Recession Fuels Nascent Nomadic Movement

The Recession and the ongoing economic challenges associated with it have caused many Americans to rethink what living The American Dream means to them. Some American adults are no longer striving for the corner office, six-figure salary, and best retirement benefits. Instead, they are focused on designing a life focused on long-term travel and more leisure time now, instead of waiting for retirement.

These status quo challengers have decided to trade things historically associated with living well--cars, houses, and other material possessions--for time and location freedom.

This nascent trend has been referred to as location independence, digital nomadism, modern vagabonding, solo and indie travel. New publications, resources, and organizations are continually cropping up to capture whatever economic rewards may accompany the movement.

Empowered by the economic leverage an individual can have on the Internet, and emboldened by a “life is short” mindset, Americans in their late 20s to early 40s are trading in traditional values of work-save-retire to retire-work-save, which includes creating their ideal lifestyle now, rather than waiting until retirement.

“We’ve found that our readers and fans value a richer life experience over consumerism and getting rich.” said Adam Dudley, co-founder of Location Liberated, a blog and online community that focuses on topics like long-term travel, personal development, and entrepreneurship. “The 40-hour work week is dying a slow death. People are realizing that it is entirely possible today to live well while making a living. You don’t have to slave away in an office or cubicle for decades. You can have it all right now.”

“Early on we made a common mistake of confusing wanting wealth and material possessions with wanting more time freedom and a richer life experience. It took us 9 years and losing a business and our home in The Recession to wake up and realize what mattered most to us,” said Heather Stearns, the other co-founder of Location Liberated. “We own no house, no car, and few personal possessions. However, we get to travel wherever we want for as long as we want even though we’re not rich, and even though we’re still in our early 30s.”

Adam Dudley and Heather Stearns are the founders of Location Liberated. For more information please visit: http://locationliberated.com/.

Contact Information

Adam Dudley

Co-founder

LocationLiberated.com LLC

adam@locationliberated.com