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Has anybody encountered a travel gear mfr that intentionally makes crappy-looking gear?

by @octavient 8yr 8yr | 8 comments

Has anybody ever encountered a travel gear manufacturer that makes gear that is solid and durable, but that is intentionally designed to look old and crappy? For international travel, I want good, durable gear, but I’m uncomfortable walking around with slick, brand-new-looking, expensive-looking gear (especially with my family in tow). I’m happy to snatch up any good used gear (reduce, reuse, recycle) that we’re lucky enough to encounter, but selection is limited, and durability is often compromised. Seems like there’d be a decent market for some durable but ragged-looking travel gear. What i have in mind is luggage, backpacks, laptop cases, smartphone cases, camera bags, infant/toddler carriers, etc. I’m sensitive to the preppy fad of clueless, well-off westerners dressing up like the poor in naive but trendy mockery, but that’s not what I’m after, here. I just want good gear that doesn’t put a target on my back as we traipse around various parts of the world. Anybody have any thoughts on this…?

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@mattgelgota 8yr 8yr

Hey gang, before you intentionally destroy your brand new gear you might want to stop and ask yourself if you think taking your new bag out around home is likely to get you robbed, beaten and thrown into a dumpster. Generally speaking, people are no worse villains abroad than they are at home.

You don’t need to wear rags, camo or a false mustache to travel internationally. You need to be smart and look like you know what you’re doing. When a thief sizes you up, they’re sizing YOU up. The way you act is more of a tell than your gear.

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@octavient 8yr 8yr

Thanks for your input, here, but I’d encourage you to put a little more thought into your replies before casually and pedantically dismissing topic questions, especially if exaggeration is required to make your point. Nobody’s talking about destroying their gear, or wearing “rags, camo or a false mustache.” And we’re not worried about getting “robbed, beaten and thrown into a dumpster.”

Walking around with new-looking and expensive-looking gear increases your risk–whether you can admit it nor not. And the risk of “villainy” is not magically the same in all cultures and all countries at all times. We’ll do our best to “look like we know what we’re doing,” but this is sometimes difficult, particularly when you’re in a foreign culture and you actually don’t know what you’re doing.

Therefore, my original question is legitimate. In my original post, perhaps I should have made it more clear that I’m more generally looking for gear whose design focus deprioritizes appearance. The Tortuga recommendation was a good one. As was the link to a blog entry describing a photographer’s efforts to scuff up his camera somewhat, and de-emphasize/remove the brand label. These are the types of suggestions I’m seeking.

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@mattgelgota 8yr 8yr

Heya Wayne, I was trying to provide a counterpoint with a bit of humor. There are all kinds of security measures one can take, and ‘getting prepared’ is kind of fun in itself, but if you find yourself going much beyond what you’d consider normal behavior at home, you might not have to bother.

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@pj_manning 8yr 8yr

I agree to go with Tortuga. Solid stuff not too flashy and super durable.
Here’s a list of all the stuff I bring

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@colesoutter 8yr 8yr

I so agree here! I made the mistake of getting the Everyday Messenger Bag by for my business travels by Peak Design. Amazing bag, but it looks so good people want to steal it, and steal it they did!

Currently looking for a crappy looking but quality backpack for my upcoming trips to berlin->italy->india->canada->japan so I’m all ears!

Great article too iamsukizoe -> I need to crappify my Nikon

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@iamsukizoe 8yr 8yr

This comes to mind. Might be useful - https://joeyl.com/blog/all/post/5-critical-tips-for-travel-photographers

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@mattpopovich 8yr 8yr

I intentionally weathered my brand-new Tortuga by very lightly dry-brushing some parts with dark grey paint. I also blacked out the bright green logo. Makes it look old and crappy while still being a top-notch pack.

This is what I mean when I say “drybrushing”:

http://www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/miniature_painting_drybrushing.html

Basically intentionally using a very very light, subtle, almost-dry amount of paint, so it only hits the high-points, the parts that would get their color worn off first. On a much more macro scale, though, obviously.

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@octavient 8yr 8yr

Yeah, cool, that’s a reasonable approach. I was thinking that I might do something like this (I was thinking spray paint, but your suggestion here is much more elegant), if I don’t find what I’m looking for. Was partly thinking that this might be a good business idea, if there’s actually an underserved market for this (I see 78 views of this post so far, while only one reply), but it wouldn’t bootstrap well, and I’m personally daunted by the idea of getting into the gear mfr game. Anyway–thanks again!

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomads.com

Anybody bring their car to Mexico instead of flying?

in Mexico by @digitaldiva 5yr 5 years ago | 2 comments

I’m curious whether anyone drove to Mexico instead of flying and used their car down there. I’ve heard bad stories of people driving down there but not sure I believe them. How safe is it to drive through rural areas, and to park in cities? It would be cool to have the car to explore while there.

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Anybody recommend US health insurance with global coverage?

by @tylertringas 6yr 6 years ago | 18 comments

Any US nomads found health insurance with global coverage? My current approach has been to have US health insurance, essentially a waste of money but if I ever got very sick I could go home and have coverage. My actual healthcare is a combination of travel insurance (haven’t really used it much though) and paying cash in cheap places like SE Asia and Latin America. The cobbled together approach is neither simple nor very cost-effective. Love to find a product with global coverage that also satisfies Obamacare requirements. Any leads?

