Is The Digital Nomad Dream Still Alive In 2022?

Is The Digital Nomad Dream Still Alive?

It’s been a few years since I wrote about being a digital nomad, I still travel the world and live a life based on experiences. But, the question that is on my mind is: 'Is it still viable to run an online business as a digital nomad?'

For those of you in the know, living as a digital nomad carries with it endless benefits. You can be wherever you want to be, set your own hours and work around your lifestyle. It’s the ultimate way to do business.

At one point it was common for people to aspire to be a digital nomad, but recently there has been a shift in opinion, with articles like 'Is working remotely still relevant?' 'Is working remotely still a good idea?' and 'Remote work is too distracting'.

This statement caught my eye and actually inspired me to write this post "You can't build an entrepreneurial empire whilst living out of a suitcase".

I looked over my own business, how I have grown it and the state of the market for remote work. I also looked at what I was seeing from other digital nomads and how they were able to grow their businesses. I have personally been a digital nomad for 6 years, I have observed the rise and fall of many other nomads and their businesses. What am I seeing?

I quickly came up with a few reasons why being a digital nomad is still viable for running an online business:

1) You can be anywhere you want in the world, and that means you are closer to your customers. The more customers you have, the more money you make. Meaning with hard work and dedication you can build a very successful business as a digital nomad.

2) You are working less hours, which means you are able to work from anywhere at any time. Just need to open your laptop and add a few hours to your day. Working remotely is less stressful than working 9-5. The modern world works on flex time for every single person, so why not put it to use for an online business?

3) There are still a lot of companies that want it all done from home (especially in these current times). In the past, this was unheard of, but now there is an upward trend with companies that want their work done remotely so why do it for someone else?.

4) The internet is global, there are no borders on the internet. With the internet being as powerful as it is, you can find customers anywhere on the planet. All you have to do is find people who want what you have to sell. Or in my case, I help people with a certain problem.

5) There are more ways to run a business remotely than ever before including in our case building Shopify stores and drop shipping in Australia, however people also specialize in content writing, email marketing, affiliate marketing, social media management and other freelance related work. Overtime you can build a very solid business with long term clients.

6) It’s cheaper to live the digital nomad lifestyle than work 9-5. There are more locations to choose from and you can save a lot of money by doing so! The lifestyle I have here in Thailand would be near impossible to lead in Australia my money just goes so much further.

7) You can choose any location you want to run your business from. It doesn’t just have to be famous "beach front locations" at first You can choose to hit the road and travel around Australia or settle in a small town in Costa Rica that is very affordable to help your budget. Or maybe it’s just cheaper living in a less touristy area in Europe. Either way you can just open your laptop and get to work.

Now having said all that there are also some major disadvantages that come along with living and working as a digital nomad:

1) You don’t have an office, which means you need to pay for a co-working space if you need to be in an office environment for meetings etc.. Which can start to add up. It also means you need to be super disciplined and stay motivated to work from the laptop. You are alone, you don’t have colleagues or a boss to motivate you. This is tough for some people and they need to find ways to motivate themselves.

2) The person who you are working with may not have the same lifestyle as you and may be a long distance or low commitment relationship. Also people who you work with may rely on you being in a specific location to work together.

3) Internet and technology issues, there are a number of stories from people i know who have lost all their work due to technology problems. This is something that rarely happens to me, but it can if you are not careful. You need to be prepared and have everything saved and backed up as you go.

4) Your family may not understand why you choose to work remotely. Many people stay at home with their families because they love it, others do it because they can’t get a job anywhere else and need to support themselves. These people are not interested in working from home or traveling the world.

5) It can be hard to find the right people to collaborate with on a project. You have to pick and choose who you work with very carefully because if you aren’t being paid, then you need to get something else out of it. This could be experience, connections, or just the excitement of working with someone who is doing amazing things.

If you are reading this, you have to ask yourself if it makes sense for you to do a road trip, or work from home. You need to decide if building your business in the comfort of your home or on the road is the best way for you to be successful and happy. I believe it is depending on what kind of person you are, what kind of lifestyle you want and how much money you want to make.

So to answer the question "Is The Digital Nomad Dream Still Alive?" I would say YES, but it depends on the type of person you are and what your needs and wants are. But I would say that if you are a dreaming of being a digital nomad, then the dream IS still well and truly alive!

So there is a little overview of what I think living as a digital nomad is all about. This is just my opinion and experiences, I’m not an authority on life or business, I’m just trying to help you make an informed decision.

Now if you would like to learn more about setting up your own drop shipping store in Australia, feel free to check out our FREE Australian dropship training here. It has 2 hours of fantastic info that will fast track everything you are working on now.