Very interesting piece! It seems like the beginning of a much longer, deeper dialogue and social analysis. It was interesting to hear your self-reflection too, based on your experience. Thanks for sharing!
What you shared is the quandary of the times we’re in. I have chosen to pursue dual citizenship in Portugal and live somewhere there that I can be additive. Citizenship means that I will pay taxes and learn the language and history and participate. I live in a very small town right now and every pair of hands is necessary to keep basic institutions functioning. We need to return to a more Peace Corp mentality where you contribute to local culture and communities with your presence. Being a digital nomad has a negative overtone because it implies a one-way relationship (just taking, not giving). Those places are nice because of stable government, local library boards, ngo’s, and organizations that need participants to make a community work. In general, travel is a luxury. I’m thinking a lot about the immigrants at the U.S. border some of whom walked there from South America and Central America. They “traveled” too but was that a fun trip? Probably not so much. We can’t ignore that the world needs us to participate and to give at least as much as we receive no matter where we live.
Portugal had everything I was looking for - culture, weather, great food, surfing, hiking, public transportation, ways to contribute, and a visa option and a path to citizenship for people in our situation (my husband is a retired teacher and I am self-employed and can work anywhere).
Thank you so much for raising these thoughtful questions! My family and I are preparing to relocate to Spain to raise our son in a more hospitable culture and save ourselves from working to death in the US. Spain, particularly places like Barcelona and Madrid, also have experienced what you describe in Mexico.
I am not certain that we will figure this out. When my father migrated from Mexico to the United States, he experienced much of what you describe in Mexico City. All across the world, the locals are suspicious and distrustful of the foreigners who come in and change the landscape. And, as foreigners, no matter where we are in the world, should things go awry, and we will be likely targeted as the ones who need to leave the premises immediately. As it was with the Japanese population on the west coast during World War II, refugees in Europe, and as it was for the Jewish population over and over again throughout the last several thousand years.
When I consider all of this in historical context, it seems that the best way to prevent that from happening is to make oneself an asset within the community. Befriend the local shopkeepers, help out the children, sweep your front step clean as you see the housewives do each morning. The more we show them how similar we are and the more thoroughly we integrate, the less likely they are to be a target and the more likely we will be protected by the community. This will be difficult for the laptop class, I suspect.
While US progressive culture claims to be all about diversity, this very quickly can have a flipside that immigrants have always known firsthand. Now a new generation will live it out. Collectively, as Americans, it will be good for us to have the experience that others who have come to our soil have lived through AND to shatter the naivety that American exceptionalism has spoon fed us for generations.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and expanding upon the immigrant experience. I also really like your solution around becoming an asset in the community. I’m curious what you mean by the flip side of progressives’ value of diversity. Can you expand on that?
Thank you for asking me to clarify that. I see, in hindsight how vague that statement is! There is a term that I’ve heard used on the West Coast of the United States called NIMBY, meaning “not in my backyard”. This refers to people outwardly, stating that they are all for things like urban density, affordable housing, but when push comes to shove, and that affordable housing urban density impacts their personal space, they are not at all about it. This is often reflected in voting on issues that would increase urban density and reduce single-family homes with yards.
Currently, there is a lot of talk about celebrating diversity among the American population, but in the day today interactions, the reality reflects that people really are uncomfortable with change and are not quite ready to embrace those “types” they were raised to mistrust - the foreigner who doesn’t speak English well, the black man with baggy pants walking down the street, etc.
This was a brilliantly thought out juxtaposition. If anything, this is a dialogue that needs to be opened. Crossing borders allows us to share ideas and experiences that we just can't get at home under the veil of American exceptionalism (referencing a previous comment.)
I've seen digital nomadism done well in a place like Guanajuato, Mexico where they befriend the locals and integrate into the local customs and lifestyle. I've also seen it done poorly like in Tamarindo, Costa Rica where it becomes a walled off community with a cooler-than-thou mentality.
You're 100% right in that, despite us not having the answers, we should be questioning our actions. Great posts!
Yes, I think that it certainly can be done well. I am not aware of what’s happening in Guanajuato (my only visit was in September of 2020 for a few nights) but would love to hear about specific examples of what’s working well there.
The situation you describe in Costa Rica sounds like what is being described as “colonizing” even if it’s not being consciously pursued as such by nomads. The idea that those with money or privilege can go to a place and make their own private paradise (regardless of who is/was living there before) is also very American.
