Welcome to the Listening Time podcast.
Hey everybody, this is Connor, and you're listening to episode 48 of the Listening Time podcast.
I hope you're all doing well.
I'm happy because the weather is starting to warm up a little bit.
At the time of recording this podcast, it's the middle of February, so I think the weather will start to get a little better from here on out.
In English, the phrase from here on out just means starting from now and into the future.
So I think the weather will start to get better from here on out.
So I want to announce something because I'm coming close to episode 50 of the Listening Time podcast.
I wanted to do something a little bit special for that episode.
I want to do a Q&A.
A Q&A stands for questions and answers.
So the way that this will work is that if you become a Listening Time member or super member or family member at patreoncom slash listening time, you can ask me a question through the Patreon page.
You can send me a direct message there and you can ask me any question that you'd like.
You can ask about... language learning, English.
You can ask about this podcast.
You can ask about me.
You can ask about whatever you'd like.
And I'm going to take some of those questions and answer them on the 50th episode.
Of course I won't be able to answer everybody's questions, but I'll try to pick as many as I can to answer.
And if I get a lot of questions then maybe I'll do multiple episodes where I answer many different questions.
And so maybe I'll do a Q&A in like two or three different episodes.
So if you want to ask me a question that I might answer on a podcast episode, then make sure to become a listening time member and you can send me your question there.
And, of course, members receive a lot of other benefits like extra episodes listening, practice seminars and sound training videos.
So make sure to become a listening time member so you have access to all all that extra content which will help you with your listening skills.
And you'll also be able to ask me a question and I might answer it on the 50th episode or in an episode after that.
Okay, so today we're going to talk about digital nomads.
A digital nomad is someone who lives in a nomadic way.
They don't stay in the same spot permanently.
They move around.
And these people use technology to work remotely.
When I say work remotely, I'm saying that they can work from wherever they are, as long as they have an internet connection.
So today we're going to talk about these types of people, digital nomads, and I'm sure this will be an interesting topic because nowadays, more and more people are becoming digital nomads and a lot of people are interested in this lifestyle.
So we're going to talk about that today.
Also remember that you have the transcript available in the episode description.
So just go down below the episode and click on that link and you'll see the transcript and you can use that to help you understand what I'm saying or see those new vocabulary words and phrases that I teach you in this episode.
And of course, remember to share this podcast with anyone else who might find it useful.
All right, let's get started.
Are your ears ready?
You know what time it is.
It's listening time.
OK so, as I already mentioned, a digital nomad is someone who lives in a nomadic way and uses technology to work remotely.
So let's talk a little bit about the lifestyle of digital nomads and some more details about how these people live.
So digital nomads often travel around the world and don't live in one place for too long.
So, for example, a digital nomad might go to Thailand and live there for one year, and then they move to Brazil and live there for six months, and then they move to Mexico and live there for another year and a half, for example.
Someone who does this is living a nomadic lifestyle, so they're not staying in one area, they're not living in one permanent residence, they're moving around and spending their time in different areas, and so, of course, they don't only travel, they also work in all of these countries where they live.
So that means they need to have a stable Wi-Fi connection.
So that's one of the criteria that digital nomads use to decide whether or not a city is a good city to live in for their type of lifestyle.
Of course, if there's no Internet available, then they won't be able to live in that city.
So, of course, these people usually rent places.
They don't buy houses because they're only going to live in that city for a temporary amount of time.
So they tend to rent an apartment or a house and then, once their contract is up, they move somewhere else.
In English, when we use the phrase tend to, this means that people have the habit of doing something.
So if I say I tend to wake up early every day, This means that I have the habit of waking up early every day.
I usually do this.
So digital nomads tend to rent apartments rather than buying a house.
So they rent places and work there from wherever they're renting, or they might work from a cafe that's nearby their apartment or anywhere else that might have a good Wi-Fi connection.
And digital nomads are always thinking about their next destination, right?
Because they don't live in one place forever.
In the back of their mind, They're thinking about where they want to live next year, for example.
