Why I Quit Being a Digital Nomad
For five years, I lived the kind of life that ends up in slow-motion montages on Instagram travel reels.
I’ve hiked the 26-mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Sailed through Copenhagen’s canals after tasting every cardamom bun in sight. Watched hot air balloons rise over Cappadocia from a rooftop covered in cozy Turkish rugs and oversized pillows. I trained with yoga teachers in Kyoto, wandered Parisian boutiques, danced through the streets of Buenos Aires, and wrote novels from cafés in Prague.
I checked every box on the digital nomad bingo card — and then some.
But after five years, I chose to settle down. This is the story of why I quit being a digital nomad — and why, paradoxically, I still recommend the lifestyle to anyone craving autonomy, creativity, and a career that travels with you.
And if you do, I’ll show you the best way to fund your adventure (hint: it starts with writing).
How Do Digital Nomads Make Money? Start With Freelance Writing.
The biggest question I get asked by aspiring digital nomads is: “How do you afford it?”
The answer: freelance writing.
Freelance writing gave me the freedom to work from anywhere — a rooftop in Cappadocia, a treehouse in Costa Rica, or a cozy Airbnb in Lisbon. I was never chained to U.S. time zones or buried in Zoom meetings like many of the digital nomads around me. Most of my work could be done asynchronously, and I built a six-figure business on my own terms.
I even wrote a book about it: Six-Figure Freelance Writer (soon to be re-released with new and expanded content). I also run a curated job board filled with remote writing jobs that help you live a writer’s life full of joy and satisfying work.
If you want to build your own life as a working nomad, the first step is learning how to find consistent, high-quality remote writing jobs — not the low-paying gig scraps that dominate the usual platforms.
👉 Want to make the leap into location freedom? Subscribe now to access my curated writing job board and ClassStack — the best way to find remote writing jobs and build your own thriving life as a writer, freelance and free.
What I Loved About Being a Digital Nomad
Being a digital nomad gave me more than postcard views and passport stamps.
I got to live, not vacation. Month-long stays meant deep dives into new cities and cultures.
I made new friends — from Buenos Aires to Kyoto.
I experienced the world slowly, creatively, and on my terms.
I wrote books in cafés, pitched clients from hammocks, and found inspiration everywhere.
And despite what people think, digital nomad life can be cheaper than living in the U.S. Monthly Airbnbs + local groceries often cost less than rent in LA or SF.
Explore more of my tips in my Working Remotely Travel Guide blog series, including the best destinations, cost breakdowns, and remote writing job recommendations.
Why I Quit the Digital Nomad Life
Here’s the truth: I didn’t quit because I was tired of travel.
I quit because I was tired of transience.
I missed consistent community. I missed routines. I missed having a farmer’s market I went to every Saturday and a local barista who knew my name.
So I put down roots here in San Francisco, where I’m now based. I love all of the hikes, the walkable historic neighborhoods, the underrated charm of this city that’s still finding its second act. The produce is incredible — the farmers markets are next-level — and the weather, while chillier in summer than I’d prefer, never hits the sweltering extremes. It’s always temperate, always inviting.
There’s an energy here that surprised me — pickleball games in every park, run clubs at sunrise, even people doing ocean ice baths (not for me, but I respect the commitment). There’s a creative spirit and a sense of reinvention I didn’t expect. And since my partner is deepening his work in tech, it made sense for both of us to finally land somewhere that feeds our curiosity and our careers.
But it wasn’t just about the location. It was about wanting to sink in. To move from being a working nomad to a rooted writer. To trade in my carry-on suitcase for a closet. To join regular yoga and Pilates classes. To build friendships that didn’t come with a departure date.
Settling down has helped me reconnect with my craft — and reconnect with myself. I’ve been able to take on more ghostwriting clients (especially here in the Bay Area), refine my routines, and pursue the kind of creative and professional growth that’s harder to cultivate when you’re constantly on the move.
And yet, I wouldn’t trade my digital nomad years for anything. Being a working nomad taught me how to adapt, how to find inspiration anywhere, and how to run a business built on freedom. Thanks to the remote writing jobs I picked up as a freelancer — some ghostwriting, some editing, a few wild projects involving alpacas — I got to work in hammocks, rooftops, and cafés on four continents.
When you become a freelance writer who can truly work from anywhere — the definition of a modern working nomad — you stop organizing your life around meetings and start organizing it around meaning. You get to compare cultures, explore values, and cherry-pick what you want your life to look like. That’s a gift. A reset button. A creative accelerator.
But long-term travel also brings up everything you think you’ve outrun.
Your problems don’t disappear — they just catch the next flight. Wherever you go, there you are. That’s why so many nomads I met on the road eventually felt stuck, not because they stayed too long in one place, but because they never let themselves be in any place. And that can be just as limiting.
Quitting the digital nomad life wasn’t about leaving adventure behind — it was about making space for something new. San Francisco has given me that. And the best part? I still travel. I still take retreats and research trips. But now, they’re additive, not all-encompassing.
I believe everyone should try long-term travel once in their life. If only to learn, stretch, and collect the kind of memories you’ll draw on forever. But at some point, you may feel the urge to come home — to your people, your craft, your next chapter.
And that’s just as worthy of romanticizing.
Thinking About Becoming a Digital Nomad? Start Here.
Here’s what I wish more people knew:
Your job choice matters more than your destination.
If you take a full-time remote job that requires 10 hours of Zoom calls in U.S. hours, you won’t enjoy Japan. Or Bali. Or anywhere outside your time zone.
That’s why freelance writing is the best job for digital nomads. You can:
Work asynchronously
Scale your income over time
Choose your own projects
Write from anywhere (preferably with good coffee and decent Wi-Fi)
You don’t need a giant portfolio or a fancy degree to start — but you do need guidance, community, and jobs.
👉 That’s where my Substack comes in. Subscribe to From the Desk of Amy Suto and get access to:
My remote writing job board
ClassStack (monthly live classes)
Subscriber Chat where I drop jobs before they expire
The full archive of lessons on how to grow your freelance career
If you’re ready to build your own version of a writer’s life on the road, I’ve got the roadmap — and the remote writing jobs to match. It’s not just possible. It’s proven.
Whether you’re just starting or scaling, I’ve got you.
Final Thoughts: The World Is Still Out There
Leaving the digital nomad life wasn’t about giving up — it was about evolving.
I still have all the memories. All the stories. All the friends scattered across time zones.
And I still believe the best way to become a digital nomad — and live life on your own terms — is to become a freelance writer.
So if that dream’s been whispering in your ear, now’s the time.
Open your laptop. Pack your bag. And let writing take you where you want to go.
