5 hours ago
9
I enjoyed reading the stories of those who have had a taste of the nomadic lifestyle (‘My mind was shrieking: “What am I doing?”’ – when the digital nomad dream turns sour, 1 July). However, it seems that none of the problems they mentioned are actually related to nomadism. These are universal issues. Everything they didn’t like existed long before the words “digital nomad” entered our vocabulary. Slow internet? Trouble finding an apartment to rent? Unfamiliar food? Heat? People feeling disconnected from each other? All these are symptoms of our crazy times, and our task is to come up with ways to fix this together, rather than running to the office, where supposedly some of these problems will be solved (spoiler: they won’t).
A nomad doesn’t aim to recreate an exact replica of their life and everything they’re used to in a different place. The Roman lyric poet Horace, in his Odes, told us centuries ago: “They change their sky, not their soul, who rush across the sea.” No matter where people go, they carry their problems, personal histories and unhealthy habits with them. Our real job as human beings is to find meaningful new ways to cope with all this nomadic stuff in a psychologically healthy way.
Ivan Medvedev
Trento, Italy
I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, and life for most locals there is far from the paradise it can seem for digital nomads. An americano at Starbucks costs around 11 Malaysian ringgit (£1.90), which is very affordable if you earn in British pounds, but not if you’re paid in the local currency. The same goes for renting an apartment with a rooftop swimming pool. I’m curious to hear about the expat experience of leaving London due to soaring rents only to inadvertently contribute to rising rents in the south-east Asian neighbourhoods they settle in.
Abigail Gomez
London
Having lived as a digital nomad for almost 10 years, it’s always interesting to read other people’s experiences. However, the thing that always strikes me is that people take digital nomadism too much as dogma. It isn’t for everyone, it isn’t for ever. Like almost everything else in life, you should do something only if, and as long as, you enjoy it. The difficulties of daily life don’t disappear just because you’re in another country, which most people seem to forget or ignore. It takes work and effort to make a digital nomad lifestyle work, but it can be a hugely rewarding experience.
Sara Baroni
London
Happiness is a state of mind, not a state of place.
David Hastings
Balbeggie, Perth and Kinross
