Read original and complete article at Travelpulse here

More than three years ago now, I distinctly recall reading somewhere that experts predicted it would take between two and four years to emerge from the pandemic. With everyone’s world upended, businesses closed, unable to visit our families and bombarded with news of nothing but COVID-19, I remember thinking it would be only a matter of months before my sanity abandoned me.

Yet, here I sit (still in possession of most of my marbles), in what really does constitute a whole new era, given all the changes made to the way we Americans live and work. Working from home almost instantly became essential for many businesses, and was no longer the realm of a privileged few. Nor is it now considered unusual or presumptive for staff to request remote working status from their employers.

A new work-from-anywhere culture has taken hold, enabling many people to pick up and move to less congested and more affordable cities or states. It has also allowed new waves of workers to take up the so-called digital nomad lifestyle, cutting their ties to any one place in particular, and traveling the world while fulfilling their work obligations on the go.

Of course, it’s worth remembering that the intense upheaval of everyone’s existence also caused multitudes of Americans to lose their jobs and suddenly find themselves faced with starting afresh. Some “pivoted” into an entirely new field, changing careers mid-stream. 

The gig economy has been growing steadily for years, but the normalization of businesses operating without brick-and-mortar offices led more people to start working for themselves. And, among them, were plenty of future travel advisors who were keen to translate their own love of travel into a new career—one which offers the flexibility and independence we all seem to crave these days.

Read original and complete article at Travelpulse here