Location-independent/digital nomad lifestyle - ask me anything

[biophase]

I was researching the scene because I wanted to set out on a similar lifestyle.
In the years I waded through those crowds online, I soon realized it was largely made up of people who weren't attempting anything noteworthy.

The reality that most in the Digital Nomad scene avoid coming to terms with is that most of them are economic migrants.
Being unable to afford a life in the West, they hover around SE-Asia, South America or parts of Eastern Europe.

On the other hand, are those who simply travel the world incognito, doing their thing and making real moves. <-- These are the people I'm looking for. Not necessarily people who have "made it," but who have a defined project and goal.

Exactly.

I've found that many people I've met traveling have some sort of blogging or digital course business. Literally everyone is making money by telling people how to make money. I really don't know what they do in a co-working space all day. I went to one and half the people were playing video games.

Like Xavier said, they are in SE Asia or 3rd world countries because they are cheap and they don't make bank.

If you want to become a digital nomad, try starting a business and become profitable. Then grab your laptop and take off. It's not that hard. But work on your business first so that it actually makes money, and makes alot of money so you travel do some FU traveling, not some your rich because you are in a poor country traveling.

 

[JasonR]

Hi JasonR,

Thanks a lot for the info.
Can you give some more details about the meeting in Bangkok in October?

https://dcbkk.com - all of the info is there.

Like others have mentioned, some of the "digital nomads" are what I call "coconut cowboys" - guys living in Asia on $700 a month because it's a cheap, easy lifestyle. This is what drives me away from places like Chiang Mai (although it's not a bad place to be).

However, I have found a lot of great people through the DC, many making 6-7 figures per year. You will find the wealthy and the coconut cowboys there - who you resonate with and network with is up to you.

There are also many people NOT in the DC who do travel the world, and are making a killing.

While I do love Bali and other parts of Asia, I don't love it because it's cheap. I recently visited a friend living in London, I could totally live there, even though it is an expensive city. Having ultimate freedom is being able to live anywhere you want regardless of price.

F.U. money is enough money to never have to worry about what accommodations, flights, or meals cost. That's where I like to be, personally.

If I was just starting out and didn't have much money, I would be in Bali, Saigon, Thailand, Colombia, etc. Why? You can live much cheaper there, and still have a great lifestyle, and put all your extra cash towards building your business. If you're wondering how to do it, you just haven't got enough balls to just book your flights and make it work.

 

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[Driven28]

***Warning... 3000 word post-reply incoming. ***
***Sorry in advance for making your eyes bleed.***​

1. How do you deal with maintaining your everyday fitness/health routine? Whenever I travel, I find it extremely difficult to maintain my exercise routine and my diet. I can't imagine moving from one place to another every week or every month and staying in top shape. I'm not saying it can't be done, just saying it's probably much more difficult.

Do It Yourself Method (Cheapest)
Step 1: Subscribe to Beachbody (Or log into ThePirateBay...)
Step 2: Wake up in your apartment/hotel anywhere in the world.
Step 3: P90x or Insanity your a$$ off. (or do the cool hybrid method)
Step 4: REPEAT! Don't be a lazy dick and skip days like the other 95% (most important)

One of my "nomadic" acquaintances just successfully Kickstarted travel friendly folding pull up bar to help out with this. Or you can grab a TRX (or knock off), which are cake to travel with.

Do It With Others Method (More Expensive)
Step 1: Enroll in Crossfit gym (they're freaking everywhere)
Step 1b: Enroll in Martial Arts / MMA gym (they're freaking everywhere)
Step 2: GO TO CLASS you a**hole.
Step 3: See step 4 above. (most important)

2. How do you deal with a lack of real-world friends? I don't consider people with whom you hang out for a day or two as true friends. I mean people you've known for years who you can trust. I don't consider talking with them online to be particularly rewarding. I guess that's my main issue with this lifestyle. Ultimately you can't have normal relationships with people who aren't location-independent until you settle down (or at least don't move every few weeks).

I've found through living in 10 different countries and 25 different cities in the past 3 years, that REALLY good friends can be made very quickly in communities of travelers (nomads, backpackers, expats, travelers)... especially if you're extroverted and/or not afraid to get out there.

Just like your friendships at home, it usually boils down to the following equation:
time spent together + chemistry + memories = quality or "truth" of friendship

Of course, there are other factors, like begin there during tough times, not fighting, etc..
But in general, you see where I'm going here.

The cool thing about these communities of travelers, especially in business-centric circles, is that it's almost like cheating the system when it comes to making friends.

• You start out with SO MUCH in common.
• You're all in a new place together. And often there's a slight barrier between you and the locals, which makes it attractive to do things with each other often.
• Everything is new or new-ish, so your activities lend themselves well to being high quality and highly memorable by default.

For instance...

On our last trip to Thailand, my girlfriend and I spent 9 months living in Chiang Mai.

Two months in, we organized an island "working field trip" with TEN friends we met in CM.
We rented a big a$$ villa on a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand, with a private beach, a private pool, WiFi, etc.

We got our scuba certifications together as a group, worked around the pool on our individual businesses and contracts during the day, went to yoga retreats and beach parties together, and generally had an AMAZING time... without spending a lot, or sacrificing much in the way of focus.

And almost every one of those people truly feels like a close friend of ours now.

That's not to say you can't make "better" friends if you stayed somewhere for a very long time...
Sure you could. My absolute closest friends are the ones I grew up with or have known for 10+ years.

But that doesn't exclude you from making great friends while traveling.
And many "nomads" live in each place they visit for a good amount of time... slow travel.

And the cherry on top?
At any given time, we'd be hard pressed to find any region in the world now where we don't have a friend or two.

3. Why South East Asia? Perhaps I'm not objective here because this region of the world doesn't interest me at all, but why do all digital nomads seem to go there? Did you consider other countries? Do you plan to go to a different part of the world in the nearest future?

SE Asia is nearly impossible to beat in terms of pure value.

It's popular, not because it's "cheap" like everyone says...
Shit, there are TONS of places that are cheaper!
Go to some 3rd world shithole in Africa or S. America (or Asia!)

Hell, I'll bet you $100 right now that you can find 1000 cheaper places to live than the popular nomad spots around the world. Go sleep in bush with a tribe on the Amazon... THAT's cheap living.

Nope. It's not because it's cheap.

SE Asia is popular for ONE reason: VALUE.
It's what you get for your money that matters.

Let's look at CM for instance...
(and many other Thai cities actually)

Wifi?
Up to Gigabit speeds, and offered in too many amazing cafes and co-working spaces to count.
Better than most towns I've lived in stateside.
(I lived in Austin, San Diego, and Seattle prior to traveling... CM is every bit as good)

The quality of the WiFi is only trumped by the quality of the coffee...

Cell services?
Multiple 4g providers with better networks in the country than Verizon, AT&T or TMobile have here in the states.
My last speed test on DTAC prior to leaving Thailand was 80Mbps/120Mbps...
Heck, one time I was 2 hours out in the middle of the ocean scuba diving, while Periscope live streaming on 3 bars of 4g.

Can you hear me now?

Living Options?
Want to live adequately (think basic studio) for $185/mo USD? No problem.
Want to live in an 8 bedroom mansion with a driver, a chef, a gardener, and a fluffer? Check.
(and for less than the rent I'm currently paying for a nice 2 bedroom in Austin with few ammenities)

Lifestyles Of The Smart & Unscripted

Food?
Literally the best in the world (depending on which ratings you go by... and I tend to agree)
Specialized Diet? Consistently top 5 Vegan/Vegetarian city in the world.
Oh wait, and you're paying between $1 to $3 USD for an average local meal..
Up to $10 if you want to "ball out" fine dining style or eat amazing western food...

