Hey Levels! Happy to do it.
Thereโs a quote attributed to Roy Amara which says something like: the effects of change are often overestimated in the short-term and underestimated in the long-term.
We tend to agree with this. While working & traveling is a growing trend, we think itโll take some time to fully develop.
Iโd liken digital nomadism now to the Internet in 1993. Itโs just beginning to catch on and gain some wider adoption, but itโll be a long way until it becomes mainstream to the point where it plays an integral part of society.
Over the next 5-10 years, I think groups like ours will grow, providing value both to newmads (people just beginning their journey) and existing nomads who crave more connection.
In 10+ years, I think itโs possible that the comparative value of traveling communities like ours decreases as more cities around the world become nomad hubs and Internet infrastructure improves in the developing world. Itโs highly possible that the problems weโre solving for people could be solved by a Club Med-type venue for nomads, providing workspace, housing, and community in a number of locations around the world.
We donโt think demand is quite there for that now, but one day, it could be. If demand continues to shift in that direction, I think communities like ours will end up creating permanent locations in a number of places, either by developing their own buildings or procuring long-term leases (this is the model of the Surf Office).
There is a lot of excitement in the space right now - Remote Year is about to start their inaugural trip, The Surf Office is expanding to the US, and other groups like The Blue House and Caravan Serai are popping up all over the globe.
As for our us, weโre still figuring out our long-term strategy. Weโre planning to continue to grow our community to the point where we have multiple concurrent trips, and also to experiment with other awesome experiences we can give to people who want to travel and remain productive. Both travel and community can be hugely impactful experiences, and weโre excited to be playing around on the cutting edge of these trends.