Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur digitala nomader utövar sitt yrke som grafiska designers, varför de valde att bli digitala nomader samt vilka fördelar och nackdelar som finns. Totalt intervjuades 10 före detta och nuvarande digitala nomader via email och svaren sammanställdes och analyserades för att finna teman och sammanhang. Resultatet visar att deltagarna valde en digital nomadisk livsstil främst på grund av den frihet det innebär. De är även helt beroende av internet, då det är den grundläggande teknologin som möjliggör distansarbete. Att vara digital nomad verkar inte ha en negativ inverkan på den grafiska designprocessen och alla verktyg som behövs anser de finns tillgängliga digitalt. Den del av det traditionella designyrket på en byrå som deltagarna i studien saknade mest var kreativa diskussioner med kollegor.

Background: Globalization and remote work following COVID-19 have boosted the tourism profiles of lifestyle travelers. Especially digital nomads, individuals that work remotely while traveling. These arising tourists contrast with the mass tourism industry, in the sense that digital nomads stay longer and may engage with local culture. However, digital nomads have shown mass tourism behaviors, causing negative effects on destinations. Purpose: Digital nomadism has an impact on destinations, either positive or negative. In the case of negative effects, alienation and gentrification often occur within the destination. The literature neglects to elaborate on the negative effects of digital nomadism and, most importantly, ignores to provide solutions to mitigate them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify practices that build bridges between digital nomads and destinations and mitigate alienation and gentrification. Finally, it is expected to help all stakeholders involved to make the movement more sustainable. Method: To gather insights on practices in destinations, we follow the qualitative approach of ethnography, which allows us as researchers to immerse ourselves in the destinations and deeply understand stakeholders' practices and strengthen our findings with our own experiences. In the form of a multiple case study, we decided to travel to different destinations in Malaysia and Colombia to collect insights on the ground. There, we followed a triangulation of evidence and collected data by experiencing ourselves as digital nomads, conducting interviews, and recording vlogs. iConclusion: To mitigate the negative effects of digital nomads, bundled practices can be undertaken. Regularly those practices are based on interaction among stakeholders, where locals, related businesses, and digital nomads collaborate, network, exchange knowledge and help digital nomads to integrate. Activities based on action are mainly undertaken for onboarding support, especially from the business side that provides services for digital nomads to adapt. Comparing Colombia and Malaysia, we found that these bundled practices help digital nomads and destinations to connect, mitigating gentrification and alienation.

Working from a distance rather than at the office is getting easier with the rise of current digital technologies, making digital nomadism an alternative to local entrepreneurship. This study investigates 5 digital nomads in their current carrier as geographically unbound entrepreneurs with a qualitative interview method and analyses how they are using digital communications to their advantages, what downsides they might experience and the upsides of working this way which resulted in a framework. This study shows a lifestyle that opens up for an efficient workstyle with a potentially high life quality through use of outsourcing, digital communications and geographical freedom. The study also shows a paradox of using the internet to be free from traditional bounds by relying the business model on it and can be the only thing that binds the digital nomad.

Digitalisering möjliggör flexibelt och platsoberoende arbete, vilket utnyttjas av digitala nomader som arbetar samtidigt som de reser. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att beskriva hur det är att arbeta och leva som svensk digital nomad, vad som motiverar dem i arbetet och till att bli samt fortsätta vara digitala nomader. Sju personer intervjuades och materialet analyserades med kvalitativ tematisk metod. I resultatet framkom frihet, självbestämmande och värdedrivet beslutsfattande som centralt i respondenternas arbete, vardag och motivation. De upplevde utmaningar som att underhålla vänskapsrelationer, struktur och disciplin i arbetet samt att hitta stabila inkomstkällor. Möjliga tolkningar av resultatet är att digitala nomader har en arbetssituation och livsstil med övervägande goda förutsättningar att tillfredsställa grundläggande psykologiska behov, framförallt behoven av autonomi och kompetens, vilket kan främja inre motivation. Sett ur ett karriärperspektiv skulle digitala nomader kunna tolkas ha en proteansk karriärorientering och kompetenser som är relevanta på den samtida och framtida arbetsmarknaden.