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I wanna go a month in a greek island, anybody has advice?

by @leghoff 7yr 7 years ago | 0 comments

Hey there, i wanna spend one month on a greek island in August. Just need a view by the sea in a small village. Anybody has advice? By the way, i am a translator, so i need Internet…

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Anybody with a software consultancy having issues finding clients while travelling?

by @raz 7yr 7 years ago | 4 comments

I recently started running a software consultancy in the UK that specialises in MVP development and onboarding/marketing strategies. I found it relatively easy to get leads by attending networking events (quite a lot here in Edinburgh).

I plan to start travelling soon, though. Has anybody tried to travel while running a software consultancy? I’m really curious to find out how you handled finding new clients while doing that. Let’s say that if I go networking somewhere in Asia I won’t find clients willing to spend much on a project (and can’t just pay my employees less because I can’t find good paying projects).

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Is anybody a Digital Nomad in the UK and not a resident?

by @creative_nomad_ 7yr 7 years ago | 6 comments

The situation is that my BF is a UK citizen and I am not. We are traveling around SEA and planning to stop in the UK for 6 months to rekindle funds. Granted, the UK is not the cheapest place to rekindle funds, however, he can work and get a good job there.

I have already done my working visa in the UK so I can’t legally work there again. I’m a graphic designer and web designer and have decided that I will try and get freelance work to support myself whilst I’m over there.

My question is more related to tax and visas. I am an Australia citizen so I can get a 3 month tourist visa. I’m just a little worried about how strict they are over there on visas and questioning finance etc

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Does anybody have experience with being a digital nomad on Cabo Verde?

by @marthavanderbly 7yr 7 years ago | 4 comments

I am contemplating to spend some digital nomad time on Cabo Verde. But as it is not yet on the Nomad List I was wondering if anyone has been there and what it is like re: Internet speed and accommodation?

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Quito Ecuador anybody?

in Quito , Ecuador by @jjuter 8yr 8 years ago | 3 comments

I was thinking of living in Quito for a few months. Anybody have any experience there?

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Anybody around Europe over the next few months?

by @paulrose 8yr 8 years ago | 9 comments

Hi All

So… a few months ago when I was in Asia, for some reason I decided that it was gonna be too hot over the summer months and I wanted to mix it up with a few months touring Europe. So I had the idea to buy and RV and drive round for a few months.

Meet Teagan

It’s taken a few months going through the process of getting my license to drive the RV, because it’s so large it wasn’t covered on my standard driving license. Add to that, I had some solar panels fitted for unlimited power, and a massive satellite dish for internet wherever I go.

I’ve now got my ferry booked out of the UK for September 11th and at the moment have no plans past the first few weeks.

Has anyone on here done anything similar before? Any places recommended, or anyone around Europe over the next few months?

I’m doing about 3 months worth before heading to Vegas for NYE and around the states for a few months after that before back to Asia for a bit.

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Has anybody with a Hong Kong company been through an Offshore Profits claim?

in Hong Kong by @prof 8yr 8 years ago | 23 comments

I’ve just hit the 18-month mark of business in Hong Kong ready to submit by first Profit Tax Return. I also have the option of filing an Offshore Profits claim.

The Offshore Profits claim itself seems to be a convoluted, long drawn-out process with significant costs to bare in working with a certified CPA to answer Inland Revenue Department questioning.

I’d love it if somebody who has been through this already were able to answer the following questions:

How long did it take for the claim to be accepted or denied?
What was the end result?
How much did the IRD dig into each transaction?
How much did you pay your agent to deal with the offshore claim?

Any insights are much appreciated!

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Anybody knows of good online banks for Europeans?

by @kfk 9yr 9 years ago | 6 comments

Ok, I was just writing a PM here on banks and the question popped in my head. I am not a digital nomad, but I am very close to that way of living, in the sense that I don’t want to commit to any specific physical location, long term investment (maybe only private pension), long term in general actually.

Now, I use Deutsche Bank. Nothing against them, but:

I hate to have an account manager that calls me telling me I should invest my money
The online banking is good but not great
Services are ok, but I don’t use most of them and the one I would like (online everything please) are not there

So, I was wondering if any of you is happy with any of the digital banks out there? Criteria for a good online bank:

minimal paperwork
no account manager
90% async communication (I call them, they call me only if the house is on fire)
they don’t request a physical address and they DO NOT SEND PAPER STUFF to my mailbox

Anything like this?

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Has anyone tried RoamFree Ninja?

by @littleshiva 9yr 9 years ago | 9 comments

I just discovered RoamFree Ninja for connecting to the internet in Croatia. Has anyone tried it? Sounds good, but expensive. https://roamfree.ninja

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Anybody in Slovenia?

in Slovenia by @wanderingjoanne 9yr 9 years ago | 3 comments

Hey everybody!