Can I get a table for ten please? Oh, and 3 bottles of Sang Som.. thanks. Check is on me.

People & Social Events?
Super friendly and accommodating almost everywhere you go.
Tons of expats and nomads everywhere so you don't feel totally displaced.
Salsa Dancing? Check. Entrepreneur meetups? Check. Ladyboy Shows? Check.

Can I get a sausage with my coconuts? Thanks.

Proximity & Travel options?
LOL! Sub $100 flights and train rides to so many interesting countries and cities I can't even begin to list them all. It's the ultimate region to make weekend side trips or mini vacations.
Driving via motorbike or car will take you to incredible places as well.

"Can I get a $19 flight to Houston please? It's only 45 min away..."

"Go F*ck yourself... this isn't Asia you dip-shit nomad..."

"Ok. Thx."​

Anyway...
The value proposition list could go on for pages.
You get the point.

That being said, many "location independent" folks DO go to many other countries outside of SE Asia, with similar value equations.

• Medellin, Columbia is a super-hot spot right now.
• Lisbon, Portugal is also super-popular.
• Spots in the Balkans & E. Europe... Bulgaria, Croatia are heating up
• PDC, Mexico (and some small beach towns near there)...
• Shenzhen, China (and other parts).. but the firewall really sucks balls

And many others...

LEANDER, TEXAS costs more to live than most of these places...

You know what's in Leander, Texas?
Nothing. It would be complete and total bullshit for someone like me...
and likely for someone like you too, if you're reading this.

The higher net-worth nomads/travelers are absolutely found in the high-value places too.
But you can find a higher density of them in places like Berlin, Prague, Bangkok (especially affiliates and DC folks), Singapore, KL, London, Austin, NYC, etc.

Anyway, sorry for the loooong answer. Hopefully it was helpful in some way.

Exactly.

I've found that many people I've met traveling have some sort of blogging or digital course business. Literally everyone is making money by telling people how to make money. I really don't know what they do in a co-working space all day. I went to one and half the people were playing video games.

Like Xavier said, they are in SE Asia or 3rd world countries because they are cheap and they don't make bank.

This is an EXTREMELY narrow viewpoint, and a catch-all generality that's simply untrue.

The co-working spaces and high-traffic cafes I've frequented while traveling the past 3 years, whether it was through SE Asia, Europe, or otherwise... were littered with professionals, nomads with real businesses, FBA & Ecomm guys/gals, authentic entrepreneurs and their teams, and others.

Sure, there are a metric F*ck-ton of newbie nomads that got sold the dream and don't know the first thing about what the F*ck they're doing when they get on the plane, wallets empty, without a lick of value in their brain to provide anyone...

And yes, it may SEEM like they're the only ones at the nomad meetups, in the forums, on the blogs and YouTubes, and at the co-working spaces... especially if you're looking at the world through a biased lens created by out-of-touch experiences.

But the location independents we tend to find in SE Asia (and Europe / Middle East), were a lot more like us..

They had both money, and real growing businesses.

And they frequent the "3rd world" countries you speak of just like the lame ones of the bunch.
Because value. Because smarts.

Just in my own circle of nomad friends within the first couple months of leaving the US the first time:

• Six-figure earner selling his own line of pre & post workout supplements to the French-Canadian market...
• Seven-figure earner who helps companies and influencers build profitable courses...
• Six & Seven figure affiliate marketers... Too many to count actually.
• A drone operator who sells aerial stock footage and teaches others to do the same...
• Legitimate coaches and influencers who run successful five-figure retreats and courses in too many niches to list... (they aren't ALL fakers)
• An exporter who sources local Thai products that fill voids on FBA, as well as wholesale to hotels and retail stores in the US...
• A fashion influencer with her own successful line of custom-manufactured travel shoes/sandals
• Tons of Entrepreneurs in various stages with distributed teams, doing it the smart way (investing that extra money they're saving into their biz)

Are they the norm?
I dunno. They're less vocal, and more busy. So it's hard to say.

But not every nomad sits around teaching others to make money by day, and playing Call of Duty by night...

If you want to become a digital nomad, try starting a business and become profitable. Then grab your laptop and take off. It's not that hard. But work on your business first so that it actually makes money, and makes alot of money so you travel do some FU traveling, not some your rich because you are in a poor country traveling.

Eh... I'd reverse that advice completely, depending on WHO I was giving it to.

Even in UNSCRIPTED , @MJ DeMarco in various places and through various concepts, talks about the power of investing as much as possible into your business.
Both in time, and in money.

This is bad advice because the concept of the type of travel we're discussing isn't just about saying FU and leisurely globetrotting without care.

It can also be about traveling to places that treat you the best for what's going on in your life.
It can be about strategically picking where you live in a new, wide-open world... just like you strategically plan your other expenditures and choices in life.

The physical place you are right now isn't necessarily the best place for you to be... just because you're there.

The thing is... Depending on WHERE they choose to live and work, tons of new business owners are completely handicapped from the start.

They're working their asses off 40+ hrs a week, just to keep themselves alive and BARELY paying rent/bills. Much less investing anything significant into a new business.

Even the ones with profitable businesses are literally shoveling cash into the garbage can at critical times, and for no reason other than to live in the "land of the free" and keep their lights on.

Remember that chapter where @MJ DeMarco talks about his old company moving to SF and wasting ridiculous amounts of cash?

That concept is relevant to this conversation, as a matter of scale.

In the first few years of business, the amount of money and time (and reduction of stress) a new business owner COULD allocate to their venture is STAGGERING, if they moved their asses to somewhere like CM, and put their heads down and focused from there instead. And all without a major hit to lifestyle or living conditions, thanks to a better value equation.

Actually, I'd be willing to bet that it's a decision of even greater magnitude for an early stage biz owner to waste her valuable resources by living in many average-cost US cities, over a late-stage company of MJ's size wasting resources by moving to ultra-expensive Silicon Valley. (not to discount the latter, I completely agree it's a shit move)

I can't even express to you (or quantify) the drastic increase in resources across the board that I felt I had available to me and my business after making the simple decision to seek a higher-value location.

And it rings especially true now that we're back in Austin running my business from here for the past several months, in stark contrast to the many places we've run it from in the recent past.

Moral of the story?
Where you choose to live is a HUGE and critical decision on so many levels.. and most people simply dismiss this fact. Don't be one of those people, ever.

Stay blindly where your at and build your business before looking at other options ONLY IF your business absolutely requires you to sit in your little prison cell called "home".

Otherwise, I'd be willing to bet that if you cared enough to read this far, you would probably serve your business a heck of a lot better in any number of other places in the world that treated you better.

Strategically find the place in the world that works with you, instead of against you for where you are in your life right now. Treat it like a business decision AND a lifestyle decision.

Then focus, and build your business from there...

And perhaps if all goes well, you can tell the world FU a helluva lot faster.

BY THE WAY... SIDE NOTE -- I'm sorry to keep picking on you here @biophase
I can't tell you how much value I've gotten from your brilliant posts over the years.
And I'm a nobody around here (despite being an OG)...
So just know I have immense respect for you...
It can be hard to judge intent and tone via written word, especially at my writing skill level ​

If I was just starting out and didn't have much money, I would be in Bali, Saigon, Thailand, Colombia, etc. Why? You can live much cheaper there, and still have a great lifestyle, and put all your extra cash towards building your business. If you're wondering how to do it, you just haven't got enough balls to just book your flights and make it work.

AMEN - I tell people this who ask us about our lifestyle all the time!
STFU and book your F*cking flights. It's not permanent.
"Home" will [most likely] always be there if you need to come running back for some reason.

And here's one other AMAZING thing I like to share with biz-minded friends thinking about perpetual or semi-perpetual travel:

Whether you're an experienced OR inexperienced entrepreneur --> AKA, someone looking for problems to solve and/or opportunities to expand your own biz...

