It was the summer of 2022 and I had made the biggest decision of my life. I had booked a one-way flight to Valencia, Spain, with the following question: Can I work for myself and work from anywhere? I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be an adventure. Prior to this, I had a very comfortable life in London working at a top-tier consulting firm. On the outside, I was ‘killing it’, the high paycheck, a flat in an affluent neighbourhood, and every marker of what society would define as success.

But internally, I realised I was playing it safe. I had this nagging feeling that if I didn’t do something different now, I’d wake up at 45, anchored by a heavy mortgage and wondering why I never took a chance to do something different when I still could. It’s cliché for a reason: we regret the risks we didn’t take far more than the ones we do. I didn’t want to be that ‘what if’ person. It was time for change.

While most would choose to either work for themselves or see the world, I decided to do both together. I didn’t want to give up my career to travel and I didn’t want to miss out on seeing the world either. So began my journey into nomadic entrepreneurship. Since then, I have lived in over 14 countries, from Lisbon and Split, to Tokyo and Bangkok, to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Istanbul. During that time, I launched a tech startup, a public speaking business, and now run a community of early-stage founders around the world.

Beyond the Pandemic Pivot

It’s fair to say that remote work isn’t a new phenomenon, but the pandemic acted as a global catalyst. What was once ‘unusual’ is now the ‘usual.’ I remember sitting in my London flat thinking, ‘If I can do my job here, why can’t I be working from anywhere?’

The data reflects this shift. As of 2026, there are an estimated 45 million digital nomads globally, a community that, if it were a country, would be the 41st largest in the world. Location freedom has supercharged my creativity and ability to innovate. Studies in environmental psychology suggest that a change in scenery can trigger ‘cognitive flexibility’, the brain’s ability to switch between different concepts and think outside traditional boundaries.

When you aren’t staring at the same four grey walls in London, your brain is forced to process new inputs, languages, and social norms daily. Before, I used to have days where I felt incredibly flat and lacked the ability to think laterally or feel inspired. Now, the ‘newness’ that different locations provide means I find it easier to be innovative and creative, a critical skill of any start-up founder.

The Economic Hack

For entrepreneurs, this isn’t just a lifestyle choice; it’s also a strategic option. Moving to a location with a lower cost of living allows you to extend your runway significantly, a move known as ‘geo-arbitrage’. The idea is to earn well while spending far less on housing, food, and daily needs. With approximately 14% of digital nomads now identifying as startup founders, many are realising that geographical flexibility is a useful option for running a lean business.

Countries have caught wind of the economic uplift it can have. Following in the footsteps of many European countries who have issued digital nomad visas, in 2024, Thailand introduced the DTV (Destination Thailand Visa) designed deliberately for remote workers and entrepreneurs. While it comes with its own challenges, done correctly, nomadic entrepreneurship can be a win-win for individuals and countries.

The Power of the Borderless Network

The most unexpected benefit of all this for me has been the significant expansion of my global network. In Bangkok alone, a city now firmly established in the top tier of nomad hubs, a single week introduced me to an angel investor from New York who had exited an ed-tech company, a UK economist who sold his hedge fund to build an insur-tech startup, and a neuroscientist from Milan alongside an Oxford PhD running a game-tech business.

I’ve lost count of the interesting people I have met around the world. This level of cross-pollination simply doesn’t happen when you are in the same city, with the same people and the same circles every week and weekend. As a nomadic entrepreneur, you aren’t just meeting new people; you are building a global network of smart, inquisitive founders from just about anywhere.

The Middle Eastern Frontier: Dubai and Abu Dhabi

As we look at the map in 2026, the Middle East has emerged as a significant powerhouse. The UAE, especially Dubai, has risen to become the second most popular destination for remote work visas globally, trailing only Spain.

Between the zero-tax environment and the one-year renewable Remote Work Visa, the UAE offers a rare combination: the tax efficiency of a financial hub with a multicultural energy that rivals any Western capital. For a founder, the infrastructure here, from 5G connectivity to AI-focused ecosystems, is designed for high-functioning growth.

The Nuance of the ‘Unfiltered’ Life

However, I need to be clear on something. This isn’t a ‘laptop on a beach’ fantasy. The reality is more nuanced. When people say ‘you live the dream’, I always make clear that it’s not without its own trade-offs too. Navigating time zones can be tough, and without a solid routine, productivity can fall.

There is also the potential for deep loneliness, something I have experienced first-hand, especially as a solo female entrepreneur. Research suggests that despite the ‘connected’ nature of this way of working, nearly 51% of nomads report experiencing ‘road fatigue’ or isolation.

As founders, our businesses often reflect our internal state. If we are isolated, our leadership suffers. This is why building intentional community is a non-negotiable and one reason I decided to build a global community of like-minded founders to network, support and grow together.

Resilience as a Business Metric

Perhaps most unexpected of all is the resilience nomadic entrepreneurship builds. When you navigate a new country every few months, you flex your adaptability muscles. You learn to solve problems in languages you don’t speak and environments you don’t know. This builds a unique founder ‘grit.’ When you bring that back into your business, you become a better leader. You realise that a pivot in your product is far less scary than being lost in a foreign city with a dead phone battery, or worse still, turning up at 2am in Vietnam to find your Airbnb didn’t exist (true story).

As entrepreneurs, we continually face challenges in our businesses, but these somehow feel easier to tackle when you have learnt to navigate the world on your own.

The future of work is changing. Some projections suggest that by 2035, up to one billion people, nearly a third of the global workforce, could adopt nomadic lifestyles. We are witnessing the end of borders as a constraint on ambition. Anyone from anywhere can start a business if they have a Wi-Fi connection, a laptop, and a decent idea that solves a problem. For those willing to trade the comfort of the familiar for the adventure of the unknown, the world is no longer just a place to visit. It is our office, too.

About the Author: Niluka Kavanagh is an international keynote speaker, advisor and business mentor redefining what it means to work today. She is the founder of ImagineThat, the community for brave new founders and The Modern CEO, which advises leaders and executives on the human side of the future of work. She regularly posts on both LinkedIn and Substack.