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So, I booked 2 months in Split, Croatia since January. I just got here yesterday and man... I mean, it's a very nice city but it doesn't look or feel the same as in the videos and photographs. The architecture is very lovely but I feel it's just waaaay too small. And kinda boring. and I just got here a day ago xD

Basically, has it ever happened to you? How do you "contrast" this feeling? Are there any specific tip you have that could enhance my experience?

EDIT: it seems many of you are missing the point. The problem is not I went off-season, I intentionally did it because I don't like big crowds or need to be drunk to have fun. It's just that I had high expectations of it, in term of architecture, people, etc. and it's kind of a let down. So, If it has happened to you, how do you cope with it.

thanks

Hey all,

Slightly tipsy post coming through, but feeling very grateful for the DN life right now and wanted to share my experience. Currently having some pints in Ohrid, Macedonia. FWIW i'm a technical writer and music software developer, and as much as i've moved around a lot, i've also worked plenty.

I was part-time DNing for years, but commited fully in October. Left the UK with my car, starting with 85 days in Spain. Started with a month in Valencia, then a month in a coliving in Culla, where i had one of the most wholesome months of my life. Then, just less than a month in Barcelona, couple weeks in LA for work, and then drove to Italy.

Only spent a couple days driving through Italy before i got a ferry to Durres, Albania. Anyone who has spent time in Albania knows how wonderful of a time i had there. Spent one month in a stunning penthouse in Serandë for €500 a month. Then, saw some friends in Don Bosko, tirana for a week, spent a week in Shkoder, another week in Kukës, then Peshkopi, Tirana, and then a few days in Pogradec.

Driving in Albania was a blast. Yes, it's fucking mental, but if you're a confident driver, it's really quite fun and the views are unmatched in Europe. I actually lost my car's logbook somewhere in Spain, so had a whole lot of nightmares convincing Albanian police to give me my car back and let me enter. More of that coming up.

At this point, i realize im overstaying my Albania visa-free period and need to leave ASAP, but have no documents to leave the region. Decided to try and blag it into Macedonia. At the border i get denied entry because of lack of documentation and get sent back to Albania. Worse case scenario happens; i'm now in no mans land and Albania wont let me back in either. Worse still, i then get taken into a warehouse where they drug search me (thankfully they didnt find my LSD lol).

During this search, a Macedonian policeman finds a metal box in my car containing a €10 shaving kit. It looked fancy but really isnt. The policeman bizarrely becomes obsessed with it, he really wanted it. He told me that if i gifted it to him, along with €20, he'd escort me into Macedonia. I was in quite the pickle so that was a win-win for us both. 5 mins later, he escorts me across the border and i've bought myself 90 days of freedom in Macedonia.

I headed straight to Ohrid, where i have been for the last 2 weeks. What a lovely city! Very affordable yet much more developed than other spots in the Balkans. Steve's Coffee House is ideal for DNs and all the locals have been super friendly. WiFi has admittedly been shit, but i might be spoilt from the weirdly excellent coverage in even the most rural spota in Albania.

I'm now kinda stuck in Macedonia with no car paperwork, but i've ordered replacememt documents which should arrive in the UK soon. Previously ordered them to UK and got them sent to Ohrid, but think they got lost in the mail. My family are going on holiday to Cyprus in May, so i've booked tickets there from Sofia and as long as i can get there, my problem will be solved as they'll bring the docs. I do face the problem of getting into Bulgaria, but from what i've heard, another €20 slipped in my passport should do the trick. Worse case scenario i shall leave my car in Skopje and get the bus to Sofia.

So thats my DN journey so far! Would highly recommend DNing with a car... i've got all the office and music equipment i need, as well as cooking kit, camping gear, and bedding. FWIW, I earn around €3500 a month as a freelance technical writer and music producer/plugin developer. so nowhere near as high earnings as most people on this sub, but still managed to save about €2,500 a month. I've experienced a lot of hate on this sub on an alt for promoting a budget DN lifestyle, but i cant emphasize enough that i have not only survived, but thrived in very nice apartments and even penthouses for €1000 a month. This was harder in spain but still very possible (my coliving was only €500 a month for a double bed and ensuite, for example. Check out RuralCo, it's lovely!!!). In the balkans, €1000 has been plenty for eating out most nights and nice accom.

Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading! Writing this helped me kill 30 mins whilst having a solo pint haha (one of 5 i must admit). I just think i read a lot of negativity on this sub, as well as people claiming you need to earn €5,000 a month to get by. I hope some aspiring DNs read this and give it a go, because i for one have had a blast.

Much love!

I'm an on-again off-again digital nomad: a few months abroad, a few months back at homebase in the US. I want to keep this going even during the looming financial/societal upheaval.

I'm feeling anxious as a lot of people are. But I see a lot of friends panicking. When people panic, they overreact and make mistakes. They sell things in a hurry, or quit their job prematurely.

