This topic has been on my mind for years now, ever since I first started this amazing journey of working online and traveling. Often times, I still find myself pinching myself, unable to believe this is really my life. However, I can’t lie and say that I put everything about digital nomad life on a pedestal like many of my peers. In fact, there are many aspects of digital nomad culture that I find annoying, and a few that straight up disturb me. I guess no good thing comes without it’s negative counterparts. Still, I want to take advantage of my relatively small audience now to say what I really think with little backlash (I hope? hah). Here are my thoughts on some major problems with digital nomad culture.
Problems With Digital Nomad Culture
1. They Exist in Their Own Limited Bubble
The biggest issue with digital nomad culture, is that some nomads don’t seem to take any interest in the place they are visiting, or the local community they choose as their home base. On the contrary, some spend their entire trip in air-conditioned co-working spaces, and only seek connections with “like-minded people”. In case it’s unclear, that loosely translates to “other digital nomads or people from western countries”.
This notion becomes extremely apparent in basically any digital nomad hub, such as Tulum or Canggu. In Bali, just stepping outside for 1 second, will have you surrounded by Australians, who literally came just to be surrounded by Australians. Everyone travels for different reasons. But something just doesn’t sit right with me with these supposed travelers, who travel only to be exposed to people from their home country. It becomes clear that for some nomads, it’s not about discovering a new place as much as it is experiencing the same place, just with tropical weather and cheaper beer.
2. No Interest in Local Culture
Another issue with digital nomad culture, is the complete lack of interest in the local culture, or worse, disrespecting it completely. There was a time when travel involved learning about a new way of living and trying to integrate into a new culture.
Now it seems this is but a minor annoyance, if at all a thought, on some digital nomad’s minds. I don’t get why someone would travel to Asia, just to sit in a co-working space with Arctic breeze level AC, eat acai bowls, and live the same lifestyle they do back home.
What’s even worse is that in some places, the local culture has been overrun completely by digital nomadism and its peripheral crowds. Ever visit Ubud and wondered why you never see a Balinese person in a yoga studio or doing a silent retreat? Because these are western concoctions that were brought here, and overtook the local culture. Sure, it brings money into the economy, but can we really justify that as an excuse for annihilating the local identity?
3. Entitlement
I don’t know why, but there seems to be a sense of entitlement and privilege among some digital nomads. I’ve always tried to maintain a humble outlook and understand that I am a guest in each country. Unfortunately, some digital nomads seem to forget how to do this.
I have been shocked and straight up outraged, to see the behavior of some of my peers around the world. I once witnessed a western woman throw a tantrum at a street food stall in Koh Phangan, because they didn’t have vegetarian alternatives for her pad thai. I’ve seen people from my own country belittle and berate locals in Vietnam because they refused to give them a discount, at a sit down restaurant.
I can’t understand this behavior. In The States, you would never ask for a discount in a restaurant, especially with prices clearly on the menu. Why would you do that overseas? Do you not view foreign people as people, and their business as legitimate??
When travel becomes your everyday life, it seems that some forget how to be a respectful visitor. These travelers likely feel safe to behave like this knowing there are little repercussions to their actions, beside pissing everyone off.
4. You Meet the Same People
A reason I don’t hang out with other digital nomads, is because you quickly feel like you meet the same person over and over. Influencers run rampant in Bali, and social media gurus are all taking over Chiang Mai. That is all fine, as however people earn an honest living is totally respectable. But I’m sure that an element of your trip is surely missing if you are meeting the same people over and over again.
I’d rather connect with locals, and learn more about the place I’m in, and how the people of that place live. Meeting other backpackers or people who don’t work and travel are also usually more meaningful. These connections are often genuine and are part of what I think makes travel so amazing. Generally, these relationships are much more fulfilling than hanging out with other people doing exactly what I do, or sitting through another conversation about social media algorithms and the next jungle party.
5. Shady Business
When I was based in Canggu, my host informed me of an ongoing issue from the digital nomad guests who visit his hometown. There are some digital nomads, namely the influencer type, who are not able to pay for their accommodation. This is a result of their “business” not turning a profit.
I can only imagine that these same influencers are selling themselves as online gurus, and selling e-courses on how to become rich working online. These types of digital nomads present an issue to the local community as well as their online audiences. They are selling a pipe dream, while failing to even pay for the goods and services they consume while abroad. This is textbook scam behavior, and unfortunately not unheard of in the digital nomad community.
There’s a good article by Ignacio of Micropreneur Life on this very topic, which you can read here.
