Welcome to the Future of Work Club! 🌍✈️
This is your way to the world of remote work, where the brightest minds share their tips, insights, and hacks. This is your source of inspiration, knowledge, and growth. Remote work will never be the same again! 🚀💼
In this edition, we bring you exclusive insights into the exciting world of digital nomadism. We've had the privilege of sitting down with Andrew Jernigan , a CEO of Insured Nomads , a digital nomad himself since 1997, and an expert in this niche, to gain valuable insights on how this lifestyle is reshaping the way we work and travel.
🌍 In just three years, the number of digital nomads worldwide increased by 220%, reaching a record-high 35 million people, compared to 10.9 million in 2020.
🌍 The United States has the largest number of digital nomads, with 16.9 million Americans identifying as digital nomads in 2023. This is followed by India (6.5 million), the United Kingdom (2.7 million), and Canada (2.1 million).
Sooo… we asked Andrew about:
🎙️ Meet Andrew Jernigan 🎙️
Originally from Birmingham, Alabama (Southeast USA) Andrew lived and worked across five continents and chose this lifestyle back in 1996.
"The term digital nomad was coined in 1997 and soon after took off with my laptop (dial-up internet days) and began consulting/freelance work to live where I chose and travel. Once platforms like elance.com (acquired by Upwork) came online I used them to get work, got married while overseas and have since lived and traveled the world with my wife and partner along with my kids. One of which was born abroad while living this lifestyle,” says Andrew.
After brokering 25 of the leading int’l insurance companies Andrew saw how the demand for radical change was growing in this vertical and set out to build the solution, a modern insurance provider - that’s when the inception of Insured Nomads happened.
You are working mostly with digital nomads. Do you think this is a short-term trend or will digital nomadism have a bigger impact on the way people work and travel in the future?
Yes, I work with them, and our company is a globally distributed team that allows our people to live and work where they choose. The digital nomad shift will increase as it goes mainstream from consultants, freelancers, and influencers to corporate nomadism where salaried employees of large corporations are empowered and trusted to do their work without restraint on where they are located. We find the ecosystem supporting the digital nomad life is becoming much more sustainable for accommodation platforms, tax liability, visa and citizenship opportunities, health insurance, and employment/consultancy sourcing communities. We at Insured Nomads are supporting both the individual, couple and entity (micro to large multinational).
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What is, for you, the recipe for running a successful full remote company?
The recipe is a tall order. I’m still seeking the winning recipe and surrounding myself with those that can impact me to lead a legendary team well. Some of the ingredients for this recipe are cultivating a culture where everyone is all in on the purpose, mission and the vision of the company, trust must be predominant, with a overwhelming sense of gratitude held by all, a deep commitment to excellence, plus results focused. Note, criticism and negativity must be left out of the recipe.
What would you say to CEOs asking their employees to go back to the office?
What is the motivating factor for it, weigh who and why you are calling back. There may be some that are seasonally back, but others potentially can be given the freedom to decide where and when they work. Let’s all be working to build trust over the next few years so that change can be made by management teams.
Backing it with numbers and concrete examples, how did your life change since you worked fully remotely?
My family is a high priority for me and being able to work remotely has enabled me to be present with my children and wife where an in-office role would not have allowed. They have been able to travel much more as well as we have adopted alternative schooling models some years. Being more available to my partner/spouse and the children is a priceless benefit for strengthening those relationships that is priceless for the long-haul. We can leave a legacy beyond our business impact when family and relationships are prioritized and empowered by the freedom to choose where (and when) I work, and then replicating this in the culture at Insured Nomads.
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🔥 With the rise of the gig economy, which allows more people to work remotely, and the increasing availability of high-speed internet and co-working spaces around the world, as well as the desire for more flexibility and freedom in one's work life, it’s true that the number of digital nomads will continue to increase in the years to come.
Here are some additional statistics on the growing trend of digital nomadism:
🔥Digital nomadism is a growing trend that is changing the way people work and live. It is a lifestyle that is attractive to people of all ages and backgrounds, and it is likely to continue to grow in popularity in the years to come.
