It feels like every other week there's a new “best digital nomad destination” list-Chiang Mai, Lisbon, Medellín, Bali, etc. But after years on the road, I can't escape the feeling that these hotspots are more hype than substance. Once a city is branded as a DN hub, prices skyrocket, locals get pushed out, the wifi is overloaded, and the so-called “community” just starts feeling transactional.
Are we actually gaining anything by all flocking to the same 5 cities? Is anyone genuinely thriving in these well-trodden places, or are we just making each other’s lives noisier and more expensive? Has anyone found an underrated city or town (anywhere in the world) that has managed to miss the hype cycle and still offers solid infrastructure and quality of life for remote work?
Or does the very concept of a “best destination” set us all up to ruin what made that place good in the first place? I wonder if the future of digital nomadism is about dispersing instead of gathering. Anyone else feeling the fatigue of the echo chamber, or am I missing something?