The younger generation is utilizing the opportunities of the 21st century with the digital nomad lifestyle. Working remotely offers flexibility, allowing tech-skilled individuals to travel around the globe with all they need in a backpack.
The world is now a global village where job descriptions have changed in the last few decades. The ever-evolving internet space continues to present opportunities for skilled individuals to fulfil their lifelong dreams.
The digital nomad lifestyle has gained more popularity in recent years. According to a 2022 study, it’s estimated that over 34 million digital nomads worldwide. The majority of these skilled individuals are working in the information technology sector as data scientists, software developers, and programmers.1
Working remotely while exploring different destinations can directly impact the environment. Individual habits can lead to littering, excessive consumption of energy and resources, and carbon emissions through choice of transportation.
The digital nomad lifestyle should be all about prioritizing and adopting green practices to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint. It’s achievable through genuine intent and we will be looking at a few sustainable practices in this guide.
Green Practices in Digital Nomad Lifestyle
1. Sustainable Travel
Digital nomadism allows individuals to travel and explore the world while working remotely. Chiang Mai, Thailand and Canggue Indonesia has become the preferred destination for digital nomads in the last few decades.2
The flexibility of the digital nomad lifestyle may seem sustainable, having no environmental impact. But in reality, it impacts the environment in a way that is not clearly understood by many. Digital nomadism harms the environment.
In a way hardly imagined, individual habits can either contribute to carbon emissions or reduce carbon footprint. Why rent a car or enter a taxi when you can use public transportation or even rent a bike? Walking is also better if the distance is just a few blocks away.
When you visit a new place, opt for these sustainable alternatives to get around town. It helps reduce your carbon footprint, while you explore a new area.
Getting a rental car is environmentally unsustainable, especially in places known for having traffic congestion. Opting for a better option like taking the bus or sharing a ride helps to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
For longer distances, catching a train is better than heading to the airport to buy a flight ticket. If you must book a flight for travel, choose direct flights to help minimize aviation carbon emissions.
Prioritizing sustainable travel is an eco-conscious effort worth considering. It’s all about green choices to reduce your carbon footprint on a new destination.
Learn more: Most Eco-Friendly Ways to Travel
2. Sustainable Accommodation
Sustainable accommodation is another major factor to consider. The digital nomad lifestyle is a kind of adventurous one that involves exploring new places. Finding a suitable accommodation is one thing and finding a comfortable and sustainable one is another.
Airbnb
Airbnb is a typical choice for digital nomads due to its affordability. For the digital nomads, the best Airbnb to stay in are those with sustainable installations such as energy-efficient lighting and water-saving initiatives.
Additionally, booking an Airbnb also offers an excellent opportunity to experience the local culture of a new destination. However, accommodation quality and standards can vary and prices may be unstable all year round.
Co-living Spaces
Co-living spaces offer comfortable and affordable living to digital nomads. It’s a shared living space for the digital nomad lifestyle that connects individuals who share a common goal.
Co-living spaces are gaining more popularity and it’s has been preferred by younger digital nomads.
Hotels
Hotels are the most considered option for accommodation, which is also the preferred choice of younger digital nomads. However, choosing sustainable hotels should be prioritized rather than choosing randomly.
Opting for Sustainable Accommodation
The excitement of visiting your favourite tourist destination should be complimented by choosing environmentally friendly accommodation. As a digital nomad, you already have all it takes to find the best eco-conscious lodging option that suits your lifestyle.
Search for green hotels or properties with sustainable installations like solar panels and wind turbines. Accommodations operating on renewable energy sources are best to spend your money on.
Look for the units with energy-efficient appliances. While you enjoy the moment in your preferred sustainable accommodation, also remember to avoid using single-use plastic that will generate more waste while you stay there.
Eco-friendly resorts are also one of the best places that implement sustainable practices into their operations –and this may include water conservation initiatives, energy-efficient systems, and waste reduction programs.
These resorts also incorporate the installation of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Their green initiatives promote environmental sustainability, while their services are exquisite for a unique guest experience.3
3. Support Local Green Initiative
Working with the local community on environmental initiatives shows your genuine intent towards environmental sustainability. The local communities in places you visit may have local conservation groups working tirelessly to protect ecosystems.
Get involved, and educate others on local environmental issues. Participating in the local communities’ green cause promotes environmental sustainability in a place you would love to visit again.
4. Supporting Sustainable Businesses
As a digital nomad exploring different places, sustainable local businesses need your support to grow. You can play your part by supporting local farmers and businesses committed to sustainability.
You can show support by buying and consuming local foods grown organically. Buying from local farmers is more sustainable and healthier than buying fruits or veggies from grocery stores. Buying from local farmers saves the environment from carbon emissions due to food transportation.
You will be getting fresh fruit and veggies from the farm, while local businesses flourish as you contribute to their growth.
5. Responsible Consumption
Purchasing locally made products sustainably supports the local community and at the same protects the environment. Transporting locally-made goods over a long distance dumps more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
You will be minimizing the carbon emissions tied to goods transportation when you buy from local businesses. Additionally, as a digital nomad, bring reusable items on your journey to avoid using single-use plastics. Bring stainless steel bottled water, reusable straws, bags, and cutlery on your trip instead of single-use ones.
How Digital Nomads Can Reduce Their Carbon Foot Footprint
Digital nomadism allows individuals to travel and explore the world while working remotely.
It’s best to adopt sustainable practices when visiting new destinations as a digital nomad. Firstly, minimizing waste during your trip is the best way to show true intent of adopting sustainable practices.
