Being a ‘digital nomad’ gave me PANIC ATTACKS: Early adopter of the lifestyle reveals the harsh realities of balancing work with travel (which TikTokers rarely talk about)
The digital nomad conjures up the image of an office worker in an exotic getaway, lounging on the beach while clicking away on a laptop.
But some followers blame the trend combining work and travel for undermining satisfaction in their lives.
Some report feeling isolated and lonely after leaving the comfort of their hometown, family and friends for endless travel.
One of the early adopters of the lifestyle was Lauren Juliff. She graduated from college and quit her part-time job at a supermarket in Britain in 2011 to pursue her dream of traveling the world.
Initially it was a success and she used her travel website – Never ending footsteps -to document and finance her adventures.
Lauren Juliff, pictured at the Twelve Apostles in Victoria, Australia, said she suffered from ‘severe and repetitive panic attacks’ after five years as a digital nomad
“Exploring new countries made me feel alive and I learned so much – about new cultures and myself – almost every day,” said Lauren, pictured walking the Kepler Track in New Zealand.
Lauren graduated from college and quit her part-time grocery job in 2011 to travel the world. Here she is seen from a hammock in San Ignacio, Belize.
She said: ‘Exploring new countries made me feel alive and I learned so much almost every day – about new cultures and myself.’
While traveling, Lauren met her partner, a fellow digital nomad, and they began traveling the world together.
She said: ‘This went on for five years. We traveled to 75 countries during this period, alternating quick movements with stays of several months in a single city.’
But after five years, Lauren began experiencing severe and repeated panic attacks.
Despite changing her diet and meditating, Lauren found that the only way to stop the panic attacks was to think about home.
She said: ‘I had a panic attack, was immediately fixated on finding a house and found the fear evaporating as quickly as it had formed.
‘I suspect the panic attacks stemmed from the lack of stability or predictability in my life. Every few weeks I changed countries, changed friends, changed cuisines, changed languages with no real consistency.”
The changing apartments with different levels of kitchen equipment also caused Lauren to constantly eat out, making her sick and unhealthy.
Initially, Lauren’s digital nomad lifestyle was a success and she used her travel website to document and finance her adventures to places like Angkor Wat above in Cambodia.
While traveling, Lauren met her partner, a fellow digital nomad, and they began traveling the world together. Here she is seen crossing the dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia
Lauren started having panic attacks and discovered the only way to stop them was to think about home. Pictured: Lauren after walking El Camino de Santiago in Spain
She decided to settle down. She moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and noticed her mental and physical health improved dramatically.
Lauren was able to make good friends, learn to cook, and pursue hobbies that didn’t revolve around travel.
The ability to have a desk, a stable internet connection and more time to spend on her work allowed her to triple her income.
Lauren is now warning others about the realities of life on the road as a digital nomad.
The movement has seen explosive growth in recent years, with people seemingly drawn to its picturesque Instagram posts and exciting travel blogs.
With internet access improving around the world and Covid leading to an increase in remote working, more people than ever have tried it.
By 2023, 17.3 million American workers will describe themselves as digital nomads, more than double the number in 2019, according to self-employment specialists MBO.
Lauren, above sailing in Greece, is now warning others about the realities of life as a digital nomad
In 2023, 17.3 million American workers described themselves as digital nomads, more than double the number in 2019, according to self-employment specialists MBO. The movement has seen explosive growth in recent years, with people seemingly drawn to its picturesque Instagram posts and exciting travel blogs
Lauren outside the Taj Mahal in India. She said: “Almost every digital nomad I’ve ever met has quit within five years of starting.”
And more than seven in ten employees (72 percent) plan to become digital nomads, according to research by the Post Office.
The term digital nomad was first coined in 1997 by authors Makimoto and Manners in their manifesto on how life would change as a result of the Internet.
Beverly Thompson, a sociologist from Siena College in New York who researches digital nomadism, writes that digital nomads often struggle to connect with people outside the lifestyle.
She claims that family and friends at home often express “shock and bewilderment” at the lifestyle choice.
And because digital nomads often don’t know the culture or language of their current country, they continue to look for other digital nomads for online friendships.
The term digital nomad was first coined in 1997 by authors Makimoto and Manners in their manifesto on how life would change as a result of the Internet. Pictured: Lauren walking the four-day Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk in New Zealand
Lauren, seen here in Guanajuato, Mexico, said: “I had friends spread all over the world. However, I realized how superficial most of these relationships were’
Lauren, pictured above in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, now lives in Melbourne, Australia
Lauren said: ‘I had friends spread all over the world and met them regularly when we were in the same places.
‘After a few years, however, I realized how superficial most of these relationships were.
“Almost every digital nomad I’ve ever met has quit within five years of starting because they had the urge to settle down and build some more consistency in their lives.”
She added, “I don’t see many digital nomads sharing the downsides and realities of this lifestyle with their followers.
“Part of this is because your followers are there because they like what you do. When I announced that I would be ending my full-time travel, I was met with an extremely vocal group of my audience who were furious that I had made this decision.”
Lauren now lives in Melbourne, Australia, where her partner has family, but she still wants to travel three months a year.