I'd like to be deliberate and careful about my next moves. I want to continue my come and go pattern, but be ready to GTFO for longer if things get even worse (i.e. economy downturn turns to societal downturn or open violence). Any US citizen digital nomads out there starting to dip into "full expat" territory?

Everything I'm reading about expat stuff is not helpful. I see lots of panic in that community. Lots of discussions about golden visas, second passports, foreign bank accounts. It all seems a bit knee jerk to me.

I got down a rabbit hole of learning how to get get out of the US permanently. But the more I think, the more I realize that my main feeling is that I don't want to be here RIGHT NOW.

Things I do worry about:

1. It will be harder to travel as an US citizen later. A second "decent" passport might be a good idea.

2. It will be harder to spend my US money outside US later. A non-US bank account might be a good idea (fully disclosed to the IRS)

3. I might want to stay in one place (but be outside the US) for more than 3 months at a time. Buying a house might be a good idea.

Things I've decided:

1. I don't want to give up US citizenship.

My family is here. My remote job is here. We'll probably have a new president in 4 years. Things won't be terrible forever. Most of the world would kill to be a US citizen. My health could turn and I need to return back to US healthcare system++

1. I don't want financial independence from US

I want to keep my US job and US income. I'm willing to continue contributing to US tax system (most people who think they are hiding money from the IRS in other countries are in for a big surprise).

I think the coming economic downturn will be global, there won't be any place safe. I'm not going to escape it by moving to EU. But it would be beneficial to shift my travel to places with a lower cost of living.

1. I don't want to settle somewhere else for a long time.

US passport gets me 188 countries visa free. I don't need a second passport this powerful. But I do want a second passport from *somewhere*. Most countries have minimum stay requirements to get citizenship. I don't want to be in the US now, but does that mean I want to spend 5 years in Spain just to get citizenship?

But I don't see a way to ensure I'll be able to travel the same. Getting a non-US passport and a non-US bank account will both require citizenship somewhere else. So what should my plan be?

++ as shitty as US healthcare is, my company still pays for most of my med bills

I'm thinking about getting into the lifestyle but I kinda regret not going to uni instead cause I'm an introvert and can only befriend people if I spend a lot of time with them. I feel might be more prone to depression than I'm now but I also enjoy working on my own... What do you guys think?

I've work-traveled a bit with my wife and teen and have been thinking of transitioning to full time. Most people here seem to be young single men, so I'd love to hear from your experiences and advice on it.

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking about my next “exit country” and want it to be outside the Schengen zone. I’ve already lived in Albania (loved it!), but I prefer living in different places, so I’m not planning to return to Albania or North Macedonia for now.

I’m currently considering Egypt, Cyprus, or Montenegro, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has lived in these countries as a digital nomad.

A few things I’m really curious about:

• Power outages — were they common or rare?
• Wi-Fi speed and reliability — I can’t afford to stay somewhere with poor internet, so this is super important to me.
• Finding accommodations — Did you use Airbnb, or are there trusted local rental sites you’d recommend? I’d love tips on how you found your place and if there’s a better way than just browsing Airbnb.

Any insights, tips, or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

Hey,

My wife and I have been traveling and working remotely in South America since Nov. So far we have been to Buenos Aires, Rio, Lima and will be in Cusco till end of April.

We prefer staying in places that are active in the evening as well and things to do over the weekends. Our constraints are good/stable internet, safe neighborhood, with grocery stores close by.

Where is a good next spot to go in May.

Thanks in advance.

I’ll be going to Atitlan for a month in July, working remotely. The most important thing for me is connectivity during meetings.

I’ve read plenty about the power outages, and it has me a little bit wary. I can still change my plans up and stay somewhere like Antigua, where it would be more reliable… regardless would prefer Atitlan.

1) Staying at an Airbnb in Santa Cruz La Laguna that has starlink and 150mb/s.

2) Upon a power outage, I’ll have a Tigo hotspot on my phone. (Will this be strong enough for video?) Also will have a power bank.

3) Travel to Panajachel on days where there’s a storm or rain to avoid outages. (Are there cafes with backup generators in that case?)

4) Avoid afternoon phone calls…

Is this enough redundancy to avoid issues with connectivity or do the power outages happen enough that I should just go somewhere more reliable?

I am a German/American, currently working for an American outdoor recreational company that is well known in Europe, but does not have any physical presence there or employees abroad.

With all the political unrest in the US, I am really wanting to relocate to Portugal or back to Germany, and I'm wondering what my employer would have to do to make that reality.

What costs and implications are involved in making it possible for employees to work in the EU? I would not have to deal with any visa issues since I'm a citizen of the EU. But I'm wondering specifically what obligations my employer would have to fulfill to make this reality?

What are all the options? I'm wanting to pitch to senior management to see if they'll take the necessary steps to support this for me and some other Europeans working at HQ in Seattle currently.

