Although the term "the world is your oyster" may have been around for quite some time, it has taken on a completely new meaning with the advent of global Internet and the rise of the digital nomad career path. While the concept of living abroad has been around for years with travel writers, photographers, analysts and other types of expats, the spread of the web to every corner of the planet has given rise to a new breed of digital worker: the location independent employee.
The only real difference between someone who is an expat and someone who is tied down to a brick-and-mortar location is just that: the physical location. The same job tasks are still completed and the same working methods are applied, it is simply that instead of working from a single office in one corner of the globe the digital nomad instead chooses to utilize the entire planet as their office space. You could just as easily be working out of Tokyo or Cairo as you could be from Santiago or Cancun.
The modern location independent expat is someone who has merely traded in the old-fashioned concept of a house mortgage, 40 years of debt, two cars and the hope that one day they might be able to retire at the age of 60 for the 21st century dream: that of an early retirement and a debt-free lifestyle in countries where the cost of living is virtually nil in comparison to Western countries. Considering the fact that you can utilize your Western salary in a city such as Sofia, Bulgaria that has a cost of living that is four to five times less than what you would be paying in your home country, you can very easily save up enough money in a few short years to buy a nice retirement villa in the south of Italy or a seaside bungalow on the Riviera Maya.
There are more benefits to working abroad as a location independent digital nomad than just the cost of living. Adventure and excitement are also part of the puzzle. When you look at the fact that you can see and experience things most people only read about or see on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic, all while utilizing a cost of living that is drastically cheaper than what your colleagues are paying, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the benefits of an early retirement and a pocket full of cash.
T.W. Anderson is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience as a professional independent contractor. He has been traveling since 1999 and living abroad since January of 2008 and specializes in teaching people how to live like a local and pursue the expat lifestyle as a digital nomad. For more information you can visit http://www.theexpatguidebook.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T.W._Anderson
