5 reasons why millennials decide to become a digital nomad

Digital nomad lifestyle

Are you a millennial wanting to become a digital nomad but you’re afraid of taking that risk? I talk to many people who want to take that step but don’t know how. For me it was something that I just did, for life circumstances and because I felt it, as you can see in my post on my story. I can’t really give you a way, but I know that first of all you need a very strong motivation. Leaving your comfort zone and having this life style is not easy nor for everyone. You will do it only if you are ready to do it.

What I also recommend is to have a plan. Whatever motivation you have, you can’t just give up everything without having an idea of what you will do in your new life.

I found 5 reasons why people make this choice, based on my experience. Every story is different, though, you might find yourself in more than one category. So, have fun placing yourself!

The Indiana Jones type: travel the world while working

become a digital nomad

I think one of the best thigs in life is being able to see places and discover the world. I know I’m not the only one thinking this way: research actually shows that millennial prefer experience over stuff. But here’s the problem. If you have a traditional job you have to wait for your annual leave to be able to travel where and how you want. If you work remotely, on the other hand, you can explore while being productive and, most of all, you can stay longer in the different locations to know and enjoy the local vibe. So, this need for adventure is what motivates the Indiana Jones type to become a digital nomad.

Some people choose just one location to stay there several months or years. I am in this category because I like being stable for a while and being able to really settle in the local culture. Of course, I travel to places nearby for a short time, but I then like to come back to my temporary home. Some fellow nomads, on the other hand, are on the move all the time. They stay just a couple of weeks in every place before moving on to the next one. Of course, they get to see more.

The Jerry Maguire personality: quit your job and find the courage to be freer

become a digital nomad

I don’t know about you, but I have many friends who are bored of their office life and want something more adventurous. I actually started reading about a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly popular among millennials: give up a traditional job, maybe even a pay rise, to be able to better manage their time and life. Millennials want to be free from schedules and from those working hours they perceive as limiting for their creativity and potential. Some people see it as an arrogant laziness, but research shows that it is just a different way to pursue career goals.

So if you are the Jerry Maguire type, you’ll find the courage to be free from those restrictions. However, society does not always accept this craving for flexibility and you’ll have to go against what people you admire and care about say. This happened to me with one of my biggest mentors when I decide to quit my job in London and go to Chile. It was really hard to disappoint him, but I also know I will proof him I am right. I am choosing the lifestyle I want and suits me.

Love story type: Cutting long distance in love relationships

become a digital nomad

The Love Story type is the one who is willing to go against all odds for love. In a world where distances become shorter, it is likely that you find your significant other in a different country or even continent. It can be an amazing experience on one hand, but on the other a long-distance relationship is hard. So, leaving everything to be with the person you love, is a very strong motivation.

Certain couples end up working remotely and travelling the world together. They definitely become a stronger team, even if they both have their own jobs. It will also be much easier for them to overcome the difficulties of starting in a new place. Of course, not everybody is willing to give up their lives to follow their hearts. I also know some situations where a digital nomad moved and settled in the partner’s country. This was possible thanks to the flexible schedule, but this was also the reason to end a nomad life.

Change life in order to accomplish something: The pursuit of happiness

become a digital nomad

I met many people who, at a certain point, need to change life in order to accomplish something. They don’t want to keep working for someone else’s dream but build something that belongs to them. I found 2 main reasons why they would not create their project in their home country:  cutting costs and educate themselves. Certain countries have quite high costs of living, but if you are creating a new business, you need to cut wherever possible. Moving to a cheaper location becomes a necessity, as well as a nice experience. Some people also want to learn and get inspirations from the working culture of a certain place. For instance, every person in tech dreams to end up in the Silicon Valley for at least a couple of months and absorb as much as possible.

Startup founders sometimes move to different locations because they are taking part to acceleration programs, where they get funding and mentorship. I was able to observe this phenomenon in Chile. For them, the company is their priority. So, it’s not them taking the business to the new place, it’s them chasing what’s best for their project. They are the Pursuit of Happiness type, and they’ll do anything to succeed.

Eat Pray Love: reflect on the past to change your future

become a digital nomad

When you live around the world, sometimes you meet people looking to find themselves, like in the movie Eat, Pray Love. They are typically from Western countries and just left or are still in a complicated situation, be it at work or in their personal sphere. So, they decide to take a break and move to a place where they can connect to their inner self and give meaning to what they do. As Bali is one of their favourite spots, I got the opportunity to talk to some of them.

