual”, the mere fact of being able to connect to the other end of the world for a business conversation made the once enormous distance reduced it to a few clicks on the keyboard. The process of digitalization of work and digitization of public services was significantly accelerated by the pandemic - it was also the first time on such a large scale, we left the offices en masse to work from home. The pandemic has shown that in many industries, especially services, it has been possible to maintain business continuity through remote work and online communication, although there are often concerns in the public debate about the future of work that automation and the development of artificial intelligence will lead to job losses and that traditional jobs will be replaced by unstable forms of employment, such as on-demand work or through digital platforms. Probably, these conclusions are too radical although it may suggest the twilight of traditional forms of labor. Undoubtedly, however, labor is changing, and labor law (based on principles from the days of the factory industry) is trying to keep up with these changes.

The concept of nomadism is currently used to characterize a particular group of employed persons. This group is characterized by the fact that they mostly travel the world (although the purpose of their travels is not to take up work), while doing work remotely, often without having a fixed address. Digital nomads are mostly portrayed as young professionals who lead a location-independent lifestyle, while being able to do their work online and while traveling. This work model has gained prominence especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the widespread adaptation of remote work in many service industries. Digital nomadism has thus become not only a lifestyle, but also a form of modern employment that escapes the classic categories of labor law and challenges the existing understanding of the workplace. This phenomenon raises new challenges (both in terms of legal regulation and the social consequences of global labour mobility).

Digital nomads: characteristics

People who work remotely and travel are often characterized by a desire to get rid of the restrictions of a permanent place and a regular work mode on the 9-17 hour scale. Although they sometimes combine such work, in the classic time frame, but because it is done online, they can still afford to travel - here only a different time zone can be an obstacle. For this group, the weights are usually goals related to development, learning about a new culture, experiencing. They are less oriented towards a settled family life and more focused on a casual lifestyle that does not have a single purpose. In the professional life of digital nomads, four interrelated aspects of mobility can be distinguished: administrative, substantive, temporal and spatial. It is these elements that distinguish them from both traditional nomadic workers and digital workers working in permanent places. In addition, the lack of a rigid work schedule from 9 am to 5 pm shifts the focus from the mere performance of duties to the realization of specific goals, which contributes to breaking the classic schemes of work organization.

Data

There are currently about 40 million digital nomads worldwide, of which 18.1 million are from the United States. Most of them are people between the ages of 30 and 39, making up almost half of this group. It is also interesting from the point of view of sociology: this age group is the generation of the so-called millennials and they are characterized by the desire to travel far and are the first of the generations to more boldly criticize traditional models of life, in which work was embedded in the central point of life and professional career was one of the most important goals. Of course, millennials also experienced, in a sense, the consequences of this narrative - they themselves, raised by earlier generations, got a very good education to then get a job in a corporation and take credit - but their lives coincided with technological developments and a change in narratives and beliefs. Therefore, taking advantage of these opportunities, they decided, in a sense, to bake two roasts on one fire - to work and travel. Interestingly, they are still great and efficient employees!

Among digital nomads, men predominate, who make up 56%, while women make up 43%. More than a third of them earn between $50,000 and $100,000 a year, and as many as 90% have a higher education, which testifies to the high level of qualifications and specialization of this group.

Eternal vacation? The best destinations for digital nomads in Europe

More and more digital nomads are choosing Europe as a base to combine remote work with travel. Among the best destinations are Spain, Portugal and Norway, which offer favorable visa conditions, a high quality of life and an infrastructure conducive to online work. This is what Portugal Businesses News writes about when it publishes a ranking of the 10 best countries in Europe for digital nomads.

1. Spain is the leader among European countries in terms of the visa system for digital nomads. Introduced in 2023, Spain's “Start Up Law” offers attractive benefits such as the relatively low cost of visas and the possibility of counting the stay for the period necessary to obtain citizenship (10 years, and for citizens of Ibero-American countries and the Philippines - only 2 years). Spain also has a fixed tax rate of 24 percent on domestic income and zero tax on foreign earnings. In addition, the country is relatively cheap for Western European conditions and has high-speed internet, which makes it an ideal place to work and relax.

1. In second place is Portugal, known for its excellent quality of life and stable economic situation. It is also one of the cheapest countries in Western Europe, where English is widely spoken. The time spent on a D8 visa can be counted towards permanent residence and subsequent citizenship. Especially popular is the program for nomads on the island of Madeira, where the first “Digital Nomad Village” was established in Ponta do Sol. This place offers modern coworking spaces, high-speed internet and a rich calendar of events integrating the nomadic community. Madeira also attracts with its beautiful landscapes and mild climate, which makes it a unique place on the map of digital nomads - more than 10,000 remote workers have visited it so far.

1. Also on the podium is Norway, which offers attractive visa conditions, including paths to obtaining permanent residence. Staying as a digital nomad in Norway counts towards the period needed to apply for permanent resident status, which is an added advantage of the country for those planning a longer stay in Northern Europe.

The next places were taken by Estonia, Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Hungary and Italy.

summary

“Eternal vacation” is, of course, a statement with a grain of salt, because digital nomadism is no longer a niche trend, but a viable alternative to the traditional model of work.Thanks to technology, many of us today can combine professional duties with traveling and exploring the world. How will this new definition of mobility, independence and work-life balance evolve? The future will show.

Sources

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378321236_Nomadycznosc_w_cyfrowej_erze_pracy_-_wplyw_na_pojecie_miejsca_i_czasu_pracy
2. https://www.demandsage.com/digital-nomads-statistics/
3. https://pumble.com/learn/digital-nomad-visa/statistics/
4. https://youth.europa.eu/news/what-digital-nomad-and-why-are-they-everywhere_en
5. https://www.portugalbusinessesnews.com/post/which-european-country-is-the-best-for-digital-nomads