We have a long history of people leaving one place and trying to start over with a blank slate. The US is full of attempted utopias - from the Shakers, to Quakers, to the LDS, hippie communes etc. Perhaps I will dedicate another article to exploring this.
I've struggled (for years) to find a new, more accurate word for the type of travel I hope people experience.
I don't like saying "travel more" for the exact reasons you state, but I'm not sure there is word for a "deep, cultural experience that pierces through the superficial travel bubble" haha. Even "authentic travel" feels like a marketing hook these days.
I suppose it’s about the intention behind the travel. There is a big difference between traveling to collect social capital via Insta-worthy “authentic” experiences versus practicing the art of listening and trying to see things from another perspective. The latter is harder, and also less visible because it can easily turn into the former by sharing
Agreed. I'd prefer the latter to be shared with others to influence others to seek the same type of travel or experiences (versus superficial travel), buuut not at the expense of over-glorifying the process. Can feel a bit chicken-and-the-egg sometimes.
Wow, there is so much interesting stuff here, I feel like could write an entire newsletter responding to it all.
I appreciate what you say about not having the answers but needing to figure it out. It's a constant ongoing process for us as we travel the world.
As for the desire for those amazing experiences fed by social media, we've really turned away from those. I suppose we occasionally find ourselves in a place like that but for the most part we try very hard to choose places that aren't incredibly famous or beautiful, or at least not the beautiful places that Instagram influencers obsess over.
We're currently in Croydon, south of London for two months, which is somewhere I doubt very many tourists come. Yet I've found it fascinating and have enjoyed experiencing a different part of London that is just as genuine as Notting Hill.
As for the geography of winners, that's 100% true. And while I think governments should do what they can to help the "losers," trying to stop change and progress is a fool's game.
Croydon sounds really cool. I have done something similar many times in the past - renting a place in a suburb / exburb and having a less publicized but more authentic experience. Commuting into the city center by train can really be a cool experience.
As for your comment about government’s role in these changes, I would add that this has often been called helping “sunset industries” I.e. the US car industry. And thinkers like Thomas Friedman would argue that this is less ideal than helping the workers from those industries transition into a “sunrise” industry.
The problem with this is that it’s difficult to train coal miners into solar windmill repairmen. In theory it works, but it’s difficult to match labor shortages and surpluses in reality. Especially when other countries have younger, hungrier and better trained workers who can do the job for cheaper.
And that’s just the challenge with “sunset industries.” If entire counties start becoming less relevant in the global economy, the result might be something closer to an enormous exodus towards the few countries that are finding ways to survive in the new economy.
Much more to discuss in “The End of the World is Just the Beginning.” Are you going to join our book club discussion this month?
I'm not sure how many people would find Croydon interesting, but I'm glad you do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be writing paeans to it, but I am put off by my British friends who call it it a shithole. Lot of classism going on there.
As for sunset industries, the government definitely needs to help workers. Not sure where you're from but in the U.S. there have been a number of interesting studies showing that when economic disruptions happen to women, most go out and get more education/training and adapt to the new world.
Meanwhile, most men who have worked in an industry for a long time just get angry at their job being taken away and often feel they have a "right" to having been a <insert vanished job here> and refuse to get training.
That's a broad generalization but I suspect it holds some truth.
These kinds of disruptions have probably been with us since the first caveman picked up a rock. LOL. But the pace of today's change is definitely more challenging.
Alas, while I read your last newsletter about "The End of the World..." and it sounds fascinating, I'm afraid I won't be participating. Just running our own Substack, dealing w/travel, reading Substacks to which I subscribe, trying to stay vaguely up to date on world events, and doing some small measure of reading for fun has left me with zero bandwidth for much else. ?
Ha! I’m not saying I find Croydon interesting (I’ve never been) just saying that staying in unconventional towns / suburbs away from the main tourist spots can be an interesting form of slow travel.
I saw the article. I’m actually now contributing to that paper as well!
We’ll miss you on the book club but totally understand! Safe travels!
