Digital Nomadism: Remote Work Practices and Emerging Forms of Entrepreneurship
Abstract
Digital nomadism has become a novel work style, transforming the global economy and jobs while providing entrepreneurial avenues for profit in a rapidly emerging digital economy. Digital nomadism promotes a new way of life that changes cultural attitudes towards and practices of traditional business; that is, workers are using technologies to facilitate remote work from anywhere in the world, even in traveling, rather than being fixed in one office. This mixed-method, exploratory research project investigates the emergence of digital nomadism and how it is redefining entrepreneurship through two inter-related studies: Study 1 focuses on the use of text mining, sentiment analysis, and social network modeling on a broad data layer; Study 2 includes 75 surveys and 28 interviews with entrepreneurs and freelancers about their observations and experiences. The results of this study show that digital nomadism is clustering around internet hubs, such as Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central locations in Latin America. The operations of digital nomad entrepreneurs and freelancers cluster around major themes such as freelance contracting, start-ups, selling online courses, co-working spaces, and lifestyle travel, all in industries founded on flexibility, creativity, innovation, or technology, education, sustainability, and networking
Keywords
DOI: 10.22146/gamaijb.116100
References
Ahmad, L. B., Arnita, D., & Nasution, R. A. (2025). Attitudinal Factors Influencing Digital Collaborative Consumption Among Internet Users: A Confirmatory Study in Indonesia. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 27(2), 175–197. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.v27i2.21209
Aggarwal, C. C. (2022). Machine Learning for Text. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96623-2
Almeida, M. A., Correia, A., Schneider, D., & de Souza, J. M. (2021). COVID-19 as Opportunity to Test Digital Nomad Lifestyle. In 2021 IEEE 24th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD). 2021 IEEE 24th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/cscwd49262.2021.9437685
Aroles, J., Bonneau, C., & Bhankaraully, S. (2022). Conceptualising ‘Meta-Work’ in the Context of Continuous, Global Mobility: The Case of Digital Nomadism. Work, Employment and Society, 37(5), 1261–1278. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211069797
Aroles, J., Granter, E., & de Vaujany, F. (2020). ‘Becoming mainstream’: the professionalisation and corporatisation of digital nomadism. New Technology, Work and Employment, 35(1), 114–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12158
Barroso, C. F., & Silva, M. M. (2020). From backpacker to digital nomad-footpaths of a digital transformation. RTIC-Revista de Tecnologias, Informação e Comunicação, 1(2), 5-17. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/17969
Benson, M., & O’Reilly, K. (2009). Migration and the Search for a Better Way of Life: A Critical Exploration of Lifestyle Migration. The Sociological Review, 57(4), 608–625. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954x.2009.01864.x
Bozzi, N. (2020). #digitalnomads, #solotravellers, #remoteworkers: A Cultural Critique of the Traveling Entrepreneur on Instagram. Social media + Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120926644
Chauhan, U., & Shah, A. (2021). Topic Modeling Using Latent Dirichlet allocation. ACM Computing Surveys, 54(7), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1145/3462478
Chevtaeva, E., & Denizci-Guillet, B. (2021). Digital nomads’ lifestyles and coworkation. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 21, 100633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100633
Chin, T., Shi, Y., Del Giudice, M., Meng, J., & Xing, Z. (2023). Working from anywhere: yin–yang cognition paradoxes of knowledge sharing and hiding for developing careers in China. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01744-5
Cook, D. (2023). What is a digital nomad? Definition and taxonomy in the era of mainstream remote work. World Leisure Journal, 65(2), 256–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2023.2190608
Ehn, K., Jorge, A., & Marques-Pita, M. (2022). Digital Nomads and the Covid-19 Pandemic: Narratives About Relocation in a Time of Lockdowns and Reduced Mobility. Social Media + Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221084958
Gede, I. G. K., Marhaeni, K. E., Putrana, I. W., & Sanjiwani, I. G. A. M. (2021). A Model of Community-Based Development in Digital Nomad Tourism in Intaran Village Bali. In Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. International Conference on Applied Science and Technology on Social Science (ICAST-SS 2020). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210424.073
Hannonen, O. (2020). In search of a digital nomad: defining the phenomenon. Information Technology & Tourism, 22(3), 335–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00177-z
Hensellek, S., & Puchala, N. (2021). The Emergence of the Digital Nomad: A Review and Analysis of the Opportunities and Risks of Digital Nomadism. In Human Resource Management (pp. 195–214). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62167-4_11
Iwashita, H. (2021). The future of remote work in Japan: Covid-19’s implications for international human resource management. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(4), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.15678/eber.2021.090401
Jiwasiddi, A., Schlagwein, D., Cahalane, M., Cecez‐Kecmanovic, D., Leong, C., & Ractham, P. (2024). Digital nomadism as a new part of the visitor economy: The case of the “digital nomad capital”<scp>Chiang Mai, Thailand</scp>. Information Systems Journal, 34(5), 1493–1535. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12496
Khan, M. A. (2025). Investigating the intersection of organizational behavior, supply chain practices, economic outcomes, financial excellence and CSR for corporate identity improvement. Measuring Business Excellence, 29(3), 551–572. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe-06-2024-0083
