A digital nomad is someone who works remotely while traveling. All you need is a computer, internet access, and you can work from any place on Earth. One of the first digital nomads is considered to be Steve Roberts, who traveled on a computerized recumbent bike in 1983, and his story was featured in Popular Computing magazine.
He’s Worked in 150 Cities, but Still Isn’t Happy. "You No Longer Have a Home"
At the age of 27, when Pieter was earning $500 a month, he realized something was missing. He decided to change his life and started building startups, which allowed him to combine work with travel. In an episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast, he admitted that he has worked in 40 countries and 150 cities, yet still feels down.
This lifestyle is enticing to many, but as Pieter confessed, in his case, it didn’t bring him happiness. According to him, traveling from city to city makes a person feel uprooted.
You no longer have a home. (...) You can go anywhere. And everyone says: ‘Oh, it must be amazing, that's freedom. You must be very happy.’ But it's actually the opposite. I don’t think it makes you happy; I think limitations probably make you happy
- he said.
What Are the Benefits of Life on the Road? Digital Nomads Want to "Create a World Where They Are Understood and Not Judged"
Despite the downsides of this lifestyle, Pieter acknowledged that there are also some benefits. He talked about memories that will stay with him forever and the sense of freedom. Freedom, as Anna Ambroszkiewicz, who combines work and travel, pointed out in an interview with Elle.pl, is one of the most common reasons people set off into the world and become digital nomads.
By leaving their native reality, they want to create a world where they are understood and not judged. Where family won’t shake their heads: ‘What kind of job only takes four hours a day?’ A friend who just got married won’t turn down a beach hangout after work, (...) and a friend who’s expecting her second child won’t remind her that her clock is ticking too
- she said.
