Fiverr and Lonely Planet, a globe-spanning digital travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, today released insights from a recent survey looking into the new generation of workers, the Anywhere Workers.
The Anywhere Worker
For years we have seen people in their early twenties living a digital nomad life, jumping from party city to party city, working online and seeing the world. People in their twenties going somewhere in Asia and working with their laptop from the beach. Single and with no children. But the truth is that this is no longer the case. We’re seeing many other groups of people choosing this lifestyle: couples, families, experienced workers, as well as the 20 somethings, all of whom are looking for something more - to live somewhere new, to see the world and benefit from the experiences of traveling and working at the same time.
We think the expression Digital Nomad is in fact outdated and not comprehensive of all the working travelers out there. We then coined the word Anywhere Worker, referring to someone who works remotely and travels or lives in at least 2 or more states or countries, throughout the year.
The Survey Results
We interviewed 1400 people of 67 nationalities to better understand the new habits of Anywhere Workers. The data revealed the emergence of a new generation of traveling workers, who work remotely while traveling to at least two locations throughout the year. Unlike the digital nomads and #VanLife travelers which have been covered by the media, this group isn’t limited to individuals in their early twenties with a disposable income. Instead, it includes families and couples choosing to travel and work, often full-time. Please find more insights below:
Global data:
Anywhere Worker Classification
- 54% of Anywhere Workers also identify themselves as remote workers, someone who travels but isn’t limited to a single office location.
- The majority of Anywhere Workers have been traveling and working for 1-2 years, suggesting this trend was largely spurred by the pandemic.
- 1/3 of respondents like to move to another destination every month to every 3 months. But 55% of respondents like to enjoy working in one location, traveling every 3 months (coined “Slomads”).
- 1/3 of Anywhere Workers consider cost of living the number one reason to choose one country over another one.
Demographics
- Globally, the number of Anywhere Workers is split nearly 50/50 between males and females (56% and 44%, respectively).
- 70% of Anywhere Workers are between 25-44 years old. This confirms traveling workers are not exclusively people in their mid-twenties taking a break before starting work. 13% of respondents are between 45-54 years old, revealing that older generations are also approaching this new lifestyle.
- Almost half (45%) of respondents are married and 70% are parents. This suggests families are embracing this new lifestyle and trying something new.
Location & Travel
- 35% of respondents are currently based in the US.
- 14% are from Portugal, 14% from Mexico, 14% from Italy, 14% from Spain, 14% from Indonesia.
- 98% of Anywhere Workers want to continue working remotely and traveling for the foreseeable future.
Work & Earnings
- 40% of Anywhere Workers stated that they are earning more than before living this lifestyle, with 50% saying that their income has remained stable.
- More than half of Anywhere Workers work full-time (61%).
- The majority of Anywhere Workers work in IT, Engineering, Consulting, Business Intelligence, and Architecture/Interior Design.
- The majority of Anywhere Workers believe their line of work supports their ability to travel the world (84%).
- Almost half of Anywhere Workers chose this lifestyle because they wanted more autonomy and flexibility over their lives and careers.
US data
- Among US respondents, there are more women (54%) than men (46%) who consider themselves to be Anywhere Workers.
- “Anywhere Workers” polled from the US largely agreed that destinations within the US are the best places for traveling workers right now, specifically populous states like Texas, followed by the coastal states (California & Florida).
- In the US, the majority of Anywhere Workers (28%) spend between $500 and $1,000 a month.
- Over 50% of US respondents earn more than $2,000 a month.