TIA <3

Is there anyone in Mongolia? I will spend there a month or so and it would be lovely to connect with other travelers too :)

I am not really happy with where my life is going right now. I feel stuck because I don’t see a clear future. I am living in Asia, and most jobs here don’t pay that well.

I have decided to take a year (maybe more) to focus on learning a new skill and hopefully start earning from it and live as a digital nomad.

What skill do you think is worth learning these days? i think I am good with code because I used to code for a game for which I could code any script without difficulty, but that language(pawno) is not useful anymore and the game is basically dead.

So any suggestions what can I learn in 1year to give it a shot?

Anyone use AmneziaWG over Wireguard, it seems to be best against DPI and better than Wireguard.

Hey everyone, I'm currently considering the HP Victus with the Ryzen 7 7840HS processor for gaming and some light editing work. The specs and pricing seem pretty good, but before I go ahead, I wanted to ask:

Are there any other models in the HP Victus series that offer better value or thermals?

Or should I consider other brands like ASUS TUF, Lenovo LOQ, or Acer Nitro in the same price range?

My budget is flexible within a reasonable range, but I'm mainly looking for a good balance of performance, thermals, build quality, and display. Would really appreciate any suggestions or personal experiences you all can share. Thanks!

I am not sure if this is the place to post this (if not i apologize) but, I currently am in the US and need a brazilian number sim card that will work/be activated in the US but not sure where to get it. If anyone has any info on that i appreciate thanks

I'm in medellin now to remote work for a few weeks. Unfortunately I picked a wrong airbnb (not cancellable). Wifi is slow and I had a wifi call with a family and the lag was awful. I have periodic meetings via Teams at my job and at this point I need to find a spot where I can join these meetings with decent internet. Any co-working spot you recommend in Medellin that I can rent out for a few weeks?

Title, im the type of person that always fells like not staying in one place too long. And ive only just found out about digital nomads!

Share your wisdom, things you wish you'd done sooner and why; things you experienced that surprised you in a positive and negative way; things you didn't do but looking back you wish you did and why.

EDIT: Thanks for all your comments. Many of the things suggested I already knew, which makes me happy that I am on a right track. Some great new suggestions too. I am even more excited now for staying

Do you settle down for 3 mos? Does it start to feel like home? Do you just hop around a week or two at a time? What have you done? What do you think works best?

Hey everyone,

I’m feeling at an impasse because I’m looking to be a digital nomad within the next year or so but I’m currently not finding strong paying jobs as a freelancer in marketing. As a sole trader, I have a small business and I’m looking to be able to turn over enough to a) obtain a digital nomad visa and b) sustain the lifestyle. I wanted to have a check in and see how long it took you guys to actually start turning the money over and how long it actually took to get you to a place where you’re comfortable with. Obviously I have savings but I want to understand how people are going about their DN life and I’m 100% committed to making it work but I’m just unsure of where and how to start and how to make an action plan of how to get there

Hope this makes sense! Please send your best tips and

My partner and I are in Salvador right now and going to be in Praia do Forte from Tuesday 8th - 15th.

We'd love to meet some folks! Anyone from the nomad community here that would like to grab a coffee/lunch/drink?

I can't stand excessive heat because of my health condition: there are cheaper places with cool summers in Europe or near europe?

Thanks

They're all over social media. Nice looking luxury condos with nice views, pool, modern gym, etc all for like $200k max. Some condos are a little small by American standards but they seem like nice places to live for the most part.

Are there any drawbacks with these condos? Is the build quality okay? Plumbing? Anything wrong with them at all? Because the value to price ratio seems off the charts.

Hello,
Im intersted in visting . Kenya, Tanzania, Uganada (ive read its bad itnernet back then, what about now?) , (skip Rwanada for now as they are in a war with DRC), Malawi and Zambia, maybe Ethiopia (which ve heard has OK internet).

I know Kenya has very good internet, but what about the others?

I’m currently a 2nd-year engineering student, looking for an online internship (unpaid) in fields like web development, machine learning, or any related area for a duration of 2-4 months between August and December. 

I’m not that skilled yet, but if you can guarantee me a internship  with specified skill requirements, i can guarantee you that i will reach the requirement skill level till then. I am ready to work my ass off to get that internship on my resume. ^_^

Why : Working on real-world projects is the best way to learn and implement skills. Plus, it’ll be a valuable addition to my resume!

If you’re in a position to offer me an internship or can guide me on how to find one, please share your advice or opportunities here. Any help would mean a lot!

I'm a W-2 US remote worker looking into applying for Spain's digital nomad visa. I know that getting the visa a a W-2 employee is almost impossible. I've discussed options with my employer to be converted to a 1099 contractor, and they said they would look into it or potentially move me to a remote EOR (Employer of Record) model. Has anyone successfully applied for the visa going this route? Thanks!