A global nomad is a person who is living a mobile and international
lifestyle. Global nomads aim to live location-independently, seeking detachment from particular
geographical locations and the idea of territorial belonging.
Origins and use of the term
Nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
originally referred to
pastoral nomads who follow their herd according to the seasons. Unlike traditional nomads, global nomads travel alone or in pairs rather than with a family and livestock. They also travel worldwide and via various routes, whereas traditional nomads have a fixed annual or seasonal pattern of movement. Although pastoralists are also professional travelers, they move relatively short distances, mostly walking or riding donkeys, horses, and camels. Air travel and the proliferation of information and communication technologies have afforded more opportunities for modern travelers and also engaged a wider range of people in itinerant lifestyles.
In addition to location-independent travelers, the term has also been used for
backpackers, lifestyle migrants and
third culture kids (highly mobile youth and expatriate children) for highlighting the range and frequency of their travels.
Lifestyle
The global nomad lifestyle is characterized by high mobility. Global nomads travel from one country to another without a permanent home or job; their ties to their country of origin have also loosened. They might stay in any one location from a few days to several months, but at the end they will always move on. Many of them practice
minimalism
In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...
in order to support their frequent moving. Rather than money and possessions, they focus on experiences, happiness, self discovery and well-being. Many have location-independent vocations in fields such as
IT, writing, teaching, and
handicraft
A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...
.
[Kannisto, P. and Kannisto, S. 2012. ''Free as a Global Nomad: An Old Tradition with a Modern Twist.'' Phoenix, AZ: Drifting Sands Press. ]
See also
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Backpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel, which often includes staying in inexpensive lodgings and carrying all necessary possessions in a backpack. Once seen as a marginal form of travel undertaken only through necessity, it has b ...
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Davos Man
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Digital nomad
A digital nomad is a person who travels freely while working remotely using information and communications technology such as the Internet. Such people generally have minimal material possessions and work remotely in temporary housing, hotels, c ...
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Existential migration
Existential migration is a term coined by Greg Madison (2006) in ''Existential Analysis'', the journal of the Society for Existential Analysis. Madison's term describes expatriates (voluntary emigrants) who supposedly have an "existential" motivati ...
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Mobilities
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Nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
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Perpetual traveler
A perpetual traveler (also PT, permanent tourist or prior taxpayer) is a person who bases different aspects of their life in different countries, without spending too long in any one place, under the belief that they can reduce taxes, avoid civic ...
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Third culture kid
Third culture kids (TCK) or third culture individuals (TCI) are people who were raised in a different culture than their parents, for a large part or the entirety of their childhood and adolescence. They typically are exposed to a greater volume an ...
References
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Counterculture
Cultural anthropology
Itinerant living
Simple living
Transport culture
Types of travel
Modern nomads
Expatriates
Diaspora studies