Over 8,000 years ago, in what is today Iraq, nomadic peoples started to settle down and tend to the lands, and set up a place we call Mesopotamia, often called the world's first civilisation. With time, such settling happened around the world. The Xia dynasty of China, Mohenj-Daro in India, and countless others. From then onward, agriculture began to become popular, cities were erected, roads were built, and so began the idea of an established civilisation. And as stable civilisation grew, loose and relatively unstable nomadic societies began to assimilate. In today's Postmodern Era, the urban-centred civilisation has become nearly absolute on all inhabited continents.
Of course, many nomadic tribes did not, and some have not, conformed to the urban model, and continue the trades and lifestyles of their ancestors, as the Bedouins do in the Middle East, or the Romani in Europe. But recently, nomadism has attracted a new group. One which was born from urban culture and seeks to combine the stability of established civilisation with the freedom of the nomadism. These people are from all over the world, of different colours, cultures, and creeds. The idea of constant mobility is becoming popular again, especially in the eyes of Millennials and the iGen.
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These modern nomads aren't exactly homeless, but they don't stick around in one place for too long, a year or so at the very most. They are minimalists, travelling with their bare essentials and maybe a few extra items. If they even have a place of their own, they'll most likely live in a tiny house or trailer, otherwise in an Ecocapsule or RV if they choose to live on the high end. Most end up simply renting a place to stay. Frugality is a common trait amongst these people as well. They won't spend money accumulating possessions, redirecting their expenditures to experiences.
As a form of income, the modern nomad can have a variety of jobs. There are the professionals, with high-level jobs such as professors, doctors, and engineers. Others are more in tune with the fine arts, such as with interpreters, musicians, and photographers. But the one that stands out most is the entrepreneur. More often than not, their work is online, hence earning the name "digital nomad". Blogging, consulting, business analysis, global marketing, any form of web-based entrepreneurship. They always have a few side-hustles lined up to sustain their, quite literally, ungrounded lifestyle. This lifestyle is definitely not as lucrative on average, but its rate of satisfaction tends to be leagues higher.
Modern nomads are nonconformists by nature, always taking the path less travelled by, or even going as far as to blaze a new trail. It's one more reason why artistry and entrepreneurship are so popular. But no matter what they do, they will always take an unconventional approach. Like anything out of the ordinary, the odds are against them, but should they find something that really works, they just might have an impact on the mainstream way of doing things.
Most of these modern nomads hail from the US and EU. This is because these countries have the most powerful passports, in that they can travel most freely around the world. Additionally, these countries' citizens tend to be wealthier and more willing to travel. Western cultures greatly encourage travel, and to travel is treated as a badge of honour. Hence why travel is a prominent industry in the world.
Can anyone live this lifestyle? Yes. Will everyone? Absolutely not. The nomadic lifestyle is for those who are willing to give up most of their worldly possessions and attachments. It's a decision centred around career, relationships, assets, and freedom. You can have either all of the first three, or freedom and maybe one of the others if you're skilled enough. Most people who try to adopt the lifestyle might find physical freedom, but not mental freedom.
