The Modern Nomad
I had this idea of the modern nomad in one of my last trips when talking to other travellers. Interesting to see how it is easy to travel and live abroad nowadays and some people keep this lifestyle for years. I think that we humans have this need for mobility and when the conditions are favourable, moving to different a place is just a matter of when.
Of course, all this mobility wouldn’t be possible without the access to information.
Information moves the world, as I’ve heard in an old saying. The vast and fast expanding internet network, with millions of sources interacting constantly, provides the perfect environment for a curious mind to find or at least look for options for fulfilling their dreams. Powerful search engines and a more and more connected and competitive business world make companies offer a wide range of options of destinations for all types of budgets
Finding a place to live is also quite easy, compared to how it was in the past. The conventional method of renting a place or booking a hotel room is giving space to innovative options, such as AirBnB, couchsurfing and work and live experiences. As long as the person is open to trying new options, living can be even cheaper than living in his original birth place.
Some questions come to my mind when I think about this subject: why do people move? Is it a new trend? How is it going to be in the future? One of the first answers that I think of is that people are more and more aware of themselves and they are eagerly trying to find the meaning of life, the main purpose of being alive. Sometimes they find it in their birthplace, but it’s quite common nowadays that they go out there, to explore the world to find this answer.
Another possibility is the mobility for studying, which I call the nomadic student. It’s generally temporary, but it’s becoming popular to study and work abroad, especially among young people. A period studying abroad opens a world of possibilities, besides improving considerably the professional profile.
It could also be the search for new experiences, meeting new and interesting people with different backgrounds, and of course discovering new places. This is likely to be one of the most relevant drivers for making people travel or move to different places. It depends on personal preferences, but also on the influence of friends, media and the internet.
The mobility can also be guided by the professional career. Many people nowadays move to other locations looking for better working positions, salary and/or professional fulfillment. The modern worker doesn’t always stay at the same company for the entire life as it was in the past. Most of my friends changed jobs or even field of work before completing 5 years at the same company. I am one of these examples. I moved from the railroad world to the steel industry and to the mining business, until the big change to the renewable energy sector in 2015.
When away, one relevant aspect is to keep the important relationships from the past still alive. It’s definitely much easier than 30 years ago for example. At that time, the internet was in its infancy and hadn’t reached the availability, speed and reliability of today. A phone, video call or text message now is just a tap on the phone screen away. What is important for keeping these bonds close is sharing experiences that contribute to their own lives. Relationships have to be nurtured or they will dry out.
Keep in mind that life is a sequence of events based on our or someone else choice and a nomadic life may be temporary, as long as what it’s being looked for is found. It can be the love of life, the most idyllic place to live, the job of the dreams, or the perfect lifestyle that we didn’t know how to explain, but when experienced, it’s clearly recognized as the destination.
The modern nomad is constantly evaluating, correcting and making new choices along his life path.
