Picking up from Part Two for the finalé…
So yeah… the life of a “digital nomad.” The draw towards greener pastures in foreign lands… picking up, “escaping the matrix,” and heading to “paradise.” Whether listening to the plethora of MLM “life coaches” selling dreams of working from a laptop on the beach or guys like Nomad Capitalist assisting 7-figure entrepreneurs relocate abroad legally, there’s a certain appeal to the promises of these lifestyles not available in our home countries. Though as covered in the previous couple parts of this post, things aren’t always as pretty as they seem. It’s easy to get enticed into fantasies & dreams of greener pastures, but life rarely conforms to our idealized preferences - and there are alot of drawbacks, downsides, and costs that don’t always become apparent about the expat / digital nomad lifestyles until one actually dives in to discover them experientially.
Politics… left wing, right wing, same bird. Yes, there are some significant differences in the political landscapes from one country to another… though if one were to turn off the news, tune out from social drama & gossip, you’d probably find that what the political leaders of any given country do actually has far less of an impact on your daily life than most believe (especially if working in an entrepreneurial capacity where less reliant upon social welfare systems than the majority). And frankly, politics are kinda fucked everywhere. Yes, that statement may be a bit cynical/pessimistic and biased, but name me a country anywhere in the world that isn’t infested with the same parasitic political dynamics - whether the corruption of communism, oligarchies, capitalism, so-called “democracy,” or any other label behind which an “elite” pull or are pulled by strings with the same globalist agendas at play. “Woke” Canadian politics, the ongoing military-industrial complex with America as its front-nation, polarized factions such as Israel & Palestine merely a single fractal of similar long-livedwars we don’t even know of ongoing in Africa, the reality of Sharia Law in Dubai actually far more restrictive than the glitz & glam influencers project, drug cartels & police corruption intertwined with government in Mexico & South-Central America, entirely different forms of chaos & corruption in Indonesia & SE Asia, etc, etc… nowhere on this planet is as perfect as we’d wish. And seeking places based on tax savings/exemption… again, same corrupt systems worldwide. Spend enough time looking into it, and you might find that certain places may have some advantages for some individuals in specific circumstances, though you’ll also discover that the complexity of solutions might lead towards far simpler ones that might just make more sense to work smarter in your home country using strategic combos of corporations, trusts, life insurance.
And meanwhile, costs everywhere are rising. As cheap as relocating to Mexico or Bali might’ve been a few years ago, times have changed. Yeah, you might still be able to get slightly better deals on accommodation & food, but the bang-for-buck value in many destinations really ain’t what it used to be. And worth questioning: do you really want to be living from a state of scarcity - trying to penny-pinch, trying to fake “living like a king” in a third-world country while really distracting from a poverty-mindset - or shifting towards a life of abundance, where the minimal difference in living costs comes secondary to true preference of what you’d want were money no issue. Sometimes a person needs to live in a “third world” country for a while to truly get what that means - seeing that while all the pretty spots might make for a good Instagram reel appearing as though you’re in paradise, the lack of certain infrastructure experienced sooner or later makes clear, “you get what you pay for.”
And of course, politics & finances/economics aside, we come to the most important factors: lifestyle. What one’s day-to-day experience in a place actually is. And not just a temporary snapshot of the best fit for social media highlight reels, but over the long-term.
At first, it might be super fun learning a new language and getting smiles out of locals who appreciate your investment in the local culture to communicate in the native tongue. Though over time, the novelty might wear off - and you find it rather shallow & repetitive, sticking with the core basics required for minimum interactions, and not actually having the interest or capacity to master the intermediate & advanced. Or at least I speak to my own experience here. It was awesome feeling somewhat competent to engage in a rather basic convo with locals in Bali and went a long way; but humbling to face my own limits and accept I wasn’t about to invest in leveling up to a grade where my communication would/could ever go much beyond superficialities. And having been back in Canada for 6 years, the thought of returning to having to learn & use any foreign language on a regular basis… ”ugh.” As ideal as it’d be to have those skills, there is always an opportunity cost to learning anything. For some, learning a new language to bridge the barrier in a foreign country might be very worthwhile; for others, time better spent on other things. Though as “easy” it may be to “get by” with English or some basics in a spot popular with digital nomads and/or expats, the language factor really is a big one. (Especially if bouncing around from one country to another with different languages.)
Intertwined with that, and perhaps one of the biggest considerations unto its own: roots. A sense of grounding & stability. (Or not.)
As exciting as moving around, exploring different cultures, and making homes in beautiful places may all be, there’s really something to be said for establishing a solid home base somewhere that truly feels like home. Of course, the boxes of criteria requiring checking to fulfill this will vary from person to person, and sometimes need to be discovered through the contrasts of various experiences. Though as “perfect” as place can seem when we’re freshly in love with it, seeing through rose-colored glasses in the honeymoon stage, time reveals wants & needs we might’ve never known we had - in the absence of which, that sense of “home,” grounded stability & roots may always seem elusive.
For some, that might be the limits on how close of relationships you can actually develop with the language barriers in place. For others, interactions with the locals may be great… yet the headaches of bureaucracy dealing with visas & such become a dealbreaker at some point. For others, it might be (lack of) infrastructure, cultural difference, or simple preferences hard to even put into words. While I sorta experienced all of these potentialities in Bali and they’d each be worth compromising for unto their own, there just finally came the point of unsettledness with/around the unchangeable fact that I was - and always would be - a foreigner. For as much as I’ve never quite felt like I belonged in my home country and even did feel more “at home” there for a while - even in spite of the warmth of welcomeness & hospitality of the Balinese, the immense love of the lifestyle, and all the upsides… I dunno, there was perhaps just some part of me that felt as though it might never truly be possible to have the sense of grounded stability & roots where always a visitor/guest. (Though acknowledging that may not be the case for everyone, and it might be my own internal conflicts/complexes at play by/with which I could be carrying the same sense of insecurity/instability with me no matter where I go, within my home country included).
So yeah… the allures & illusions of relocating abroad.
“Influencers” selling MLM coaching programs may pitch it as the end-all-be-all of success. Consultants pushing fearporn to make it seem as though things in our home countries are tyrannically-oppressive & insecure may charge even higher amounts for their services, pitching second citizenships as a necessity. Or others’ self-interest-driven opinions aside, there may simply be adventurous parts of ourselves curious to seek more satisfying lifestyles in foreign lands, whether hopping around as a digital nomad or aiming for a permanent home elsewhere.
And sometimes it works. Whether for shorter life chapter or long-term, some of our life paths entail these adventures, and we are well-rewarded with a richness of life experience. Though as we’ve covered, there’s also many other sides to the fantastical stories rarely mentioned by those selling “the dream.”
Hopefully, there’s been some insight in this all that’s been of value to you. Whether grounding out for balanced perspectives to consider some of the lesser-discussed realities of these alternative lifestyles that may hold appeal, providing context to better appreciate where you’re already at, or merely some particular nugget of insight that spoke to you in ways I’ll never know, may some of these lessons gained through my own bouncing around the globe serve you how they will.
And should you be called to explore the globe in search of your home, may the adventure be grand and rewarding in ways you cannot yet know, delivering you to exactly where you need to be in the end, and along the way… 🙏💫