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 A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

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. They 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 post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

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, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

.Kannisto, P. and Kannisto, S. 2012. ''Free as a Global Nomad: An Old Tradition with a Modern Twist.'' Phoenix, AZ: Drifting Sands Press.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Counterculture Cultural anthropology Itinerant living Simple living Transport culture Types of travel Modern nomads Expatriates Diaspora studies

Origins and use of the term

Lifestyle

See also

References