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What's the ideal length of time to stay in one place and why?


by @karene 10yr  | 11 comments

So far Iโ€™ve found that 3-5 months is a good amount of time to stay in one place before moving to a new location. I have time to get accustomed to the city and save up for another flight. This also affords me enough time to explore the city Iโ€™m in as well as a few weekend trips to see nearby areas of interest. Iโ€™ve found that moving after just a few weeks creates a lifestyle thatโ€™s too turbulent for me to feel comfortable. Iโ€™ve met nomads who stay for 6 months - 1 year in each place as well.

What has been the ideal length of stay for you?

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@don_lee 9yr

1 month. So I donโ€™t have to deal with extending visas. Itโ€™s not long enough to get bored of a place, and you leave it with something that you will miss and will be an excuse for you to go back in the future. Also, I will miss the sky a lot if I donโ€™t fly once a month. If youโ€™re a couple then you should stay longer.

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3 months is good for us as well! If itโ€™s somewhere that we are familiar with (i.e. something that we might consider a โ€œhome baseโ€), I also donโ€™t mind staying for shorter periods of time as itโ€™s much easier to get into a good rhythm when you already know a city/country.

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Yeah, for me personally I also think somewhere around the 3 to 6 month mark is ideal, but that is going to depend very much on your personality, how much you gel with the place and also the type of work you are doing.

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@skatkov 9yr

I try to stay 3 months in one country, but change cities every month. So far so good

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@wanderingdev 10yr

depends on the place. If I donโ€™t like it iโ€™ll leave pretty quickly. If I like it Iโ€™ll stay the full length possible. If I really, really like it, Iโ€™ll figure out how to stay longer. So far Iโ€™ve stayed in places from 4 days to 4 years.

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@kathrynoh 10yr

I find 3 months a bit of an awkward period. Itโ€™s long enough to want more home comforts than a short/medium term rental offers but too short to justify spending money on them. Maybe thatโ€™s something Iโ€™ll learn as I travel more.

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@anon72215238 10yr

100% true. Also too short of time to get a good monthly rental rate, but too long to pay the daily/weekly/monthly rate (1 month rate is more expensive than monthly rate for 12 months etc).

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@karene 10yr

@timnomad @kathrynoh Very good points. What length of time has worked well for you? And for longer stays, how did you manage the visa situation?

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@levelsio 10yr

I think the sweet spot is definitely 3 months for me. Iโ€™ve traveled faster than that, especially when I just started.

The problem is that Iโ€™m usually limited to stay 30 days in one country on a tourist visa, and I hate the hassle of extending visas etc. I rather jump on an airplane and GTFO. I know, that sounds a bit stupid but I wish it was easier. Like extend my visa online and pay.

I think nomads are pretty much short-term expats, so yes 3 to 6 to 12 months sounds about right. My future goal would be to have a few home bases where I stay 3 months each. Like Asia and South America in the winter and US and Europe in the summer.

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@karene 10yr

Yes, definitely limited by visas. And I also avoid having to deal with getting extensions.

I really like the idea of home bases. If I can only be somewhere for a short period, Iโ€™d rather that be a โ€œhome baseโ€ that Iโ€™m familiar with. This alleviates the adjustment period. Iโ€™m discovering itโ€™s better to not pack the new places in one after another, but leave some breathing room with a stay in a familiar place here and there.

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Hey man! These are my feelings exactly! 4 bases spending 3 months in each would be ideal. Its getting hard for foreigners to buy place outside of where they are born. I hear Budapest is closing house sales to non hungarians in December of this year, so i would love to buy somewhere here before they close it! Its keeping me motivated , i just hope I can find the right place in time!

I was thinking:
Portugal (Lisbon or the Algarve)
UK (Family ties)
Budapest
and not sure on the last location โ€ฆ possibly tokyo as its a magical city but so darn expensive or the Philippines but I think this might already be closed to oversea buyers unless its a condo.

Then ideally airbnb then when Iโ€™m not using them, thats the long term plan anyway! Which 4 locations would you choose?

