Life as a digital nomad

If you could work from any location in the world, where would you go? Picture filling in a spreadsheet on a sandy Caribbean island, or maybe a little rooftop cafe in Rome where you can sip an espresso while editing a social media video. More and more countries are offering digital nomad visas and therefore the chance to work remotely, from wherever you'd like to.
如果你可以在世界上任何地方工作，你会去哪里？想象一下，在加勒比海的沙滩小岛上填写电子表格，或者在罗马的一家屋顶咖啡馆，一边品尝浓缩咖啡，一边编辑社交媒体视频。越来越多的国家提供数字游民签证，因此你有机会在任何你想去的地方远程工作。

This way of working is on the rise. A 2023 report found that 11% of US workers now consider themselves a digital nomad, and this type of worker is expected to increase in number by more than 20 million in the next five years. Traditionally, digital nomads have worked freelance. They might be social media managers, software developers or copywriters, but now even traditional professions like accountants and lawyers are taking the leap. But what is the life of a digital nomad really like?
这种工作方式正在兴起。2023 年的一份报告发现，现在有11%的美国工作者认为自己是数字游民，预计在未来五年内，这种类型的工作者将增加 2000 多万。传统上，数字游民从事自由职业。他们可能是社交媒体经理、软件开发人员或文案撰稿人，但现在甚至连会计师和律师等传统职业也在尝试这种工作方式。但数字游民的生活到底是怎样的呢？

Rowena Hennigan, who writes for Harvard Business Review, is a digital nomad along with her family. They have a 'home base' in Spain but frequently go away for workcations that can last from weeks to months. She says that compared to a 'traditional' model of raising children, "remote working has allowed my family to move away from that kind of intensity, and this way, we all get to move at a more sustainable and healthy pace." Plus, her family are regularly exposed to new cultures, languages and natural beauty.
为《哈佛商业评论》撰稿的罗文娜·亨尼根和她的家人都是数字游民。他们在西班牙有一个“住所”，但经常外出边工作边度假，时间从几周到几个月不等。她说，与传统养育孩子的模式相比，“远程工作让我的家人摆脱了那种高强度的生活，这样，我们都能以一种更可持续、更健康的节奏生活”。此外，她的家人还能经常接触到新的文化、语言和自然美景。

Though it doesn't work for everyone. Francesca Specter, a writer for The Guardian, decided to country-hop where her 'office' included beaches, cafes and coworking spaces. But along with struggling to find reliable wi-fi and fighting bouts of loneliness, she wrote that she felt envious as she cooled her overheating laptop in the shade while holidaymakers relaxed by the pool. She said, "I was chronically firefighting unglamorous concerns such as missing luggage or sleep deprivation after an overnight flight delay."
虽然并不适合每个人。《卫报》的作家弗朗西斯卡·斯佩克特决定在各国间穿梭，她的“办公室”包括海滩、咖啡馆和共享工作空间。但除了努力寻找稳定的无线网络和对抗孤独感之外，她写道，当她在树荫下冷却过热的笔记本电脑，而度假者在泳池边放松时，这让她感到非常羡慕。她说：“我一直在忙于应对一些乏味的烦心事，比如丢失行李或因通宵航班延误而导致的睡眠不足。”

So, it's not for everyone, but if you ever feel like escaping the rat-race, why not give it a go?
所以，这并不适合所有人，但如果你想逃离永无休止的竞争，为什么不试试呢？

词汇表
spreadsheet [ˈspredˌʃiːt] 电子表格
sandy Caribbean island [ˌkærɪˈbiən] 加勒比海的沙滩小岛
rooftop cafe [ˈruːfˌtɒp] ['kæfeɪ] 屋顶咖啡馆
sip an espresso [eˈspresəʊ] 小口品尝浓缩咖啡
digital nomad visa [ˈnəʊmæd] [ˈviːzə] 数字游民签证（允许人们在旅行到不同国家的同时远程工作的签证）
freelance  [ˈfriːlɑːns] 从事自由职业；自由职业者；自由职业的
social media manager 社交媒体经理
software developer [ˈsɒf(t)ˌweə(r)] 软件开发人员
copywriter [ˈkɒpiˌraɪtə(r)] 广告文字撰稿人
take the leap 冒险，尝试，迈步
home base （相对固定的）住所，家庭基地
workcation [wɜːrˈkeɪʃən] 度假办公，边度假边工作
remote working [rɪˈməʊt] 远程办公
intensity [ɪn'tensɪti] 强度
country-hop  [hɒp] 在多个国家间居住和旅行
coworking space [ˈkəʊˌwɜːkɪŋ] 共享办公空间
reliable wi-fi 稳定的无线网络
a bout of [baʊt] (疾病或不愉快情绪) 发作
overheating laptop [ˌəʊvə(r)ˈhiːt] [ˈlæpˌtɒp] 过热的笔记本电脑
holidaymaker [ˈhɒlədiˌmeɪkər] 度假者
firefight unglamorous concerns  [ʌn'glæmərəs] 忙于应对乏味的烦心事
sleep deprivation [ˌdeprɪ'veɪʃ(ə)n] 睡眠不足，睡眠剥夺
flight delay 航班延误
rat-race “老鼠赛跑”，指永无休止的竞争

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