For two decades, individual motivations to expatriate have received substantial attention in the expatriation literature examining self-initiated and assigned expatriation. Recently, however, this literature has changed direction, demonstrating that prior to forming their actual motivations, individuals undergo a process wherein they actively form those motivations. No review has yet unraveled this motivation process, and this systematic literature review fills this gap. Using the Rubicon Action model that discusses the motivation process of expatriation, this article demonstrates that for self-initiated and assigned expatriation, individuals follow similar processes: expatriation expectations are formed; then, they are evaluated; and finally, preferences are built that result in motivations to expatriate. Findings for each stage are discussed in light of their contributions to the expatriation literature. For major gaps, new research suggestions are offered to advance our understanding of the individual motivation process that expats experience prior to forming their motivations to move abroad.

Orientation: Leaders must understand how to manage digital nomads in their companies.Research purpose: This study aimed to explore how digital nomads’ experiences shape their understanding of their work and life during the transitional career process.Motivation for the study: Little research explores why individuals become digital nomads and what they find important in their life and work.Research approach/design and method: This study employed the concept of working identity and used the open-ended approach of grounded theory. The snowball sampling method was used to recruit the participants, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 28 digital nomads.Main findings: The authors identified five stages related to how digital nomads’ experiences shape their views on what matters most to them in work and life: (1) rebelling against established work norms, (2) experimenting with ways of working and living, (3) crystallising personal work and life values, (4) living new work and life scripts and (5) rebelling against a nomadic lifestyle.Practical/managerial implications: This study provides useful findings for managers who are working in business strategy and policy settings and are seeking to recruit digital nomads. Career counsellors could also use this study’s findings to help individuals develop realistic expectations about the lifestyle and careers of digital nomads.Contribution/value-add: This study builds an understanding of nomadic experiences from a career exploration perspective and offers recommendations for future research on the role of luck in digital career paths and career decisions.

Amid a growing interest in how geographical location functions as a motive for self-initiated expatriate (SIE) academics to choose their next employer, more research is needed to understand how academics select a potential location for their expatriation. With the goal of contributing to the literature on SIE academics, this study explores the cues that drive early career-stage academics to choose a destination—Copenhagen or Amsterdam—when accepting an international job offer. The data reveal that four frames drive SIE academics’ meaning-making regarding a potential destination city: positive impression, livable city, familiarity, and political stability and career development expectations. This paper concludes with a discussion of how our findings contribute to the higher education and mobility literature and offers important implications for practice.