Are millennial digital nomads the new expats?

It’s not just relocating expat professionals who’re fuelling the exodus of talent from home countries across the world, it’s digital nomads who use their freedom to travel whilst running their businesses online.

Becoming a digital nomad and travelling the world whilst working and earning online is the new way to enjoy the freedom provided by the internet revolution. It’s now acceptable for millennials with great ideas to become citizens of nowhere in particular as they move where and when they want to across countries and continents, staying a few months in each place before moving on to experience a different culture. The beauty of this is that ideas and dreams of career success can be as easily realised anywhere on the planet as they can whilst chained to an office desk in the home country. It’s also far more fun!

As with more conventional guides and surveys related to working overseas, there are travel blog sites listing the best cities for digital nomads, with European destinations the most popular, followed by Asia and the USA. Bali scored high in the rankings for its low cost of living, reliable internet service and glorious weather, and expensive London was also a favourite for millennials earning more than most digital nomads dare dream about.

The northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai has been a favourite with digital nomads for some years. Its charm lies in its old city, but the rest of the urban area is comparatively modern, sprawling and crawling with new high-rise developments. It’s cheap to live, the internet service in town is acceptable and accommodation is easily found, although prices are now rising and many of the favourite short-stay hostels are closing down due to new regulations, but there’s still a good choice of shared work spaces.

Bangkok has its digital nomad devotees, but the city’s charm is being wrecked by the military government which seems intent on closing down everything that visitors adore, including the iconic street food scene. Lisbon and Barcelona are still recognised as go-to digital nomad locations, with Portugal just topping Spain for ambience and cost of living. Both have moderate climates with hot summers, and internet services are generally excellent. Paris, New York and Los Angeles offer everything necessary for upscale digital nomads, but are at the top of the list for sky-high prices across the board.