Ask HN: Are you a Digital Nomad? If yes, what are the pros/cons?

Don't really consider myself a "nomad" in the sense that pre-pandemic, I would establish a home base in a country and then do frequent regional travel. Personally, I find staying in places a little bit longer to provide a richer experience as you're less of a "tourist". It's also less tiring.

The biggest pro of "nomading"/living abroad is the only one you need: you get to see and experience the world in a way that you will never be able to do if you stay in your home country.

The biggest con is that living/traveling abroad isn't always glamorous. You will encounter situations that are uncomfortable, frustrating and perhaps at times even a bit scary. Not all of these are external. Some are internal, like finding yourself questioning beliefs and values that you developed after years of being in your home country and culture.

The good news is that if you stick with it, these all become positive things. For me, it has allowed me to grow in ways I don't think I would have otherwise, and to realize that I'm capable of things that I assumed I wasn't.

I did the digital nomad thing for about a year back in 2016 before settling down in Taiwan (2017 - present) with my now-wife.

If you have any desire to travel the world (post-pandemic), I'd strongly suggest that you take the plunge and do it. It's eye-opening and totally changed the direction of my life -- as someone else mentioned there are long-held beliefs and values that you start to question after you see people living life differently.

The main thing that I was surprised about is that travel is _exhausting_, and this is doubly so if you are also tied to regular employment with semi-fixed hours. Finding decent accommodations, reliable internet, food, and a data plan with google translate starts to wear on you after awhile. I'd personally suggest doing the slower travel route of 3 - 6 months in a place and really getting to know an area.

I’m not, but I did try for a few months. I was tired of not knowing where things were or how to get to places. Some countries don’t allow American apps to work with the same functionality because they want to protect local corporations (Google Maps in Korea doesn’t work well). Locals aren’t always kind and will occasionally try to take advantage of you. I decided it wasn’t for me when a Thai taxi driver saw that I used a cane to walk and tried to charge me without turning the meter on.

Pros: fun, good food for cheap, family time, great memories

Cons: tiring, unproductive, a lot of places have really bad internet, can't/won't lug around a 4K monitor

It seems like a multitasking thing. Work AND travel. It pulls you in different directions. I look back at the photos and they're great and wish I could do it again, but I won't.

/r/digitalnomad

Pros:

- Cost arbitrage

- You can try different countries/locations if you like traveling and new experiences

- Being tourist and living at a place are two very different experiences. By being digital nomad, you get to experience the latter, somewhat.

- Meeting like minded people, if you are very social.

Cons:

- You might not have all the comforts you may be used to

- The time zone differences may impact your work schedule

- Language, resource availability may be a challenge.

- It can take a while to get used to a new place.

- Loneliness if you are not very social or have odd schedule