The Provincial Life of the Digital Nomad

One recent evening, real estate executive Micki McNie stayed late at the office to close a deal with a new client looking to buy a home. Business was booming at the Denver-area company she runs, 33 Zen Lane, but she still couldn’t afford to push the contract to the morning—that would ruin the tour planned for Cambodia’s Angkor Wat.

McNie has spent the past six months coordinating the team of brokers at her extremely brick-and-mortar business from abroad—first from the island of Jeju in South Korea, then from Chiang Mai, Thailand—courtesy of Hacker Paradise, a “traveling community for creative types.” Some unfortunately timed phone calls aside, it’s been healthy for her three-year-old company. Going abroad “was a choice to step into a more managerial role, or to walk away,” says McNie, who sought out Hacker Paradise on the advice of a business coach. These days, she’s closing deals from Jávea, across from Ibiza on the coast of Spain.