There are now an estimated 40 million digital nomads – mostly footloose young freelancers, able to meet all their obligations on their laptops as they hop between continents. And since the pandemic, a growing number of families have been making the leap, too, inspired by rising living costs, the increasing ease of remote working and social media influencers modelling it as a possibility. Some even use social media to help fund their adventures.
The lifestyle has become known as “worldschooling”: educating children through travel. On Instagram, the #travelfamily tag has 1.3m posts, and #worldschooling 350,000. The largest worldschooling Facebook groups have around 100,000 members, swapping tips for family-friendly destinations, home schooling resources and sustaining the lifestyle long-term.
For those who can afford it, the appeal is obvious. Parents get to escape long commutes and stretch their money further; kids gain life skills and a real-world education. Interest in home schooling is already rocketing, driven by concerns about children’s mental health and inadequate school support. Why not do it in paradise?
But the digital nomad lifestyle isn’t always as aspirational as it appears. Many describe loneliness, a lack of community and stress from managing work across time zones. A recent survey of 4,729 nomads found nearly two in five (38%) struggled with their mental health. Factor in children – not just parenting but educating them – and the dream may seem more daunting than idyllic.
Because digital nomadism is such a recent phenomenon, little is known about the impacts on children – but recent research on early experiences of mobility may give an indication. A large study published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal found that adults who had moved frequently as children had a significantly higher risk of depression than those who hadn’t. Clive Sabel, a professor at the University of Plymouth and the paper’s lead author, says they did not investigate potential causes, but he supposes that it reflects the effect on friendships, community and sense of belonging. “Social capital is really important, and moving disrupts that.”
However, Sabel stresses, “individual familial circumstances” could also play a part – for example, marriage breakdowns. It “absolutely is not” the case that digital nomads condemn their children to depression, he says. Children do need stability, but that can be met within the family unit. “Maybe the parents have a better lifestyle as nomads, and are more present.”
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