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

Suggested topics

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Holร  ! What's the internet / wifi situation in Sayulita ?


in Puerto Escondido , Mexico by @ambroisedebret 4yr 4 years ago  | 0 comments

After being told it's unworkable in Puerto Escondido, looking for alternatives :)

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What's the best thing to do with your phone/ your phone number when travelling?


in Poland by @davda1546 4yr 4 years ago  | 6 comments

Hey, hope everyone is well!

We're leaving in a month to go travelling. Our first destination is still to be confirmed, but will likely be Poland or Slovakia. We will be moving around every month or two to different destinations.

The question we have is: what do people do with phones/ phone numbers when hopping from country to country? Ideally we'd just like one number for the whole trip (even better, the number we already have) wherever we go, rather than getting new SIMs with different numbers.

This is just so it's easier to keep in contact with family/ clients/ etc.

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What's the best SIM card you can get for traveling to Spain?


in Spain by @gabygarreau 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi! I want to relocate to Spain and I was wondering if someone can recommend a SIM card with a good data package.

Thanks

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Central America - Where and what's next?


by @as11 5yr 5 years ago  | 11 comments

Currently in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and heading to Santa Teressa, Costa Rica next week.
Then Aruba in the Caribbean Sea for Christmas and New Year.

However I feel I want to head back to Central America to bring living costs down, rather than staying in the Caribbean Sea among the expensive Islands.

This means I have around 2 - 2,5 month of unplanned travelling.
Any digital nomads who have ideas about where to head in that timeframe?

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What's the first step now that I can work remotely?


by @mariaplslourdes 5yr 5 years ago  | 4 comments

Hi everyone and nice to e-meet you!
finally, after so long I found a job that allows me to work remotely.
But now? Do you have any practical advice that I can use to approach this new world?
In particular, I have to put my tax situation in order, do you know a good tax advisor from whom I can ask for advice? (Iโ€™m Italian but I live in Franceโ€ฆI donโ€™t know how long it will beโ€ฆ) )
Beyond that, any advice is welcome.
Thank you!
Maria

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What's the best warm destinations in Europe in the winter?

 

by @jammingsloth 5yr 5 years ago  | 33 comments

Planning ahead for the winter. Iโ€™ll be in Spain in the Fall and want to go someplace warm for the winter in or near Europe, but not Schengen. Was first thinking Cape Town, but the internet is slow and it is very far. Was also thinking:
Israel - but airbnb listings are very pricey.
Morocco?
Turkey - maybe a little chilly.

Any other suggestions?

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What's the best bank account for a global nomad?

 

by @barrybjjoubert 5yr 5 years ago  | 25 comments

Dear all
As a wanna be nomad figuring out a way to get free of the rat race, I was wondering what is the best bank account to have while travelling the globe? I need an account where is easy for me to receive payments from all over the world and it also need to be a bank that I can find almost anywhere in the world. I want to avoid carry cash on me if itโ€™s possible.

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What's the best CRM/system for managing remote work opportunities?


by @panoramica 6yr 6 years ago  | 3 comments

Iโ€™m currently doing some work through Upwork, but itโ€™s sporadic and Iโ€™m keen to get more active on other platforms like Freelancer, Toptal, CodeMentor, Fiverr etc

Currently Iโ€™m managing leads in a Google sheet. Basically itโ€™s just a list of projects I pitched for, how much I bid, what I did differently from the last pitch/bid, how much time went by before I got a offered a job etc.

Iโ€™m not actively following up anybody, and Iโ€™ve in fact โ€˜lostโ€™ a few jobs where the client was keen, but then disappeared without a trace. I guess I need to keep in touch with those people to ensure that they remain focussed on our agreementโ€ฆ

Iโ€™m also keen to take on more small projects concurrently, without dropping the ball on any of them.

Iโ€™ve done a quick Google and turned up a few names including Salesforce, Zoho, Nutshell, HighRise, Base, Nimble, etc etc. But testing out all these products isnโ€™t all that appealing, so I thought Iโ€™d ask here first :slight_smile:

Ideally Iโ€™d like something that integrates with remote job boards in some way.

