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What have been your experiences as a digital nomad?

Hosted by: Melanie Eichenberger

The pandemic has boosted digital nomadism. According to a study, more than 35 million people worldwide are pursuing this lifestyle. 

Do you live as a digital nomad?  What are your experiences? What tips and tricks would you pass on to others?

Tell us and share your experiences in our debate.

From the article Digital nomads: what to consider as a temporary Swiss Abroad


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Contributions must adhere to our guidelines. If you have questions or wish to suggest other ideas for debates, please, get in touch!
Alois Amrein
Alois Amrein
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I was already a digital nomad 20 years ago, when nobody knew the term. I worked in Southeast Asia in winter for various Swiss companies on a freelance basis, just as I did in Switzerland during the rest of the year. The only problems were weak or non-functioning Internet connections, in which case I had to change hotels or restaurants.

Ich war schon vor 20 Jahren als Digital Nomad unterwegs, als noch niemand diesen Begriff kannte. Ich arbeitete im Winter in Südostasien für diverse Schweizer Firmen auf Freelance-Basis, wie ich es während der übrigen Jahreszeit in der Schweiz machte. Probleme gab es höchstens mit schwacher oder nicht funktionierender Internetverbindung, dann musste ich halt das Hotel oder das Restaurant wechseln.

Asparagus-Lake-Sarnen
Asparagus-Lake-Sarnen

I'm simply married to a Swiss lady, but our advise is to avoid social media whenever possible, and don't believe any of it you hear, only half of what you see, and be careful which half ! Most we've seen here in America is digital nonsense !

Signe
Signe
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I don't feel like a nomad at all, simply because digitalization allows me to stay in touch with people from everywhere.

Ich fühle mich gar nicht als Nomadin, ganz einfach weil die Digitalisierung ermöglicht mir, mit Menschen von überall den Kontakt zu bleiben.

Giannis Mavris
Giannis Mavris SWI SWISSINFO.CH
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.
@Signe

Do you travel a lot, or do you live fixed in one place?

Reisen Sie viel, oder leben Sie fix an einem Ort?

Rafiq Tschannen
Rafiq Tschannen

Well, as I am sort of in an advanced age I have experience as a nomad, although not really a digital one. i first left Switzerland at the age of 15 in 1960 to proceed to England for a year learning English and making up my mind what to do next. I ended up having an international career, working in 15 countries, with a couple of 3 year breaks 'back home' in Switzerland. My journeys were easy as the Swiss employers kept paying for all my relocations including such details as visas and work permits. Now retired in Lombok, Indonesia, I had to arrange my retirement visa myself, but 'no sweat'. What to consier when moving around? Well, my 'strangest' experiences were perhaps 'back home'. I drove a car since 1965, first on a construction site in Pakistan. I never passed a driving test nor did I ever have a lesson. Abroad I either had a personal driver or at least someone taking care of the car. If there was a problem I would let the car stand whereever and send a staff from the office to pick it up. In 1980 I came the first time to Switzerland, after already driving for 15 years. Once steam came out of my car. I opened the engine lid (not really knowing what I should look for). A Swiss lady passed and with one glance said 'you need to put water'. I thought the car needed petrol not water. Ah well, you learn everything you need, even 'back home'.

Pris
Pris
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Dear Franz,

I would be interested in this as well. I have been living in Ecuador for 22 years. There is certainly also a possibility as digital nomads to contribute something to the world. At the moment I see daily our gas and ash spewing volcano Cotopaxi which came back to life in October last year. One of the highest active volcanoes in the world. But whether that interests the followers of the digital nomads!

Love greetings

Prisca Dussling

Sehr geehrter Franz,

Das würde mich auch interessieren. Ich lebe seit 22 Jahren in Ecuador. Da gibt es bestimmt auch eine Möglichkeit als digitale Nomaden etwas der Welt beizutragen. Zur Zeit sehe ich täglich unseren Gas und Asche spuckende Vulkan Cotopaxi der seit Oktober letztes Jahres wieder zum leben erweckte. Einer der höchste aktive Vulkan der Welt. Aber ob das die Anhänger der digitale Nomaden interessiert!

Liebe Grüsse

Prisca Dussling

LoL
LoL
@Pris

Switzerland is extremely expensive, and living in Switzerland while working in another country won't give you the right to live in Switzerland at the first place. Finding work here is hard as they protect local market and even if you are better suited for the role they would prefer less educated but swiss person. So don't move until you get approved.

Melanie Eichenberger
Melanie Eichenberger SWI SWISSINFO.CH
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Dear Mr. Schoepfer, thank you for your question. There are many platforms where you can find jobs for digital nomads. You can find 60 different search engines for remote jobs at this link:
[url]https://www.ireviews.com/the-top-60-remote-work-websites-for-new-opportunities-in-2022/[/url]
I hope I was able to help you further?

Lieber Herr Schoepfer, vielen Dank für Ihre Frage. Es gibt zahlreiche Plattformen, auf denen Sie Jobs für digitale Nomaden finden. Unter diesem Link finden Sie 60 verschiedene Suchmaschinen für Remote Jobs:
[url]https://www.ireviews.com/the-top-60-remote-work-websites-for-new-opportunities-in-2022/[/url]
Ich hoffe, ich konnte Ihnen weiterhelfen?

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