Thank you, Chiang Mai!

After a five year hiatus, Nomad Summit made its comeback in Chiang Mai in January 2025, bringing together 270+ incredible and peculiar human beings from 39 countries!

Nomad Summit is not only for digital nomads, it’s for techies, indie hackers, creators and remote workers who are all united by common values. It’s for people who are stearing away from conventional life paths. For people who are passionate about building – building meaningful connections, building a life they actually want to live, building skillsets and new businesses.

Conference

 

The digital nomad community is diverse, but what connects us all is a common desire to build lives full of opportunities and choices. Being a digital nomad is about so much more than just travelling—it’s about building a life that aligns with our values and aspirations. That idea reflected in our conference program, where we explored this from many angles, challenging conventional ideas and questioning what it truly means to live a nomadic life.

The stage hosts—Sunil, Em, Sergio, and AP—deserve special praise for their role as community leaders, bringing their energy, stories, and expertise to the stage to keep the audience engaged and inspired throughout the event.

Throughout the two conference days, speakers explored the deeper questions of the digital nomad lifestyle. Lily Szabo asked whether digital nomadism truly makes us happy or if it’s a phase many will eventually outgrow. As someone who witnessed the movement’s early days and its rise to the peak of the hype cycle, she reminded the audience that freedom, while enticing, doesn’t automatically lead to fulfillment. Her reflections resonated deeply, setting the stage for a broader conversation about what we’re all truly seeking—freedom, choices, or perhaps a sense of purpose.

Johnny FD, a retired digital nomad, shared his own journey, one that saw him reach every goal he’d set for himself. Yet, his story underscored that the journey doesn’t end at success. Instead, it evolves, pushing us to redefine what freedom and purpose mean in the long run. Vikram, co-founder of Draper Nation, invited attendees to rethink the societal structures we often take for granted. As someone who embraced the digital nomad lifestyle before it even had a name, he painted a picture of a growing population of talented global citizens in the age of optionality where many will have a portfolio of nations that they will leverage for greater freedom and quality of life.

The event wasn’t limited to the bigger picture musings. Practical advice and stories about building a business were central to the program. Ambroise Debret and Oliver Sild engaged in a lively debate on whether scalable startups or freelancing offer the best path to achieving one’s goals, challenging attendees to think critically about their aspirations. Fiona from Flippa provided an insider’s guide to selling, exiting, or even acquiring businesses, offering a fresh perspective on how to build and sustain success in the digital world. Leah McHugh demonstrated how location independence can coexist with running a physical business, showing that freedom comes in many forms.

Technology and innovation were key themes as well. Jordi from Satlantis introduced the concept of a “Nomad Super App,” a tool designed to streamline the everyday lives of nomads. Alex and Daniel showcased the potential of AI to transform how we work and build businesses, with Daniel focusing on the ideation process and Alex highlighting productivity. Together, they demonstrated how cutting-edge tools can empower digital nomads to do more with less.

The conference also emphasized collaboration and community. Dave from Shakesphere represented Thai entrepreneurs and encouraged attendees to recognize the strengths of the local community. Adaptability, creativity, and a natural service-mindedness were highlighted as traits that make Thai talent an invaluable resource for global projects. The importance of mental health was brought to the forefront during a panel discussion led by Geleen, featuring Liisi, Michael, and John. Their conversation candidly explored the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship and the toll that pursuing a mission-driven life can take. Doris inspired with her story of raising a family while embracing the nomadic lifestyle, showing how global citizenship can be a unique and enriching way to parent. Meanwhile, Johannes brought the audience on a journey through the stories of various location-independent businesses, offering real-world examples of what’s possible.

As the summit concluded, one thing was clear: the digital nomad lifestyle is evolving. It’s no longer just about escaping traditional work or traveling endlessly. It’s about creating—businesses, communities, and lives of purpose. The speakers and attendees of Nomad Summit 2025 proved that while there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, the journey is richer when shared.

 

The Buildathon

 

Nomad Summit 2025 was more than just a conference – we wanted to create opportunities to build stronger connections – a collaborative space where ideas meet action. That’s why we organised the first ever Nomad Summit hackathon – we called it the Buildathon – the space to pitch ideas, form teams and build new business prototypes.

Nomad Summit co-owner & Buildathon organiser Kai Isand:

 

 

“I feel a strong mission to find ways to bring the digital nomad community closer to the local communities. We want to bring value and learn at the places we go to. The hackathon was the perfect way to create a space where those connections between the global nomads and local Thai talent could happen. I want to thank the whole organizing team for making this happen and I’m sure that our 8 teams will take these connections forward in ways they don’t even know yet.”

 

Congratulations to the Buildathon winning teams:

I Place: My3PO
II Place: Nomadental
III Place: My Stylist

 

Nomad Week

 

We are all about big ideas – that’s why we didn’t stop at Nomad Summit being just a two-day conference. The experience continued with Nomad Week – a full week of 56 side events organised by the community.

We want to build Nomad Summit as an open platform and invite the community to build this together with us – where any community member can host their own session, workshop or meetup.

This week was about creating deeper connections. The community met at workshops, dinners, and creative sessions across Chiang Mai, sparking conversations that will shape their journeys ahead. Whether at a mindfulness hike or a hands-on skill-building event, the vibe across town was electric—proof that the connections formed here run deeper than networking.

The lead of Nomad Week – Alexandra:

“When we first started planning Nomad Summit, we had an idea to organize Nomad Week as a “little something extra”. With 56+ events and 1700+ tickets distributed to the side events — turns out we don’t know how to build little ideas.

The excitement, the energy, and the involvement from the community completely exceeded my expectations. I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up and participated, and to the amazing hosts who made it all happen.

In the end, Nomad Week wasn’t just a side project — it became such a beautiful addition to the conference and a true celebration of the community.”

 

 

Thank you to our partners and sponsors

 

A huge thank you to our sponsors – Flippa, Satlantis, Colive Fukoka, Draper Nation, nomadsaccounting.com, NomadCruise, Costa Brava Hub – you made this event possible! And to our many partners who all contributed to make this community get-together incredible!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Buildathon event a reality, the participants, volunteer team, mentors and jury members, and especially the team of Shakesphere and 4Seas.

Thank you to all the Nomad Week hosts for organising side events and to the many local businesses who welcomed us during Nomad Week and gave our community a space to come together.

And to everyone who attended: you are the heartbeat of Nomad Summit. Thank you for bringing your energy, ideas, and stories to the gatherings!

 

What’s next?

This gathering will obviously not be the last. We are already lining up the next events and tickets are already available on our website.

  • Estonia 2025
  • Switzerland 2025
  • Chiang Mai 2026

See you at the next event!

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