Financial freedom is key to all the other freedoms. It smooths the way and allows one to live without the stress of making ends meet. That's my current goal (and, I'm location independent, but def. not a digital nomad--I'm a slow traveler who likes/wants/needs a base).

Part of travelling for some people is finding out what they want out of life and what matters to them. It's all a part of personal growth.

I love this video Chris. I was nomadic for 3 years. I now settled in Thailand for the last 14 months. I can still travel whenever I want, but I have a home to come back to. Work anywhere, but have a home. I can relate to how you have reached the same realisations as myself. All the best, and keep the videos coming!

Digital nomad 2.0 = Expat.

If you just call it location independent then there is no need to be nomadic haha. I think in the long run it could be great to have a couple of different home bases to live/work from and still be able to travel as much and as long as you want. After traveling for quite a few years I've continually slowed the pace I go at and typically spend a few months in each country, often limited by visa length. Keep on creating! Video quality and content is improving =)

It is possible to have a home base in a place like Thailand for example, where rents are cheap and a place where you can rest and keep all of your stuff, and still spend a lot of time travelling around. Home baseism, LOL, no catchy phrase words for that. Also nomads historically had down time where they might stay in one place for one to five years before moving around a lot again. Nomadism doesn't mean constantly moving around all of the time.

I totally get your point and what you describe has always been my goal. Independence and freedom does not mean rushing here and there, but being free to experience what you want, where you want, for the period of time you want. I myself like the slow travel, experience a different place and culture deeply, you lose on breadth but gain on depth.

I am older, but fascinated by the lifestyle, but personally I would want to stay at least 3 months in each destination. I will happily keep watching. Enjoy!

Chris, once again, that’s for your honesty. I’ve been bumming around the world myself for the last year and half and am at a similar point where I need to re-evaluate what’s I’m doing. My life is dedicated to my volunteer work which has brought me to Africa but I’ve spent over six months as well traveling, along the way trying to get work online teaching or freelance writing. I’m back in Africa for the time being regrouping but I’ve hit a moment in realizing similar things and trying to determine what I’m doing. Let me say that I’ve appreciated your inspiration and candor about things. This last video reaffirmed my feelings after a world wind journey. Thanks for reminding me that I’m not alone. Cheers. PS-along my journey I also visited Chiang Mai and Medellin, great places!

I've been a "digital nomad" nearly 2 years now and I feel you. After I've travelled until my hearts content and found the places I love spending time I've started to "settle down/revisit/live" in those favourite places over and over again. And when I feel like travelling somewhere new or taking a holiday I do. Location Independence > Digital Nomad. Traveling for the sake of travelling and having the title of digital nomad is exhausting and redundant.

Hey Chris, hi from Russia. Thank you for sharing your vision with us. It inspired me to look broader on life as I'm looking forward to experiencing a nomadic lifestyle in the future. What I find interesting is the comment section for this video. You have succeeded in creating the most open and friendly community I've ever seen! I hope you continue to be this genuine in your videos, wish you luck in your journey.

Thanks for sharing. And the frankness. Exactly, physical location isn't a requirement of my virtual nomatism.

Thank you for your honesty and transparency!! Sometimes it's hard to view the digital nomad lifestyle as anything but idealized, but it's comforting to see that those who have reached location independence have similar life questions as those of us who are location dependent. Loving your channel!

Digital Nomad 2.0 is a Global Citizen. Freedom of traveling doesn't require you to constantly move.

Chris the freelancer now Chris the life coach :) We enjoy your content. We watch because we like you and what you do. Just please post a video about the costs when traveling. Those are my favorite.

Thanks for the video Chris. Even though we've been on the road working constantly for the last three years, we never wanted to lock our mindset into being a "digital nomad." We just focused on building a business that requires a lot of moving around (which we still love). All the best with your next phase.

Yess!!!! This message needs to be heard, "nomadism" is only one part of a life filled with freedom. Preach!!

