Maybe I’m getting old and grumpy. But every time I see an article about how digital nomads are trailblazers of a completely new lifestyle my eyes roll a bit.
I’ll give the writers a little credit for the fairly cool name they’ve given to the ‘trailblazers of a completely new lifestyle.’
Digital nomads is a cool name after all.
Digital Nomads? You mean mobile homeowners?
OK, OK, I’ll Bite….. What is a Digital Nomad Exactly?
Per Wikipedia, a digital nomad is a person that has a job that only requires a computer and a wifi connection. Therefore, they can do online work from home or travel anywhere they want as long as they have a good internet connection.
no·mad
ˈnōˌmad – A member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.
What is the appeal of being a digital nomad?
Being a digital nomad has several great advantages. Most of the articles I’ve read speak about the freedoms of the ‘new’ lifestyle. Less time in traffic or in team meetings is mentioned a lot. Getting to travel to new places is mentioned quite a bit too.
But I don’t think traffic, team meetings, or traveling is the most appealing aspect of being a digital nomad. I think the best thing about being a digital nomad is the need to simplify your entire life. Moving from place to place requires you to live with less stuff. The digital nomad lifestyle requires you to pack lightly. I
This is exactly what mobile homeowners’ been doing for almost a century!
But Digital Nomads are Nothing New
Americans have been living like ‘digital nomads’ for almost a century now (minus the digital part, of course).
Digital nomads aren’t living a new lifestyle but they are giving the ‘simplified lifestyle’ the attention it deserves.
Thousands of Americans moved their families into small campers set up in muddy overcrowded campgrounds so they could work in the factories that supplied and powered our WWII efforts. Without these patriots, we may not have won the war.
Related: How the Mobile Home Stigma Began
Our war heroes may not have had a computer but I guarantee you they had the tools and skills they needed to do the jobs they were hired to do, wherever they may have been.
Mobile home owners in the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s blazed a new way of life. They didn’t care what they were called or how they were portrayed on TV. They knew it was a great lifestyle with endless possibilities and it still is today.
While those digital nomad writers seem to forget about a big part of our American history they are spotlighting a worthy subject: simple living is GOOD living.
The materialistic lifestyle with McMansions filled with stuff has gone out of style. Smaller homes, whether mobile or not, and traveling to new places and experiencing new things are the new trend.
Of course, our homes are larger and less mobile now but they are far more affordable and that gives us time and money to travel to new countries. It’s certainly been the case for me. Since we were able to pay our 1978 single wide off in 18 months,
I was even able to take my daughter to Paris a few years ago to visit the Louvre. Seeing her eyes light up when she first gazed upon works by Michelangelo and DaVinci brought tears to my eyes. She has always loved art and is in her first year at Converse College and studying to be an art history teacher. This is why I love mobile home living so much! I could have never been able to take her to Paris if I had to pay a huge mortgage.
Applying for a US passport took a lot of time and work. I had to completely redo my first form because a single check mark was put in the wrong place. Thankfully,
As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living®!