Traveling and living in new places is BY FAR one of the greatest ways to get your creative juices going.

Opportunities smack you in the face like a giant dick on a Miami porn set when you're out there in the world seeing completely foreign cultures and economies.
(Think MJ's "geo-arbitrage" concept, and beyond)

 

[biophase]

Starting from scratch, no remote work arrangement, no clients, no portfolio, no business. Just starting from ground-zero, what would you do to start/survive?

Besides living off savings and honing a skill, short of becoming slave labour on upwork etc, any tips on making cash fast (online) when your abroad and need to make bank to survive?

Here's is your problem. You want a certain lifestyle but haven't attained any skills to enable it. You talk about slave labor on upwork, which most people call a job or freelancing. What's wrong with living in Bali and working on your laptop? If you won't even do that, then what do you expect?

Your mindset is keeping you from getting there because you haven't earned it or tried to earn it yet.

So go get a skill that remote people will pay for. Once you do that, you don't need to live off savings or make cash fast online.

 

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[JasonR]

I'm really curious if you sell physical (shipped) products through your online business or if it's all on the computer (like digital products).

The reason I ask is because I would love to travel around the world as well (it's what piqued my interest in online business in the first place) but I'm not quite sure how well that would realistically work with a business that ships physical products, unless there is a way to automate the whole process and ensure that you won't have to be there physically to solve any issues that come up.

I sell physical products.

I have plenty of friends who travel the world and sell physical products, some even on this forum.

What you have is a self limiting belief.

There are plenty of third party shippers, 3PLs, warehouses, Amazon fulfillment, etc. that will happily fulfill your product. I have one friend who packed up his warehouse and left the country, and saved money by outsourcing his shipping/warehousing needs.

I also have another friend who runs his own warheouse and has an employee(s), and still manages to travel whenever he likes.

You may have to start out of your garage, and even ship things yourself, but it's not hard to get big enough to hire people to do it for you.

 

[JasonR]

I have a few questions for you:
1. How do you support yourself? Do you trade time for money, or do you build something that is able to survive on its own?
2. How did you get started?
3. Are there any communities about this subject that you recommend?
4. Do you have any guides on how it can practically be done? Necessary equipment? Common pitfalls?

I have an online business (duh). Some people do freelancing, remote work for their jobs, etc. Before I quit my job years ago I negotiated with my boss to not be in the office any more.

A friend of mine gave me the travel bug and convinced me to go on a 3 month Thailand and Bali trip. Since then, I never came back other than to visit. There are usually two kinds of people: people who leave the US/home country and generally never come back, and others who travel out and then move back to the USA. you either love or hate the lifestyle - so it seems.

Your best bet is to make friends with people doing the same thing as you. The best community I've joined for the "digital nomad" scene (although I hate the term 'nomad') has been the D.C. - dynamite circle. Honestly, the forums aren't that great, where you will get real value is going to the meet ups such as the one in Bangkok in October. See you there!

What guides/information are you specifically looking for? Bare minimum you need a laptop, internet connection, and a passport. If you can elaborate a bit more I may be able to help you with #4.

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

I've been traveling all year and can't agree with some of you guys on the dating aspect. It's a lot easier to get girls, but at a much higher emotional cost.

There's nothing worse than finding a girl you really like and having to leave her because you're on your way to the next place. What attracted me to this lifestyle was the freedom that came with it. No geographic attachments. Just be where you want to be when you want to be. Starting a relationship takes away from that because it's most often limited geographically.

This lifestyle is amazing if you're just looking for one night stands, but if you want to have something serious then it's emotionally taxing.

Let me give you some examples:

Let's say you start your trip in Thailand and meet a great girl. Are you going to cancel the rest of your travels because you want to stay with her? Do you invite her to travel with you, effectively doubling the cost of your lifestyle and significantly altering the foundation of the relationship? Can you trust her? Or do you assume that she's just using you for money, status, etc.?

What if you meet a Chinese girl who has money, is smart, and has a relative amount of freedom... but you want to travel to HK or Japan? She can't go because she's been to HK twice this year (can't get a visa for a third time), and can't go to Japan because they make it incredibly difficult for Chinese people to get Visas.

What if you meet the perfect girl in London and fall in love? She has a life in London but you hate the city. She doesn't want to leave because the city gives her meaning. Do you settle down in a place that you hate? She didn't ask for these problems. She was going about her life. You came to her city and created these questions for her.

Happened to my friend: Let's say you meet a beautiful Russian girl, fall in love, get married, bring her to the States, apply for a green card, but can't get it since it takes years to get. What do you do? Do you have her live in the U.S. illegally and risk the green card process, change to a long distance relationship, or do you move to Shanghai, China because it's the only place the two of you are allowed to live together and can tolerate?

Happened to me: Let's say you meet an amazing girl that's nice, smart, beautiful, and has a great personality. Then as you're dating she gets diagnosed with leukemia at 24. Do you stay in her city and support her emotionally? Do you tell her 'sorry, I know we acted like we're dating, but you knew I was moving on', and then move on like an a**hole while hating yourself? If this was back home, then you'd have no problems taking her to the hospital or visiting her. But now you're in a place that you only planned to be for a month. Are you going to stay here as long as it takes and uproot your entire life? Stay here for years? Are you going to continue on but question yourself the rest of your life? You really like this girl but it's been too short to know if you love her.

This lifestyle takes away closure.

99.9% of people are closely tied to a location. Location-independence on the other hand is about freedom to be where you want to be when you want to be. Romantic relationships are about being with a person you love in close proximity.

All of the issues described above are workable, but definitely harder to deal with than falling in love back home where geography is eliminated from the equation.

 

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[JasonR]

I don't believe you should build a business just so you can afford to live somewhere else. I think that is a short term goal and I tend to think longer. I think you should build a long term real business so that you can live anywhere.

100% this.

I think the difference between a "digital nomad" and an "entrepreneur" is that the entrepreneur will do whatever it takes for his business - even if that means living somewhere you don't want to live (for now), or putting off travel/fun/etc. to focus on your business.

Entrepreneurs do whatever it takes to build and grow his business, digital nomads are trying to fit their lifestyle into his business.

 

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[VentureVoyager]

Hi,
I was looking for a similiar topic on the forum and couldn't find anything.

I've been living the location-independent lifestyle since December (almost 9 months now), traveled 9 countries in Asia and lived in 3 (Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia (Bali)), so if there's anything you'd like to ask, I'm here.

While I'm not a fan of the term "digital nomad" and I'm not very much into the "scene", I believe there are many upsides to this lifestyle and that it has changed many lives for the better. Or maybe even saved them. It has surely brought me back to life and helped me stand back on my feet.

And I know there are people on this forum who are much more experienced in this kind of lifestyle than I am, some of them legendary contributors ( @JasonR for example) and they were able to build fortunes while travelling the world and living in different amazing places.
Would be great if you also joined the discussion (if there will be any) if you feel like

So yeah, AMA if this topic sparks your interest.

If any of you also live or used to lead this kind of life, please check-in and share your opinion. I wonder what do you think - did it help you feel better, become more successful, meet amazing people & network, what were the things you didn't like, do you think it is sustainable?, etc.

 

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[GlobalWealth]

I spend most of my time in Europe but have been to South America and Central Asia a bit lately.

There are tremendous benefits but also some compromises that must be made.

Remaining productive is more challenging so you must be very self motivated and focused. This is something I personally struggle with but luckily I have a good team.

In my opinion it is difficult to build a large enterprises without having roots. Which means you can have a great business and make very good money but it's unlikely you will build that $50MM company to sell and cash out.

Depending on your business model you should have no trouble reaching low 7 figures though. You can certainly have a great life but your not making the cover of Inc magazine.