Take reusable items that won’t generate any waste like single-use ones. Use reusable food containers and bottled water preferably made of stainless steel to carry food or snacks and stay hydrated drinking from a durable stainless steel water bottle.4
So, only include reusable items in your backpack when travelling to a new destination. No single-use plastic bottles, bags, food containers, or even straws.
Conscious Energy Consumption
As a digital nomad, if you are not checking into an eco-friendly hotel, the best you can do is to ensure all appliances not in use are unplugged and lights turned off before you go out.
If the accommodation doesn’t provide energy-efficient appliances, being eco-conscious with energy consumption helps to protect the environment. The best accommodations are those that use clean energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Additionally, digital nomads can promote environmental sustainability through their platforms -educating others on the importance of protecting the environment and adopting sustainable practices. Creating awareness through their platform can inspire others to adopt a greener lifestyle.
To charge your devices, you will need a universal adapter like Bestek travel adapter that works in over 150 countries worldwide. It comes with four USB ports and three AC sockets, allowing you to charge more devices at the same time.5
Minimizing Plastic Use
Avoid carrying single-use plastic as you explore new destinations as a digital nomad. A no-plastic campaign is a sustainable initiative that digital nomads can promote to reduce their plastic use.
Use durable and reusable items for bottled water, food containers, and shopping bags. Bringing single-use plastic items on your trip will add to the already existing plastic waste problem in your new destination.
While plastic is recyclable, large amounts of material waste still end up in landfills. So pack only reusable utensils, containers, water bottles, bags, and straws to avoid generating plastic waste on your trip.
Eat Local and Plant-Based Food
We previously talked about buying from farmers in local communities. Eating local and plant-based food is one way you can reduce your carbon footprint as a digital nomad.
Plant-based diets are healthy and offer in all necessary fats, proteins, and minerals for optimal health.
Buy Second-hand Clothing
Choose second-hand or vintage clothing that suits your digital nomad lifestyle. It may sound strange but it’s more sustainable choosing second-hand clothing over new ones.
Buying second-hand may seem too old-fashioned and not suitable for new trends. However, buying them helps to conserve natural resources and minimize the amount of energy used in the production process of new clothing.
Buying second-hand clothing is environmentally sustainable but not every individual who claims to be eco-conscious can do it.
Sustainable Travel Tips for Remote Workers
Reducing Single-use Plastic
Travelling without single-use plastic is a sustainable decision well made to reduce global plastic waste. Sustainable alternatives to plastic items are durable and reusable ones that can serve you long-term.
As someone who travels to a new destination, every item in your luggage should be a reusable one. From water bottles to shopping bags, food containers, straws, and utensils. For personal hygiene items, look for bamboo toothbrushes and metal razors.
When grocery shopping, look for items with minimal packaging or products packed in sustainable materials. Your choice of shopping can help minimize solid waste generation impacting the environment.
Energy Conservation
As a digital nomad, your job relies on using various electronic devices. We have talked about energy conservation and yes, it’s one of the sustainable travel tips for digital nomads to adopt.
To minimize energy consumption, always unplug electronic devices not in use or fully charged. Turn off every light when it’s daytime and only use natural lighting.
These simple eco-conscious acts will save a significant amount of energy.
Conserve Water
Your favourite destination may have seasonal drought lasting for months. Water is the most valuable resource for all life on earth and even if you can afford to pay for a hotel room with running, it should never waste because it’s in plenty.
Create a resourceful routine to avoid wasting water. Instead of spending more time in the shower, take shorter ones to cut down on your water usage. If you notice any leaks in your accommodation, don’t fail to call the attention of the establishment to get it fixed.6
Waste Reduction
As a digital nomad, going paperless should be easy –whether it involves providing your boarding pass or any presentation. Going digital means you will be minimizing paper waste generated from hard copies of files and documents.
Sending digital copies of your presentation via email only takes a few seconds.
Online Meeting over Physical Interaction
Sustainable travel is part of the green practices of the digital nomad lifestyle. Sustainable travel also means travelling less and better.
Before you head out for a meeting, reconsider your option if it’s better to communicate online rather than to drive or take a bus to the meeting. As a digital nomad, holding online meetings is not new to you and if it’s viable, you can always opt for it than travel the distance for a meeting.
Avoiding the road trip minimizes greenhouse gas emissions impacting the environment. However, if you must attend a meeting in person, make sure you travel better and sustainably. Use public transportation instead of using a rental car.
For longer distances, catching a train is better than heading to the airport to buy a flight ticket. If you must book a flight for travel, choose direct flights to help minimize aviation carbon emissions.
Conclusion
The digital nomad lifestyle has gained more popularity in recent years with over 34 million digital nomads worldwide.
Working remotely while exploring different destinations can directly impact the environment. Individual habits can lead to littering, excessive consumption of energy and resources, and carbon emissions through choice of transportation.
A sustainable practice for the digital nomad lifestyle focuses on reducing individual carbon footprint in new destinations.
Sources
- Laura WIDMOSER: “DIGITAL NOMADS: BALANCING MOBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE LIQUID MODERN WORLD.” ↩︎
- Digital nomadism as a new part of the visitor economy: The case of the “digital nomad capital” Chiang Mai, Thailand. (n.d.). ResearchGate. ↩︎
- Travelogue, J. (2024, January 11). Wander Wisely, a digital nomad’s guide to sustainable travel in every climate. Medium. ↩︎
- Travelogue, J. (2023, September 27). The Digital Nomad’s Guide to Saving the Planet—10 roles of Ecotourism in Climate change Mitigation and adaptation. Medium. ↩︎
- McInnis, K. (2023, March 23). All the gear you’ll need to work remotely while traveling, according to experts. CNN Underscored. ↩︎
- Sustainable travel decisions: Top 10 business travel tips. (2024, February 9). GetGoing. ↩︎