Goodbye, office cubicle. Hello, world!

Top Stories

Goodbye, office cubicle. Hello, world!

The 'location independent' lifestyle is seeing people opt for a more unconventional way of life - no permanent city of residence, no nine-to-five. So, what do you need to consider before taking the leap?

by

Karen Ann Monsy

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Thu 7 Dec 2017, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Fri 8 Dec 2017, 1:00 AM

With no ties to any given location (in terms of homes, jobs etc), the location independent lifestyle means that you have the freedom to earn your living from anywhere in the world, be it a beach in Sri Lanka or a café in Australia. Followers have been called everything from digital nomads to 'nextpats' (next generation expats), and it's a way of life that has been rapidly currying favour with folks desperate to ditch their nine-to-five 'slog routines' and call their own shots. After all, who wouldn't want to buy one-way tickets to destinations around the world and live a life full of adventure, free of cubicles, micromanagement, and rush hours? The appeal is obvious, but is it sustainable in the long run?
Leah Davis, who runs The Sweetest Way blog about location independent living, knew  back in 2013 that she wanted to pursue a more nomadic lifestyle. She'd just finished a stint in Southeast Asia working as an English teacher and "wasn't ready to go back to the real world". It was while backpacking through South America that she was introduced to the idea of working from anywhere - a dream she resolved to make her reality, because she wanted to see the world on her own terms, "not based on a small number of allotted vacation days".
Since then, she has lived in Thailand, Colombia and Sweden, staying in each place for several months at a time, before moving on. During this time, Leah worked as a freelance writer and social media consultant, specialising in Pinterest marketing and managing the accounts of several travel brands until her blog began earning a significant amount each month. Although she never really had a 'typical' day, she'd normally focus on client work in the morning, before taking a break to go out and explore the city she was in, and then working on her blog later in the day. She was her own boss, and at least one full day a week was set aside for doing something fun ("after all, experiencing the destinations I was in was the whole point of living nomadically!").
For software developer and architect Jason Lengstorf, who has lived in more than 15 countries since 2014, going location independent meant taking a one-way flight from Portland to Milan with just two suitcases and the clothes on his back. It was surreal, but also hugely rewarding in that it made him, in his own words, less of a jerk. "I didn't realise how small my bubble was - after all, I was living in the city, reading lots of books, listening to NPR - until I saw more of the world and realised how many assumptions I'd been making," he reflects. "I'm much more empathetic as a result of the travel I've done."

THE NOMAD LIFE: Leah Davis (left) and Jason Lengstorf
Do you fit the demographic?
A lifetime of being footloose sounds great, but assuming one doesn't come from a background of privilege, there will be bills to pay. Going freelance is one of three ways that Jason notes location independent people typically sustain their lifestyle (other options are to build a passive income stream, or have a remote working arrangement with your boss). Of course, much of this is only possible because of that magic giant called the Internet - it's why a strong Wi-Fi connection is one of the first things the location independent factor in when contemplating a new address. But while it's true that practically anyone with Internet access can achieve this lifestyle, it's equally true that location independent living is not for everyone. For one, you have to be able to take charge of, and drive, your own productivity. Jason's own work ethic was simple: "I had a daily list of things to accomplish; I did them; and then I closed my laptop and went out to enjoy the place I was in."
Not everyone can claim such self-motivated accountability though. "If you're someone who values consistency and needs oversight from a superior to be productive, then you may be best suited to an office environment," notes Leah. "But if you are self-motivated and value autonomy in your work (like me), then you may be perfect for a remote work environment."

The challenge is real
As with every new or unconventional idea, location independence too has its share of misconceptions. Take, for instance, the perception that it's akin to being on holiday all the time (in fact, some advocates even plug it as such). Leah, who estimates she puts in 40-hour weeks at the minimum, asserts that idea is extremely misguided, but can see why those who are not a part of it themselves might make that assumption. "We've been trained by social media to only show our 'highlight reels', so others are rarely aware of the struggle that goes on behind the scenes." Personally, she says she has poured "blood, sweat, and tears" into her blog and freelance ventures over the last four years - and it has been anything but a vacation. However, she muses, it could also be because most location independent people enjoy the challenge, whereas "people on the outside think of it as a fancy-free lifestyle with little work and lots of play".
You'll find the 'follow your heart' refrain everywhere while considering location independence, but the lifestyle also comes with certain realities that most who've been down this route will advise you to consider before making the leap - like the lack of a real community. When your lifestyle is so transient, it's difficult to put down any real roots: you're far away from home, and unable to nurture existing relationships. Meeting new people is great, but not all of them end up staying in your life - and when the going gets tough, somehow, the new acquaintances are not the ones you need.
It was partly this need for community that drove Jason to move with his partner Marisa to Austin, Texas, earlier this year and swap the 'permanently travelling' lifestyle for a more hybrid kind. "In a perfect world, I think we'd spend four months or so in several different places around the globe, and rotate semi-regularly," says the 32-year-old. "That way we'd have the ability to grow communities, but we'd still have the freedom to go wherever we wanted. This is trickier than our previous style of travel; it will probably require longer-term visas and potentially longer-term leases, so we're not sure what that looks like or how it'll work, but that's the current target."
The other great lifestyle challenge is dealing with the stress of uncertainty. "If you choose an entrepreneurial route, you are likely going to experience periods of considerable precariousness," says Leah. "You may not know when your next paycheck is coming in, or how to overcome knowledge deficits when you're the one responsible for every single aspect of your business from copywriting to social media and beyond. It's this uncertainty that sends many people back to the security of a steady job. So, people considering this path must not only be aware of the oscillatory nature of this path, but be able to weather it long-term."
Whether it's community or financial stability, location independence comes with its sacrifices - and those unwilling to compromise either are discovering middle ground. "I don't personally believe that a nomadic lifestyle can be maintained forever, but I do believe location independence can be," says Leah. "I don't travel full-time anymore, but I still have the freedom to do so. So, if I want to spend a month living and working in Costa Rica, I can. It's about being able to do it on my own terms." Word to the wise? Have a financial safety net first. It's not a lifestyle for everyone - but it can be hugely rewarding for a time.
karen@khaleejtimes.com


More news from