6. Negative Impacts on the Community
While living the digital nomad life can be amazing for the individual experiencing it, it does come with certain negative impacts on everyone else. For example, digital nomad hubs are experiencing skyrocketing rent prices due to foreigners entering the rental market. This makes it harder for locals to afford rent in their own city, a problem present in Lisbon, Barcelona and countless other digital nomad hotspots.
We also present ourselves as negative impacts on society when we impose our westernized needs and ideals on the locals. You can’t travel and get angry when you realize *shock* that things are done differently abroad. No vegan options? No air conditioning? Different values and cultural rules? Yeah, that’s part of travel, buddy.
7. Negative Environmental Impact
Then there’s the environmental issues. We run our AC all day because we can’t acclimate to the tropical weather, take Uber everywhere because it’s cheap and we aren’t comfortable with the local transport, and take lots of low cost flights a year. I’m very aware that I am guilty of some of these things as well. However, I firmly believe as travelers, we should try to have a positive impact on the places we visit. We gain so much from travel, that it’s the least we can strive for.
Digital Nomad or Digital Asshole?
So, I am sure that this article might trigger some people. But you know how the saying goes: if the shoe fits.. well, you know.
But if you are a digital nomad, and resonate with any of these issues, you may be wondering what we can do to be better travelers. Don’t worry, I still believe most digital nomads are good people. I am sure most of us want to do good in this amazing world we travel through so passionately.
With that said, I think a few key practices could help stop us from becoming just another digital nomad douchebag.
How to Counter Problems with Digital Nomad Culture
Make Local Friends Instead
I can’t tell people how to travel or live, but there is something huge to be gained by expanding your horizons when you travel. You don’t really do this by hanging out with people exactly like you, or exclusively those from your home country.
Making an effort to connect with locals goes a long way to show you are actually interested in the local community. This makes us all seem less like assholes. Plus, the things you gain from it are priceless. You’ll make new international friends, actually learn about the country you’re in, and get a much richer travel experience.
Connect With the Local Culture
Digital nomads can gain a lot by trying to integrate into the local culture when they can. Believe it or not, Bali has so much to offer beyond yoga studios and vegan cafes. Take the local bus, eat street food and don’t complain, try to walk a day in a local’s shoes.
Again, you’ll leave with a much more authentic and rich travel experience, and locals will feel less like you just came to colonize their homes. I am sure some part of you is curious about the world and other cultures, right?
If you truly only travel to attend full moon parties, eat at hipster cafes, and sit by a pool, I don’t really know what to tell you. To each their own, I guess.
Reduce Environmental Impact When Possible
This one is tough, and I also need to hold myself to a higher standard on this. However, I think it’s important as climate issues are becoming a clearer threat to our planet. Digital nomadism is likely to only increase in the future, so taking steps now to think of sustainable ways to travel is necessary.
Actions we can take now are to travel slowly, avoid flying when possible, and take local forms of transport.
We can also try harder to acclimate to local life. This means using less AC, eating at local restaurants instead of hotels and chains, and avoid staying in resorts (which notoriously consume more energy and produce more waste).
Also, we should support sustainable tourism and eco-tourism alternatives when possible. These are small actions we can all integrate, that have little negative impact on our overall travel experience.
Avoid Digital Nomad Hubs
We all know the ones I am referring to: Canggu, Tulum, Chiang Mai, are among them. These destinations have been overrun, actually a better word would be trampled, by digital nomads.
These communities are bursting at the seams with co-working spaces and people sitting with their laptops all throughout the city.
Avoid these places, for a clearer conscience and better travel experience. Do you really want to experience the same thing you already see all over social media? Go somewhere different, literally anywhere, and I promise you’ll have a better experience.
Some of my favorite places for digital nomad life are Czech Republic, Egypt, Romania, and Turkey, to name a few. But don’t copy me, go wherever interests you. Just check the wifi situation and that there isn’t a civil war going on, and you’re good. You don’t need to follow the crowd.
Final Word
These are some of the ever-present problems in digital nomad culture, and I hope that I am not the only one who noticed these things. I am not perfect, and am guilty of some of these as well. But having some self awareness goes a long way. We were gifted with the amazing chance to see the world, so at the very least we should be responsible about it. If we can’t be a positive influence on the places we visit, at least we can avoid being a negative one.
What about you? What are some problems with digital nomad culture that piss you off? Let me know below!
Your Guide to Life as a Digital Nomad in Cape Town
That Time I Went to Asia and Came Back with a Boyfriend
South Korea for Digital Nomads
Worst Travel Moments: When Digital Nomad Life Goes Wrong
Having been a nomad for more than 3 decades I can relate to most of what you write here. I’m only semi digital nomad though, as I work mainly as a freelance tour leader. But I have many friends among digital nomads and often go to the places where they gather. What I always do when I get to a new place where I know I will be for a few weeks, or maybe even more, is to start reading the local newspaper every day. That puts me in touch with whatever happens in the place, so that I am less of an ignorant expat when it comes to local affairs. I also try to find some sport that I can do with the locals. Over the years I have been member of many local football clubs around the world. One or two evenings a week, playing football with the locals, gives you many nice evenings and many friendships.
