There’s been a debate between the digital nomad lifestyle and the location independent lifestyle.
For the past several years, the term “digital nomad” are used by freelancers more often. It feels like these freelancers are proud of themselves when someone calls them like that. It’s much more cooler than calling ourselves as location independents.
If we think that digital nomads and location independents are pretty much the same thing, think again. There’s a girl named Leah from The Sweetest Way blog explaining that she quits digital nomadism to become a location independent, and why they’re not the same thing.
At the end of the day, it’s all about how you survive as a digital nomad or a location independent. No matter which one you’re going to choose, make sure you’re serious and passionate in pursuing any of these paths.
One of the downsides of both freelance professions is sustainability. There are digital nomads or location independents who are having plans to sell Macbook, Windows laptops and other gadgets just to survive because of limited resources. As a result, some of them would have to find a full-time job on top of their nomadic lifestyle. Others would find ways by looking for multiple gigs to sustain themselves.
Anyways, what’s the difference between the digital nomads and location independents?

Digital nomads
When it comes to digital nomads, I could say that they’re called as “traveling sales guys or gals”. They treated anywhere as their “office hubs” like coffee shops, vacation hotspots, or even riding in a cruise just to finish your deadlines or stuff. Digital nomads never stayed in their respective homes to work with their laptops. They would love to go anywhere they want to work with their own tasks.
I have seen some digital nomads who utilize social media to build their brand, and they were successful in it. Social media sites like Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and others are the ones that they’re utilizing to build themselves. However, there’s a downside when it comes to digital nomadism. If a type of work requires a stable and fast internet connection, you should look for a place where they can give you Wi-Fi access. It would be useless for you to work offline if it requires connection.
Just like the future of virtual assistants, the digital nomads have a future of the unknown. You know why? There’s no such thing that you are paid full-time as a digital nomad. This is a profession where you can do it on your own “free will”, which also depends on the terms of your client.
Location independents
As for this kind of profession, it focuses more on being home-based in a different location than running and finding coffee shops to turn on your laptop and work. There are some digital nomads who are making the switch to location independents due to its sustainability.
The real difference of this profession is that you get to work at home instead of on the road. Working at home (especially if you have children or dogs) is much more fantastic. Not only you can work at your own pace (for parents and dog owners), but you have plenty of time to spend a lot of time with them.
Living the location independent lifestyle is something that most freelancers are looking forward to become sustainable in the long run. Of course, working on the road is cool, but it can’t give you a life. Just like digital nomads, location independents should fine-tune their skills and test the waters before they could finally sustain themselves. However, the decision to become location independent is tough when your gigs are not stable to cover your expenses. Make sure that you keep your options open when it comes to promising opportunities that could give you a better life as a location independent.
Which is which?
To be honest, becoming a digital nomad or a location independent is entirely up to you. Both of them are great in terms of working at your own pace. Not only that, you don’t need to have a boss yelling or screaming at you. They’re quite better than sitting in a cubicle for eight hours a day. The best thing for you to determine which one is the best by just testing the waters for both of them. You’ll just find out if digital nomadism or location independence fits you most.
About the author
Jeff Caceres is a digital nomad and location independent for almost 10 years. He is passionate to travel around the world and work at the same time. He’s also passionate in getting updated to the latest technology news and updates around the world.
Thanks for sharing this useful information.
Just like the future of virtual assistants, the digital nomads have a future of the unknown
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