Very interesting piece! It seems like the beginning of a much longer, deeper dialogue and social analysis. It was interesting to hear your self-reflection too, based on your experience. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Yes, I hope to expand this into a series through the year / years to come
What you shared is the quandary of the times we’re in. I have chosen to pursue dual citizenship in Portugal and live somewhere there that I can be additive. Citizenship means that I will pay taxes and learn the language and history and participate. I live in a very small town right now and every pair of hands is necessary to keep basic institutions functioning. We need to return to a more Peace Corp mentality where you contribute to local culture and communities with your presence. Being a digital nomad has a negative overtone because it implies a one-way relationship (just taking, not giving). Those places are nice because of stable government, local library boards, ngo’s, and organizations that need participants to make a community work. In general, travel is a luxury. I’m thinking a lot about the immigrants at the U.S. border some of whom walked there from South America and Central America. They “traveled” too but was that a fun trip? Probably not so much. We can’t ignore that the world needs us to participate and to give at least as much as we receive no matter where we live.
Great comment! I love your definition of citizenship. How did you decide on Portugal?
Portugal had everything I was looking for - culture, weather, great food, surfing, hiking, public transportation, ways to contribute, and a visa option and a path to citizenship for people in our situation (my husband is a retired teacher and I am self-employed and can work anywhere).
Thank you so much for raising these thoughtful questions! My family and I are preparing to relocate to Spain to raise our son in a more hospitable culture and save ourselves from working to death in the US. Spain, particularly places like Barcelona and Madrid, also have experienced what you describe in Mexico.
I am not certain that we will figure this out. When my father migrated from Mexico to the United States, he experienced much of what you describe in Mexico City. All across the world, the locals are suspicious and distrustful of the foreigners who come in and change the landscape. And, as foreigners, no matter where we are in the world, should things go awry, and we will be likely targeted as the ones who need to leave the premises immediately. As it was with the Japanese population on the west coast during World War II, refugees in Europe, and as it was for the Jewish population over and over again throughout the last several thousand years.
When I consider all of this in historical context, it seems that the best way to prevent that from happening is to make oneself an asset within the community. Befriend the local shopkeepers, help out the children, sweep your front step clean as you see the housewives do each morning. The more we show them how similar we are and the more thoroughly we integrate, the less likely they are to be a target and the more likely we will be protected by the community. This will be difficult for the laptop class, I suspect.
While US progressive culture claims to be all about diversity, this very quickly can have a flipside that immigrants have always known firsthand. Now a new generation will live it out. Collectively, as Americans, it will be good for us to have the experience that others who have come to our soil have lived through AND to shatter the naivety that American exceptionalism has spoon fed us for generations.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and expanding upon the immigrant experience. I also really like your solution around becoming an asset in the community. I’m curious what you mean by the flip side of progressives’ value of diversity. Can you expand on that?
Thank you for asking me to clarify that. I see, in hindsight how vague that statement is! There is a term that I’ve heard used on the West Coast of the United States called NIMBY, meaning “not in my backyard”. This refers to people outwardly, stating that they are all for things like urban density, affordable housing, but when push comes to shove, and that affordable housing urban density impacts their personal space, they are not at all about it. This is often reflected in voting on issues that would increase urban density and reduce single-family homes with yards.
Currently, there is a lot of talk about celebrating diversity among the American population, but in the day today interactions, the reality reflects that people really are uncomfortable with change and are not quite ready to embrace those “types” they were raised to mistrust - the foreigner who doesn’t speak English well, the black man with baggy pants walking down the street, etc.
Talk is one thing, action is another.
This was a brilliantly thought out juxtaposition. If anything, this is a dialogue that needs to be opened. Crossing borders allows us to share ideas and experiences that we just can't get at home under the veil of American exceptionalism (referencing a previous comment.)
I've seen digital nomadism done well in a place like Guanajuato, Mexico where they befriend the locals and integrate into the local customs and lifestyle. I've also seen it done poorly like in Tamarindo, Costa Rica where it becomes a walled off community with a cooler-than-thou mentality.
You're 100% right in that, despite us not having the answers, we should be questioning our actions. Great posts!
Yes, I think that it certainly can be done well. I am not aware of what’s happening in Guanajuato (my only visit was in September of 2020 for a few nights) but would love to hear about specific examples of what’s working well there.
The situation you describe in Costa Rica sounds like what is being described as “colonizing” even if it’s not being consciously pursued as such by nomads. The idea that those with money or privilege can go to a place and make their own private paradise (regardless of who is/was living there before) is also very American.
We have a long history of people leaving one place and trying to start over with a blank slate. The US is full of attempted utopias - from the Shakers, to Quakers, to the LDS, hippie communes etc. Perhaps I will dedicate another article to exploring this.