In English we use the phrase in the back of your mind to say that you're thinking about something in the background.
You might not be using all of your energy to think about it right now, but the thought is in your mind and you're thinking about it from time to time in the background.
It's in the back of your mind.
So people who live this type of lifestyle have to think about the future, because they're not going to stay in that one place forever.
Of course, there are cases where digital nomads fall in love with a certain city and then they end up staying there forever.
But I think most digital nomads don't end up doing this.
They tend to continue traveling around because their main motivation for being a digital nomad is to travel and is to see different places and experience different things.
So of course, this means that they go to different countries, or maybe different cities within a country.
And their goal usually isn't to be a tourist in that city.
They actually want to live there for a little while and experience the life of the local people there.
Some digital nomads have a more luxurious lifestyle.
The word luxurious means that you have more money, more comfort, more things.
Some digital nomads have a more luxurious lifestyle, but many digital nomads try to do things that local people do and they shop at the local market and go to local restaurants and They enjoy experiencing this lifestyle, the life of local people in that city.
Let's talk about some examples of digital nomads.
What jobs can you have that might allow you to live this type of lifestyle?
Well, if you work in e-commerce, you can probably be a digital nomad.
E-commerce just refers to buying and selling things online.
So if you work in e-commerce, this might mean that you have an online store where you sell products to people around the world.
So if you work in e-commerce, you can probably be a digital nomad, because you don't have a physical store.
You just need the Internet and you can sell your products from wherever you are.
Other people that might be able to live a digital nomad lifestyle are programmers.
Programmers work from their computer.
And oftentimes they don't need to go to a physical office.
So if you're a programmer, chances are you can move around and work from different places, as long as you have an internet connection.
Another type of job that would allow you to be a digital nomad is is if you're a language teacher like me.
Many language teachers give classes online, and so they don't actually have to go to an office or a school, and they can work from anywhere in the world.
Of course, depending on where they are, they'll have a different time zone from students in different countries.
So they have to think about that, because if most of their students are located in Brazil, for example, and the teacher lives in I don't know India or Thailand, then they're going to have a very different time zone and it might be hard to schedule classes with students.
The phrase time zone in English just refers to what time it is in your area.
So, of course, in different parts of the world, there are different time zones.
And right now it's 8.09 a.m. where I am.
But in another time zone, it might be 12.09 PM or 1.09 AM.
So if you're a language teacher, you have to be aware of time differences in different countries so that you can schedule your classes accordingly.
In English, when you say that you are aware of something, this just means that you know it.
You are conscious of this thing.
So I have to be aware of my students' time zones so that I know what time it is where they are and I can adjust my schedule accordingly.
And one other type of job that can allow you to be a digital nomad is if you're an influencer.
You might have heard of this word.
A social media influencer, or just an influencer, is someone who uses the internet and social media to to attract a following of people who watch or view their content and support them in different ways.
So big YouTubers, for example, are influencers, or big Instagrammers are influencers, and And these people can usually become digital nomads if they want, because they don't need to go to an office.
They don't have a conventional job, so they can go wherever they want and make their content and upload it and still earn money, regardless of where they live.
Okay, so now let's talk about some of the pros and cons of being a digital nomad.
So the pros are pretty obvious.
It's a very interesting lifestyle.
If you're a digital nomad, your life is very interesting because you travel around to different countries or different cities and And you don't just do the normal touristic things there.
You actually live there and rent an apartment and live kind of like a local.
This is a really cool experience, I think.
So that's one of the big pros of being a digital nomad is that your life is interesting.
You have the chance to experience so many different things, so many different cultures, and you can meet a lot of different people around the world.
You can make friends in different countries and you can learn a lot about yourself.
For me, when I travel to different places, I always learn a little bit about myself, my interests.
I learn more about who I am when I go outside of my small world, my comfort zone.
It always teaches me things about myself.
So this is a really cool thing about being a digital nomad. and you have a lot of freedom.
You feel very free because you're not confined to an office.
In English, when we say that you're confined to a place, this means that you have to stay in that place.