For relationships, I've found this lifestyle more rewarding than the alternative. However I intentionally maintain friendships. Going to events with like minded people then maintaining contact and even visiting them, or them visiting you. The DN's I know don't consider it out of the ordinary to fly somewhere to hang out for a few days.



Sent from my VTR-L29 using Tapatalk

 

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[biophase]

This is an EXTREMELY narrow viewpoint, and a catch-all generality that's simply untrue.

The co-working spaces and high-traffic cafes I've frequented while traveling the past 3 years, whether it was through SE Asia, Europe, or otherwise... were littered with professionals, nomads with real businesses, FBA & Ecomm guys/gals, authentic entrepreneurs and their teams, and others.

I'm sure it's not the norm, but I think it depends on the type of co-working spaces you go to. I don't normally go to any when I travel. But every once in a while I'll pop into one when I've met someone who's working in one. I think most of the digital nomads that are posting on Instagram are probably the sell the lifestyle ones, hence why they keep posting about where they are all the time.

I don't believe you should build a business just so you can afford to live somewhere else. I think that is a short term goal and I tend to think longer. I think you should build a long term real business so that you can live anywhere. I just think that if you use living abroad as your business goal, you will miss and discount opportunities because your first thought is, "Can I run this business while in XXX?" Personally, I tend to go in cycles of one year of hard work and then one year of 75/25 travel.

When I first started out, I was dropshipping and I could work from anywhere. But for me, making $30-$40k a year dropshipping didn't allow me to do whatever I wanted. Yes, I could live pretty good in SE Asia for $1000/mo, but I couldn't go on a $5,000/week African safari or stay in a $150/night hotel. I hated having to budget and I wasn't satisfied with that lifestyle of just getting by. I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted even while abroad, so I decided to concentrate on growing the business even if it meant I had to put down roots. A few years later, I was able to hire my first employee and then the traveling lifestyle became available to me again. But now it was different, I didn't have to look at prices and be on any budget any more.

 

[JasonR]

Yeah, CM certainly attracts these people, but I've heard this many times and can't understand one thing: why would it drive you away from this (or any) city? How would that affect you?

Because who you're around directly influences you. Chang Mai is not a bad place, by any means, and it's great if you want to be on your own there and get away from city life. I was there two months last year in my apartment, but I was in my apartment grinding. I also think Chang Mai has too many foreigners for the size of the city, and it's on EVERYONE's radar. By all means, it's a cool place, I just think there are better options in SE Asia. I'll never forget about it as it was where my world travel journey started...

This is a difficult question since everyone has their own preferences.

I know @JasonR like southeast Asia.

Personally I prefer Europe, specifically eastern Europe.

I like Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary.

I also like Medellin, Colombia.

To OP: I can make a list of my favorite places in SE Asia if you're interested. SE Asia has this "wild east" feel and you see and do things you really never see anywhere else in the world. The downsides of Asia can get to you (traffic, grungy feel in some places, the strangeness of it all), where I find it hard to be in Asia all year long. But I will always go back for periods of time - it's just too much fun.

I like Europe a lot, even Eastern Europe, but Eastern Europe is too cold for me in the winter (@GlobalWealth says I'm a pussy). Like he mentioned, Latvia and Hungary are really cool and aren't places many people go. I've never been to Lithuania...yet.

Medellin, Colombia is hands down of my favorite spots in the world for many reasons. Perfect weather, great food, cheap, beautiful women, and the country is beautiful. The downsides are that it's not a great hub for frequent world travel (Medellin airport is tiny), and you HAVE to know Spanish if you're going to live here. The Escobar era still makes most outsiders think Medellin is still dangerous (it's not, really), and it keeps a lot of the foreigners out.

 

[Driven28]

Inspired by @JasonR 's favorite places post earlier in the thread (good stuff, I agree with your choices 100%) - I'll take a few min to list my own before I start my grind today

But first - this --

I'd say narrowing the dating pool is a good thing.
You can play until you actually meet someone you want to spend time with and travel with who is also capable of matching your lifestyle.
It's not easy but it can also make you pickier.

I completely agree!

Of course, I'm at an advantage because I met my girlfriend of 4 years in the states, and we formed similar mindsets in regards to traveling/DN together.
It's been a great experience for us, but we had our fair share of hiccups while we were away - and even spent some time split up and single.

All I can say is this: I very much believe in having a TON in common with your life partner (if a life partner is what you seek).
I've done it both ways for extended periods in my life: partners with a ton in common, and others who "made up for my weaknesses"... or however you want to justify it. I think the downfalls of having too much in common are FAR outweighed by the pitfalls of not.

With a location independent mindset and lifestyle, it's critical you find someone who feels the same or who can quickly convert.
It's similar to religion in a lot of ways... you can settle for someone with a different mindset, but you know deep down you're F*cking yourself (and her... no pun).

Luckily, if you're FULLY exploring the community of like-minded individuals in each place you visit, there are some amazing people... and many of them are single.
This lifestyle can automatically do the hard part for you -- filtering. It's like going to church 24/7/365... KNOWING that everyone there has a critical component in common with you. (I'm not religious by any definition of the word, by the way) Rearranging travel plans to accommodate one another is a drop in the bucket, at least compared to finding someone you click with.

Anyway, my .02 on that. I guess, as with anything in this world -- everyone's experience is different, and YMMV.

Now -- My favorite places over the past 2 years.

----------Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Koh Tao, Koh Lanta and Bali----------
All absolutely amazing in their own ways...
But I'm not going to spend time on these -- just see @JasonR previous post, or read one of the thousands of articles written or YT videos on them.

----------Macedonia: Skopje & Ohrid----------
Yep... somehow, by accident, these off-the-map spots made our favorite list last year.
We were sitting at a coworking place in Barcelona, trying to decide whether or not to stay for the following month.
After a bit of contemplation, I decided to open up SkyScanner and see what interesting "value" flights were available from "Barcelona to Anywhere in the World"...

There was a deal on Macedonia for roughly $19/USD one way on a local airline!
But the flight left in 1 hour, and we couldn't book it online!

My GF looked at me and said "Macedonia sounds like it could be cool..."
I looked at her and said "Totally agree! Let's do it!" -- and we grabbed our shit and jumped in the first cab.

When it was all said and done, we spent about 3 weeks total in Skopje (the capital), and 10 days or so in Ohrid (a little lake town on the Albanian border).

The govt. is corrupt as shit, but the country is pretty fantastic as a whole... especially for the value.
Cost-wise, it's a similar value proposition to Thailand -- inexpensive-but-nice lodging, cheap-but-good food, great internet and cell service, etc.

The nightlife in both cities was fantastic...
There are absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful women crawling all over Skopje (at night anyway... not sure where they hide in the daytime).
I'm not sure about the men. I guess I should ask my GF about these things so I'm informed from both sides

Ohrid is STUNNING.
It's on "Europe's oldest lake", and is a UNESCO Cultural AND Natural Heritage site.
Think: tiny cobblestone streets winding through a 2000+ year old castle-like town built on the side of a beautiful lake.
Coffee shops, bars/clubs/restaurants, water sports, and great [but very unhealthy] local food.
We paid about $24/nt for a loft apartment in the old city with this view:

Yep...

We could have stayed there for a few months easily, and hope to make it back at some point.

Anyway, there's a lot more to write about Macedonia.. including the bad stuff (corruption, people are cold at first, etc), but I'd highly encourage you to go and spend some time developing your own opinion. My job isn't to shove mine down your throat!


----------Prague, Czech Republic----------
I can't say enough about this place, and don't need to... look it up.
Go there.
Try leaving once you're there
Hands down the most beautiful city I've ever seen (likely due to the fact that the city received very little damage during WWII, as is almost all original and intact).