This is a long shot, but I am happily settled in my Airbnb in Maribor, Slovenia, for the next 2 months (until mid-September 2016) and just wondered if there were any other nomads nearby?

It’s a very chilled out place – just what I need at the moment – though any company is appreciated!

Give me a shout if you’re nearby…

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Does anybody have experience with setting up an offshore company and bank account in Labuan (Malaysia)

in Malaysia by @nomads_and_drifters 9yr 9 years ago | 4 comments

Hi there,
We are a husband and wife who travel a lot and have a small company set up in Fiji. We offer services to clients all over the world, but the Fijian banking system isn’t very accommodating for a digital based business with a lot of overseas expenses.

To make our life easier we are planning to set up an offshore company and bank account in Labuan.
We have a Fijian, Belgium and Uk passport but have residency in Fiji.

Does anybody have experience with a situation like this? and any advice how to go about setting up an offshore company and bank account ideally in Labuan (or Singapore)?

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Anybody living (or that used to live) in Aruba?

in Aruba by @erikahlehmann 9yr 9 years ago | 8 comments

Hi there!

I’m doing my research on nice places in SA/CA. I’ve been living in Argentina for the past 4 years and I’ve only been at the beach for 2 weeks (in Rio) almost 2 years ago. I know, it’s sad

I want my next home to be close to the beach, and I’ve been hearing great things about Aruba. I’m not planning on staying another 4 years at the new location, but at least a few months.

Has anyone lived and worked from there? Do they have fast and reliable internet? Is it affordable?

If not Aruba, which other places would you recommend to spend a few months close to the beach that are affordable and with high speed Wi-Fi?

I’m thinking about staying in SA/CA because of the time zones. I work for an American company, so I think I’d rather stay in a time zone that’s not to far away from theirs.

Some other places that have crossed my mind are Guatemala City or Antigua, Quito, Costa Rica (although I’ve heard it’s expensive)…

I still have a few months to think about it while I finish some paperwork in Buenos Aires, but I’d like to leave around August/September.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Does anybody else change hotels everyday?

by @waylandchin 9yr 9 years ago | 44 comments

I work at night so I have free time during the day. Every day, I would change hotels. This lets me experience a different part of town every day. At around 1pm, I would check out, then load up the hotels.com app and find the next 3-Star hotel under $40. Then I’d grab an Uber and make my way to the new hotel. And then repeat the next day until I’ve lived in every 3-Star hotel within my budget in the city. Does anybody else do this?

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What's one piece of technology that makes your life as a nomad easier?

by @nomadcapitalist 9yr 9 years ago | 7 comments

Any nomad-specific gadgets that you’d get someone for Christmas or use to make your iife/location independent business more easy?

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Has anybody tried the Surface Pro?

by @creative_nomad_ 9yr 9 years ago | 2 comments

Hi All,

I am a freelance graphic designer. My biggest hassle with traveling is carrying around my Mac. I always carry a tablet (for reading) and a computer for work. The Surface Pro combines these and has the power to run my Adobe design programs. The extra space it would enable would be great.

There are a few things that worry me. The small screen, getting use to Windows and not Mac, the large price tag and just knowing if it will really be powerful enough to run my Adobe programs.

Has anyone had experience using the Surface pro? Could you recommend anything that might be better.

Any advice would be appreciated

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Does anybody work for an NGO, charity or social project remotely?

by @gpestana 9yr 9 years ago | 2 comments

What’s up there?
Is there anyone working for/running a social innovation project while on the road?

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What are the struggles you've encountered when picking a new place to visit and live in for a while?

by @andreadardon 9yr 9 years ago | 10 comments

With my boyfriend we’ve been traveling through Europe since July. We try to make a month at a time and the last place we got to was Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We soon realized that it’s not a good place to find short term leases. We’ve usually done Airbnbs, but in that city they all seemed overpriced. After talking to some Real Estate agencies we found a place that we could rent for a month. They usually rent to students, but since it’s the end of the semester, it could be rented for just that month. The apartment, however, didn’t have internet.
We notice how hard it is to find places that will meet our “digital nomad” needs: the city, if it’s walkable, short term leases, fast and reliable internet, if it has a place to work like coworking spaces nearby, or if the apartment won’t drive you crazy if you stay in all day (in Spain every apartment we went to seemed to have construction going on somewhere close).
What are your struggles when finding a place in a new city?

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Does anybody have a home base?

by @ld 9yr 9 years ago | 19 comments

My boyfriend and I, from California, are starting our travels first around the USA. We’ve only stayed in a few locations, California and Colorado with Airbnb, and basically an entire semi-decent place to ourselves is $2k a month. And with payment securing our next month’s place - rent comes to $4k a month. Obviously not sustainable, and not to mention a place missing most functional items to live comfortably is not ideal.

Unfortunately, this has turned my boyfriend off to traveling in general. He proposed we get a “home base”, live cheap and travel out from there.

Do any of you do something similar? Have a home that you stay in for a certain amount of time, and do trips out from there? My worry is that normal life will settle in and no traveling will happen. But we are thinking if we can be on the winning side of Airbnb (the renters) then we can rent our place while we travel, and come back as needed.

I appreciate your thoughts and input!

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