Whether seen as a positive or a negative, the digital nomad trend continues with new visas and organisations aimed at this population popping up around the world.
The term "digital nomad" may seem buzzy, but it actually comes from a book of the same name by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners that, on its publication in 1997, predicted a future workforce of globe-trotting travellers logging in from abroad. The authors proposed that technological advances and humanity's will to explore would allow for a more mobile workforce. In the nearly three decades since, and with the advent of easily accessible wi-fi and online resources for travellers, the trend has exploded. So, too, has controversy, or at the very least, disagreement around it.
For many, digital nomadism is the ultimate dream lifestyle, allowing freedom of movement and the ability to explore the world while earning a living. Meanwhile, others say it contributes to gentrification and overtourism, that it drives up prices and makes cities nearly unliveable for locals. Now, a growing number of nations are upfront about a desire to attract these upwardly mobile visitors and have begun offering new visas for workers, while organisations spring up to attend to their needs.
Though the necessary technology existed, the digital nomad movement didn't really take off until the 2010s, largely among young people looking for an early-career escape from the decades of 9-5 office work they saw looming before them. "When we think about our parents, it was about getting into a job, getting that 401k and going up the corporate ladder," explained Evita Robinson, Emmy award-winning creator of the NOMADNESS Travel Tribe, a social community for travellers of colour. "We're really kind of blowing that ideology up in many ways because we aren't waiting to retire to travel and see the world."
But according to author, speaker and political scientist Lauren Razavi in her book Global Natives: The New Frontiers of Work, Travel, and Innovation, many of the original digital nomads were wealthy white men working either in the tech industry or as a kind of precursor to today's travel influencer, showcasing their glamorous lifestyle while making money selling guides to those interested in doing the same. However, as the possibility of remote work spread, so did the trend of working from anywhere.