----------Shenzhen, China----------
Let me get this out of the way... I LOVE HONG KONG. It's amazeballs.
It's also currently holds the title for "most expensive city in the world".

So how do you get the beauty and geographic location of Hong Kong, without the ridiculous price tag?
Go a few mins away to Shenzhen.

Yes yes, it's behind the firewall of China...
Yes, it's a much newer city without a lot of the flavor of HK...
And no, it's no substitute for HK itself -- but it's within spitting distance!

Shenzhen rose up out of a literal pile of dirt in recent history, and was purpose-built to test China's new economic policies.
And it's a WONDERFUL city.

It's lush and green in many places, with awesome spots to live, work, shop, and play.
It's incredibly affordable, and feels really great from a value perspective.
The expat community is thriving there.
The locals seem to be happier and have all-around better attitudes than in cities like Beijing (or even Shanghai)
The business opportunities are massive in Shenzhen as well (big export and technology scene).

(Going to pick up my DJI Mavic drone from their HQ store when it was released.. gives you an idea of what the public/shopping areas look like in town)

I would say Shanghai edges out Shenzhen for me only barely, and purely based on the sheer magnitude of the former (I love huge cities).
That being said, I think I'd rather spend an extended period of time working & living in Shenzhen, over any other "mainland Chinese" city.

Just pick up a decent VPN service (or three), if you want to stay connected to the rest of the world.
And if you plan on staying a while, a cell phone from Hong Kong will permanently get you around the firewall if you do it right.

There's a few of my favs... perhaps I'll do another list later!

 

[Xavier X]

WARNING: Massive wall of text INCOMING!

I have spent a significant amount of time looking into the crowd who actively call themselves "Digital Nomads," and unfortunately, it's been uninspiring. Like the OP, I'm not a fan of it.

I was researching the scene because I wanted to set out on a similar lifestyle.
In the years I waded through those crowds online, I soon realized it was largely made up of people who weren't attempting anything noteworthy.

Too many in the business of selling the lifestyle. AKA bros who exclusively teach others how to live the dream nomadic lifestyle.
I couldn't find one person who was either actively running or actively building a business completely unrelated to the lifestyle.

There are the serious ones in the scene who invest real money into servicing nomads, i.e co-working spaces, co-living spaces etc.
Then on the lower ebb are those who simply try to sustain the lifestyle by teaching/guiding others on how to live/navigate it.

Very few are actually business people, or trying to be.
The ones who don't fall into the above categories are typically low end freelancers, i.e Fiverr gigs etc.

The reality that most in the Digital Nomad scene avoid coming to terms with is that most of them are economic migrants.
Being unable to afford a life in the West, they hover around SE-Asia, South America or parts of Eastern Europe.

On the other hand, are those who simply travel the world incognito, doing their thing and making real moves. <-- These are the people I'm looking for. Not necessarily people who have "made it," but who have a defined project and goal.

The people who do not quickly respond "I'm a Digital Nomad" to the question "What do you do?"
As though being a Digital Nomad was a profession or business in itself.

On the bright side, most of the "Digital Nomads" seem like genuinely nice people. I believe social interaction with them would be great.
It's the professional angle I'm in doubt about.

At the end of last month, I gave away all my belongings and headed out. All I retained/left in safe keeping are my more expensive video production equipment.

I have production contracts with clients whom I will have to fly in to produce for occasionally. Other than that, I'm free to focus on building the fastlane business I'm currently working on. Something I believe I can sell for 7 figures two to three years from now.


@OP
Would you say from the point you left home until now, you've moved closer to your primary goals in life?

 

[JasonR]

Not OP, but I've spent some time in SE Asia and am curious about your list.

Here's a list of Asia - these are my opinions from actually living/traveling to these places unless otherwise noted

Favorites:

Bali, Indonesia - Bali, to me, is this mystical enchanted island. I came here for one month and stayed for over 6. I go back every year. If you like beautiful sandy beaches, amazing surf, cheap cost of living (super cheap), blazing red sunsets, and a bit of tropical heat Bali is the place for you. The western food here is amazing, and they have good local food as well (try Warung Bu Mi in Canggu). I learned to surf here, dive here, and have since named businesses after parts of Indonesia. Needless to say, Bali has influenced my life a lot. You may have to hunt here for good internet service, and if you stay in Kuta you may end up hating Bali. The downsides: traffic, riding a motorbike is dangerous, drunken Australians. The English here is good and the local language is easy. Do not miss Uluwatu, Mount Batur, Ubud, and the Tanah Lot temple. The best times to go are in Spring, Summer and Fall (April to November). Rain season is November to March and starting December it gets too hot for me.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - This city took some time to grow on me, but Vietnam is still a bit under the radar. The food is great (local and western), the city is culturally diverse and rapidly expanding, excellent business and expat community, good airport for traveling within Asia, excellent local labor pool, cheap cost of living. The downsides are: it's HOT all year, traffic is pretty insane, bit of a "dirty" feel thats common place in Asia (but not too bad), and the local language is very difficult. Vietnam is a very beautiful country: I did some epic motorbiking from Da Nang to Hue (the ancient city), Ha Long Bay/Hanoi, Mekong Delta, etc. I still want it to make it to Sapa one day (legendary Rice Terrace country).

Thailand - Whenever I go to Thailand I always have a good time, North, South or in the city. The people are very friendly, the food is great, very cheap cost of living, and typically internet is not a problem unless you're in the Southern Islands. I have grown to like Bangkok, however it's the hottest city in the world (average temperature year-round). I remember, one night, we were dripping sweat at 12 am - Bangkok NEVER cools down. Chang Mai - I like Chang Mai, but I can only stay there for about 1-2 months before I get a little bored. Lots of outdoor things to do, the ride to Pai on a motorbike is adventurous, the internet is typically good, food is great. Personally, I think there are too many foreigners moving in. You can live here on the super cheap, if you want to, but I still typically spend the same as I would in Bangkok - I'm not a fan of $300/month apartments but you can do it if you need to save money. Southern Islands: Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Phuket, Koh Pha Ngan, Krabi etc. - I've never seen a crazier place to party then Southern Thailand. I wouldn't go here to focus, but some of these places are a must see. The full moon parties happen on Koh Pha Ngan (and I think Phi Phi as well). The water and snorkeling in the Southern Thailands is also beautiful. Southern Thailand is definitely a beautiful, must see place, but when I was there the internet scarce but booze and bars were plentiful.

Places to visit (but not live)

Phillipines - One paragraph doesn't to the 'Phines justice, but if I had to sum it up: beautiful beaches, amazing diving, beautiful women, and shitty food and hit or miss internet. I don't think I could live here long term, but I've visited a handful of times. Check out Boracay, Palawan/El Nido, Cebu (city), and google for diving as there is great diving all over here.

Cambodia - Visited for 5 days to see the Angkor Wat. Easily the most lawless place I've ever been. I literally think you could get away with murder here, but I didn't feel unsafe either (the "don't be an idiot, rule" applies). Horse drawn tuk tuks, giant temples, shooting an RPG, and the killing fields are a must see.

Singapore - Easily one of the cleanest cities I've ever been to, I have heard only cities in Japan rival the cleanliness here. You could eat off the street, literally. A beautiful city that feels almost Utopic, but threatens to get boring after 4 days. The Marina Bay Sands and Botanical gardens are must-sees. The Public Transit (MRT) here is excellent and will get you anywhere you need to go. Expensive! Singapore is pretty expensive (food, drink, etc.) but surprisingly the 5 star hotels aren't bad. Fastest internet I've ever seen anywhere, and a big banking hub (but don't expect to be able to open an account here as an American).

