I would like to announce (if it is not improper to here) that my nu nomad partner, Carmen Bolanos (see her comments above), and I have (just this week) published our new book on location-independent living. It’s called “the Nu Nomad.” (Please see: http://www.nunomad.com/TNN). For those who desire to travel the world while I still generating a healthy income, then this how-to guide may be your best resource.

It’s interesting how none of us are particularly fond of being categorized and defined by others and thus have a tendency to create terms to define our own categories so our individual nuance is not lost.

Had I seen this post first, I’d still have written the article on my blog that you commented on earlier, but this post and comments have definitely made me think. For that I thank you.

Also, where’s the whole enchilada category with all of the columns checked for those of us who specialize in being generalists?

I love your insights here from an anthropologists perspective, and your book sounds fascinating. Both Ibiza and Goa are places that I hope to someday experience.

But one comment…

You eem to be complaining about how “people mistakenly employ the word ‘nomad’”, yet you mention the “process of group identity formation” and note that the term ‘nomad’ is “very sexy, irresistible to popular and subcultural reinvention”.

And indeed that is exactly what is going on here. We are busy reinventing terms and charting out and identifying the various niches of our subculture, and that is the distinctions that this post was exploring.

So while I understand that from an anthropologists perspective, we may all just be ”hypermobile” with very little real distinction , I do know that the term “hypermobile” does not feel like a hat that fits me any more so than “roadwarrior”.

The term that struck a chord in my soul the first time I heard it (thanks Steve!) was technomad, and it is a label that I am proud to attach to myself.

It is fascinating to watch the emergent trends as different people with different backgrounds and motivations start to chart out this space and try on labels to see what fits them and feels right.

I look forward to your future insights!

– Chris

Also keep in mind, the matrix is specifically from our world view – as currently domestic digital technomadic lifestyle independent lifestyle designing NuRVers. From that world view, there isn’t much distinction to us in an expatriate working as they travel and a location independent professional exploring global nomadism via renting condos long term in countries around the world.

While I don’t debate that there are and have been many nomadic tribes and communities that are based upon moving with the seasons for work/hunting/etc and perhaps that have several homebases that they move between. But I have not seen reference to nomads being defined by work and by having *a* fixed home. But that is not the only form of nomadism, especially in today’s cultures and uses. Especially when a digital age allows one to consciously construct a location independent worklife. In an industrialized and digitized world, we are no longer tied to having hunt by the seasons.

In my particular case, my nomadism is both about lifestyle choice AND moving to/from work locations (we’re currently enroute to DC where I’ll be working on contract.) Who’s place is it to really draw the lines as to if I’m a LIP, technomad, nomad, vagabond, gypsy, lifestyle designer or “techno-mobile”? Sure, it may not be historically correct. But then, how many terms we use today are? Words, like people and societies, evolve.

At any rate, the purpose of constructing this matrix was specifically in ‘reference to minor subcultural variations’ that we’ve observed being used from our own viewpoint (that of the blogosphere we play in)- not from an anthropological one. We were specifically looking at terms that we’ve encountered others using and applying to our lifestyle.

Jef brought my attention to your website and lifestyle, which I find very interesting.

I am author of the book “Global Nomads: Techno and New Age as Transnational Countercultures in Ibiza and Goa”. It’s based on my doctoral fieldwork about highly mobile expatriates who live in a global circuit of countercultural practice enmeshed in tourism and surveillance regimes. As an anthropologist, I spent a good deal of my time on the move, studying traditional and emerging forms of nomadism.

In reviewing your matrix and following debate, I note that nomads are not vagabonds. Nomads typically have fixed homes (defined by seasonal routes connecting complementary ecological niches, say, mountains and valley), and they do work. In fact, one of the basic features of nomadism is that mobility is a basic component of their economic strategies. As such, a hypermobile worker (digital or not) is not a nomad if mobility is disconnected from work needs/processes but is rather based on a lifestyle/leisure decision.

This is not an issue of mere terminology but rather of learning with insights from clear definitions. Nomadism is one specific form of mobile lifestyle. Yet, the term is very sexy, irresistible to popular and subcultural reinvention. The matrix above contains some redundant categories which are only justified in reference to minor subcultural variations in the process of group identity formation. All in all, I’d still maintain that people mistakenly employ the word “nomad” (or “technomad”) when they could be well using “mobile” (“hypermobile” or “techno-mobile”), to be correct.

In any case, your current experiment is truly interesting and exciting! It anticipates an alternative lifestyle possibility in the rise. I am looking forward to learning more from your developments.

Sincerely,

Anthony D’Andrea

“The nomad does not move.” (Deleuze and Guatarri)

There are important differences, however: the expat would be hard-pressed not to learn the local languages, but seasonal travelers in Ibiza for example frequently do not speak Spanish. The backpacker who spends 2 months in India is very different from the expat who needs to rent a house, hire staff, learn Hindi, and figure out how to open a local bank account.

It’s a subtle distinction perhaps; just proof of how varied the nomadic world really is.

I think for these purposes, an expatriate who is pursuing a slower nomadic path as well could be covered by a combination of ‘World Traveler’ and other columns.

In all reality, very few of us clearly fit in any one category. While we use technomad as our primary identifier – we’re also LIP, NuRVers, Lifestyle Designing, etc.

