Photo by Johnson Wang on Unsplash

nomad
/ˈnəʊmad/
noun

a member of a people that travels from place to place to find fresh pasture for its animals and has no permanent home.

Many things can push you to leave your nest, regardless of time and place. Thousands of years ago people did it out of necessity – to feed their livestock, shy away from cold winters, sell merchandise, hunt, colonize new lands, etc. Today, despite living in cozy apartments surrounded by technology and automation, people still do it.

You may ask yourself what’s the point of moving from place to place if all one really needs is a steady job, a place to live, and a car to drive around in? However, some people see comfort in danger and excitement, and above all, new challenges and new knowledge. They prefer to work out of a jungle, not surrounded by printers and water coolers. I’m talking about the modern nomad, or as some call them, the ‘digital nomad.’ Here’s 5 reasons why these people, simply put, rock.

They take remote working to extremes

Digital nomads partake in meetings from the top of a cliff through a video feed, co-edit documents with their office-bound colleagues while sipping martinis on the beach, or have important business calls routed to their cell. Because, who says you have to be poor to be a nomad?

They build character

Moving from place to place isn’t always fun, nor convenient. You can get hurt with no one around to call an ambulance, you can get stranded, even mugged. However, digital nomads take the good with the bad and make the best of each experience. Because of this, they tend to build strong characters. Which makes them far more trustworthy and reliable. Blogging from a raft surrounded by crocodiles may seem unearthly to city folk, but it’s inspiration at its finest to avid itinerants.

They learn history the fun way

Traveling is important not just for searching your soul, but also for a deeper understanding of human civilization and evolution. Take climate – the most prominent changing aspect during long travels. It can dictate the cuisine in a given place simply because certain things grow there while others don’t. Topography will determine whether you’ll be riding in a car or climbing hills with your hands and feet. The ancestry of a place heavily influences everything from music to wardrobe, and there’s only one way to fit in – try them out yourself. Digital nomads know things that not even your history teacher can’t tell you.

They make awesome beer buddies

A nomadic lifestyle is twice as rewarding when you’re still in touch with society – and return to it every once in a while. Everyone has that one friend who always has amazing stories to tell. We all want to be in their shoes, but few of us manage to summon the courage to fill a backpack with essentials and hit the open road. Their stories of adventure take the air out of the room. You know they’ll be in town just a couple more days before going back into the wild, so you relish every word that comes out of their mouth.

They get the best of both worlds

Modern travelers typically lug around a laptop to chronicle their trips, communicate with their loved ones, and to keep doing their jobs. It’s important to feel free. But unless you’re Tarzan, it’s also necessary give something back. A nomadic way of life may seem at odds with the concept of office work, but at least some people manage to pull it off.

A nomad that only wanders from place to place living off scraps might as well be called a bum. These guys aren’t that. They love nature as much as they love their work, and they live every moment as if it was their last. Globetrotters understand that life is literally but a moment in time, and that living should be measured through experiences, not possessions.