Do we have any frequent travellers or digital nomads here?
If so where have you been and do you have any tips to share? (Particularly in terms of keeping data and dev machines secure or any special considerations to factor while working with Erlang etc)
If you’ve haven’t worked while travelling yourself, is it something you’ve considered? If so where would you like to go and do you have any tips of your own to share?
For those who don’t know what a digital nomad is it is essentially someone who works away from their home country/location. Many countries offer digital nomad visas, with the main condition usually being that you do not work for a local company (so you are not taking jobs away from the local population). It’s attractive for remote workers not just because you get to pick your setting, but it is often more affordable than a person’s home country too.
This is probably a bit too off-topic for this thread but yes, absolutely - I agree we should always try to be ethical and always do our best to contribute something of value to the world.
One of the reasons governments offer digital nomad visas is because they feel it helps the local economy while at the same time protects local people by ensuring anyone on those visas do not take away jobs from local residents (so while on that visa you can not work a local job and only work remotely for an outside company). They also minimise the burden on local people and the state by requiring all of those visitors have valid health insurance and that those coming in on those visas can prove they have an income that meets a certain threshold. These are in place so these visitors do not, perhaps inadvertently through no fault of their own, become a burden on the state. Many also have other protective measures, for instance, Thailand does not allow foreigners to buy freehold properties (other than I believe condos, and even then only when at least half are owned by local people).
It does appear that more and more countries feel digital nomads add something of value because more and more countries now offer such visas.
Are there any negatives (and how much of those you state are actually down to digital nomads and not other groups, such as those buying property purely to rent out, etc) and should people be mindful of ethics and the impact of their actions in all areas of tech? I think most would say of course, with many extending the conversation to other related areas too, such as the environmental impact of frequent/short stay air travel caused by of all of the world’s languages each having conferences (or multiple conferences) per year, or the ethics of AI due to the sheer amount of energy and water it consumes, or the advancement of robots and how they have taken away jobs from people without the benefit to humanity that was promised, etc.
There definitely has to be a balance, and going back to digital nomads or those travelling with sincere intent, I personally feel experiencing other cultures for yourself is highly valuable to humanity - not only does it imo help dispel misinformation and myths that many govts and media outlets like to push about certain countries, but it helps create a more tolerant, understanding, enlightened and empathetic society