Malaysia - Malaysia is one place I won't mind if I never go back here. I found KL and Panang to be super boring, I didn't like the local food (too sweet), and generally, many of the people were rude. The one exception for food here is that the Indian Cuisine is excellent as there are a lot of immigrants from India. I hear the diving in South Malaysia is supposed to be good but I'm not in a hurry to go back.

Laos - I've only been here very briefly. Very beautiful country but pretty boring. If you're thinking about Laotian girls - well it's illegal for them to date you. I'm not really sure why you'd go here unless you're motorcycling through or visiting the Golden Triangle.

China - I've been here on business several times, and I don't really enjoy China much at all. It's super hot, dirty, the food is either amazing or horrible (try Yunnan cuisine at a good restaurant). I usually stay in 5 stars in China and don't venture out much. However, their cities are MASSIVE and it's sort of neat to see but am always happy to leave. The people are genuinely rude by western standards. Sorry China, I want to like you but I can't.

Exceptions: Hong Kong - I really like Hong Kong even though it is relatively expensive and small. Hong Kong isn't really China (just don't tell the Chinese that). I've also heard great things about Taiwan.

On the list: Borneo, Papa New Guinea, Brunei, Myanmar, Timor, Korea - these are off the beaten places in South Easy Asia that I really want to visit. From diving, biodiversity, to relatively strange places most people never see (with the exception of Korea), I can't wait to go. There is a company that does tours in North Korea, and I'd love to that (a buddy of mine has done it), however you have to realize, if you are an American, there is some danger to the trip (don't tell any of the locals you're American - tell them you're Canadian if asked).

Hope this helps. If you have questions, ask away.

 

[MTF]

1. How do you deal with maintaining your everyday fitness/health routine? Whenever I travel, I find it extremely difficult to maintain my exercise routine and my diet. I can't imagine moving from one place to another every week or every month and staying in top shape. I'm not saying it can't be done, just saying it's probably much more difficult.

2. How do you deal with a lack of real-world friends? I don't consider people with whom you hang out for a day or two as true friends. I mean people you've known for years who you can trust. I don't consider talking with them online to be particularly rewarding. I guess that's my main issue with this lifestyle. Ultimately you can't have normal relationships with people who aren't location-independent until you settle down (or at least don't move every few weeks).

3. Why South East Asia? Perhaps I'm not objective here because this region of the world doesn't interest me at all, but why do all digital nomads seem to go there? Did you consider other countries? Do you plan to go to a different part of the world in the nearest future?

 

[GlobalWealth]

I've effectively been a DN for almost 10 years (also don't like the term, but mainly because the majority of those labeled as such don't actually run real businesses).

I've been to 70+ countries and stayed for extended periods in about half dozen.

I run a real business with a team of people all location independent.

I am also an active investor.

Sent from my VTR-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[Andy Black]

I was in the DC forum for about a month. Interesting stuff going on but too much emphasis on the digital nomad and travelling for my liking. I'm sure the people at meetups are top notch.

Location independence for me means I don't work on client sites anymore. I work from home, or anywhere with a computer and decent internet connection. Heck, I can even work just on my mobile for a few days while I'm on holiday with my family.

That's what location independence means to me.

I'm not into the "laptop and hammock" blogs selling their digital nomad lifestyle. But then I'm 46, married with 3 kids, done my fair share of road trips, and never liked sand anyway.

YMMV... just beware becoming someone else's consumer.

 

[GlobalWealth]

I like Europe a lot, even Eastern Europe, but Eastern Europe is too cold for me in the winter (@GlobalWealth says I'm a pussy).

You are...

Related to an early comment about relationships while living abroad, I meet many of my friends in my travels. I have seen @JasonR in 3 countries on 2 continents just in 2017.

Building and maintaining relationships are what you make of it. If you believe it is hard or impossible to have relationships with people while living as a dn, then it will be.

If you are intentional about maintaining your relationships, it gets more interesting when you can enjoy cool experiences and build memories together.

 

[SYK]

While I'm not a fan of the term "digital nomad" and I'm not very much into the "scene", I believe there are many upsides to this lifestyle and that it has changed many lives for the better. Or maybe even saved them.

I lived life in south east asia last year. Loved it. Like you, I don't like the DN term and I stayed clear of the scene because I found it a bit cultish at times.

Did meet some awesome, super smart people though that I learnt a ton from. Perfect way to give your business a financial runway too.

Is it sustainable? Sure. Just depends what it is you want.

Some people are happy to live the remote life for a decade earning <$1000 a month. But that leaves them in limbo where it's hard to return to the West.

I think the goal should always be earning an income that'll get you by anywhere, not just in the cheap location you're currently in.

I'd happily still be living the remote life but had to return to the Western world for biz reasons. The goal is to go remote again in the future.

Where in Thailand were you?

 

[biophase]

Here's why I think it's harder:

If you want to find a woman that accommodates this lifestyle, then you'll be severely limiting your dating pool. And I don't think that it's a limiting belief at all. Just simple stats.

People that can do what we do fall into one of the following categories:

• Entrepreneurs (Location independent)
• Freelancers (Location independent)
• Wealthy and traveling
• Another exception to the rule

Those four categories combined are likely a fraction of 1% of the available dating pool.

This year I've gone on dates with women that included a lawyer, doctor, a girl working for the UN, and a product inventor/entrepreneur. All of these women were great, but tied to their location.

This is not just for travelers. I don't date doctors or lawyers. In fact, it's a turn off for me. It's not even the fact that they are tied to a location, but it's more of the high stress job and high number of work hours. That lifestyle doesn't mesh with mine at all. I don't mind someone tied to a location, but having 2 weeks of vacation a year is deal breaker for me.

 

[VentureVoyager]

Hello? Police? JasonR has hijacked my thread! Please arrest this man!
Seriously though, great to hear from you! It's one thing to build and sell a big business, and another to do it while traveling the world. A totally badass thing to do. This topic will be much more valuable and interesting as a mutual/multiple AMA or just a discussion.

@JasonR I was wondering, of all the places you have been to, which turned out to be your favorites and why (life and business-wise, not for adventures/travelling) and where you felt you could be really produtive?

And I'm also interested in this October event in BGK. It's very possible I will be there. I'm just wondering if we are thinking about the same one as BGK is a big biz hub with many things going on.

3. Are there any communities about this subject that you recommend?
4. Do you have any guides on how it can practically be done? Necessary equipment? Common pitfalls?

Surprisingly, I found reddit to be the most useful and practical in this regard, if you filter out some unnecessary drama and stupid comments. But there's lots of great information.
And good ole' Uncle Google, obviously. Also, I used to watch many Youtube channel before I made my decision.
I would avoid most facebook groups though - they are full of bullshit, trolls, drama and strange frustrated people with problems.

I am in many of them in case I need something and sometimes it's helpful, but I'm not active at all and I have filtered out all of their newsfeeds.

When it comes to preparation, maybe it was easier for me because I had also travelled quite a lot before I even started my business and even before my first "proper" (shitty) job and it has always been my passion, since childhood.
If you have any specific questions regarding the above mentioned doubts, I will be happy to help.

I'd like to ask where are you from? Europe? USA? Other? Do you have a business?
Do you have a base you go back to?

I'm from Poland. Which doesn't exactly make the lifestyle a money-saving move for me like for many other people - I actually spend much more living this lifestyle, as I own an apartament in my country and so cooking for myself and living there would save me a lot (no rent to pay, only basic media bills and administration fees, etc). But the quality of life and the cheap "outsourcing" of many annoying things (laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc ) totally make up for it.
The problem is that I theoretically have a base to back to, but it's my hometown (beautiful, but small and deadly boring place) and I don't want to live there. So that's one of my problems - I kind of feel homeless, I'm on a quest to find a new place to live, or at least have a list of my favorite places around the world to go back to.

Where in Thailand were you?

