Historically, people who were settled in their own land were more prosperous than the nomads passing by on their way to the next place they could trade and earn. Digital nomads have flipped that equation. They are more affluent than the locals - this is precisely they are there. Their income goes much further than it would have at home. It makes sense that after a while they would feel weary and like nowhere people. This nomadic way of life is not intrinsic to the person's existence. They could as well have stayed back in rural Kansas. Congregating with others just like them does not create the community that a band of traders on the Silk Road might have had.
My desire for travel and seeing new places far exceeds what I have been able to do so far. Even with that small amount of experience, I have known fatigue from sensory overload. The best trips are those connected with some purpose which were expanded a bit. Meeting family and friends when I am in their town for work could be very rewarding but visiting a place listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in an unknown country might fail to provide the same level of emotional satisfaction. It does not help that the expectations are higher given the level of effort to get there.
J made an interesting observation recently that a lot of folks in their 20s want to be in a relationship from the fear of missing out a decade plus of travel while they are still unencumbered by family and responsibilities. Often they know it will not work in the long run but they can still have visited most of the 195 countries in the world before they go their separate ways. It is a tradeoff that makes sense for them. Maybe a completed bucket list is worth it all.
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