Feature list

Iโ€™ve done some research and currently have this feature list:

Proposal building & tracking

  • Compile proposals from snippets - technologies, past projects
  • Quickly pull together a realistic/client friendly quote
  • Test and measure different approaches
  • Beat proposal deadlines while maintaining quality
  • Fine tune pitch material to bid more quickly and win more work โ€“ templates
  • Store history about past projects involving common needs and technological solutions
  • Learn which proposal content is working, and which is not

Lead generation and client management (CRM)

  • store info about regular clients
  • track remote projects which Iโ€™ve pitched for
  • Remote Job Board integration
  • search multiple job sites for keywords
  • track projects across multiple remote platforms โ€“ API integration / message alert/response

Project Management & Scheduling

  • Break projects down into granular tasks
  • Gantt chart to visualise overlapping jobs
  • Calendar to schedule daily work, deadlines, R&D
  • follow up, plan and schedule future work now, rather than once current work has dried up
  • offline reminders via a dedicated Android app
  • time tracking โ€“ to get an idea of true cost, to flag issues to client
  • BitBucket integration

Billing

  • Integration with Xero
  • tracking status of payments, actual payment date vs expected payment clearance date

Marketing

  • Get repeat business
  • Build Word Of Mouth
  • Proactive lead generation
  • Publish proposals as case studies

Cheers,
Dan

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What's the best place to incorporate an online business?

 

by @octave 6yr 6 years ago  | 63 comments

I have an commerce website. We get around 1000 orders per month and this is going to get quite a bit bigger in next few years.

I am British. I live in Thailand.
Im not allowed to majority own a Thai business and small foreign entrepreneurs are not really welcome. So i need an offshore company.

I need PayPal and an ecommerce internet merchant account. Also looking at alternatives like worldpay. 2checkout etc

Does PayPal need me to be a resident to the country i register my account to? Are there complications being a non resident to get other payment solutions?

Apparently in Hong Kong you need 2 years trading history to get an Internet Mechant Account and they generally turn their noses up at those with less than $1m(us) a year turn over. Singapore seems a bit easier.

I really want to avoid paperwork and book keeping. I hate it.

So i was looking at Seychelles, Panama, BVI, Belize.

Does anyone have experience with payment providers in these countries?

Most nomads i see donโ€™t really have a high volume of small monthly transactions which i do. Im going around in circles and donโ€™t know where to start.

Ill also need a bank account for business and a personal bank account to pay my salary into

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What's the best mobile-data option in New Zealand for nomads?


in New Zealand by @goldsaj 6yr 6 years ago  | 2 comments

Hi All! Iโ€™ve heard Spark and Vodafone are the best. I plan to move around, so I care mostly about having good coverage, and all Iโ€™ll need is around 1 GB of data or so.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

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What's the best bank for South African digital nomads?


in South Africa by @kirst85 6yr 6 years ago  | 12 comments

Iโ€™m a South African about to become a Nomad next year. I will still be employed by a South African company and receive a salary into my FNB bank account monthly.

I will be mostly based in Serbia but plan on travelling a lot. Does anyone have any advice on the best bank account to have? Is there a way to not get charged a small fortune in ATM charges and avoid getting my account frozen for using it in lots of countries?

Iโ€™m unsure of the best way to handle things. Should I try get another bank account outside of SA (Can I even do that)? I also have a British Passport if that makes a difference.

If any of you have any experienced advice I would be very grateful, Thanks in advance!

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What's better? Puerto Vallarta vs. Playa del Carmen in Mexico?


in Puerto Vallarta , Mexico by @oskar 7yr 7 years ago  | 12 comments

Iโ€™m going to travel to Mexico by the end of february and i would like to know which place do you recommend to stay at for a month or so. Which one would fit better for a digital nomad? Pros and Cons for each place are welcomed :smile:

thanks!

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What's a good US call and SMS forwarding service?


by @vong 7yr 7 years ago  | 12 comments

Hi all,

What do you guys use for call and sms forwarding?

Currently I have a Skype US number that forwards to my local phone number. However, it canโ€™t receive SMSโ€™es so thatโ€™s a huge dealbreaker.

