The Courage And Narcissism Of Digital Nomads
Every year, I split my days between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, enjoying time with friends and family in reasonably stable and familiar environments.
Recently, however, I’ve been immersing myself in nomad life in Southeast Asia, spending long periods in selected cities, using the ‘new mind’ that unfamiliar places give me to feed my creativity. And with that, I’ve found myself at the epicentre of the digital nomad scene, with my current location being the splendid beachside city of Da Nang, Vietnam.
To the Vietnamese, Da Nang is a big, bustling city. The digital nomads, on the other hand, may as well be living in a small village. The majority of them are packed into a small square in the district of My An, which provides access to cafes, co-working spaces and of course, the beach. Much like a village, if you stay an extended period here, you tend to come across the same people. Conversations often spark up in the flow, and you get to make friends rather easily.
Each person has a unique personality and story — why they came to Da Nang, how they spend their time, how they make money, their passions, their hobbies, their spiritual practice, their baggage. Yet over time, common patterns start to show, and a fascinating story about digital nomads emerges.
A Special Breed
I know many individuals who have lived in the same suburb or village for decades on end, see the same people each day, and have a routine that rarely changes year to year. In the hierarchy of needs, stability seems to be at the very top for them.
Nomads are a different breed. While the homebody craves stability, the nomad craves experience and novelty. Where they live, who they know and how they spend their time changes and evolves continuously. Home is not where their heart is, it’s where their laptop is. They have an itch which they can only scratch by travelling to the next exotic place, or, if they stay put for a longer period, by going to the next cool event. Meetups, bars, nightclubs, sports activities or road trips, there’s always something to do. And when it gets boring? Someone has probably already recommended the next place and captured the nomad’s imagination.
