Poll: Do you consider yourself a "digital nomad"? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you consider yourself a "digital nomad"?".
View the poll results »
| | | |
No, not anymore! I was a digital nomad for a few years, flying every two weeks between Brussels (where my professional activity was) and Lisbon (where my family was). Besides that, I loved traveling and used to do it as a tourist at least twice a year (Easter and Summer holidays) until one day I got so tired of airports and planes that I evolved into… a sedentary hermit!
| | | |
I have a fixed workspace with a pretty heavy desktop computer and it wouldn't occur to me to "work and travel". Working on a small laptop screen in some noisy coffee shop or airport terminal doesn't sound all that enticing to me. And when I actually am traveling, my phone is more or less just a glorified GPS. I do not own a laptop or tablet.
| | | |
Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 22:10
French to English
I'm working right now in our second home (paid for by my partner not my translation income!), but I don't really consider myself a nomad. I feel less and less the urge to travel, I've been to loads of places and feel lucky to have done so. Air travel is far too much hassle nowadays. Also, I have a dog who's terrified of railway stations and trains and cars, so I hesitate to take him with me. He also has a huge fear of abandonment: last time we travelled without him he had panic attacks every sin... See more I'm working right now in our second home (paid for by my partner not my translation income!), but I don't really consider myself a nomad. I feel less and less the urge to travel, I've been to loads of places and feel lucky to have done so. Air travel is far too much hassle nowadays. Also, I have a dog who's terrified of railway stations and trains and cars, so I hesitate to take him with me. He also has a huge fear of abandonment: last time we travelled without him he had panic attacks every single day despite being cared for by two people he loves and who love him very much. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
When I'm working I like my desktop PC and my quiet, familiar office.
When I'm going somewhere I'd rather be fully present and not thinking about work.
| | | |
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:10
Spanish to English
+ ...
Since I got into translation full-time, I tend to take my laptop whenever I'm away from my home base, so I suppose I could say yes, although I've been doing it for longer than the term has been in common use.
I've been at my current address for over a decade, and usually only work away from home when I'm on holiday or when my home Wi-Fi or electricity supply crashes.
But it's nice to feel "down with the kids"…
... See more Since I got into translation full-time, I tend to take my laptop whenever I'm away from my home base, so I suppose I could say yes, although I've been doing it for longer than the term has been in common use.
I've been at my current address for over a decade, and usually only work away from home when I'm on holiday or when my home Wi-Fi or electricity supply crashes.
But it's nice to feel "down with the kids"…
[Edited at 2024-05-10 07:38 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 22:10
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
While emigrating I guess I was a digital nomad. Three months in one country, three months in another country, repeat, repeat, repeat, until the papers come through. I did not have a laptop in either of those places, though -- there was a desktop computer waiting for me each time.
| | | |
Nadja Balogh
Germany
Local time: 22:10
Member (2007)
Japanese to German
+ ...
I was for a while (almost 3 years altogether), living in or visiting various places abroad, with my furniture and stuff in a self-storage facility and mail going to my parents. It was nice for a while but got tiring at the end. But I'm now an expert on all the possible flaws a vacation rental can have, and I still use this knowledge for regular holidays.
| | |
|
|
|
Liena Vijupe
Latvia
Local time: 23:10
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Despite still using just laptop, I don't even move it around my flat, except outside my working hours for browsing or watching something from my couch. I was considering the life of a digital nomad years ago, but it never really worked because when I am away I'm just not in the mood for work and don't want to think about it at all, not even to check e-mails.
I have thought about switching to a desktop computer (mainly because everybody else here keeps telling how essential it is), b... See more Despite still using just laptop, I don't even move it around my flat, except outside my working hours for browsing or watching something from my couch. I was considering the life of a digital nomad years ago, but it never really worked because when I am away I'm just not in the mood for work and don't want to think about it at all, not even to check e-mails.
I have thought about switching to a desktop computer (mainly because everybody else here keeps telling how essential it is), but I like to have a clean desk when I am not working and was also very happy with this decision when I had a broken leg and could not sit at my desk.
[Edited at 2024-05-10 14:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
I spend my life between Italy and Spain (more or less 8 months in Spain and 4 in Italy). I don't have desktop computer, I come and go with my lap top.
| | | |
Eva Gualda Vaz
Spain
Local time: 22:10
Member (May 2024)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I am a full-fledged digital nomad! Since I was studying Translation, I have taken advantage of numerous exchanges, and for a while I also took advantage of post-corona online classes (when the risk was not so high, obviously). Currently I combine translation with digital nomadism, although I plan to settle down soon to be able to work more on my skills. However, I have no doubt that the travel bug will always be there, just at a slower pace ... See more I am a full-fledged digital nomad! Since I was studying Translation, I have taken advantage of numerous exchanges, and for a while I also took advantage of post-corona online classes (when the risk was not so high, obviously). Currently I combine translation with digital nomadism, although I plan to settle down soon to be able to work more on my skills. However, I have no doubt that the travel bug will always be there, just at a slower pace
I love the possibility of freedom in this profession. And what I love most is that if it doesn't suit you there's no need to take advantage of it, but it's such a privilege that at least it's there!
[Edited at 2024-05-10 11:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 22:10
English to German
+ ...
I am a nomad at heart. I've moved 4 times in the last 24 years and I like the feeling of being able to take my work equipment anywhere, so I use portable mini computers (Mac Mini and a compact Windows PC). As the big monitors are the heaviest items, I bought a mobile screen that even works with smartphones.
| | |
|
|
|
Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 00:10
Member
English to Turkish
Kay Denney wrote:
Also, I have a dog who's terrified of railway stations and trains and cars, so I hesitate to take him with me. He also has a huge fear of abandonment: last time we travelled without him he had panic attacks every single day despite being cared for by two people he loves and who love him very much.
the fact that that dog is a gold mine as far as finding new clients and marketing your services, so I can understand why you can't be separated from him.
| | | |
| It's cool to be a digital nomad... | May 10 |
...until you get to a place with poor internet connection and/or frequent power outages. And a crazy deadline to submit your job, of course.
| | | |
Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 22:10
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
I used to travel a lot and took my laptop with me, having practically worked on every continent on this beautiful planet. But as the years flew by and I grew older, I'm now staying at home most of the time and this is where I work... most of the time.
| | | |
Login to reply/comment 