So if you're confined to an office, this means that you have to be in this office, you have to work from that office.
So digital nomads aren't confined to an office.
So it's a feeling of freedom.
They're able to go wherever they want.
They don't feel the same restraints that other people feel when they have a more conventional job.
When we say the word restraint in English, this refers to limitations.
So these people don't feel these same limitations.
They don't feel restricted.
So I think the pros are very obvious of being a digital nomad.
I think all of you can already think of all these cool things that you would experience if you had this lifestyle.
However, there are some cons of being a digital nomad.
There are some negatives.
So for example, you have no real permanent home.
If you're always moving around, You don't have one place that you can call home and really feel like it's home, because you don't stay in one place for a long amount of time.
And this can be a negative feeling for sure.
It also means that you don't have a lot of stability.
So your friends are always changing, because you meet new people and then you have to say goodbye when you leave and go to another country.
And then you meet other friends and then you have to say goodbye to them.
You don't have stable relationships usually.
And you don't have stability in terms of the future.
You don't really know what's going to happen in the future or what your life is going to be like in a couple years from now.
And this can feel a little bit scary and terrifying.
You don't feel that secure because you don't have a house and really stable relationships and a very clear image of what you're going to be doing.
All of this leads to a sense of instability.
So that can also be a negative image.
And another thing that's a con is that this lifestyle usually isn't as glamorous as it sounds.
The word glamorous in English means amazing, interesting, attractive.
So the digital nomad lifestyle isn't always as glamorous as you might think.
Remember that these people aren't just traveling.
They also have to work wherever they are.
So oftentimes they work a normal eight hour day, just like most other people.
And they don't have all the time in the world to have fun and just explore their new city.
They're actually pretty tired after work and they just relax or rest and they don't just spend all day exploring and seeing interesting things and going to new places.
This lifestyle isn't that glamorous.
Of course, it's really cool.
You're in a different area, you have the chance to do interesting things, but you don't always do them, because you're still working, you still have to pay the bills, you still have to think about these responsibilities in your life, so it's not quite as glamorous as it might seem.
And of course, there's one other negative, and that is finding Wi-Fi wherever you go.
There might not always be a good Wi-Fi connection.
You might have trouble finding a stable Internet connection where you are.
And this can really affect your life because.
If you don't have good Wi-Fi, you're not going to be able to do your job and you're not going to be able to make the money that you need.
Or you might lose clients or you might lose students if you're a language teacher.
So that can be a big problem.
So digital nomads have to do their research beforehand and make sure they're only going to places where they can find a good Wi-Fi connection.
So would I want to be a digital nomad and live this type of lifestyle?
I don't think so.
And I'll tell you why.
First of all, I have a family.
I have a wife and a son.
And I don't think it would be possible to live this lifestyle very easily with my family.
And also I value stability.
There are certain things in my life that I need stable stability.
I need to have some stable relationships.
I need to have some places that I know I can go to.
And I need to have things in my life that don't change.
Things that I'll always have there.
And so I definitely want to travel a lot.
I want to go to different countries and have these experiences.
But I don't want to just... travel around the world my whole life and have no permanent home.
I don't think I could live this type of lifestyle.
It's just not who I am.
But I understand that a lot of people dream about doing this and I can understand that dream.
All right.
Why don't we stop there for today?
I hope this episode was interesting for you and I hope it was good practice for your listening skills.
Remember to become a listening time member or super member or family member, so that you can ask me a question.
You can send me a message and ask me a question.
And I might answer that question on episode 50, where I do my Q&A.
So make sure to do that.
And of course, you'll receive all of my other content there my extra episodes, my seminars, my training videos.
So it's a great offer.
And I think you should all go to patreon.com slash listening time and become a member.
The link is in the episode description.
So just click on that below.
And of course, you have the transcript available.
That's also in the episode description.
So click on that if you need the transcript.
All right.
Well, thank you for listening to this episode.
And I hope you'll come back for episode 49 of the Listening Time podcast.
