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Two in five Aussies open to digital nomad lifestyle

More than 15 years ago, long before the pandemic sparked a boom in remote work, software producer Nathan Hague realised he didn’t have to be tied to an office – or even a country.

Since then, he has lost count of the number of countries where he has travelled and worked as a digital nomad.

Nathan Hague calls no single country home. Photo: Nathan Hague

“All of my business is conducted online; the customers find me online, and my staff and the people I work with are online,” Hague said.

As a dual Australian and British citizen and owner of a Thai kombucha company, Hague mainly travels between Australia, Thailand and the UK.

At the time of speaking with The New Daily, he was working in Sydney with plans to travel to Thailand, Britain and Italy in coming months.

Hague said he preferred to work as a digital nomad in south-east Asia due to the cultures, food, quality of life, and the strength of the foreign dollar compared to local currencies.

Aussies chasing adventure and a payslip

Hague is far from the only Australian combining travel with work.

A YouGov survey found almost one in three Australians had previously worked as a digital nomad.

Of those who had never done so, 41 per cent indicated they would consider it.

YouGov defined a digital nomad as someone who travels freely for an extended period of at least one week while working remotely using technology and the internet.

Workers in the IT and computer fields, such as coding or web design, were the most likely Australians to say they had worked as digital nomads, YouGov revealed.

The next most common fields were creative roles, such as script writing and filmmaking, followed by financial services.

Vlogging and social media influencing were roles only held by 11 per cent of digital nomads.

Recent years have seen an uptick in both digital nomads and official recognition from international governments, with more than 40 countries now offering digital nomad visas.

Top destinations and how to choose one

New Zealand is the destination of choice for half of current Australian digital nomads and those contemplating becoming one, closely followed by Japan, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea.

When it comes to picking a country to work in, Hague said it as crucial to consider whether the destination’s time zone would match their typical deadline and meeting times – something he said was the biggest pain-point of the lifestyle.

“Let’s say, for example, that you are thinking of being a digital nomad, but you’re working for just a single company, or maybe you’re freelancing for a couple of large companies,” Hague said.

“That’s fine, but they [might] require you to be online at the same time zone as them.

“Obviously, if you’re 10 hours ahead, and you’re talking until two o’clock in the morning, that might not be ideal for you.”

He said digital nomads should also research the tax implications of working overseas, and whether their visa will allow them to work; the latter is starting to get easier to manage thanks to the rising number of countries offering specific digital nomad visas.

As a remote worker, internet availability and quality would also be important – and in some locations, it may be better than you’d think.

“I went down to southern Thailand … literally in a jungle off the beaten track, staying in this house on stilts … I’m like, ‘Am I going to have internet when I get there?’,” Hague said.

“And turns out … I’ve got 5G in the middle of a jungle.

“It was actually better speed than it was … in downtown Sydney.”

Balancing work and play

Of the people surveyed by YouGov who had been a digital nomad, 95 per cent claimed there were notable benefits to the lifestyle.

These included the ability to work flexibly and the benefits of travelling without taking time off work.

But the life of a digital nomad is not all beach days with the occasional Zoom call.

Almost 40 per cent found it was difficult to be away from friends and family for an extended period, and 34 per cent found organising travel logistics like accommodation and visas challenging.

@sasha.finch A day in my life as a digital nomad ☺️ #digitalnomadlife #workingabroad #expatsinthenetherlands #travelnonstop ♬ original sound – Sasha Finch

Although some digital nomads may try to turn the experience into more of a holiday, others are simply working full-time jobs remotely, exploring at night or on weekends as they would at home.

Hague said he spent 60 per cent of his time working and 40 per cent exploring and immersing himself in local cultures.

TikToker @bigsis.ate, who is based in Seoul, also emphasised the importance of the work aspect of the digital nomad lifestyle in a video posted to the platform.

“People will keep asking me, ‘Oh, what have you visited? What is it like? What’s your favourite attraction?'” she said.

“And I cannot keep having the same conversation, that I am just someone who works eight hours a day from a different country.

“I do not have the time to get everything done like tourists do in a week.”

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