I watched your videos and it's really inspiring me, Chris. And I got your point in this video. Being a digital nomad is doesn't mean you have to move location all the time.. It's really refer to location independent. All we need to do is the financial freedom and embrace the local culture. I have a full time job from 9 to 5 now, but beside having full time job, I also take the Graphics Design offline course every Saturday. After I finished my course on the next 4 months (around March 2019), I'm planning to start as a freelance graphics designers and having remote working one to have stable job and stable income, and move to Bali as my Location independent, embrace the culture, and focus on my job in order to have stable income, and focus on my own spending..

Great to see you changing things up a bit! I’m looking forward to your future content.

Freedom Lifestyle not Digital Nomad lifestyle...now you're talking 👍

Mate keep keeping it positive! Appreciate what you have. 99% of people envy what you have even the ones making more money than you. That’s the bigger picture. That’s it

Great talk, Chris! Not every person is capable of having no place to call home, especially when it comes to having a life partner and children.

yes!! So needed and totally sums up how we felt after 1 year of 'DN'ing - we now have a base and can travel from there, it feels much more grounded. Still feel 'free' though. Hope you keep up the videos as we'll still be following!!

Real shit man. I feel the same way. What I like to do now is live 4-5 places per year for several months at a time and take small trips nearby like a normal person. Im so burned out on rapid travel. For me its all about slow travel, LIVING somewhere abroad, making a community of friends and then picking my next spot based on good weather and where my friends are.

Personally I'd still be interested in the video content, no matter how unsexy you think it is, or even if it's not a "positive" video. Keep people updated and no need to filter the bad stuff or the unpolished thoughts of the future. I think when everything is positive it comes across as too good to be true. All the best with your new direction.

Since covid I've been a digital nomab in my own country , Canada is so big that you can travel around and explore .

Bro you do you. You've made good content, just keep evolving and do what works for you.

It makes sense that you got tired of traveling around all the time. I traveled for 6-7 months in 2019, mainly via land borders which meant that it was rare that I stayed more than 3-4 days in one place. I think it is cool that you visited and documented so many places and I think most people will look for some more stability eventually. It will be interesting to see wherever you go after Corona and hope you find a travel paste that suits you, even if that might be just staying in one location.

I like everything you're recording about any topic, just keep on

Very happy to hear this, Chris. Positive change is positive growth. All the best!

I remember starting digital nomadism around the time you did. What an epic journey / experience it was, travelling and working for two years. Now I feel the same as you Chris, travel just doesn't excite me as much anymore. I think it's partly because of the inconvenience of relocation and the realisation that there really is no need to constantly move. I'm taking it much slower this year, plan on living in 4-5 countries. Good luck with your travels and thanks for the video, I'm glad im not the only DN feeling like this.

Traveling for the last 20 years, while having a job at home.....Only 42 countries done yet.....my Mam died 3 months ago aged 63, so I've kind of lost my itchy feet.....for the moment at least, but Chris is right......life is so much more. Sometimes I travel to multiple far flung countries on the one trip, and even before my mother died......it had got to be a bit tedious, who knows what's around the corner. Just enjoying the World Cup at the moment

I always find it useful to look for the old people in whatever I am doing, if there aren't any there is probably a reason. This works well for jobs, lifestyles and a bunch of other things.

The best advice I can give to anyone thinking about the digital nomad lifestyle is: Don't do it. Behind the eyes of of most nomadic vloggers there always seemed to me to be a quiet, consciously unspoken panic. The insecurities, the endless pressures of never knowing if the lifestyle would be sustainable month-to-month, the visa runs, the inconveniences, etc. It just didn't add up. We all face responsibilities and financial worries in our 'ordinary' working lives - why would anyone unnecessarily complicate that by many magnitudes by becoming effectively homeless and stateless, for a life of impermanence? If you're young, maybe you can put up with the sheer hassle of trying to make it as a digital nomad, but you're still going to need a sellable skill and deep financial pockets to sustain yourself against the inevitable difficulties/setbacks. You need to develop a critical, self-aware mindset and be brutal about the realities. I'm a remote worker myself, but I live in one place and I'm free to travel when I want - for holidays. These fantastic places in the world - they're always going to be there for you, so step back, think about it and go take a holiday instead. Go and visit, but don't get tempted to chuck everything away to go chase phantoms.

