This RTO propaganda is pathetic
Hey Freaking Nomads,
I hope you will excuse me for the rant I'm going to throw at you this week, but I couldn't really help myself.
I’m rarely this blunt in a newsletter, but wow… I just read one of the most pathetic hit pieces on remote work and digital nomadism I’ve seen in a while.
The Guardian’s article ‘My mind was shrieking: “What am I doing?” – when the digital nomad dream turns sour’ isn’t journalism, it’s pure RTO propaganda wrapped in anecdotal whining.
Let’s break it down.
First off, the author of the article didn’t even become a “digital nomad” for freedom or flexibility or even for curiosity about this lifestyle.
In the article, she literally admits she only did it to avoid paying rent in the UK by crashing at friends’ and family’s places. That’s not nomadism, that’s couchsurfing with a laptop at best in my opinion.
There’s nothing wrong with crashing at friends’ and family’s places abroad, but please don’t pretend that’s the same as intentionally choosing a location-independent life.
Then we get this gem from her story of another "digital nomad" she spoke to:
“I just never knew what was coming. The hot water and power would stop at a random time each day… Taxi drivers relied on spoken directions… and you had to pay in crypto.”
Is this supposed to be shocking? Welcome to travel. You’re in a foreign country, things are different, that’s the whole point, isn't it?
Complaining about taxi drivers and hot water in a place you voluntarily traveled to? That’s not a critique of nomadism, that’s just someone unprepared for life outside their hometown.
Next, they throw in a random university study claiming most nomads see this lifestyle as “temporary” and will eventually crawl back to stability.
Not sure what sample they used, but in years of traveling and meeting nomads across continents, I’ve never met a single one who said, “This was just a phase before I return to my cubicle.” If anything, most say, “I can’t imagine going back.”
And don’t even get me started on this “performative nomadism” bit:
“In Bali, I heard a guy brag about his passive income and saw him stressed on a call at 10pm. A life coach yelled at a waitress. Too many 25-year-olds call themselves entrepreneurs…”
So, let me understand this: because you overheard two obnoxious people in Bali, now all nomads are fakes? That’s like overhearing one office worker complain about their boss and declaring, “all corporate employees are arsholes.” Give us a break.
And then the cherry on top:
“Initially I thought returning to an office would be like caging a wild beast, but actually it gave me structure and made me more productive.”
Translation: “I have no self-discipline, so please handcuff me to a desk and tell me when I can go to lunch.”
OMG 🤦♂️
This isn’t a good argument for RTO, it’s just someone admitting they need someone else to manage their life for them. Which, again, it's fine if it works for them, but why is it framed like a universal truth and start hating on the nomad lifestyle?
This entire article reeks of one thing: fear.
Fear that remote work isn’t going away (sorry Emily), fear that nomadism is proving there’s another way to live, and fear that the old model of “come to an office or you’re lazy” no longer holds up.
Nomadism isn’t perfect. It has challenges, it takes effort, we all know that, but at least it’s chosen.
What this article describes isn’t a failure of digital nomadism, it’s a failure of planning, mindset, and clarity.
So no, Emily from The Guardian, the nomad dream isn’t “sour” as you want people to think. It’s just not for people who think flying to a sunny country to avoid rent while crashing at their brother’s place counts as living free.
If you want structure, fine, you have the freedom to stay in your office. But stop using bad travel stories to push RTO propaganda on the rest of us who actually built lives we don’t need a cage to function in.
That's one of those times that I feel blessed to be part of an awesome community of Freaking Nomads who don't stand this BS journalism.
Keep exploring and thinking with your own mind, my friends
Luca
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🧑💻 The Nomad Resource of the Week
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