The Global Citizen, Ultimate Lifestyle Hack, Location Independence
By Warren Wong
Escape cold New York winters for the sunny beaches on the Caribbean coast. Visit Thailand during Songkran, and then hop over to Georgia for Varenyky, fluffy dumplings paired with sour cream. All the while working from a charming apartment near town center, close to the action. It sounds like a far-fetched lifestyle of the wealthy, but what if I told you that more people than ever are living this lifestyle, and you don’t have to be rich to do it. I call these people global citizens, the next generation of pioneers, reinventing the way we work and live.
What is a Global Citizen?
A global citizen is a concept I coined to describe a person whose mind, and body aren’t limited by borders, countries and its specific ways of thinking, allowing them to take advantage of what each place has to offer.
You can find global citizens gallivanting across the world with their laptops working in chic cafes, and bustling co-working facilities in central downtown areas. They tend to congregate in foreign countries, swapping travel stories, and business ideas over a cocktail overlooking a new city skyline.
There’s thousands of global citizens around the world and their numbers are growing each year. One can see why this type of lifestyle would be attractive. The freedom to move and live in different cities and countries has a certain type of appeal that would satisfy any avid traveler looking to combine work and play. The cherry on top is the ability to continue working uninterrupted, as the only requirements are a laptop and an internet connection — a permanent workcation.
The increasing pace of technological innovation in the workplace has led to new ways of doing things. Meetings over the internet spread across multiple time zones are fast becoming the norm. Multinational corporations are split into different divisions across multiple countries, each with their designated work hours and management systems. As companies are realizing that the workforce of tomorrow is a global one, so are workplace norms changing alongside them.
Corporations aren’t the only place where workplace innovation is happening, but entrepreneurship too. The ability to build and run a business from anywhere is on the rise as the lifestyle afforded to its owners are unparalleled.
Global Mindset
A global citizen requires a certain type of mindset. It’s definitely not for everyone, with all its peculiarities, it takes a certain boldness of spirit. I believe our future is headed towards this global lifestyle and the folks that are living it today are its pioneers. Technology will enable faster and more efficient modes of transportation that closes the limitations of geography and make this lifestyle more of a reality for everyday people.
The global mindset is a mode of thinking that isn’t fixed by location, political borders or current societal norms. It’s outside the box thinking, taking bold action to realize this type of lifestyle and all the benefits that come with it. It’s best summarized by the mantra of go where you’re treated best.
Each destination has benefits that affords a better quality of life for those who seek it. Whether that’s improvement in wellness, community, or culture, each city and country has something unique to offer, not found in your hometown.
While on the road you’ll surely meet challenges. Whether that’s learning the local culture and customs, learning a new language, or making friends and building community. Each of these challenges can be overcome with a bit of effort and patience. However, like with all lifestyles there are pros and cons. Those that are inclined to make a place their new home will adapt and overcome.
Location Independence
Location independence is one of the top lifestyle hacks that global citizens take advantage of. With the ability to work from anywhere, global citizens are able to choose where and how they want to live. Some choose to have a home base where they can call home, usually a place where they’re most familiar with and have a strong community of friends and family. For others they’re on the road full-time, moving from place to place, which can vary from being in a particular city for one week, one month, or one year.
The lifestyle that location independence provides will be different for each person and can be modified to suit their preferences. Some nomads will consider themselves slow travelers, those that prefer to travel at a slower pace, usually a month or more, taking the time to explore and experience the local culture and way of life. And others will opt for a faster pace of travel.
The concept of location independence has been around for a long time. In the United States each year many seniors, nicknamed Snowbirds, migrate from the North to the South, mainly to Florida in order to escape the cold Northeastern Winters. These Snowbirds are taking advantage of their location independence in retirement in order to improve their lifestyles. Global citizens have this distinct advantage as well.
Location independence takes the idea of what the Snowbirds had found out: go where it best serves your needs, and apply that on a global scale. For example, if you’re looking to cut down costs and live a higher quality of life you might go to South East Asia, where luxury condos go for a fraction of the price of a city like New York City or Toronto. If you want to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then living in Rio de Janeiro will give you access to world class instructors. Others will be mission driven, traveling to destinations in order to take advantage of cheaper labor, higher quality services, or starting a business in a place with an innovation hub. The options are limitless when the world is your backyard. The ability to move freely is one of the top advantages of a global citizen.
Live Where You’re Most Appreciated
When you aren’t tied down to a specific location you can choose to live where you’re most appreciated. Not all cities and countries are made the same. Each one has its own culture, way of life, and rules that may or may not fit with your lifestyle. Many global citizens choose a place where they’re treated well, perhaps a far cry from where they had originally come from. Whether that’s the level of service at restaurants or how foreigners are treated by the locals, all factors come under consideration when choosing where to live.
However, no place is perfect. Each city has its advantages and disadvantages so most global citizens will decide on what’s most important to them. Some cities such as Tokyo, New York City, and Montreal are known for their vibrant youth, nightlife and culture, but that might not be the right fit for those who are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere closer to nature. They might spend time in a coastal city with gorgeous beaches within reach of mountains such as Da Nang or Rio de Janeiro.
