The Rise Of The Digital Nomad Family
Up until 2019 the Digital Nomads were perceived as some lazy freaks, who pretended to be working from paradisiac beaches while showing up on Instragram lying on an hammock with an Apple Mac while sipping water straight from a coconut.
And the Digital Families, as some crazy heartless parents who were putting their kids in danger by taking them to remote destinations with no drinking water or proper health care and depriving them of the "normal school education", stability and routines.
People in general were failing to understand how one could have a decent job and do proper work from somewhere rather than a fancy corporate office or teach their kids as well as, if not better than, the schools.
As someone who has been a digital nomad before the term was even invented, and spent the mayority of the working life sitting in a cafe on an inflatable ball, and understood the importance of "kids copy what you do not what you tell them to do" I can tell you none of the above is true and that to be a Digital Nomad (single, couple or family) you do not need to go to Bali, Fiji, South America or Byron Bay, the Spanish coast in perfect, easy and affordable.
So in March 2020 our world was put upside down, the freedom we took for granted disappeared overnight, we had to adapt quickly in a sea of uncertainties, work and learn from home became the new normal and surprise suprise, the people that had previously worked remotely from home and other places, were used to flexible hours and thinking outside the box, embraced the new normal with less stress and anxiety, transmitting peace and calm to their kids.
The corporate lot embraced the work and teach from home less keenly, but soon found that it was a perfectly acceptable way of life and since then many corporation have introduced the "work from home as long as you like" formula.
And when the borders reopened in June many of them tought: If Work From Home can be Work From Any Home, then we might as well go somewhere with better weather, where we can enjoy outdoor activities and take care of our mental health.
All this became even more relevant as summer ended and the rainy autumn made his appearence in the Northern countries, the grey skys not improving the mood, the school and offices that weren't going to reopen, our new normal being Zoom, Meet and Teams, so we started to see different types of families coming to us to spend a couple of months, get some winter sun and vitamin sea with the only requirements of reliable fast WiFi and well stocked kitchen to cook healthy meals for the kids.
Different Kinds Of Digital Nomads Families
- Daddy works and Mummy Walks: Couple with one or 2 babies where he sits in and works and from the beachfront office while she walks on the prom with the babies, plays with them on the beach and spends quality time with them while seeing them grow healthily under the sun.
- Mum & Dad take turns: Couple with one or two small kids that need help with their homework, so while one works the other assists the little ones with their assignments and then change over. They can each enjoy a space in the apartments without disturbing and interrupting.
- The Zoom Family: Couple with one or two grown up kids, they are all self sufficient with their own device and headset to attend to what they have to, so they only have to choose where from, the lounge, the bedroom or the terrace, each in their place and to their own thing.
And when work and school is over, then the fun begins...
Homemade lunch on the sunny terrace or sandwich picnick on the beach, afternoon run on the boardwalk or roof top yoga, sunbathing by the pool or hiking up the mountain, cycling to Puerto Banus or a paddle surf trip to enjoy the sunset?
Do you have to be brave to pack up your family and hop an a flight?
Of course, but think of all the advantages: sunshine, warm temperatures, outdoor activities, wearing T-Shirts rather than jackets, your kids will have a tan in winter and so on.
If things go wrong, here in Marbella you'll find the top health care professionals and facilities
It will be a lifetime experience for you as a family and who knows? it may give you courage to travel further on next winter and get to discover far away paradises, as Spain is a very safe and normal destination!
Otherwise, it will be a treasured memory that will last with you for the years to come, an adventure you will share as a family and it will bond you in a way staying at home never will.
Doing something different and out of the ordinary will show your kids different aspects of your personality that do not come out normally.
You'll have more time to talk, to reassure them in this crazy situation, to bring some stability and normality, to share with them values and concept you wouldn't otherwise.
And what about the babies? Well, they can learn to crawl and walk on the sand (apparently extremely healthy for their little feet) , the little ones can learn count with shells or write their names on the sand with a stick.
Our personal experience:
Both of us traveled extensively before we met and then carried on together, as we met very far away from our own homes.
So when the little ones came to us, it was only natural we kept travelling with them and show them different places and pass on our passion to discover new things and places.
And because we worked as a freelance real estate brokers, before becoming holiday rental managers and travel planners, we could work from anywhere, just with a mobile phone and a laptop, but it wasn't always easy to find good signals, so we always ended up in the hotel lobbies bonding with other digital nomads while getting the work done.
It was the beginning of the coworking spaces...
And we enjoyed it so much that even now, that all apartments and hotel rooms have wifi, we still prefer to sit in the common spaces or cafes, have a chat with the owners over coffee and other travellers, because this is the true meaning of travel: belong anywhere, blend in, bond, experience and make friends along the way.
And the kids, well, they're now very much grown up and having always seen us get work done anywhere, have embraced the study and learn from anywhere with very much gusto.
So, from our family to yours, embrace the opportunity this alternation of normal have given us and do something different, even if you do not come to Marbella to see us, go somewhere else and live an adventure!
No need to just belive what we say, you can hear it all from THEM!