Hey Claus, I love that! Reading up on current events before settling somewhere for a week or longer is a must. I agree it’s unwise to be completely ignorant or insensitive to the situation in a country. I guess I am just kind of old fashion with this stuff, but nowadays travel is more accessible than ever, even to a different type of crowd. To each their own I suppose, but I definitely think everyone could gain a lot by being more culturally immersive when they travel!
Also, that’s super cool that you have the sport to connect you with people all over the world! Everyone loves soccer, I wish I was able to do the same
Honestly, I love articles like this that highlight “the other side” of a lifestyle that is constantly portrayed as pure perfection. Number 5 kind of shocked me too!
Thank you for such a thoughtful article, especially since this lifestyle is often portrayed in such an idyllic light. I appreciate your inclusion of ways to address it and know from my own travel experiences that meeting local people and eating local food are often highlights of my trips. I agree that having some self awareness goes a long way!
I have definitely seen a lot of what you speak to above while backpacking around various parts of the world. Vang Vieng, Laos and Nha Trang, Vietnam immediately come to mind. It was disheartening to see, and I could also see the negative impact it was having on the locals and their environments. I am glad you wrote this to bring awareness to the issue, and hopefully more people will be mindful when traveling abroad.
This was honestly such a fascinating read. I feel like those of us who romanticize the digital nomad life don’t see this kind of side to that lifestyle so it’s super interesting to read. Thank you for sharing.
I remember seeing an article pop up not too long ago about “digital nomads” who beg on the streets of the countries they are visiting to support their travels. That too made me angry as it is negligent of the local vulnerable populations who might rely on community donations for their own livelihoods. Those digital nomads are harming the local communities and poor representations of their own countries.
I love this article so much! Everything you write about is so true. I’ve only been living the digital nomad lifestyle less than two years and have already encountered a bunch of these people.
I LOVE this article. So many of these countries and cultures are desperately dependent on tourism. Before my first trip to Indonesia, Bali, etc. I learned to speak a few key phrases. I visit many churches, temples and mosques. I usually have a light long sleeve shirt with e because i have tattoos on my arms and it can be somewhat offensive to some people/cultures. So I cover it up. since I am in their home, their country I never consider that they should adapt to me or my culture.
I’ve seen western young adults literally begging with signs on the streets for the locals, of a 3rd world economy, and just so angry that they weren’t getting more free money. I wish they’d make this parasitical behavior illegal.
I’m an old white man, but I speak fluent Spanish, and I’ve been yelled at and verbally harassed by Americans for speaking Spanish in south America ports, such as Cartagena. But then my private tour guide cost me a ton less than theirs did.
Great article thanks!
Thanks for reading! Yeah, the beg-packing crowd really does not sit right with me. You are asking for free handouts from countries that often statistically have lower income levels than yours. Travel doesn’t need to be expensive, but it should put something positive back into the society you visit (whether that be money or something else), not further take from it for selfish gains. It’s just sooo wrong.
I was living on Bali in 1995…, I have watched Laos Vang Vieng developing, take a look at Máncora in Peru, they destroy everything on their path.
Exactly like Attila’s invasions.
Oh how I wish I could have seen Bali back then. My host told me in his youth Canggu was all rice fields and so tranquil. Obviously a lot has changed, and I’m glad Indonesia has no shortage of other islands to explore.
Dumbest thing I’ve read all week. Do Better.
Will do! thanks
Well, someone sure felt triggered!
I appreciated this article a lot. I’m not really a digital nomad but I am a contractor, so pre-pandemic I would work a contract for 6-8 months and then take off for the remaining time. Sometimes I pick up freelance work while I’m traveling.
I’m lucky that I’ve been traveling all my life since childhood, and my parents instilled in me a good sense of social decorum whilst traveling abroad.
It never ceases to amaze me when I see expats in a local community waltz into an establishment and not even attempt to speak the local language. We all have smartphones now, it’s really not that hard to learn a few phrases.
Digital nomadism is beneficial mostly to the individuals who are living the lifestyle, but it has a systemic effect on the communities where it happens most. It’s not going to go anywhere, so it’s more important for policies and more ethical practices to be spread.
I’ve heard in some countries that there is a Digital Nomad tax that is starting. It’s a tax that needs to be paid every X number of months, and that money is meant to go back into the local economy and society.