A sense of community is important in any place you decide to live, whether short or long term. A constant challenge for global citizens traveling from place to place is not knowing if they’ll be returning so knowing how much time and energy to invest in each place can be difficult. Making friends is often cited as one of the downsides of this lifestyle. Relationships take time to build and sometimes it’s a luxury they can’t afford. This is where focus cities come into the picture.
Focus Cities
While constantly on the road, a sense of community isn’t easy to come by. One solution is to have what I call focus cities. Focus cities are cities that global citizens can plan to return to year after year, which serve as a secondary home base where you’re familiar with the culture, way of life, and have a community of support.
The global citizen mindset is no longer being stuck in one location forever. It’s learning to adapt to a lifestyle where you’re internationally minded. Similar to how Snowbirds migrate down south for warmer weather, global citizens will develop their own routine around focus cities, each catered to their needs.
As a native New Yorker I have a deep fondness for the city. It’s where my friends and family are and where I have many cherished memories growing up. However, I also developed a fond attachment to Colombia during my travels in South America. From the beautiful mountain landscapes, the gastronomy scene, to the vibrant nightlife, Bogota has a lot to offer. It’s an international city with an airport that is central and direct to many major cities worldwide and climate that is mild and not too hot. It’s a city where I’ve invested time and energy to develop relationships with locals and foreigners alike. I have friends that I’d like to see when I’m in town and restaurants I frequent. To me, Bogota serves as a perfect focus city that I plan to visit time and time again.
Focus cities will be different for each person and can serve a specific purpose. For some it may be to escape the weather, conduct business, learn a language or skill, and for others it could be its geographic location. A city like Bangkok, which is international, centrally located in Asia, high quality of life for expats, serves as a powerful base of operations in the region. Flights to the rest of Asia are quick and affordable. Definitely a great option for those from the west.
Constant travel can be tiring, even a chore. Ask anyone who has traveled extensively and they’ll tell you the same thing. From the constant planning for accommodations, flights, dates, weather, what to pack to getting used to the culture, customs, and way of life can be exhausting. Not to mention things that can and do go wrong. Having established focus cities is part of the global citizen mindset, where you’re comfortable, know the way of life, may speak the local language, and have friends you can call up.
For some globally minded folks, they’ll have 2 to 3 focus cities on rotation throughout the year. They may have a home base which is where they spend the majority of their time, where their business is located, and most familiar with. They may spend a few months of the year in their parent’s home country to soak in the culture, reconnect with their roots, and disconnect. When it’s time to return to their home base, they’re re-energized, grounded, and ready to tackle the next challenge with ease. This is the way of the global citizen, and what I believe to be the future.
Ultimate Lifestyle Hack
Having a global mindset is the ultimate lifestyle hack because of the inherent advantages in freedom of movement. Being location independent affords one the freedom to go where you’re best served. The most common advantages include passport strength, power of your country’s currency, and language.
These advantages are most striking when going on vacation to foreign countries where one’s currency is strong. Suddenly, you feel rich when you can purchase more than what you can back home. The price of one meal back home suddenly becomes three meals in the local country. The rent you paid in Manhattan for a measly rundown one bedroom apartment allows you to live like a king in a foreign country with all the amenities and weekly cleaning service. This is the power of geo-arbitrage. What if this reality wasn’t just on vacation, but throughout the year?
Rather than working so hard for a salary that is small in proportion to the quality of lifestyle in a city like New York City or San Francisco, taking that salary to a country like Thailand or Italy would instantly triple or quadruple the strength of your income. Think for a moment what you could do with triple your income. The possibilities are endless. You can hire assistants, cleaners, a cook, or perhaps best of all, work less as your expenses in foreign countries will be considerably less.
Those of the global mindset can find themselves with a high quality of life through the advantages of their location freedom. This is the new wave of travel and lifestyle that many are starting to wake up to. With the advances in technology many businesses are becoming remote friendly where employees are spread across the globe in multiple time zones all working towards the same goals. The ability to work remotely is highly valued as more companies are listening to the needs of its workers. And the ability to build and run a business from a laptop and internet connection is more prevalent than ever before.
Conclusion
The global citizen is quite possibly the ultimate lifestyle hack, however it’s not for everyone as it requires a lot of flexibility, a certain mindset, and the ability to adapt. Though the benefits of being globally minded can be well worth it to some it may not appeal to others. Being a global citizen is based on location independence, allowing you to live where you’re most appreciated and benefit from the local way of life.
Whether you like to slow travel, have multiple focus cities, or plan to just live in a different country, this lifestyle unlocks opportunities that aren’t afforded by being in a fixed location. People are waking up to this new type of lifestyle. Being globally minded is fast becoming the norm as cultures are fast converging, sped up by social media, changing work environments, and ease of travel. Do you have what it takes to be a global citizen?