Hi Chris, I have followed your channel for a while now and have enjoyed all of it and i do understand that traveling is exhausting and wears you down at a point. I have done and continue to do a bit of it myself and i have to admit there's no place like home as it was said and no matter how much i have loved the many wonderful places i have seen i always look forward to returning to my home base. Timing is everything in life, so i hope this announcement doesn't hurt your book sales. Best of luck in the future to you and i hope to see more videos as you expand your content.

What's wrong with setting up shop in a country and then take trips from that country? You'll still have that stability of having a place but can easily travel from there. That's how I first started and it's been wonderful Edit: Nevermind just finished the whole thing, you talked about all that

I’m glad you have shown an adaptive quality to your channel, even though your nomad vlogging was A1. You just mastered the ability to travel and work, now your looking to branch out. I bet you will only grow you audience exponentially, as your are genuine and skilled.

This was authentic, well done. You’ve finally outgrown the digital nomad lifestyle. In truth it is a superficial, self-centered community where people give disproportionate attention to their own ego, self-image and seek to curate a version of themselves through social media. When the caricature overtakes the real person, it can be tragic. It leads to normalizing and celebrating the vainglorious and the narcissistic. Find your own voice and don’t worry about pleasing people anymore. And don’t listen to people who say you are now a life coach, that’s just another echo chamber delusion. Information and experience should not be conflated with wisdom.

Location Independence clearly doesn't require a nomadic lifestyle. I'm trying to build the ability to locate in the Philippines and carry on from there. No reason to wander everywhere to enjoy 'location freedom'. Choosing to create some roots simplifies somethings very much.

Man, I believe this is a very important step and a necessary step. One idea for a vlog would be to explain how you can stay and live in a country, how to migrate and stay in Indonesia for example

Digital Nomad was something I never thought I would have been able to experience ever... but I'm glad I did. Although during my time I never had experienced any spiritual or cult activity involved. My experience was purely of work and being elsewhere. I've had cases that I share moments with hippies but only when I'm on the move such as visa runs. Like any traveler, I try to stay open but not get involved. Most of the time I stayed in one spot and purely concentrate on work. Chiang Mai somehow gets that. My creativity and focus skyrocketed that I gained confidence in what I can do. Looking back I could not Imagine how I handled such multiple clients by myself but I knew its not the kind of situation I can keep for good. I simply took the opportunity to understand the value of being location independent when I saw several chances popping up in my inbox. I worked 15 hours a day from Monday to Friday and been doing it for almost 2 years. It was an excruciating and mentally exhausting routine but I did it. Perhaps because I was younger back then and loving the opportunity of being given the freedom to exert what I can contribute and also loving the weekend chats with like minded individuals. Now I'm facing 40's it felt like I needed to cut down those extra activities such as frequent traveling as it can be exhausting for me these days. At the same time it felt like travel has evolved into something else perhaps those spiritual groups and other things which is not the goal I'm heading. I simply wanted to find that one thing I love but at the same time figure a niche to turn it into a brand. Becoming an Observer gives you that opportunity to reflect what you are all about. All Nomads can definitely relate to this. I can see your post is something that I have concluded at some point as well when I decided to stop travelling as it doesn't make any sense to me at some point. I still love to travel but not the nomadic style but for vacation pursuits. Communication skills and the keen attention to details is something that came out naturally for me after my travel years. Because of that I wanted to pursue and set my attention to developing those experiences I have gained from comfort to excitement and incorporate that into my brand. My biggest problem is I have a wide array of interests and been trying to narrow it down into one thing. That's also the reason why I did not establish a website of my own yet. What can I say, the world has a lot to offer! hehehe... Good Luck to you mate on your next chapter! Been enjoying listening to your reasons and intentions in most of your posts. You gave me an impression that you are a RELIABLE CRITIC.

