Leitner is a self-employed translator and travel journalist. One day she may set up her laptop in a co-working space, another it might be at a restaurant or an Airbnb.

Her clients never really know where she is, Leitner says, but that doesn’t bother them. Where she heads depends on her next assignment or whatever takes her fancy.

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“I choose countries that aren’t on everyone’s bucket list, where it’s still a bit adventurous and where I can find added value, either linguistically or culturally,” she says.

There were digital nomads like her even before the pandemic, but the coronavirus outbreak turned a fringe phenomenon into a trend.

Their motivations vary, from the desire to offset the loss of tourism during the pandemic to an acceptance of the upside of hybrid working styles. Other countries want to address skills shortages and an ageing population.

All that helps the acceptance of digital nomads, now no longer seen as dropouts but as pioneers of a new lifestyle.

People see themselves as part of an international community and digital nomads share tips and experiences concerning the best places to live and work online.

“A city develops better when it is connected to the world,” says Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta.

The destinations need not be far flung. Newcomers to the footloose digital lifestyle can start off with a “workation”, combining work and holiday.

That involves working in a holiday spot for a couple of weeks, which can help to boost productivity.

In Valencia, in sunny eastern Spain, Moritz, a 25-year-old from Ravensburg, Germany, works for an American computer and printer manufacturer. He rents a space at co-working and co-living company Cotown, which provides a home and office to people from 30 different countries, says managing director Vanesa Esteban.

Co-living and co-working is a new approach that has largely emerged from digital nomadism. It is particularly popular in cities where the cost of living is high.

Moritz, who has spent three years in Valencia, still feels like he is on a permanent holiday, though he now speaks fluent Spanish.

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Restlessness, wanderlust and a search for meaning drew him to this life. He also wanted greater professional freedom and a better work-life balance. And he appreciates the chance to keep meeting new people and having new experiences.

Italy also wants to adopt a law to attract well-educated professionals in the hopes that they might settle down and work for Italian companies or revive abandoned villages.

Demirel works in online marketing, with clients based in Germany. He says he gets more for his money in Turkey. He can get a whole apartment in Antalya for the same price as a room in a shared apartment in Berlin.

“Rather than just getting a kebab, I can go to a nice restaurant here,” he says.

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He enjoys the “freedom and independence” of being a digital nomad, with the only downside being the loneliness now and again.

Leitner says she can no longer imagine living in a fixed location. “I don’t want to miss the international side of life,” she says, and is happy to exchange that for the loss of some comforts such as a daily routine or her own furniture.

“My whole life fits into one suitcase,” she says. “You don’t need more. Everything else is excess baggage.”