Those people are looking back and reflecting on past decisions in order to make better choices. Society has given them a role that does not resonate with who they really are; so, they venture on this journey in order not to follow conventional norms. They usually have an online business to sustain themselves, but work has nothing to do with what they are really pursuing. I personally find their stories very inspiring, something you can learn from.

 

What do you think is your strongest motivation to become a digital nomad? If you already are one, what made you take this step?

I don't want realism, I want magic: how I became a digital nomad

Digital Nomad

 

It all started in August 2013, I was on the plane flying to the States for my semester abroad at the University of Miami. I just wanted to leave for a few months, come back to Italy, graduate, get a job and have a calm adult life in Milan. Like everybody else. But there was this feeling. Watching out of the window I told myself it was the last time I was seeing Italy with the same eyes.  I somehow knew the same Anna would never come back because this experience would make me a completely new person.

“I don’t want realism, I want magic”

And this is exactly what happened. A few days at an American university, and I opened my eyes. I started meeting people from all over the world, with completely different backgrounds from mine. And I felt so at home with them in such an environment.

On my way to school I passed by a construction site every day. On its fence there was written “I don’t want realism, I want magic”. It might sound very naive but I thought that sentence promoted a positive attitude I really liked and reflected what I was living at the time.

It didn’t take me too long to decide that after the semester abroad I would do an internship in New York. So, counting on my own strengths and little network, I got what I wanted and extended my stay.

Big city girl

New York is the capital of the world to me and my favorite city of all. It plays a very important role in my story because it is where I really felt I belonged. Its energy, vibes and the friendly people who would approach me on the street, on the train, in a restaurant just to chat for a while caught me immediately. I loved it! When I first arrived there I knew very few people and started to go out alone, even at night. I met people and made many amazing friends. Again, they were coming from everywhere and I absolutely adored it.

Being in New York and walking in New York are among  my favorite feelings in the world. When I was there for the internship I thought I found my home. So, after I got back to Italy for a few months to graduate, I left for the Big Apple again. This time I was on a mission: get a visa sponsorship to fulfill my dream to live there. I got it after a few weeks and I was really happy to start a training in a leading art pr agency in January 2015.

Life does not always happen as we expect and, after 9 months in this position, I realized it would have been very hard for me to find a sponsorship for a work visa. I had to take the hardest decision of my life: find a job elsewhere. The day I accepted a position in another top art pr agency in London I had to buy a one way ticket from New York to Europe. It took me 1 hour and many many tears. I just couldn’t leave.

I left a part of me in the Big Apple and I still love it beyond anything else. But I went on and started a new life in London. Any city after New York would have been hard and incomparable to me. I wasn’t satisfied with my life, my job and the place I was living in.

But life surprised me again and, this time, for the best. After almost a year in London, a friend of mine  asked if I wanted to join her in Chile, where her startup got into an acceleration program called StartUp Chile. I didn’t hesitate for a minute, quit my job and embarked on this life-changing experience.

My time in Chile or the world is my home

Working in a startup in Santiago de Chile was something new, and so exciting. I absolutely loved it. I was in a community of creative, smart and international people and felt so welcome. For once, everybody was living around the world, fulfilling their intrepreneurial dream. I wasn’t the crazy one, I was like the majority.

The startup mentality and environment were also really appealing. I was mainly doing digital marketing, putting into practice what I learnt in a very interesting online course I started during my time in London. I also felt a sort of entrepreneurial need myself.

It’s in my time in Santiago that I became acquainted with the “digital nomads” and everything made sense. I found myself there, with those likeminded people. It was a sort of epiphany: I realized I was becoming a digital nomad but didn’t know it before.

A digital nomad

Life circumstances made me come back to Italy after almost 6 months in Santiago. I felt a little lost in my hometown after almost 4 years around the world. What I missed the most was my international community. If you live far away, you’ll naturally lose some of your friends at home and the ones who stay do obviously have their busy lives.

After the first hard weeks, I got my life back together and started working on my goal to live as a digital nomad. I got my first digital marketing clients and begun to work for them. I knew my time in Italy was limited and decided that at the end of summer I would go to Bali. What attracts me are the digital nomad community and the yoga scene, because spirituality is also a very important component of how I live my life.

And here I am, about to embark on this new adventure…

Wish me luck!

 

Music is one of the global languages we all understand and relate to. We all have songs that remind us of certain times and situations. So I decided to add a song that makes sense to me to every post. For this first post I choose Wake Me Up by Avicii, first of all because it was popular during my semester abroad, and because the lyrics somehow reflect my life.

Listen to it! Doesn’t it talk about the digital nomads?