I traveled in many different places in Thailand, but have lived in Chiang Mai and Koh Phangan. Both of these places are awesome, but very different. CM is probably the most convenient destination and one of the cheapest.

By the way, I've also lived in Nice in France for almost 9 months and in the UK (3 months), so my first move was actually to a place that is much more expensive than my small hometown in Poland. It put things into perspective for me and showed me that my income was still not enough (Nice is one of the most expensive cities in France as far as I know).
I believe it gave me a big motivation to hustle like crazy (which helped a LOT).
So I kind of did the opposite of what many people would do - go to a cheap place first and "live like a king for $300 a month" (<-bullshit).
As for what I do, I'm in the self-publishing business since 2014.

 

[VentureVoyager]

Hey guys, sorry for my late answers!

@OP
Would you say from the point you left home until now, you've moved closer to your primary goals in life?

Totally. When I was leaving home I was stuck, depressed and totally lost. Couldn't get anything done anymore.
Asia has literally saved me. I made a big progress since I got back to regular work, I changed my mindset, started setting bigger goals, and so on.

I don't believe you should build a business just so you can afford to live somewhere else. I think that is a short term goal and I tend to think longer. I think you should build a long term real business so that you can live anywhere

This. +1

I think the difference between a "digital nomad" and an "entrepreneur" is that the entrepreneur will do whatever it takes for his business - even if that means living somewhere you don't want to live (for now), or putting off travel/fun/etc. to focus on your business.
Entrepreneurs do whatever it takes to build and grow his business, digital nomads are trying to fit their lifestyle into his business.

My thoughts exactly.
That's why I don't like this term. I prefer "location independent". And it's also sounds better.

Could I ask you advice about business registration and jurisdiction, or is it not proper to ask in public?

Yeah, the problem is that most accountants and financial lawyers you can come across will have NO IDEA about selling products worldwide, be it physical or digital, and living this kind of lifestyle, tax-wise and whatever-wise. They are decades behind. They don't even know what "digital product" means.

After a loooong search, I was able to find a very good company that takes care of my finances, taxes, accounting, etc. I use it, my sister and five of my friends also do. In my case, registering a LTD in the UK was a good idea, but they also offer many different solutions and countries, depending on your situation. It's a Polish company but they speak English and maybe they could help you. If you want, you can contact me through PM and I can send you my guy's e-mail. If that's OK with the forum rules, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

Starting from scratch, no remote work arrangement, no clients, no portfolio, no business. Just starting from ground-zero, what would you do to start/survive?

Besides living off savings and honing a skill, short of becoming slave labour on upwork etc, any tips on making cash fast (online) when your abroad and need to make bank to survive?

I don't have any tips on that because I have a business and I take care of it every day (unless I decide to take short vacation and explore a new country for a while). I had started building it before I decided to give this lifestyle a shot. And then I moved abroad, but instead of travelling around, I would just sit on my a$$ for almost 9 months and work A LOT, excluding very short local trips from time to time.
But I think you will find tons of such ideas on this forum. Maybe, if you have some basic in-demand skills (photoshop, video editing), you could use Fiverr or PPH.

1. What has been the biggest challenge in your journey?

Hmmm...I don't know. Looks like it's been all easy and natural for me. The only thing I don't like (hate! ) is looking for new apartaments/accomodation every single time I move to a new place. In Thailand it's dead easy, but in other countries not so.

2. Did you develop the business before going abroad or during your time in SEA?

Way before, I started in 2014.

1. How do you deal with maintaining your everyday fitness/health routine? Whenever I travel, I find it extremely difficult to maintain my exercise routine and my diet. I can't imagine moving from one place to another every week or every month and staying in top shape. I'm not saying it can't be done, just saying it's probably much more difficult.

I'm not a good person to talk about it, because I simply don't and that's something I will be taking care of very soon, as soon as I go back to Bali. I used to be a regular gym-goer and I miss it.

It could be difficult when travelling like crazy and changing places frequently, but:

-No one orders you to change places so often. I now want to go to Bali and stay there until the end of the year. Then it's just as easy to go to gym as it is when you just live somewhere and have roots.

-I know some people who travel a lot and are in an excellent shape. One of my friends from Australia has been going to gym for the past 12 years. We recently met in Japan, he told me he wakes up at 4 AM EVERY SINGLE DAY to do his most important work online before going to gym, so he still has time to sightsee and explore the area. It is certainly possible - the infrastructure in Asia is mostly good, there are many Western-style gyms and they often offer short-time passes. Also, you don't have to cook, and it can take lots of time. You could have rice/noodles/whatever carbs with meat/fish/seafood or tofu/eggs etc., if you're vegetarian, multiple times a day for pennies, and it would be delicious. Other diets shouldn't also be difficult to maintain. It just comes down to finding a gym which is easy in most places. And not moving to a different place every day or so - but that's not the idea anyway.

2. How do you deal with a lack of real-world friends? I don't consider people with whom you hang out for a day or two as true friends. I mean people you've known for years who you can trust. I don't consider talking with them online to be particularly rewarding. I guess that's my main issue with this lifestyle. Ultimately you can't have normal relationships with people who aren't location-independent until you settle down (or at least don't move every few weeks).

You can meet new friends everywhere, it just comes down to social skills and your willingness to do so. It might be even easier in some places due to many meetups, events, etc. And many of them will be so much more inspiring.
However, obviously, I tend to miss my friends and family sometimes. That's the price. But honestly, I don't have too many friends back in my country as mostly they either moved to live in different places abroad, or have spread across the country, and I would have to travel frequently between the cities if I wanted to keep regular contact with them. I also have to remember that they have their own lives and that I shouldn't decide where to live based on their location. They could as well move somewhere else in a few years.

3. Why South East Asia? Perhaps I'm not objective here because this region of the world doesn't interest me at all, but why do all digital nomads seem to go there? Did you consider other countries? Do you plan to go to a different part of the world in the nearest future?

I think that @Driven28 has pretty much nailed it with his post, but here's my additional input:
Not only is the value really amazing (e.g. a fancy studio in a new building with a pool, sauna, gym, 24/7 reception, great internet, covered garage space, laundry, etc. for a price that would buy you three nights in a wardrobe in London) but also you can outsource almost all of the most tedious tasks.
You won't have to:
-Cook (and hence you also don't have to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes. Taking out the trash won't also be a frequent task since you can eat out all the time). I can cook and I quite like it, but there's simply no need to, as most of Asian cousines are simply amazing and extremely diverse. You could go out every single day to try a new meal and after a year you would still have a lot to try. Especially in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan (ok, the latter isn't cheap and isn't SE Asia, but still, eating out is much cheaper than I expected).
-Shop for groceries (because you can easily eat out amazingly delicious meals for peanuts every single day)
-Clean your place (many places are serviced, so that cleaning is included in the rent, or you can have it all cleaned for $10-15).
-Do the laundry, hang your clothes and iron
Imagine how much time it saves you and think how much would such a lifestyle cost you in Europe or USA. You would either have to eat out every single time or hire a cook. Then a maid and cleaning person. Etc. You can invest all of this time back into your business, hobbies or just spend it relaxing.

-In many places you also don't have to drive or waste time using public transport, becuase of cheap Uber, Grab and other servies. I however love riding my scooter.

Also, for singles, I think it's much easier to have a very good dating life, or find a relationship there. I have personally found the local ladies very feminine, open-minded, caring, cheerful and super-friendly. What I really appreciate is that they (both sexes) tend to be really happy, outgoing and always smile no matter their life situation and material possessions (and I made friends with many locals, both from poor, middle-class and rich families). Of course that's a generalization, there are mean people everywhere, but that is my experience. I also saw at least a dozen Western ladies with Thai or Indonesian boyfriends.
But if someone would like to find themselves a Western girlfriend (or a boyfriend), it should be easier to find a like-minded person in entrepeneurial circles, meet-ups, etc, knowing that you already share many similiarities.

