You want to become a digital nomad family, but you are unsure what may change? You don’t want to end up feeling like a failure, moving back home? You’re not alone! We felt the same way in 2019 when we became a digital nomad family.
That’s why today, I want to discuss this uncomfortable topic: why do so many digital nomad families fail? In newspapers and blogs, we often only hear about the glowing success stories of families who bet everything and have been successful digital nomad families for years. Rarely do we hear about families who had to give up and return to their conventional lives.
Today, I’ll talk about these cases and why this can, unfortunately, happen to any family.
What Are Digital Nomad Families?
First, let’s clarify what digital nomad families are. Digital nomad families are those who have left conventional life to live a life of travel. They might have started traveling with children or became parents after already being digital nomads (or both, like us – check out how we made it in this article). These families have figured out how to generate income remotely and provide education for their children while on the move. They stay in one place for a few weeks to several months and love experiencing new cultures. Generally, their values are less materialistic (because they travel with only a few suitcases) and more critical of conventional “systems.” Many choose this lifestyle because they disagree with the education system at home, the tax system, or other societal norms. But if these families know what they want, why do so many fail?
Reasons Why Digital Nomad Families Fail
There are several obvious reasons why nomad families fail and many hidden ones. Let’s start with the most common reasons digital nomad families struggle.
Emotional Stress
Anyone who thinks that all worries disappear once you become a digital nomad family is mistaken. In fact, new worries arise: Will my family thrive in the new location? Will we quickly make friends, especially for the kids? Which destination is safe enough for us? When can we plan our next move, and when is a less busy time at work? And then there’s the constant question: Are we doing the right thing, or are we asking too much of our children?
New feelings also emerge, like the unsettling feeling when you first arrive at a new place. You might think you’d be excited, but often, there’s a feeling of “This doesn’t feel like home yet.” You might mourn the previous place and the people you met there. Luckily, this feeling usually lasts only a few days. With each routine, the joy of being in a new place gradually builds up.
Lack of Stable Income
This is a common reason why digital nomads, in general, fail, not just families. If a sustainable income stream wasn’t established before departure or is lost during travel, it can cause significant stress. Imagine being abroad with your family and suddenly unable to pay for your accommodation or school. It’s bad enough for solo digital nomads, but with children, it’s even worse.
Digital nomad families typically secure remote income sources, whether through a steady job or as entrepreneurs running their own businesses. If this income is lost for any reason, they need to replace it quickly. Ideally, they’ve already prepared backup plans, like clients they can reactivate or passive income streams.
I always recommend the Three-Month Rule for security. Before you set off, save enough money to live comfortably for three months without income and afford return tickets. This preparation can significantly reduce stress.
Educational Challenges
Both parents working full-time while homeschooling the kids can be extremely challenging. Add the unstable life of a traveling family, constantly new places, travel planning, language barriers, etc., and it can be too much for some digital nomad families. Currently, I can’t imagine homeschooling, so for now, we’ve opted for traditional schooling: our kids attend international or local schools wherever we stay. I know this won’t always be possible, but for now, with relatively young children, it’s the best way for our digital nomad family.
Isolation and Lack of Community
This is a huge issue! Are you used to having a large group of friends back home? Do you take turns with your neighbors watching the kids, and do the grandparents live just a street away? As a digital nomad family, you can say goodbye to that. Even if you stay in one place for a while, it takes time to build new friendships. It takes time before you trust another family enough for a playdate or sleepover. And grandparents are unfortunately far away. Even though many expat families share similar values, it can still be hard to find “your crowd.” And when you finally find your bestie family, it’s time to move on.
I don’t want to sound too negative, but as a fast-traveling digital nomad family, you’re often alone. It can hurt to see photos of friends back home having garden parties or attending weddings and family gatherings. Not all digital nomad families can handle that.
Cultural Differences
I personally find this the least understandable, but we have met digital nomad families who returned home because they couldn’t cope with cultural differences. They struggled with how local police operated, the housing standards, or how foreigners were treated. For us, this is part of the adventure and one of the main reasons we chose this life. But some nomads fail because they can’t adapt their standards and be open to new experiences.
Legal and Visa Issues
In conventional life, you just live within the “system,” paying taxes and loans and benefiting from social security. Life as a full-time traveler is much more complicated. Digital nomad families have to deal with visa processes and tax regulations in each country, understanding and taking necessary steps. We have to keep track of visa application timelines and create a tax structure that allows us to work legally without facing legal issues for not paying taxes.
For us, this means having an LLC in the USA and paying tax advisors in Thailand, Germany, and the USA. I strongly recommend getting professional help with this. We work closely with Christoph Heuermann from Denationalize.me.
Unhealthy Work-Life Balance
As mentioned in the educational section, digital nomad families face new challenges in balancing family life. Freelancers know the struggle: especially when starting out or having a lot of responsibility (e.g., being the main earner), you might work endlessly, sacrificing weekends and evenings. Even valuable family time can be lost to work.
I remember when we spent three months in Bali in 2023; my husband hardly saw the island. He was involved in a huge new project, and I took care of the kids. It wasn’t pleasant, and we vowed not to let it happen again.
Focusing too much on earning money and forgetting to have fun can lead to failure, whether you’re a full-time traveling family or a conventional family at home.
Changed Relationship with Partner
In our old, conventional life, my husband and I would say goodbye in the morning, go to work, meet for dinner and Netflix, and then go to bed. We only had to plan weekends and occasional vacations together.
As a digital nomad family, our relationship has changed drastically! My husband and I spend most of the day together. We take care of the kids together, work together, often exercise together, and plan our next adventures. We’ve become a much better team and more important to each other. The partner is not just a romantic partner or co-parent but also a partner in crime and best friend. I find this development incredibly beautiful and think we would never have achieved it in conventional life. However, other couples find this very difficult and even break up because of it. We’ve unfortunately seen this happen too.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many reasons why digital nomad families can fail. But I don’t want to scare you; on the contrary, I want to prepare you so this doesn’t happen to you. And if it does happen, and you have to end your journey as a digital nomad family, there’s no need to be ashamed.
Because guess what? If you dare to become a digital nomad family, you’re already braver than 99% of other families. Just thinking about this path, taking the necessary steps, and taking the leap is incredibly strong and courageous. Even if you return after a year, you shouldn’t be ashamed. At least you had a big adventure while everyone else was stuck in their routine. Now you can see what caused the failure, decide if you want to try again, or find happiness in conventional life with some changes.
What are your thoughts on this topic? What are your biggest fears? Please let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading and for making me part of your day! Yours, Lulu