Awesome video and insights, Chris. I've enjoyed following your digital nomad journey and am definitely curious about what's to come. Excited to see what's next!

Love that you are honest with yourself and viewers. That's the true value you bring to us. 😊😉

Your videos are always very helpful ❤️ I hope to hear more about your decision making processes in your business / lifestyle

Live your life the way you want to live it! Having the freedom to change the definition of what makes you happy is true happiness. I guess I'll have to find someone else to test the WiFi speeds in different coworking spaces around the world!

Obvious. You just grow up and become mature. There was never such a term, just freelancers that travel instead of staying.

Welcome to the real world, hope to meet you some day. You are a genuine good guy, keep digging in!

Good for you. We've never actually *become* digital nomads but instead have built our whole business around the independent life you're talking about. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to work from any beach in the world and wanted our clients to be able to as well. We wanted to create that lifestyle for our employees, our clients, and ourselves (with our first real "nomadic" move coming up late this year). In short, I'm skipping straight to Digital Nomad 2.0. Will be glad to follow you there. ;)

I agree with you about the fact that it is a part of life, and you don't have to apologize for making changes in your life. I don't understand why people think that if you, in a certain part of your life you are a digital nomad, you have to continue to be a digital nomad for the rest of your life. It is a "Lifestyle," it is a choice! When you work full-time out of a cubicle and had a sedentary life, that was also a lifestyle choice. So honestly I don't think that you have to apologize for making choices in your life. If today you are location independent and tomorrow you are not, that is it, is your choice..

Everyone has different assets eg. passports, cash, connections and part of my 8 years travelling was exploring what they are really worth. I learned spending time in non-English speaking countries that I hate living in them, especially when going to hospital which really narrowed down the possibilities. So I would say 2.0 is when you finally made progress narrowing down the final destination/s you want to live that meets your criteria and beginning the process of growing in a place you love

finally some ppl talks about this, its kinda obvious but with the hype ppl seem to get dumb about it. for me it seems like digital nomad its just another tool that may help you to achieve other goals, because as a goal its just feels empty, like party non stop

Awesome video Chris. You can tell you're nervous about recording and putting out this video but as many before me have said - your honesty comes through here. We completely agree and learnt the hard way when it comes to 'too much' travel.

Amazing shift Chris!!! We love you, pls keep vloging your thoughts and emotions :)

Your journey is intriguing, but please stop calling yourself a "nomad" if you're no longer moving around. Adding a "2.0" just makes you disingenuous. There's already a word for what you're evolving to: Expat. Own that you're an expat. Accept that the nomad days are over. Move on and enjoy your new chapter.

thanks for blazin the trail chris!

Being a nomad sounds great but not the be all and end all. I'm not a nomad but I am a remote worker on a long term contract. I'll soon be 50 and as I'm married with a young 9 year old son, as well as a not so young mortgage, we have decided to stay put for now though there is nothing stopping us moving to another country as my work will follow me. Moving to another country especially one with a lower cost of living is something we are working towards in a year or two, but again, once there we will be static, using that as our base to visit other nearby countries a couple of times a year while I will continue with my work for the same client as normal. This is the benefit of being a remote worker as opposed to a nomad; you have a base and, with a western (six figure) level income, the financial freedom to travel several times a year and maintain a secure comfortable live style. I've watched a few nomad videos from 20 somethings and I've always wondered if they know this will one day come to an end and what they plan to do. When hearing of their monthly earnings I still cannot understand why a lot of these nomads don't become remote workers for a western company. It really does provide someone with the best of both worlds - a western level of income with the freedom to roam. Many however seem to be obsessed with trying to create some new phone app, or ebook, or Udemy course etc, yet they only earn three figures a month!

Whatever you do will be amazing! I just found your channel a few weeks ago, and really love your presentation. We are trying to be a location independent family and your content has been really helpful. Cheers to an awesome 2018!

I think it's a trend thing. Saying you are a digital nomad is no longer considered cool so many (like yourself) are shirking the idea. I think the location independence movement is only just starting. Trendy or not, being a digital nomad is the best thing that I ever did. Doesn't matter if I stay in one place for a day, month or decade.

