The ability to roam while you work is alluring for those who want to change not only their way of life, but also their work life. Life as a digital nomad is filled with adventures, cultural immersion, and occasionally spotty WiFi while you work and explore from anywhere in the world. If you’re a digital nomad you can most likely be spotted wherever you can bring your laptop — in a local coffee shop, Airbnb, hostel lobby, library, or co-working spaces as you trek the globe.
Coronavirus aside, does this sound like a lifestyle you'd like? We're guessing yes. Who doesn't want to travel the world and make money while doing it? But, conversely traveling alone and bouncing around from place to place can get lonely without a partner or community to anchor you and share adventures with. But, we've found the solution for this...
Digital Nomads Are a Growing, Successful Professional Group
According to a study conducted by MBO Partners they found:
“4.8 million independent workers currently describe themselves as digital nomads, and many more, 17 million, aspire to someday become nomadic. ”
This lifestyle is growing not only in popularity, but in actuality as more and more people are given the ability to go full-time remote.
The study goes on to also note that while digital nomads skew young and male, one-third are female and perhaps quite surprising — 54 percent are over the age of 38. Creative professions dominate, but IT and marketing are also strong participants in the movement. “One in six earn more than $75,000 annually, although they are split relatively evenly between full- and part-time workers (54 to 46 percent),” the study notes.
It makes sense why so many people are turning to the digital nomad life as technology improves and companies adapt to this growing culture of people who want to work on their terms. There is no shortage of companies hiring remote workers (and we're one of them)!
In addition to the number of remote work opportunities available for digital nomads, the lifestyle and personal improvements remote work has on professionals is a key driver to why people choose the lifestyle, or lust after it.
According to a 2019 study by Citrix:
“Among current remote workers, 73% of respondents report that flexible working improves personal well being and the ability to balance work with outside activities. A large proportion of respondents also believe that remote working has a positive impact on their professional situation either by improving their job satisfaction level (69%) or boosting their professional development (60%). ”
A New Community For This Growing Digital Nomad Group
As we mentioned above, research has overwhelmingly proven that:
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There are plenty of remote work opportunities
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Digital nomads report improvement/positive impact on their personal well being
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Digital nomadics are a growing workforce demographic
However, those benefits are not without their potential downfalls. One common concern for digital nomads is their lack of dating life or community. It’s a bit challenging to date and grow relationships when you bounce around from place to place at a frequent pace and never stay somewhere long enough to build meaningful relationships. This is where Fairytrail (a dating app) and Campfire (a Facebook Group) plan to solve this issue, and we're here for it.
Fairytrail touts to be the “Best virtual dating app for explorers." Their mission is to help people find quality relationships through exploration of people, places, and cultures (and hopefully create a more empathetic world in the process). Fairytrail works to match digital nomads with thousands of people to go on a "virtual adventure" from home, and they charge a small entrance fee to keep out scammers and attract quality available singles.
The Founder, Taige Zhang, is building Fairytrail because scientific studies show relationships can significantly improve physical and mental health. Zhang explains his motivation for building this community, “My mission is to help people experience more of the world because it’s the most beautiful thing to me– to see all its wonders, to appreciate all its cultures, and to cherish its fragile moments.”
He also added that, “Chasing happiness, it’s a losing game. What is more meaningful is helping people discover the beauty of our world. To help them feel truly alive and connected.”
Yas queen.
Online dating was the right approach since this form of dating is now mainstream. In fact, online is the number one way couples in the USA meet as of 2017. Currently, 39 percent of new couples first meet online and experts predict that to increase to 70 percent by 2040.
How Fairytrail's Digital Nomad Dating Works
Scheduling and logistics are much easier when you don’t need to commute to the date or wait until you’re in town again. The website also notes that now with the coronavirus lockdown, it's a fun and affordable way to spend time with some you like!
According to the website, this is how Fairytrail works:
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Find your ideal people — Create a free profile to match with single people in your country or far away.
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Match on a virtual tour — Pick places and adventures. If your match chooses the same, you'll be connected.
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See if there's a spark — Attracted? Chat and book to meet on the virtual group adventure!
Another fun aspect of this online dating app is the use of various characters on the app. According to the website, they're characters from Native American folklore, Chinese myths, Icelandic legends, African fables, and German fairy tales. They note that, “as explorers, we are naturally drawn to human cultures across the world which are unified and shaped through generations of folklore.”
Campfire For Community
Perhaps you’re not looking for a romantic relationship but still searching for a community. That’s where Campfire comes into play. Campfire also founded by Zhang, helps the isolation issue digital nomads face. Campfire is a Facebook community of remote workers, nomads, and world citizens. It’s a place where these groups can connect and help one another with life and business goals as digital nomads. As of June 2020, there were more than 2,000 members as part of this community. Perhaps there are some romantic connections within her,
Community members have rave reviews about the community:
““It was like we were almost an established couple, partnered up and taking on this new city, positive and open to new experiences and discoveries.” ”
“The whole group kept engaging in dialogue. It was one of the best groups I have had.”
— Tyler DeVries, Airbnb Experiences Leader
Community And Dating For Digital Nomads
Fairytrail and Campfire are great options for those digital nomads who are looking to share an adventure with someone. Technology, inexpensive travel costs, and political mobility have allowed people to have more choice in who they date. Zhang said, “Just like in almost every industry, we’ve got more choices over the years. Dating won’t be limited to local anymore.”
So if you’re looking to explore the dating life for digital nomads, learn more about Fairytrail by doing more research and watching this video to see if this is a great option for you as a traveler, explorer, and digital nomad. (That will hopefully be out of quarantine and back on airplanes soon).
