Comments on: What is a Digital Nomad? And Why Don’t I Want to be One?

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 03:03:08 +0000

Haters gonna Hate

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 13 May 2015 00:59:04 +0000

In reply to DEGG.

Nailed it, DEGG. I know a few here who are much the same – saying they live like a king, but are sleeping on a mattress in a room with a tiny balcony and a sink in the corner. Cheap Thai food and nice weather is about the only thing that’s actually really awesome. Granted, that lifestyle might be perfectly fulfilling for some people, and that’s great – if you like it, then more power to you. But selling it as the only way to go to westerners – whose definition of ‘living like a king’ is probably much different – rings a bit hollow to me.

But hey, to each their own. If I was 22 again I might be doing the same thing. Damn kids. 🙂

By: DEGG

DEGG — Tue, 12 May 2015 23:57:08 +0000

Most digital nomads here in Chiang Mai- and there has been a massive influx recently- are people living in a delusion it seems. They scrape together enough money to buy two bottles of Leo to drink while they jabber about how they make money just writing a few paragraphs a week for a website. Then they constantly question other people about how they make money. The answer: we have jobs or are retired from long careers. I don’t begrudge people not working, but people who don’t are a lot more bearable if they actually have money already. Like you said, there are upsides to having a job- relationships with coworkers, a mental focus, and a regular schedule. Acting like you are living the dream because you can sleep in and then spend your evenings groundlessly self-promoting does not seem like a great alternative. My few friends who make money online, selling actual products or because they are experienced IT professionals, all say the same thing. It’s different work, but you still have to put in the hours.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:24:52 +0000

In reply to Big C.

Yeah, it’s sold as a luxurious destination, but it often ain’t. See here: https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-realities-of-beach-fashion/

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:22:13 +0000

In reply to Big C.

Yeah, it’s a lifestyle that only a select few can attain, I think. Like most things I guess – 90% of the people who go into banking are just…bankers. The other 10% become very successful. All work very hard.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:21:07 +0000

In reply to Greg Jorgensen. Thanks GJv2.0. Indeed, seems that the definition of what it takes to be working online is changing as fast as the work itself is.

By: Big C

Big C — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 13:02:41 +0000

PS Also it is impossible to work on a laptop screen on the beach, the only screens good enough to date were used by Nokia phones several years ago – nothing else even comes close to being bright enough with enough contrast to read.

By: Big C

Big C — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:31:38 +0000

There is a rather large ‘digital nomad’ population that floats between Thailand and The Philippines, I know a few of these guys making good money – heck I tried my hand at it for 12 months previously – the reality is they sit in front of the computer 16 hrs a day, because it is their business AND most love their work.

As a nomad of NFA (try that at Immigration centres around the world) “You have a home?” Is a fantasy after the initial travel excitement wears off

By: Greg Jorgensen

Greg Jorgensen — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 19:20:43 +0000

Thanks Greg. Funny, I had some of the same thoughts after a bunch of digital nomad tweets hit my feed yesterday. Last year you had to be an entrepreneur or CEO of your one-person startup or you were a loser. Now if you aren’t blogging and tweeting 24/7 about hostels in Bali and the startup scene in Chiang Mai you’re a slug.