I hate to be a trouble-maker (actually I love it) but I want to suggest another category: expatriate. That is the one my wife and I are specifically working on.

An expatriate can be a nomad in the sense of not having a fixed location, but they may live in a single country other than their nation of birth for 6 months to three or more years before moving on. They may live in an apartment or bungalow, but with a short-term lease. I would still consider this a nomadic lifestyle in that it can require learning languages, cultural improvisation and a nomadic mentality. I do not consider permanent change of residence to a single (other) country to be nomadic; that would simply be emigration and exchanging one sedentary lifestyle for another in a different place.

Expats have many of the same problems other nomads do: where to receive mail, how to get broadband, what kind of health insurance is needed, where to bank.

Oh, what would we call this class of business? Bedouin Breakfasts

Cheers from the nomadhouse,
Steve

Thanks so much for your blog. My husband and I have abandoned the “deferred life plan,” found a portable business and last year embarked on an open-ended “trip” to… wherever.

In the last year, we’ve lived and worked our business from Hawaii, Acapulco, Spain, Portugal and the Bahamas. We’ve been in San Francisco for the last couple of months, are renting a house by the beach in LA for the summer and off to the French Riviera for the Fall. We’re pinching ourselves everyday… and all it took was a choice to just do it!

After reviewing your definitions of all the great labels… we’d like to suggest another… “Luxury Vagabonds,” or “Techno-Beduins.”

We’re priviledged to be among so many others that have chosen this lifestyle.

Again, thanks for your blog.

Don and Karla
http://www.DonAndKarla.com

This post all started out as an attempt to see how all of the current buzz words fit specifically *us*… so we do have a lot of other ones that I’m sure we’re missing if it’s to be a general resource. And trying to define labels for free spirited folks is always a challenge. But there is some good reason for it to at least attempt to not dilute the terms used. This landscape can be overwhelming to someone new trying to figure it all out, and what are just terms and what has some sort of commercial momentum behind it.

My brother ( who died at 40) had one of the most free lives I have ever witnessed. He crossed the US from East to West and back again, the same with north and south, many times on his bike, traveled and lived world wide as well. He jumped railroad cars and even was a stow away on a Russian ship once. LOL. My husband first saw him on the notoriously dangerous HWY 17 between SC and SJ, where he was happily riding his loaded up bike, coming to our wedding. He lived more, gave more, trusted God more and saw more in his lifetime than most people ever do, so has been an inspiration for me.

I’m not techy ( though have been forced to learn some),but I am an out-of-the-box, big picture kind of thinker, so I have a real appreciation for this diverse community and the future possibilities that we are all pioneering.

I DID see that post and LOVED it and that no excuses approach. I really appreciate you mentioning us. You are right too, that doing this as a single, couple or family are all quite different with some unique pros and cons for each. We’re packing up right now to be on the road for 7 months in our little RV, and I see that we would have soooo much less stuff ( not that we have that much) if we did not have & homeschool a child!

By the way, your link to Nunomads is not working. They are good people and she is off with her family (3 kids) to Brazil soon for an extended stay ( while working by web in US).

So glad we have gotten to “know” you and love what you add!

Carpe Diem!

For this reason, I’ve always had kind of a hard time defining “techomad,” since my own peculiar mix of elements is by no means universal (though the urges certainly are). Tricky, making labels for us quirky humans!

Cheers,
Steve

Is there a singular term that could describe this (such as Colin and I using ‘World Traveler’ to include backpackers, couchsurfing, etc.) that could be inclusive of all styles, or should they all be handled independently as separate categories on the chart? I’m not currently aware of a buzzy word to describe this concept…

- Cherie
PS. We actually did include an entire article in our growing ‘answers to excuses’ series on family travel.. and included you guys as an example:
http://www.technomadia.com/category/practical-concerns/excuses/

http://daisydraper.co.uk/

This family from France also proved that RVing around the world as a family is a very cheap and fantastic way to go!

http://ccarautourdumonde.free.fr/

They actually inspired us to try shipping our RV and we have really enjoyed the experience and find it is quite easy to do.

Great post by the way!

Most people do not realize that this is also a great lifestyle for families! We travel the world ( 4 continents/29 countries so far & will ship our RV around the world….RV’s & cargo ships are great combo! ).

Don’t forget FOTR which stands for Families On The Road.

http://www.familiesontheroad.com/

It is a great community that has been around for a long time. Kim from Activated Storytellers has been on the road since their child was in diapers and now he is grown into a very cool young man on his own!

Seems like there are as many ways to do this as there are people doing it! I think this economy is helping this trend as I have seen it grow so much in the last year. Amazing! It is a fantastic way to live large on little, be free, see the world, bond as a family and get the best possible education for future citizens of the 21st century!

I am proud to consider you both an inspiration and a friend.

I am thinking about publishing the archive of the technomads listserve, which I started in 1989 while I had the bikelab at Sun Microsystems. There were some real wizards and pioneers in that group, and early discussion about technomadic concepts embodies some valuable history. The mailing list still exists (under Mailman on my server) but has been very quiet for a few years… I should send a ping, filter the bouncies, and see who’s still lurking.

Anyway, thanks for the valuable service of bringing these related terms under one roof, so to speak. I hope this page continues to track the rapidly evolving technomadic ecosystem.

Cheers from Nomadic Research Labs,
Steve