I’ve considered if I ever go for this lifestyle in earnest, I want a portion of my income to go back into the local community. The income that many are able to make while living this lifestyle far outstrips many of the locals of the places we go. Consider donating a portion of it into a local non-profit if a tax policy doesn’t exist yet. If every Digital Nomad did this, imagine the impact it could make.
And frankly – if you can’t afford this lifestyle and think that begging on the streets in places with poverty, then you shouldn’t be living it. Nobody is entitled to anything – traveling is a privilege and we have to earn it.
Hi Ren,
Thanks for reading 🙂
It’s funny you bring it up, my friend was just visiting from Thailand and she once again highlighted how the begpacking community is a hugely negative factor on the locals. Although they are currently suffering from lack of tourism, the tourism industry is looking at ways to rebrand Thai tourism to bring in less backpackers and higher spending tourists. Now that’s just sad 🙁 It’s not all backpackers that are the problem but the badly behaved travelers are the ones always creating the reputation for all of us.
It will be interesting to see how travel reshapes after the pandemic. Definitely hoping we can move forward with more sustainable practices for both the environment and the local communities we visit!
“It becomes clear that for some nomads, it’s not about discovering a new place as much as it is experiencing the same place, just with tropical weather and cheaper beer.”
I see this sort of thing in American suburbs. Management in many corporations move around from suburb to suburb across the country and seek out familiar-looking houses, lawns, pastimes, and the ubiquitous chain restaurants. I have traveled for work and had hosts ask if I wanted to go to Applebee’s, Cheddar’s, Ruby Tuesday or TGIFriday’s. But what’s the difference when they all have essentially the same crappy, bland menu? Maybe one of them locally has better service.
I try to find local businesses wherever I go, but sometimes you get sucked in to the homogenized suburban culture. I am sure this applies internationally. (I will admit to having had a Subway sandwich in the airport leaving Bolivia because it was the only thing available that did not cost more bolivianos than I had left in my pocket.
Oh yes, I am guilty of having Mc Donalds every now and then when I travel. It’s normal, I guess as long as the overall intention is to experience (and taste) the local culture then a western guilty pleasure every now and then is fine. Never been a fan of the big chains though, I don’t even think I’ve had Applebees hah! Maybe I should try it when I go home next month??
First, a lovely read. You really know how to stir the imagination. Definitely when I travel I like to step out of the tourist route and meet locals, you make some incredible connections with some decent people. Actually I am really surprising you have examples about digital nomading in Ethiopia (or you were there for a short stay?). I didnt know there are digital nomads there and would like to hear more about your experience.
Hi Helina! Thanks for taking the time to read 🙂 The truth is it was an attempt to work and travel in Ethiopia that did not work out in the slightest. In Addis Ababa you really have one option for fast reliable wifi and thats at the Hilton hotel, which everyone (including guests) must pay $12 a day to use. The upside: it works well and is a fast enough connection for working. The downside: this is really the only place I’d feel safe recommending people to try and work from in Ethiopia. The infrastructure there is still developing, and although I had a SIM card with 3G data, it’s really not strong enough in most areas yet. I took many days off work completely to travel around the country and just not have to stress about fighting with the wifi. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Jacqueline, thanks for your insightful article. My favourite part was blending with the culture and adapting to it rather than expecting the city and people to do that for you. This is what pushes us to grow and expand our identities; curiosity, flexibility and adaptability. I would love to connect with you and get a broader perspective on what’s needed and want to become role model travellers. Please, pop an email and hover around my LinkedIn to see if you also feel like connecting! Thanks again for the article.
Genoveva de Sousa.
As a German who traveled a lot as tourist, backpacker and digital nomad everywhere, I completely think that such behaviorism is related to Californians and generally more cultureless and mindless people coming from cities like Sydney or London, Dubai or New York, who don’t have a real cultural identity themselves and have no real differences.
The worst of all are ethnic Chinese, either from Communist China or California, who don’t respect boundaries and have no connection to reality and nature.
However, I seem to be lucky, that most real digital nomads I know, are kind of really international and not go to places like “Instagram”-Tulum besides few hours, but to the cultural more conservative Playa, Mexico City or Acapulco, and also do more partying. Tulum is a place for fake backpackers, I even thought that many of both genders have mental Problems. You don’t find there adventurers, but mindless people who followed suit of real backpackers who often times build the infrastructure in the first place, when there was nothing. Some claim they are digital nomads, but aren’t but also abroad for some reason. And also consume more drugs. Also, these areas are now full with criminals and the mob. Places like Indonesia have Muslim and Terrorist gangs infiltrating and buying up hostels, Mexico has not only domestic drug cartels, but also South Americans go there to sell their stuff to mindless travelers, bringing in problems.
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