I’ve had that exact experience in Guanajuato as well as Herradura CR! That was back in 2015.
I've struggled (for years) to find a new, more accurate word for the type of travel I hope people experience.
I don't like saying "travel more" for the exact reasons you state, but I'm not sure there is word for a "deep, cultural experience that pierces through the superficial travel bubble" haha. Even "authentic travel" feels like a marketing hook these days.
Anyone have any ideas?
I suppose it’s about the intention behind the travel. There is a big difference between traveling to collect social capital via Insta-worthy “authentic” experiences versus practicing the art of listening and trying to see things from another perspective. The latter is harder, and also less visible because it can easily turn into the former by sharing
Agreed. I'd prefer the latter to be shared with others to influence others to seek the same type of travel or experiences (versus superficial travel), buuut not at the expense of over-glorifying the process. Can feel a bit chicken-and-the-egg sometimes.
Totally! Sometimes we travelers are our own worse enemies lol Well intentioned travel can easily turn into backpacker pissing contents! 😂
Wow, there is so much interesting stuff here, I feel like could write an entire newsletter responding to it all.
I appreciate what you say about not having the answers but needing to figure it out. It's a constant ongoing process for us as we travel the world.
As for the desire for those amazing experiences fed by social media, we've really turned away from those. I suppose we occasionally find ourselves in a place like that but for the most part we try very hard to choose places that aren't incredibly famous or beautiful, or at least not the beautiful places that Instagram influencers obsess over.
We're currently in Croydon, south of London for two months, which is somewhere I doubt very many tourists come. Yet I've found it fascinating and have enjoyed experiencing a different part of London that is just as genuine as Notting Hill.
As for the geography of winners, that's 100% true. And while I think governments should do what they can to help the "losers," trying to stop change and progress is a fool's game.
Croydon sounds really cool. I have done something similar many times in the past - renting a place in a suburb / exburb and having a less publicized but more authentic experience. Commuting into the city center by train can really be a cool experience.
As for your comment about government’s role in these changes, I would add that this has often been called helping “sunset industries” I.e. the US car industry. And thinkers like Thomas Friedman would argue that this is less ideal than helping the workers from those industries transition into a “sunrise” industry.
The problem with this is that it’s difficult to train coal miners into solar windmill repairmen. In theory it works, but it’s difficult to match labor shortages and surpluses in reality. Especially when other countries have younger, hungrier and better trained workers who can do the job for cheaper.
And that’s just the challenge with “sunset industries.” If entire counties start becoming less relevant in the global economy, the result might be something closer to an enormous exodus towards the few countries that are finding ways to survive in the new economy.
Much more to discuss in “The End of the World is Just the Beginning.” Are you going to join our book club discussion this month?
I'm not sure how many people would find Croydon interesting, but I'm glad you do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be writing paeans to it, but I am put off by my British friends who call it it a shithole. Lot of classism going on there.
As for sunset industries, the government definitely needs to help workers. Not sure where you're from but in the U.S. there have been a number of interesting studies showing that when economic disruptions happen to women, most go out and get more education/training and adapt to the new world.
Meanwhile, most men who have worked in an industry for a long time just get angry at their job being taken away and often feel they have a "right" to having been a <insert vanished job here> and refuse to get training.
That's a broad generalization but I suspect it holds some truth.
These kinds of disruptions have probably been with us since the first caveman picked up a rock. LOL. But the pace of today's change is definitely more challenging.
Alas, while I read your last newsletter about "The End of the World..." and it sounds fascinating, I'm afraid I won't be participating. Just running our own Substack, dealing w/travel, reading Substacks to which I subscribe, trying to stay vaguely up to date on world events, and doing some small measure of reading for fun has left me with zero bandwidth for much else. ?
BTW, I'm assuming you saw this: https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/expatriates-were-in-cdmxs-neighborhoods-long-before-covid/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR2B1gQe6NQkjEW1Zml6aAfxHWUNTvjsOPhKNQV2O39UPccyXGWBebC42ps
Ha! I’m not saying I find Croydon interesting (I’ve never been) just saying that staying in unconventional towns / suburbs away from the main tourist spots can be an interesting form of slow travel.
I saw the article. I’m actually now contributing to that paper as well!
We’ll miss you on the book club but totally understand! Safe travels!