Reframing digital nomadism
From a ‘lifestyle’ to a ‘form-of-life’
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19226411 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vincenzo Luise (0000-0002-8912-5613, University of Naples Federico II, corresponding author), Sarah Schwarz (0000-0002-5657-9352, Fort Lewis College) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mobilities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1745-0101 • E-ISSN: 1745-011X |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17450101.2026.2680310 |
| OpenAlex | W7163074173 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 38 |
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally challenged digital nomadism, as lockdown restrictions appeared to undermine its very foundations—holistic freedom and physical travel. Yet, digital nomads continued pursuing their self-actualisation projects. Using the pandemic as a case, this exploratory study examines how they sustained their lifestyle during disruption by focusing on three dimensions: mobility, digital technologies, and identity. Based on a mixed-methods design including a digital survey, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation in both online and offline communities, the findings reveal that digital nomads upheld their identities through adaptation, persistence, and reconfiguration. This suggests that the notion of ‘lifestyle’, which is inherently transitory and contingent, can no longer capture the full scope of digital nomadism. We argue that it should instead be understood as a ‘form-of-life’: a more fundamental mode of conduct that is rooted in historical context, shaped by informal norms, and capable of adapting over time. This reconceptualisation offers a renewed lens for understanding how digital nomadism persists and transforms under disruptive conditions through adaptive coping strategies
Cognitive reframing · Perspective (graphical) · Power (physics) · Work (physics) · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Spatial and Cultural Studies
Mobilities and Human Possibility
Towards an Understanding of Digital Nomadic Mobilities
On Liberatory Strategies of Digital Nomads
Digital nomad lifestyle
Romanticisation and monetisation of the digital nomad lifestyle
Digital Nomads Living on the Margins
Global Nomads
Inventive Methods
Immobile subjectivities
Digital nomads and coworking spaces’ infrastructures
What is a digital nomad? Definition and taxonomy in the era of mainstream remote work
Identity, practice, and place
Pandemics and geoarbitrage
Digital nomads – a quest for holistic freedom in work and leisure
A supplier side view of digital nomadism
The new global nomads
Existential vs. essential mobilities
Alone on the road
The Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Post-automation
Mobility guilt
Disruptions of self, place and mobility
Moving with and against the state
Geographies of Digital Nomadism
Form(s)-of-life
Possessions and the Extended Self
Digital Nomads and the Covid-19 Pandemic
Digitalnomads, #Solotravellers, #Remoteworkers
A different kind of emancipation? From lifestyle to form-of-life
South-Working
Liquid Consumer Security
Fashion
The financialization of anti-capitalism? The case of the 'Financial Independence Retire Early' community
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |