With the rise in technological-based businesses, many people are eschewing the traditional 9-5 jobs in favor of the digital nomad lifestyle—one that allows them the opportunity to work from anywhere they can get an internet connection.

A recent report found that 4.8 million Americans considered themselves digital nomads, while 27 percent of traditional workers indicated they would consider adopting the digital nomad lifestyle, and 11 percent said they planned on becoming a digital nomad.

While it provides the freedom many people crave, it’s not necessarily as stable as the traditional jobs, so why are people turning to this lifestyle?

Self-Reliance

The digital nomad lifestyle offers so much more freedom than the traditional day job. You can work from pretty much anywhere in the world, and you can find the environment in which you work best and are most productive. You have the freedom to see when and where you work best and take advantage of that in ways you aren’t often afforded in a traditional job.

It also provides the opportunity to choose your own hours. You can work when you’re most productive—whether that’s in the morning, the early afternoon, or the middle of the night; you’re not bound by the traditional business hours. You can also decide what you do with your time in a way many traditional jobs don’t allow.

You have much more freedom and autonomy over your own life.

Finances

One of the reasons many people hate their job is they feel undervalued. As an employee of a large corporation, it can be incredibly frustrating to think about how much money you earn the company each year without seeing any of it yourself.

Digital nomads don’t have this problem. Because they work for themselves, they get to keep all the money they make—they’re not lining the pockets of the company’s CEO because they are their own CEO.

You can grow your own business and brand at your own pace, and you keep all the profits you earn.

Experience

Living as a digital nomad provides a unique opportunity to travel and see the world. When you’re locked into a traditional, 9-5 job, you rarely have many opportunities to get out and see the world (many people only get a few weeks of vacation days for the whole year).

As a digital nomad, you get to travel and truly see the many beautiful countries and landscapes the world has to offer. Because you’re not tethered to a desk, you have the freedom to truly experience the vast number of cities, countries, and cultures all over the globe.

It provides a chance to truly experience what life has to offer, and live it to the fullest.