This is brave. I have travelled my whole life been to over a 100 countries and lived abroad for 20 years from primary to masters before even doing one youtube video...but decided to make more digital nomad content travel hotels because i didnt think talking about being a foreigner navigating cultures and tough life calls or making a struggling to build startup globally would be as sexy optics wise. Seems like similar conclusion. Maybe digital nomad 2.0 is just normal human beyond borders lol. Gotta find way to do thst content its hard.

Wow, I have been thinking about these same issues for so long now. Very important if you want to go down this road. Especially for older people. You've got to sort this out for yourself, but it can be done with planning. Thanx Chris amazing vid!!

People really get caught up in labels. Who really cares about the societal labels...just do what you want and live how you want.

I'm focusing on financial freedom, meaning my stocks pay for my expenses. Then I can work on things that I want to work on.

Thanks for sharing, I can definitely relate. Moving around and constantly traveling gets tiring and it holds one back from focusing on other goals. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

I think “Digital Nomad 2.0” is just a “Location Independent Entrepreneur”. Freedom to travel is like all freedoms, you can choose to exercise that freedom or not. Looking forward to the new content!

Interested to see what comes next! We've always gone for about 2/3 months in each place and I think that works great for us :) Recently we've done 6 months though and although it feels way too long on paper it actually still flies by! Sounds like you've got lots of exciting ideas lined up.

finally... that DN thing it is just a fancy word . i love ur honesty. and from now u better call your self a digital marketer.. or digital ninja... u r a man with solid digital marketing skills. thats what u know...by the end been a DN is just nothing different to a backpacker. therefore backpacker and digital nomad is the same shit. is a human moving around the planet motored by curiosity and hormomes of freedom. life is different kids... location independemce, freedom amd other.concepts are just states of mind... i hope to see more content.. about effective digital campaigns... integration of digital strategies to succeed from green zero. (startups).. that idea of been a coach in digital business is great... do it... keep walking chris.. u are doing great

What's the problem of just saying that you give up the digital nomad lifestyle? You don't need to create this "gourmet version" called digital nomad 2.0...

Good luck. I've enjoyed your videos. Many of the DN's don't experience much of the places. They seem to spend most of their time with fellow westerners, in "tourist" workspaces and coffee shops.

I wanted to move to Chiang Mai before I heard about Digital Nomads. SO I am going about things the other way. I want to earn enough online so I can move to Chiang Mai and live independently. Online enterpreneurial activities are a means to that end

Exactly, digital nomad gives you mobility, allows you to find a place that is the right fit for you. Arizona for me, but not tied down yet. But for content creators, being able to connect could also play into your choice.

Its about lifestyle, and selfgrowing. Go for it!

Interesting. Regardless of where you end up from here the key from my POV is that you were brave enough to surrender to the outcome of living this lifestyle. Everyone evolves - it would be a shame if you were still being the same 'Digital Nomad' in 5 years and hadn't progressed. Good luck with the next chapter dude!

Great insights into the life of a "Nomad" I can't wait to venture out of New Zealand and start my own adventure.

:( ... too bad. Really liked seeing the places you go and how you get on. Good luck with your retirement.

You're either brave or a little naive Chris. You wrote a book on how to code and then did a vlog on how you don't actually enjoy coding and stopped your coding freelancing in mid 2017. Now you have just launched your book on Digital Nomadism and now do another vlog saying that it no longer works for you.

Toward the end when you're saying something along the lines of, if you're interested in traveling and working remotely, just know what you're getting yourself into and its not for everyone... Almost sounds like you regret it? Do you feel like it was a setback from other goals (creative, financial, personal)?

I think the gist of the problem IS - trying to marry traveling to work is a non starter in all but the few cases where these are interlocked - digital workers don't HAVE to travel - and travelers don't HAVE to work while travelling - it's just more practical to work for a period and then travel, settle down for some months or a year, work online, then travel etcetera.....:-)....i.e. Nick.....

