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‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

telegraph.co.uk

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Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#61

Post by adelie »

briga wrote: post #7

Are remote workers who don’t choose a digital nomad lifestyle somehow immune from being tired, lonely and hated by locals? As far as I can tell all of these issues are just as real for the average tech worker working in a big hub. The difference is being a digital nomad offers way more flexibility on how you live your life and the variety of culture you get to experience.

doesn't 'nomad' imply you're moving from place to place? remote workers can settle down and integrate into an area, but the digital nomads i know usually only stay as long as their tourist visa lasts - which isn't long at all.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#62

Post by rr808 »

One of the problems of digital nomads that come to my town is that they're introverted quiet people that would rather be on HN or reddit than be part of the community. Actually they'll never be part of the community as by definition they'll be off in a few months.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#63

Post by nborwankar »

balls187 wrote: post #43
witchesindublin wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You touch on a major reason where a lot of American digital nomads fail, and that is that it takes A LOT to integrate into a foreign culture. Europeans tend to have a lot more contact with diverse cultures and are more likely to understand that they will suffer from not being about the integrate fully into a foreign culture, but I think that Americans assume that they will be fine wherever they go. Asia in particular…

You're painting with very broad strokes. I would say perhaps Europeans as a whole have much more experience living in a foreign country than Americans do. But as an American with significant travel experience globally, I have yet to visit a country that is as culturally diverse as America.

Just guessing but you have probably not traveled all over India where each state has a different cuisine and culture and language.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#64

Post by witchesindublin »

harlanji wrote: post #59
balls187 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're painting with very broad strokes. I would say perhaps Europeans as a whole have much more experience living in a foreign country than Americans do. But as an American with significant travel experience globally, I have yet to visit a country that is as culturally diverse as America.

You're right. 'America' as people talk about it often means coastal US metros... definitely nothing to do with 'flyover' areas smaller than Chicago. I'm surprised by pockets of the city I grew up in when I walk a few blocks off the roads I've driven 100s of times. Latin/Somali/Vietnamese/you-name-it neighborhoods I had no idea existed. Sqaure-mile or two neighborhoods within a 1-200sqmi metro, not too surprising.

But you have these types of places everywhere, all over Europe and much of Asia. You forget that much of Southern Europe and Asia has had immigration for millennia and ethnic groups from all over the world have been living beside each other for thousands of years.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#65

Post by balls187 »

nborwankar wrote: post #63
balls187 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're painting with very broad strokes. I would say perhaps Europeans as a whole have much more experience living in a foreign country than Americans do. But as an American with significant travel experience globally, I have yet to visit a country that is as culturally diverse as America.

Just guessing but you have probably not traveled all over India where each state has a different cuisine and culture and language.

Well I am Indian, and during my time in India, I did not find it nearly as culturally diverse as the US.

I'm not speaking about regional differences, those exist in pretty much every country.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#66

Post by witchesindublin »

bigbillheck wrote: post #52
witchesindublin wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

South East Asia has been against long term tourists for many years now. They want all the "families" and richer tourists who stay for a few days in expensive hotels that hire lots of local workers.

My dad retired to Thailand 20 years ago and until he got too sick to take care of himself had no problems with any of it. (And after he got sick and before he passed, the home we managed to get him placed in helped him get a 'humanitarian exemption' to being deported for visa crimes).

They aren't going to kick out elderly tourists who have been there for years, but it is a new move to encourage wealthier tourists that contribute more to jobs and the wider economy. South East Asia also know that they can't maintain the low cost lifestyle on one hand and help their people become richer on the other hand.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#67

Post by thatfrenchguy »

manuelabeledo wrote: post #45
witchesindublin wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are problems with tensions between locals and digital nomads in several places, especially Portugal, but also in a lot of major cities where they are having a similar effect to Airbnb. A big issue is the strength of the US dollar simply makes it impossible for anyone else to compete and attracts so many Americans.

> There are problems with tensions between locals and digital nomads in several places, especially Portugal I have never heard of this before, and I have a few portuguese friends. Also, in the context of Lisbon, I doubt that 16,000 salaried workers [0] could influence the market to that extent in a city of 500,000 people, especially given that digital nomads make, on average, $120,000 [1]. It seems to me that digital…

> Also, in the context of Lisbon, I doubt that 16,000 salaried workers [0] could influence the market to that extent in a city of 500,000 people, especially given that digital nomads make, on average, $120,000 [1].

16000 out of 500000 people will definitely move the needle quite a bit in housing, given the small % of people who move every year

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#68

Post by witchesindublin »

balls187 wrote: post #65
nborwankar wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just guessing but you have probably not traveled all over India where each state has a different cuisine and culture and language.

Well I am Indian, and during my time in India, I did not find it nearly as culturally diverse as the US. I'm not speaking about regional differences, those exist in pretty much every country.

Indians are fairly culturally diverse if you only compare the major cities. You have much more ethnic differences in India than US as well. Immigration from the more "Middle Eastern" North-West India and the more "East Asian" North-East India is also widespread.

And it is also important to point out that regional differences are much more stark in India than in the US. Most Americans have only ever met ethnic minorities who have assimilated into being Americans. That would not be considered an ethnic difference in many racial philosophies.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#69

Post by witchesindublin »

balls187 wrote: post #55
witchesindublin wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This never makes any sense to me. Have you been to any country in Southern Europe? Parts of those are akin to the Mexican border with nationalities from all over the world - for example Portugal has a half-Indian prime minister and most of its immigrants are from Latin America, Middle East and Africa, with a number from China via Macau.

What do you consider southern europe, as a red-blooded American, I suck at Geography. But, I have been to Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. And it was all full off Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, and Turks, respectively. Colonialism does mean many european countries do count among their ranks people who aren't "native" to europe, but America is a land of immigrants. Full stop.

Southern Europe has much more visible minorities than most of the US, especially the smaller and medium sized towns. Not sure where you have been. Most Indians I have met usually have negative views about racism and diversity in the US.

Re: ‘Tired’, ‘lonely’ and hated by locals: the reality for the digital nomad

#70

Post by witchesindublin »

manuelabeledo wrote: post #45
witchesindublin wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are problems with tensions between locals and digital nomads in several places, especially Portugal, but also in a lot of major cities where they are having a similar effect to Airbnb. A big issue is the strength of the US dollar simply makes it impossible for anyone else to compete and attracts so many Americans.

> There are problems with tensions between locals and digital nomads in several places, especially Portugal I have never heard of this before, and I have a few portuguese friends. Also, in the context of Lisbon, I doubt that 16,000 salaried workers [0] could influence the market to that extent in a city of 500,000 people, especially given that digital nomads make, on average, $120,000 [1]. It seems to me that digital…

16,000 digital nomads that need individual housing, in a culture where multiple generations of families live together.
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