Kircaburun, K., Alhabash, S., Tosuntaş, Ş. B., & Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Uses and Gratifications of Problematic Social Media Use Among University Students: a Simultaneous Examination of the Big Five of Personality Traits, Social Media Platforms, and Social Media Use Motives. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(3), 525–547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9940-6
Lacárcel, F. J. S., Huete, R., & Zerva, K. (2024). Decoding digital nomad destination decisions through user-generated content. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 200, 123098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123098
Lazić, M., Vukmirović, V., Banović, J., Simović, V., & Paunović, M. (2023). Digital Competences as a Precondition for an Inclusive Digital Economy - Is There a Gender Gap Among Persons with Disabilities in Serbia? JWEE, 1–2, 51–71. https://doi.org/10.28934/jwee23.12.pp51-71
Mai, K. N., & Nguyen, V. T. (2022). The Influence of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems on Entrepreneurs’ Perceptions and Business Success. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 24(2), 198. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.67416
Mancinelli, F. (2020). Digital nomads: freedom, responsibility and the neoliberal order. Information Technology & Tourism, 22(3), 417–437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00174-2
Matsushita, K. (2021). Workation and the Doubling of Time and Place. In Advances in Information and Communication Research (pp. 105–120). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2425-4_7
Miao, L., Yang, F. X., Im, J., & Zhang, Q. (2024). Flexwork and flextravel. Annals of Tourism Research, 106, 103763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2024.103763
Mourato, I. B. (2022). Digital nomad’s sustainable responsibility: Exploring the effects of business and personal dimensions [Dissertação de mestrado, Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa]. Repositório Iscte. http://hdl.handle.net/10071/26443
Mourato, I., Dias, Á., & Pereira, L. (2023). Estimating the Impact of Digital Nomads’ Sustainable Responsibility on Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy. Social Sciences, 12(2), 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12020097
Nash, (Evyn) Caleece, Jarrahi, M. H., & Sutherland, W. (2020). Nomadic work and location independence: The role of space in shaping the work of digital nomads. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(2), 271–282. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.234
Nwoko, C., & Yazdani, K. (2022). Enforced Remote Work During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Relationship between Remote Working Intensity and Employee Motivation Using A Structural Equation Modelling Approach. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 10(2S2), 165-200. Retrieved from https://scientificia.com/index.php/JEBE/article/view/197
Panjaitan, R., Adam, E., & Hasan, M. (2023). Improving Entrepreneurial Satisfaction Through Creativity and Intellectual Agility-Resonance: Evidence from Indonesia. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 25(2), 173. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.69387
Rahman, Md. M., Salamzadeh, A., Dana, L. P., & Braga, V. (2024). Work‐Family Balance, Digital Leadership Skills, and Family Social Support as the Predictors of Subjective Well‐Being of Y‐Generation Managers. Strategic Change, 34(3), 453–465. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2628
Salamzadeh, A., Dana, L.-P., Ghaffari Feyzabadi, J., Hadizadeh, M., & Eslahi Fatmesari, H. (2024). Digital Technology as a Disentangling Force for Women Entrepreneurs. World, 5(2), 346–364. https://doi.org/10.3390/world5020019
Salamzadeh, A., Hadizadeh, M., Ghasemi, Z., & Feyzabadi, J. G. (2025). Creative Entrepreneurship in Digital Platforms. In Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries (pp. 33–49). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003410188-3
Salamzadeh, A., Tajpour, M., Hosseini, E., & Brahmi, M. S. (2023). Human capital and the performance of Iranian digital startups: the moderating role of knowledge sharing behaviour. International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 12(1/2), 171–186. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijpspm.2023.132248
Sayarı, B. K & Coşkun, İ. O. (2024). Deconstructing digital nomads: are they the last frontiers of the post-tourist? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 16(3), 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1108/whatt-03-2024-0049
Šímová, T. (2022). A research framework for digital nomadism: a bibliometric study. World Leisure Journal, 65(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2022.2134200
Stumpf, T. S. (2022). Becoming a Digital Nomad Entrepreneur: A Process Theory. E-Service Journal, 13(3), 30–56. https://doi.org/10.2979/eservicej.13.3.02
Stumpf, T. S., Califf, C. B., & Lancaster, J. (2022). Digital Nomad Entrepreneurship and Lifestyle Design: A Process Theory. Proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 5201-5210. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10125/79972
Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The Processes of Technological Innovation. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Thompson, B. Y. (2020). Digital nomadism: mobility, millennials and the future of work in the online gig economy. In The Future of Creative Work. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839101106.00019
Wang, B., Schlagwein, D., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., & Michael, C. (2019). Digital Nomadism and the Market Economy: Resistance and Compliance. Proceedings of the 40th International Conference on Information Systems (pp. 1-9). Munich, Germany: Association for Information Systems (AIS).
Willment, N. (2020). The travel blogger as digital nomad: (Re-)imagining workplace performances of digital nomadism within travel blogging work. Information Technology & Tourism, 22(3), 391–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00173-3
Zerva, K., Huete, R., & Segovia-Pérez, M. (2023). Digital Nomad Tourism: The Experience of Living at the Destination. In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 15–26). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19656-0_2
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Email the author 
