It's hard to say when the term "digital nomad" came into existence. However, it's easy to define the moment when it gained popularity. It happened back in 1997 when a book describing how the evolution of technology would allow people to lead a nomadic lifestyle and work from anywhere remotely was released. The book is written by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners and titled "Digital Nomad".
Anyway, until recently a rather limited number of people could imagine themselves leading such a life. Things started to change during the past decade with the impressive leap of technological development, now offering multiple new ways to connect and manage work remotely. In addition, during the pandemic companies shifted to remote work and more employees realized that they wanted something more satisfying than being glued to the office.
Digital nomads are surely a growing trend, but who are they? They are very likely to be self-employed, they often work in tech and mostly need only a laptop and the internet access to generate income while traveling around the globe. They enjoy the lifestyle that offers freedom from the 9-5 grind and allows exploration of new places and cultures.
Digital nomads make up an estimated 16.9 million people among American workers alone, according to a survey by MBO Partners. The number of digital nomads is expected to rise worldwide and, consequently, the question of their impact on local economies arises. It can be both positive or negative, but one of the ways to boost the positive outcome is to promote collaboration within the digital nomads community.
Digital Nomads and the Urge to Team Up
Popular ideas about digital nomads may create an impression that a digital nomad is a lone wolf since traveling from place to place can be hardly associated with long-lasting friendships and starting a family. In reality it's true only for some of them while others manage to sustain meaningful relationships with the help of technology and often look for opportunities to socialize with new people wherever they travel.
Many digital nomads see teaming up with other digital nomads as beneficial in a variety of ways. For instance, by working together, they are able to share resources and knowledge, increase their network of contacts, collaborate on projects, share housing and coworking space costs.
Apart from work-related matters, nomads can give each other advice on routine traveling matters and embrace various adventures and experiences together. Take hobbies for example, some of them require collaboration, like team sports. Or excursions to exclusive locations, such as palaces, which are easier and cheaper to organize by forming a group and sharing the cost.
No less important is the fact that it brings more pleasure to be around like-minded people, so, digital nomads naturally look for the company of other digital nomads. Language plays an important role in it as mostly digital nomads can speak at least some English which makes communication easier. Besides, when you've just arrived in a new country or city, it's very useful to talk to somebody who is also not a native but has been in this location for a longer time.
As digital nomads are pretty good with technology, they actively use digital services to connect with others. They may be a part of nomad communities on Facebook, one the biggest social networks in the world, book group activities on Teleporting, an experience-seeking marketplace aimed at travelers who want to explore non-mainstream venues and exclusive tours, or use Tinder for finding new friends (not necessarily dates).
"Digital connections are hard to maintain and digital nomads often spend too much time just searching for a right group of people at their current or new destination. Being a digital nomad myself, I'm very well aware of the issue. I started Teleporting because of various reasons and one of them was that I saw the need for a tool helping digital nomads to find their crowd, stay in touch and find cool, exciting experiences without spending too much time surfing online", Ilya Rouss, Teleporting CEO and founder, explains.
It may seem that, since digital nomads are so enthusiastic about being around each other, they always stay within a very close circle and don't contribute much to local economies a lot, but it's far from the truth.
Digital Nomads and Local Economies
The impact of digital nomads on local economies is multifaceted. Nomads contribute to economic growth by spending money within the local community. These travelers often seek to rent accommodations from locals, eat at local restaurants, shop at local stores, buy tickets to local museums and hire local guides. This influx of money can help stimulate the economy and create jobs.
Of course, digital nomads may also have a negative impact if they are not integrated into the community. They should be very conscious about their choices in order to have a positive impact on the country or city they are currently in. Happily, a lot of digital nomads understand it and strive to invest money, and non-material wealth into supporting local economies and local cultures. They can bring valuable skills and knowledge to their host communities. Many of them come from different countries and backgrounds, bringing with them experience and expertise that can be shared with locals.
For example, a digital nomad may be able to provide advice on how to market a small business online or offer tips on setting up a successful blog. This kind of knowledge transfer can be invaluable for local entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses or increase their online presence. Besides, digital nomads tend to be highly engaged members of society, volunteering their time and energy for local causes such as beach clean-ups or helping out at homeless shelters.
How to Ensure the Positive Impact
It's important to say that the ability of digital nomads to impact local economies positively depends a lot on infrastructure. It can be boosted by countries and cities if they, for instance, provide incentives for digital nomads to stay longer by offering discounts or special packages for extended stays. Or they can foster collaboration between digital nomads and local businesses by creating coworking spaces where they can come together to work and network. Also, digital services that connect those travelers with local providers are important.
The positive impact of digital nomads on local economies can be more significant exactly because they like to collaborate. First of all, digital nomads who live in a particular location for a long time may help newcomer nomads to adjust and understand the local community. Secondly, uniting their skills and knowledge, nomads can create or help to create beneficial for local economies projects.
In conclusion, it is clear that digital nomads can impact local economies significantly. As this type of lifestyle becomes increasingly popular, it is important for local communities and nomads themselves to recognize this power and work towards it bringing a positive outcome. Infrastructural changes, spreading awareness, and digital services can help a lot in achieving this goal.
