Living as a “digital nomad” gave me panic attacks: the early adopter of the lifestyle reveals the harsh realities of balancing work and travel (something TikTokers rarely talk about).

The digital nomad conjures up the image of an office worker on an exotic getaway, relaxing on the beach while clicking away on a laptop.

However, some followers blame the combination of work and travel for affecting happiness in their lives.

Some report feeling isolated and lonely after leaving the comfort of their hometown, family and friends for endless travel.

One of the first followers of this lifestyle was Lauren Juliff. She completed her studies and quit her part-time job at a supermarket in the UK in 2011 to pursue her dream of traveling the world.

At first it was a success and she used her travel website – Never Ending Footsteps – to document and fund her adventures.

“Exploring new countries made me feel alive and learned so much almost every day – about new cultures and myself,” says Lauren, who travels on the Kepler orbit in New Zealand.

Lauren graduated and quit her part-time grocery store job in 2011 to travel the world. Here she is seen from a hammock in San Ignacio, Belize.

She said: “Exploring new countries made me feel alive and learned so much almost every day – about new cultures and myself.”

While traveling, Lauren met her partner, a fellow digital nomad, and they began traveling the world together.

She said: “It went on for five years.” “During that time we traveled to 75 countries, alternating quick trips with stays of several months in a single city.”

But after five years, Lauren started having severe panic attacks again and again.

Even though she changed her diet and meditated, Lauren found that the only way to stop the panic attacks was to think about home.

She said: “I had a panic attack, immediately got fixated on looking for a house and found that the fear disappeared as quickly as it had arisen.”

“I suspect that the panic attacks are due to the lack of stability or predictability in my life. “I changed countries, changed friends, changed cuisines, changed languages ​​every few weeks, with no real consistency.”

The changing apartments with different kitchen facilities also meant that Lauren was constantly eating out, which made her sick and unhealthy.

Initially, Lauren’s digital nomad lifestyle was a success and she used her travel website to document and fund her adventures in places like Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

While traveling, Lauren met her partner, a fellow digital nomad, and they began traveling the world together. Here they are seen crossing the dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia

Lauren began having panic attacks and discovered that the only way to stop them was to think about home. In the photo: Lauren after a walk on the Way of St James in Spain

She decided to sit down. She moved to Lisbon, Portugal and found her mental and physical health improved dramatically.

Lauren was able to make good friends, learn to cook and pursue hobbies that had nothing to do with travel.

The ability to have a desk, a stable internet connection and more time for her work allowed her to triple her income.

Lauren now warns others about the realities of life on the road as a digital nomad.

The movement has seen explosive growth in recent years, and people seem drawn to its picturesque Instagram posts and exciting travel blogs.

As internet access improves worldwide and Covid leads to an increase in remote working, more people than ever have tried it.

By 2023, 17.3 million American workers will describe themselves as digital nomads, more than double the number in 2019, according to self-employed MBO specialist.

Currently sailing in Greece, Lauren now warns others about the reality of life as a digital nomad

According to self-employment firm MBO, 17.3 million American workers described themselves as digital nomads in 2023, more than twice as many as in 2019. The movement has seen explosive growth in recent years, and people seem excited about attracting to become. to picturesque Instagram posts and exciting travel blogs

Lauren in front of the Taj Mahal in India. She said: “Almost every digital nomad I’ve ever met quit within five years of starting.”

And more than seven out of ten employees (72 percent) plan to become digital nomads, according to a study by Swiss Post.

The term “digital nomad” was first coined in 1997 by authors Makimoto and Manners in their manifesto about how life would change with the Internet.

Beverly Thompson, a sociologist at Siena College in New York who studies digital nomadism, writes that digital nomads often have trouble connecting with people outside the lifestyle.

She claims family and friends at home often express “shock and confusion” at the lifestyle choice.

And because digital nomads often don’t know the culture or language of their current country, they keep looking for other digital nomads for online friendships.

The term “digital nomad” was first coined in 1997 by authors Makimoto and Manners in their manifesto about how life would change with the Internet. In the photo: Lauren on the four-day Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk in New Zealand

Lauren, here in Guanajuato, Mexico, said: “I had friends all over the world. However, I realized how superficial most of these relationships were.

Lauren, pictured above in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, now lives in Melbourne, Australia

Lauren said: “I had friends all over the world and would see them often when we were in the same places.”

“However, after a few years I realized how superficial most of these relationships were.

“Almost every digital nomad I’ve ever met quit within five years of starting because they felt the need to become more settled and bring more stability to their life.”

She added: “I don’t see many digital nomads sharing the downsides and realities of this lifestyle with their followers.

“It’s partly because your followers are there because they like what you’re doing. When I announced that I was ending my full-time travel, I was met with an extremely vocal group of my listeners who were angry that I had made that decision.”

Lauren now lives in Melbourne, Australia, where her partner has family, but she still wants to travel three months a year.