One doesn't have to be a programmer or designer to lead a lifestyle like this, though those professions are more location independent by their nature.
That's not my point. My point is that, regardless of what you do work on, it will be rather inconsequential (by the norms of SV perhaps).
Let me be more clear about significance. My statement is that people don't do what is done in SV by trotting around the world, working from their laptops in internet cafes. What is done in SV?
* Start or work at billion dollar startups.
* Create disruptive technologies and build businesses around them.
* Network with the most brilliant minds in business, engineering, etc.
Creating an app that can pay the bill for a bungalow in Phuket (for example) is a great achievement and congratulations on being able to do it. You deserve all the awesome titles that you've listed in your profile.
However, it's not what I would call significant, by these standards. I'm sorry if you feel offended by my choice of the word significant, I really am, but I am saying that there is a difference in scale between what a globetrotter can do and "the rest of us" -- and there is a limitation on the former.
HN is about news that happens mostly in SV, or is relevant to it. It's about startups -- high-risk, scalable businesses -- and SV is where they are (at least, many, many of the successful ones are). I'd expect that a solid majority of the readership is based in this area too.
My premise is this: people who choose to live and work in SV have huge opportunities that exist (almost) nowhere else. Sure, you can setup a consultancy and dabble in a few side projects while you make your way around the globe and have remarkable experiences.
But let's not pretend that, if you choose to do this, you are exposed to the same opportunities as the rest of us -- you're not.