Love your honesty man. I am looking forward to your content in other areas of life :)

Awesome news..... I've been looking for more content about slow travel/ location independence/ financial independence! It's more relatable to my lifestyle.

I respect your decision but you went VERY HEAVY as a nomad. Living in just 2, 3, or even 4 countries in a year would have been plenty but you guys moved around so frequently that a burnout was imminent.

Every old school digital nomad comes eventually to the conclusion that its not a sustainable lifestyle. Just type "Digital nomad not sustainable" and see the videos.

I appreciate that you want to take your life in a certain direction and giving up the title of Digital Nomad is obviously tough with the name you have built for yourself in the scene but I don't think it's very fair to try and claim "Digital Nomad 2.0" for the title of this new direction. It's not very kind to imply that the natural levelling up of a Digital Nomad is to stop doing it. There are lots of more positive ideas that could be put to the title of Digital Nomad 2.0 even if you don't want to be involved with them right now. A better title for your particular situation is Digital Slomad. You're still location independent but you're moving at your own pace.

Growth; great video chris. I am waiting for your new content and list where your various new content can be found.

You just cut the moving part. Basically it's living in the sun and earning enough to support yourself without stress, isn't it? And, IMO, being a nomad usually meant moving from the expensive country to a sunny one where living expenses are lower significantly. One may move around that cheap area to keep that nomadic atmosphere :)

Sounds like normal progression to me. Looking forward to your future vlogs.

This is how I've viewed my life using Belgrade as a base for the last 5 years. Doing tech work online for the UK IT industry is great, but Belgrade is my base and I go many other places. You need a base! Pick one! Now that I have a successful channel based on Belgrade, I feel a pressure to be there.. But in reality, I'm in London right now and heading to Chiang Mai today to wait out the winter... ;)

Slow travelling is the new Nomading :D I can agree totally with @Shanna Trenholm. I got inspired by your videos Chris, so I adapted similar lifestyle, but I never liked a lot the idea of dragging suitcases through airports on a monthly or biweekly basis. I am now location independent (currently in Amsterdam) and I still travel occasionally, but I have the home that I return to. And in few months I am changing for some other place. Cheers and keep up. Hope that you will find your new you :)

Our hair color is nearly identical. Dirty blonde, but it's not really dirty because it's quite uniform. More of a golden brown blonde.

Chris, sorry to hear this brother, it sure seemed like you were doing very well and on the road to making a six figure income in the next couple of years and living large on your own terms? Will you be taking some construction jobs like Lost Leblanc to build your savings back to where the were before the time as nomad?

There is a really cool book called “Design your life” written by the professors at Stanford uni. Highly recommend :) also creative freedom... S W O O N

hi

Sounds good will look forward to those videos

About 3 minutes in and it almost sounds like many including you are mixing up being a travel vlogger/influencer with being a digital nomad. Wil Dasovich is a travel vlogger yet even he has his condo in Manilla. Being location independent aka a digital nomad doesn't mean you have to be a travel vlogger/influencer. Yes the places you go can be backgrounds and even part of your pitches... buy they don't have to be such a big part that they consume you.

Lol, kids grow up and settle like normal adults. Revolutionary idea, lmao.

Hey man i was wondering where you had been. Yeah i have seen people a few digital nomads transition to staying in one place long term. I think to much of anything can get boring or turn in a boring routine.

It’s been great following your journey. The question I’m curious about is where you will choose to settle ?

Thank you Sir!

Stay places at least 3 months, longer if you dig it

Omg is Denise pregnant! Just joking. At least you got the digital nomad out your system. Sometimes as we get older we tend to want different things. The person you are today was not the person you were 5 years ago and the person you will be 5 years from now will not be the person you are today. Do what feel right for you and Denise. Anyways I learnt a lot from you and your channel over the years and I’m happy your brave enough to try a new path. Sending you positive vibes from the Caribbean. Well Trinidad to be exact. Oh try and link up with Brett dev in Chang mai he have great tips and seem like a cool guy. All the best buddy

I'm there as well!