Spatiotemporal Arbitrage: How Digital Nomads Leverage Global Mobility for Financial Optimization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71222/72pw7j07Keywords:
digital nomads, spatiotemporal arbitrage, global mobility, financial optimization, tax arbitrageAbstract
The emergence of digital nomadism has transformed traditional notions of work and mobility, enabling individuals to leverage global geographic and temporal disparities for financial and lifestyle optimization. This paper introduces the concept of Spatiotemporal Arbitrage, defined as the strategic exploitation of differences in living costs, tax regimes, currency fluctuations, and regulatory environments across time and space. By migrating between countries and cities, digital nomads maximize their economic benefits while enhancing quality of life. This review synthesizes interdisciplinary insights from human geography, financial decision-making, and mobility studies to articulate the mechanisms, patterns, and implications of spatiotemporal arbitrage. Understanding this phenomenon not only enriches theoretical frameworks but also informs policy debates on visa regulation, taxation, and digital labor governance in an increasingly mobile world.
References
1. D. Cook, "What is a digital nomad? Definition and taxonomy in the era of mainstream remote work," World Leisure J., vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 256–275, 2023, doi: 10.1080/16078055.2023.2190608.
2. S. Gupta, R. Jaiswal, and S. K. Gupta, "Digital nomads: a systematic literature review and future research agenda," Tour. Rev., 2024, doi: 10.1108/TR-12-2023-0869.
3. S. Shawkat et al., "Digital nomads: A systematic literature review," in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. Res. Innov. Inf. Syst. (ICRIIS), 2021, doi: 10.1109/ICRIIS53035.2021.9617008.
4. E. Chevtaeva and B. Denizci-Guillet, "Digital nomads’ lifestyles and coworkation," J. Destin. Market. Manag., vol. 21, p. 100633, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100633.
5. L. Zhou et al., "Attracting digital nomads: Smart destination strategies, innovation and competitiveness," J. Destin. Market. Manag., vol. 31, p. 100850, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100850.
6. J. Bednorz, "Working from anywhere? Work from here! Approaches to attract digital nomads," Ann. Tour. Res., vol. 105, p. 103715, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2023.103715.
7. D. Cook, "Breaking the contract: Digital nomads and the state," Crit. Anthropol., vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 304–323, 2022, doi: 10.1177/0308275X221120172.
8. M. Holleran and M. Notting, "Mobility guilt: digital nomads and COVID-19," Tour. Geogr., vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 1341–1358, 2023, doi: 10.1080/14616688.2023.2217538.
9. F. Mancinelli and J. G. Molz, "Moving with and against the state: Digital nomads and frictional mobility regimes," Mobilities, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 189–207, 2024, doi: 10.1080/17450101.2023.2209825.
10. S. Hensellek and N. Puchala, "The emergence of the digital nomad: A review and analysis of the opportunities and risks of digital nomadism," in The Flexible Workplace: Coworking and Other Modern Workplace Transformations, 2021, pp. 195–214, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-62167-4_11.
11. N. Dreher and A. Triandafyllidou, "Digital nomads: Toward a future research agenda," Working Paper 4, Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS) and CERC in Migration and Integration, 2023.
12. K. Ehn, A. Jorge, and M. Marques-Pita, "Digital nomads and the COVID-19 pandemic: Narratives about relocation in a time of lockdowns and reduced mobility," Social Media+Society, vol. 8, no. 1, 2022, Art. no. 20563051221084958, doi: 10.1177/20563051221084958.