Our society is obsessed with the idea of “ownership.” A quote by Dave Ramsay perfectly describes this phenomenon:

“People buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like”.

But I’ve found that owning things is simply impractical: You need to take care of it; it attaches you to a specific location; and it’s usually more expensive than renting.

I also haven’t had a fixed address in the past two years because I rarely spend more than a month in a single country. This means that I’m free to go anywhere I want whenever I want. I can hop from Thailand to Japan to Indonesia without spending months selling my things and renting out my apartment.

I simply buy a flight ticket and leave.

As the idea of nomadism catches on, though, long-held attitudes towards the concept of ownership are also changing. Companies like AirBnb (house/room short-term rent), Vinted (selling and swapping used clothes), RelayRides (peer-to-peer car rent) are growing in popularity. Their benefits are manifold: from convenience for users to reducing the planet’s collective carbon footprint.

A Thousand Perspectives

After every one of my adventures I give a lot of thought to what I’ve seen, learned and taken away. In Japan I learned the value of selflessness and of caring deeply about the wellbeing of those around me. In Myanmar I learned that happiness is in no way defined by the money you have. In Vietnam I understood the importance of family.

These experiences certainly go a long way in shaping the way I approach my life, but they’re also becoming the basis of my professional thinking. They help me see opportunities outside the west, and create products for underserved societies.

For example, I now know that Indonesia has the fourth largest population on the planet with 250M people. But these people are distributed between 17,000 islands, presenting a massive logistical challenge for new products entering the country. In Myanmar, I can see a very big market of 65M people with huge potential. The Internet is extremely slow, and public transport is practically nonexistent. The country is ready for some big innovation after decades of oppression under the military junta.

Digital nomadism has the potential to make the world a little smaller, and digital innovation a little more inclusive.

There’s Never A Better Time

Steve Jobs once said:

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

It’s the guiding principle I use while making important life decisions. It’s why I became a nomad.

If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the world, this is the time to do it. It won’t require sacrificing your career. There are thousands of us ready to help you, tons of ways to make a living, and countless things to experience and places to see.