Due to the pandemic, along with the growth of current technology, working remotely is becoming more feasible. As a result digital nomadism has become a viable alternative as a career. The emerging literature on digital nomadism focuses mainly on lifestyle descriptions, with less attention given to potentially understand digital nomads and their needs (Wang et al. 2018). In this research the author will apply uses and gratification theory to describe the gratifications that motivates digital nomads and their means of communication combined with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to determine if the needs of digital nomads have changed during the course of the pandemic. The aim of this thesis is to provide terminological and philosophical insights on the idea of digital nomads and their future.   Since the start of the pandemic the discussions whether remote work is the future has been fluctuating to say the least. Big companies have introduced a “work from anywhere” model meaning that their employees will have the possibility to choose if they want to be remote after the pandemic (CNBC, 2021). Prior to this, digital nomads were already fully remote. This could be the ideal time and subject to study to gain further understanding if the digital nomad phenomenon has changed. Moreover, if there has been an increase or decrease in interest regarding a remote future while aiming to understand the future remote workforce.

The phenomenon of Digital Nomads (DN) is quickly becoming a rising trend within the knowledge workforce. Their idea is to work remotely and travel the world at the same time. In this thesis 8 semi-structured interviews with DNs were performed to answer the following research questions: (1) What kind of challenges do Digital Nomads face and how do they overcome them? (2) What can we learn from digital nomadism in relation to the future of work? Half of the participants were self-employed DN and the other half were employed by a company. Challenges they faced were divided into three perspectives: individual, work-related and global challenges. Their definition of a ‘true’ DN, their attitudes towards corporate work and experienced challenges are presented in the findings. By analyzing the findings, DN in relation to the future of work is discussed as well as challenges DN and corporates face together and suggestions on how to create a better collaboration between the two is presented.

Le nomadisme numérique, le style de vie emprunté par les célèbres nomades numériques, est souvent présenté dans les médias sociaux et classiques comme idéal, glamour et accessible à tous. Ce mémoire nuance ce portrait en se basant sur une série d’entretiens avec des nomades numériques expérimentés ; le nomadisme numérique, ainsi que le sédentarisme actuel, comporte des avantages et des inconvénients pour l’individu qui l’emprunte. Ces avantages et inconvénients dépendent de la façon dont l’individu pratique le nomadisme numérique : les destinations fréquentées, le type de logement utilisé, la fréquence des voyages, la situation conjugale de l’individu et son sexe dans une certaine mesure. De même, la pratique du nomadisme numérique est permise par certains facteurs et n’est pas accessible à tous : célibat, salaire dans une monnaie avantageuse, une ou plusieurs activités professionnelles appropriées, une personnalité « aventureuse » Le manque de responsabilités familiales et d’économies avant le départ sont des caractéristiques que tous les participants avaient avant de devenir nomades. Ces mêmes facteurs signifient que le nomadisme numérique n’est pas durable à très long terme ; aucun des participants interrogés, à l’exception d’un, ne s’est considéré comme nomade pour le reste de sa vie. La plupart d’entre eux se considèrent comme un nomade numérique saisonnier et ont un « chez-soi » dans leur pays d’origine ou ailleurs, parfois donné des désirs personnels, comme fonder une famille, considérée comme incompatible avec le nomadisme numérique par certains. / Digital nomadism, the lifestyle borrowed by the famous digital nomads, is often presented in social and classic media as ideal, glamorous and accessible to all. This study, based on a series of interviews with experienced digital nomads, nuances this portrait; digital nomadism, like current sedentarism, involves advantages and disadvantages. These depend on how he or she practices digital nomadism: the destinations frequented, the type of housing used, the frequency of travel, the marital situation of the individual and his gender to some extent. Similarly, the practice of digital nomadism is permitted by certain factors and is not accessible to all: being single, receiving a salary in an advantageous currency, one or more appropriate professional activities, an “adventurous” personality, flexibility, lack of financial obligations, lack of family responsibilities and savings before departure are characteristics that all participants had before they became nomads. These same factors mean that digital nomadism is not sustainable in the very long term; none of the participants interviewed, apart from one, saw themselves as nomadic for the rest of their lives. Most consider themselves to be seasonal digital nomads and to have a home base in their home country or elsewhere; sometimes given personal desires, such as starting a family, are seen as incompatible with digital nomadism by some.