And also, I've been fascinated with SE Asia, Asian culture and their world-view/philosophy in general since my early years (I even wanted to study Chinese and then Japanese), so for me it was an obvious choice.

Besides, I had some amazing beyond-explanation spiritual experiences on Bali, but I'm not sure if this is a good forum to discuss them, certainly not in this topic

@GlobalWealth Wow!
Of all the countries you've visited, which are your favorites when it comes to overall quality of life (meaning that you could move there for at least a few years and build your business from there)?

 

[SYK]

@MTF

1. Cheap, good quality gyms are just about everywhere. And if you pay a little extra your condo will have a good one too. I'm big into fitness. I got into better shape while away thanks to more freedom. It's less to do with access to facilities/good food, more to do with discipline.

2. This is a challenge. Sucks really clicking with people then going separate ways. But I've stayed in touch with all the quality people I met.

3. Cheap, favourable visas, good western infrastructure (eg internet), lots of comparable countries near to each other.

 

[PersistentlyHungry]

Hi @VentureVoyager !

I'm very interested in this kind of lifestyle.
Most of the people I know who live this way do not build Fastlane businesses, but instead, do freelance work.

I have a few questions for you:
1. How do you support yourself? Do you trade time for money, or do you build something that is able to survive on its own?
2. How did you get started?
3. Are there any communities about this subject that you recommend?
4. Do you have any guides on how it can practically be done? Necessary equipment? Common pitfalls?

Great contribution, looking forward to reading about your journey!

 

[Mac]

quote

1. It depends on the person. There's cheap gyms in pretty much every city in Asia. You just have to get up and go every morning. Although, I haven't really been traveling much. I just chose a city to hunker down in and work.

2. I posted in a Chiang Mai Facebook group and a few guys told me to drop by their co-working house. I put up my experience, what value I could provide with Facebook ads, etc... so it wasn't hard. Just always provide value.

I moved into their house within 3 days of meeting these guys.

Now we've all been living together for 6 months. It's a solid group of about 5-10 of us.

3. It's inexpensive, food's good. You will probably lose about 10 - 15lbs in the first month without even trying. I actually have trouble keeping on weight because I like to be bulking most of the time.

The sunny weather puts you in a better mood. Especially if you're from a cold a$$ country like mine (Canada).

I plan on checking out Portugal, Colombia, Kiev, etc eventually... but I like to make Chiang Mai my base of operations because it's so convenient.

Travelling is not as fulfilling for me as it is to others.

I find fulfillment from the adventure of business itself.

A little excursion here and there is good to break up the routine.

But I will be traveling with my new-found house mates who are also entrepreneurs... so that could be an entirely different experience.

 

[Fox]

The best community I've joined for the "digital nomad" scene (although I hate the term 'nomad') has been the D.C. - dynamite circle.

I met some of these guys in Kiev a few weeks ago and had a great time. Really cool guys and lots of great business talk.

I am not in this but I would recommend it from what I seen.

 

[GlobalWealth]

@GlobalWealth[/USER] Wow!
Of all the countries you've visited, which are your favorites when it comes to overall quality of life (meaning that you could move there for at least a few years and build your business from there)?

This is a difficult question since everyone has their own preferences.

I know @JasonR like southeast Asia.

Personally I prefer Europe, specifically eastern Europe.

I like Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary.

I also like Medellin, Colombia.




Sent from my VTR-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[JasonR]

This lifestyle is amazing if you're just looking for one night stands, but if you want to have something serious then it's emotionally taxing.

Although I can see where you're coming from, I respectfully disagree.

Let's say you start your trip in Thailand and meet a great girl. Are you going to cancel the rest of your travels because you want to stay with her? Do you invite her to travel with you, effectively doubling the cost of your lifestyle and significantly altering the foundation of the relationship? Can you trust her? Or do you assume that she's just using you for money, status, etc.?

The answer is: it depends. I have extended my travel because I met a woman. I already had accommodations in another country, but it's just money. Personally, I don't see a problem helping a woman out to live the lifestyle YOU are accustomed to. I draw the line at financially supporting the person (ex: they don't do anything to contribute, financially, to the relationship) but I don't mind paying for some things such as flights, etc. Ultimately, it comes down to what you value more: constantly traveling, or perhaps you'll find someone where you don't mind compromising and rooting yourself somewhere - even if for half the year.

What if you meet the perfect girl in London and fall in love? She has a life in London but you hate the city. She doesn't want to leave because the city gives her meaning. Do you settle down in a place that you hate? She didn't ask for these problems. She was going about her life. You came to her city and created these questions for her.

She also opened herself up when dating a traveler (if you're being honest with her). I honestly don't understand this point - you either aren't going to spend enough time in London to fall for someone if you truly hate it, or you'd be willing to spend more time in London if this person truly mattered to you. If you know you're going to leave a place, make sure that's clear to both of you, and either person cannot blame each other.

Happened to me: Let's say you meet an amazing girl that's nice, smart, beautiful, and has a great personality. Then as you're dating she gets diagnosed with leukemia at 24. Do you stay in her city and support her emotionally? Do you tell her 'sorry, I know we acted like we're dating, but you knew I was moving on', and then move on like an a**hole while hating yourself?

This sucks that this happened to you, but if you were clear in the beginning, you shouldn't feel guilty that she became a sick that neither of you could foresee or control. Again, it comes down to knowing what you want.

If you know you're living the location independent lifestyle for the next year or two, make that known, and accept it yourself. You're going to be single for a while, no big deal. You may end up meeting an amazing woman, keep traveling, and then realize how much you actually miss her and end up making it work. Who knows...

To say that no woman can live the lifestyle we live - that's just a self limiting belief. Sure, MOST people have roots, and don't have the freedom we do, but you CAN find women that do. You just need to look in the right places.

Personally, I have many friends who are in interracial, intercontinental relationships and they are some of the happiest couples I know.

Yes, it can take some planning, some compromising, but every relationship takes work and effort.

 

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[SquatchMan]

Really cool thread As someone who is excited to see Southeast Asia I'm getting a lot of value and motivation here, thanks guys.

I just started following SinisterLex here on the forum because copywriting seems like a really good way to start generating location-independent income while also learning valuable skills that apply to other business projects.

I started thinking... say I join Upwork and hone my skills as a copy writer, and some time from now I'm earning around $1500 per month from that skill. It sounds like you can live well for half of that in parts of Asia. What would be keeping me from moving to SE Asia for awhile, and setting aside the extra money I'd be saving to invest into other business assets? (like saving up to buy a small apartment as in G Alexander's GOLD thread here: GOLD - STOP Paying Rent: Live For Free or GlobalWealth's thread here: Notable! - Live Rent Free in Multiple Countries

The only person stopping you is yourself. If money gets tight, then you can teach/tutor English, work in a hostel, lead bar tours, sell motorcycles to foreigners, teach SCUBA, scam tourists in Bangkok (jk don't do this), etc. I met people doing all of those things.

And it depends on your definition of "live well" but you can certainly survive on $750/month in some parts of SE Asia. I wouldn't really call it living well, but people make it work.

For reference, when I was 20 years old I traveled all over SE Asia and I spent a month in an alright hostel dorm in Vietnam and was paying $7/night. My food was about $5/day and then I had to buy gas for my motorcycle.

I also spent way too much on beer. Lots of beer. Way too much beer. The trip was lots of fun though. No regrets. Would recommend/10.

You'll love it. I was you when I was younger. Debating if I should go travel or not and reading all the information I could. Then one day I closed my eyes and ordered my ticket. Best decision of my life and everything has worked out ok.

Sometimes I regret coming back to the US

 

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