When Travel Isn’t Always a Dream: Rethinking Destinations Through a Digital Nomad Lens
Life on the move
In the glossy world of Instagram reels and curated travel blogs, it’s easy to romanticize the nomadic lifestyle — sunsets in Bali, laptops by the beach, and endless adventure. But Alicia Walter and Nathan Stark, the duo behind The Passport Couple, have peeled back the filter. After visiting 47 countries over five years as full-time travelers and digital nomads, they’ve shared with Business Insider the five places they don’t plan to return to — and their reasons go deeper than just bad weather or lackluster food.
Want the full breakdown? Check out their detailed stories and insights over at The Passport Couple blog.
Their journey highlights something many seasoned nomads know: when it comes to travel, beauty isn’t always enough — and when you’re living on the road, the stakes are higher.
A Lifestyle of Contrasts
“People often think this lifestyle is glamorous,” Alicia says, “but we’ve experienced both the highest of highs and lowest of lows.”
From theft in Mexico to costly visa issues in China, and from political unrest in Colombia to unaffordable daily life in the U.S., their stories aren’t about disliking a place — they’re about the practical realities that can make or break a destination for long-term travelers.
For tourists, a few days of inconvenience can be written off as part of the adventure. But for digital nomads — people who need reliable Wi-Fi, personal safety, clear visa rules, and basic infrastructure — a minor disruption can derail work, compromise income, or worse, threaten security.
When a Dream Destination Doesn’t Work
Take Mexico, for instance. Alicia and Nathan fell in love with the culture, food, and warm weather — but being robbed twice was enough to make them think twice about going back. The emotional and financial toll, plus the instability of such incidents, simply don’t align with the consistency remote workers often need.
In China, they praised the kindness of locals and the peaceful pace of life. Yet, without access to basic online tools like Gmail or Google Maps, navigating their daily workflow became nearly impossible — a nightmare for any professional reliant on internet-based tools.
And then there's the United States — familiar and resource-rich, but often priced out of range. “You could easily spend $500 in a single day,” Alicia points out. That same amount could cover a full week in Thailand — accommodations, meals, transport and all.
Travel vs. Digital Nomadism: A Necessary Distinction
It’s easy to conflate being well-traveled with being a successful digital nomad. But they’re not the same thing.
Travel is often short-term, flexible, and primarily for leisure. You deal with inconveniences for a week or two and then return to routine.
Digital nomadism, on the other hand, is an evolving lifestyle that blends work, long-term travel, and often living in new cultures. This lifestyle requires more than great views and good weather — it needs:
Reliable infrastructure (fast Wi-Fi, coworking spaces, consistent utilities)
Political and social stability
Clarity around visas and long stays
Affordable living costs
Safety — both physically and digitally
This is why many nomads eventually settle into “hub” cities like Chiang Mai, Lisbon, or Medellín — places that strike a rare balance of inspiration, accessibility, and functionality.
The Bigger Reflection
The point isn’t to scare people off from travel. Quite the opposite. Walter and Stark’s reflections remind us to approach travel — especially digital nomadism — with honesty and a deeper awareness of what makes a place livable, not just visitable.
A beach might look perfect in a photo, but if you can’t safely store your laptop or get online for your meeting, what’s the point?
It also raises bigger questions: Should more destinations evolve to support remote workers? And should digital nomads take more responsibility in understanding — and not just consuming — the places they temporarily call home?
Final Thoughts: Curate, Don’t Just Collect
Alicia and Nathan’s decision to not return to certain countries isn’t about canceling them. It’s about curation — learning from experience, weighing both joy and hardship, and adjusting expectations.
They’re still on the road, still exploring. And their story — honest, raw, and layered — is a refreshing reminder that not every place is for everyone, every time.
If you’re navigating the nomadic life, or even just dreaming of it, do yourself a favor: go beyond the highlights. Read stories like theirs. Reflect on your needs. And maybe most importantly — understand that traveling the world and living in it are two very different things.