The digital age has unleashed limitless opportunities and transformed how we work, play and live. As a result, more people embrace the digital nomad lifestyle to fulfill both personal and professional goals. This research assesses the advantages and disadvantages that are associated with this lifestyle. In addition, I examine the digital nomad characteristics in Bali and how the digital nomad community in Bali supports professional development. Data were collected during a two-month field study in Bali, which is one of the world’s most popular digital nomad hubs. The findings suggest that digital nomads are predominantly millennials from advanced economies who have different academic backgrounds. Freedom is the primary advantage, while overall job satisfaction and productivity dramatically differ. Overall, members of Bali’s digital nomad community feel supported in their professional development. “Spend your days on a nine to five You waste your time on a central line What do you love? Work two jobs tryin' stay alive You spend your money on a Friday night Tell me, what do you love?” – Jacob Banks / Digitaliseringen har skapat oändligt många möjligheter och förändrat hur vi arbetar, umgås och lever i dagens samhälle. Det har resulterat i att allt fler provar på en livsstil som digital nomad för att uppnå både personliga och professionella mål. Den här uppsatsen analyserar fördelar och nackdelar som är förknippade med en livsstil som digital nomad. Dessutom undersöker jag vad som karaktäriserar digitala nomader på Bali och hur gemenskapen bland digitala nomader på Bali kan gynna professionell utveckling. Insamling av data skedde under en två månaders fältstudie på Bali, vilket är en av världens mest populära digital nomad hubbar. Resultatet visar att digitala nomader är främst millenials från i-länder med olika akademisk bakgrund. Frihet är den främsta fördelen, medan generell arbetstillfredsställelse och produktivitet varierar dramatiskt. Medlemmar av Balis digitala nomadgemenskap känner att de utvecklas professionellt. “Spend your days on a nine to five You waste your time on a central line What do you love? Work two jobs tryin' stay alive You spend your money on a Friday night Tell me, what do you love?” – Jacob Banks

The digital age has unleashed limitless opportunities and transformed how we work, play and live. As a result, more people embrace the digital nomad lifestyle to fulfill both personal and professional goals. This research assesses the advantages and disadvantages that are associated with this lifestyle. In addition, I examine the digital nomad characteristics in Bali and how the digital nomad community in Bali supports professional development. Data were collected during a two-month field study in Bali, which is one of the world’s most popular digital nomad hubs. The findings suggest that digital nomads are predominantly millennials from advanced economies who have different academic backgrounds. Freedom is the primary advantage, while overall job satisfaction and productivity dramatically differ. Overall, members of Bali’s digital nomad community feel supported in their professional development. “Spend your days on a nine to five You waste your time on a central line What do you love? Work two jobs tryin' stay alive You spend your money on a Friday night Tell me, what do you love?” – Jacob Banks / Digitaliseringen har skapat oändligt många möjligheter och förändrat hur vi arbetar, umgås och lever i dagens samhälle. Det har resulterat i att allt fler provar på en livsstil som digital nomad för att uppnå både personliga och professionella mål. Den här uppsatsen analyserar fördelar och nackdelar som är förknippade med en livsstil som digital nomad. Dessutom undersöker jag vad som karaktäriserar digitala nomader på Bali och hur gemenskapen bland digitala nomader på Bali kan gynna professionell utveckling. Insamling av data skedde under en två månaders fältstudie på Bali, vilket är en av världens mest populära digital nomad hubbar. Resultatet visar att digitala nomader är främst millenials från i-länder med olika akademisk bakgrund. Frihet är den främsta fördelen, medan generell arbetstillfredsställelse och produktivitet varierar dramatiskt. Medlemmar av Balis digitala nomadgemenskap känner att de utvecklas professionellt. “Spend your days on a nine to five You waste your time on a central line What do you love? Work two jobs tryin' stay alive You spend your money on a Friday night Tell me, what do you love?” – Jacob Banks