The word nomad is used in many different ways these days.
Grey nomad, digital nomad, nomadic people etc. so its no wonder some form of nomad definition is worthy of debate. What really is the nomad meaning after all.
The following is our opinion on the contemporary understanding of the term "nomad".
"Nomad" is commonly traced to the French language word 'nomade' to describe "people without fixed habitation". (Wikipedia) (Meaning that nomads have no home.)
With advent of fast, cheap mass transportation since international airliners were created the world has become acustomed to a lot more of the population traveling.
The techtonic changes since the end of the 20th century, the Global Finance Crisis, Covid-19 and the mass adoption of smartphones has allowed several new classes of 'people without fixed habitation' to develop.
And closely related are people that prefer to be seens as
While not all Freelancers or Remote Workers are fully nomadic a number of them take shorter 'nomadic' ventures and utilise the same resources and opportunities that digital nomads use; coworking spaces, extended stay accommodation, good internet and mobile SIMs etc.
Some countries, like Australia, have seen ever increasing numbers of retired people over the last 30 years jump into their RVs, motorhomes or cars with a caravan or camper trailer hitched behind.
On any night of the year in Australia there may be 100,000 'grey nomads' stopped on the side of road, in a national park, a free camp, or in a caravan park somewhere in the country many miles from their homes. These people are using their retirement years to explore, at leisure, a huge continent.
While some travel permanently others prefer a few months at a time. Returning home between travels.
Because these nomads tend to stay longer in each location they bring great spending power to regional parts of the world as they buy food, drink, fuel, entertainment etc.
Because they tend to converse often between themselves they tend to follow known routes and travel in groups. Many jokes exist about the 'pack' nature of older grey nomads.
Since the 80s and emergence of personal computers and digitally connected people the flourishing of location agnostic groups has been observed.
Whilst the internet has been around since the 70s, laptop computers since the '80s, it was only the mid-90s when the world wide web became widely available that the impacts of this (previously niche) technology had a significant impact on society and work practices.
Following the widespread emergence of IP based internet use around the mid 1990s a series of specialised 'cafes' emerged globally where people could rent a small desk with computer by the hour and connect to the world to send messages, browse websites and conduct business online.
Popular in tourist areas where visitors didn't have ready access to home based internet these cafes morphed from ethernet connected desks into wifi connected 'lounges' as more and more travelers brought their laptops on their travels.
In 2007 the world first touch-screen smartphones started rolling out and our computers shrunk dramatically in size. (Apple in July 2007 and Samsung in December 2007)
Massive uptake of touch-screen Smartphones accelerated the production of masses of smaller, more powerful lithium batteries, Solid State Drives (SSDs) as well as spurred a new generation of smaller more powerful computer chips. Prices of components dropped for all tech. Laptop computers came down in price while increasing in power.
Today for US$1,000 you can get a very powerful computer that handles web serving, video rendering, massive photograph manipulation as well as all sorts of high speed video communications.
The Global Financial Crisis has arguably had a bigger impact on the rise of location independent workers than anything else.
Whilst the WWW, smartphones and laptops had been around for 10 years plus, in 2007/2008, it was the lack of jobs following the GFC that created an effect where people had to move location or travel more to get a job or do business.
Business and work were being found in other parts of the country or world and people had to move there to earn some money.
With the decline in regional shops and services coupled with the rise of online shops, cheap Asian goods, digital services Amazon delivery services, drop shipping and mass, fast shipping services etc. meant that suddenly there was a significant portion of the world that could buy items online for the first time in their life without having to rely on the local shops to stock it, or order via a catalog.
Suddenly there was a way for large numbers of entrepreneurs to make money without having to be physically near their clients often, if at all.
And adventurous entrepreneurs took off to explore the world en masse.
In early 2020 the world changed dramatically with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. A pandemic where governments forced people to work from home, and where cities, states and countries became locked down for months.
Most pandemics in the last 100 years have been more localised and of shorter duration. Covid-19 changed that with many countries going into and out of lockdowns for over 2 years.
Work, family and social life all changed dramatically.
As the lockdowns dragged on we were forced to continue working, but without having the social interaction of the physical workplace.
Many people were forced to work from somewhere else. Some went to holiday homes, some stayed in their family homes, and others became nomadic. Bouncing from country to country, often without the restrictions of normal visa time limits which had been relaxed in many parts of the world.
Places like Madeira Island in Portugal lead the world by simply testing everyone that arrived and not requiring them to be tested 'covid free' before travel.
Nomad Stays estimated there were around 3m digital nomads globally in 2019, pre-pandemic. By mid-2022 that number had exploded to over 35m nomads globally by most estimations.
Since 2022 the driving forces and types of nomads has changed somewhat but the numbers have stayed high as more people choose the opportunities that the nomadic lifestyle delivers.
The nomad meaning today reflects a lifestyle built on mobility, flexibility, and digital freedom.
Modern nomads blend travel and remote work, choosing where to live based on personal goals and global opportunities. Not just for survival as the original nomads needed. No longer do nomads move solely out of necessity, but out of choice.
Now, the nomad meaning includes digital nomads and others that travel for pleasure or lifestyle — those who work online while exploring the world, untethered from offices or fixed locations
Modern nomads choose to live this lifestyle. They combine their values of freedom, adventure, and autonomy with the practicalities of earning a living remotely. Like the ancient nomads they travle light. Often valuing experiences over possessions.
They still live simply, but now seek places that offer inspiration, affordability, community and, of course, reliable internet. The nomad meaning now includes adaptability, curiosity, and intentional living.
At the same time being a nomad doesn’t mean being rootless.
Many maintain home bases or revisit favourite places adopting more regular routes than random or expansionary travels. Some travel with families or build global communities, redefining what home and stability means.
Ultimately, the nomad meaning today is about designing a life of autonomy, exploration and opportunity. As remote work grows, as remote employment grows, as micro entrepreneurs grow, nomads are reshaping how the whole of society lives, works, shares, and connects in the 21st century.