Thereโ€™s RingCentral - but that starts at $29/month which is rather pricey.

Any suggestions? Iโ€™d just like to be able to call and text like Iโ€™m still in the US (when Iโ€™m not). Thanks in advance!

Sarah

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What's a good and warm place in April to surf with fast internet?


by @jakegibson 7yr 7 years ago  | 9 comments

I landed a remote job that is fully remote with only one team skype meeting a week. Iโ€™m looking to leave around March 13th and stay 1 - 3 months in each place. The first place I want somewhere that is warm with good surf. For the group video chat I need at least 5/2 down/up reliable internet. Any recommendations for a place that meets that end of March - April?

Iโ€™ve read through the forums / nomads list. Iโ€™ve already done Costa Rica and Indo and would like to try somewhere new. Currently looking at Sayuliata Mexico, Canary Islands, and Morocco though I think Iโ€™ll wait on the second two since they sound like they are better in the fall.

Thanks!

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What's the weirdest thing you travel with?

 

by @gigigriffis 7yr 7 years ago  | 21 comments

I was thinking about packing today and Iโ€™m curious: whatโ€™s the weirdest thing you guys have in your bags? Nomads are, by nature, minimalists, but Iโ€™m sure we all do it differently. I have a friend who travels with BASE jumping gear, another a sequin dress. So, whatโ€™s the most unusual thing in your bag?

Mine is probably that I travel with a dog.

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What's the standard salary for a designer in Germany?


in Germany by @nchow119 7yr 7 years ago  | 0 comments

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what the annual base salary for a full time junior to mid designer would be in either Frankfurt(Main) or Hamburg, Germany.

Thanks,
Natalia!

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What's better? Krabi or Koh Lanta in March?


in Krabi , Thailand by @jnomad30 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Thailand - Krabi vs. Koh Lanta in March

Hey Nomads -
So Iโ€™m looking to leave my current base in Chiang Mai, Thailand to head back down south in March to escape burning season.
Iโ€™m looking at staying for a month in either Krabi or Koh Lanta. I already spent a month on Koh Samui which was ok but Iโ€™m looking to explore the other side now and it seems this will be a good time of year seasonally to be on those islands.

Here are my main considerations and would love any thoughts:

  1. Housing - As the islands are much more expensive, I think it would be the most sensible to get an apartment or rental for a month. I got a good deal in Samui when I stayed for a month.
    -A/C is a must
  • Strong, Hi-speed wifi where Iโ€™m staying as I need to do video calls from home
  1. More walkable (or as much as possible) areas are preferred as I donโ€™t use a motorbike and transportation back and forth to restaurants, etc. can get expensive
    Walking distance to the beach would be great but price is a big more important factor

I donโ€™t necessarily care about being near a co-working space as much of my work on video calls requires me to work from home anyway for privacy.

Anyone stayed on Krabi or Koh Lanta & have any suggestions?
TIA!!

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What's the best way for Canadians to get cash or transfer money in Thailand & SEA?


in Thailand by @artofbryce 7yr 7 years ago  | 5 comments

Weโ€™re setting off on our first venture for new digital nomad life in 20 days!

  • starting in Chiang Mai as our home base
  • 1 year ED visa
  • planning to bounce around all over

Right now, Iโ€™m utterly baffled and confused by trying to figure out how weโ€™re going to be able to get more cash or transfer money from our bank accounts in Canada. Either at all or without getting charged insane fees.

Iโ€™ve looked through the forum and a lot of solutions put forth with no real luck. Hoping that some Canadians may chime in with solutions, experience or advice.

Thanks!

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What's the best digital nomad backpack?

 

by @levelsio 7yr 7 years ago  | 93 comments

I hear stuff about Tortuga and Minaal, although Iโ€™m myself using a fake Chinese one I bought here in Bali.

What do you currently have and whatโ€™s the best?

2017 UPDATE: I made a gear page now:

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What's the best surf spots in California or South America?


in Cali , Colombia by @rynesweeney 7yr 7 years ago  | 8 comments

I am currently living in Medellin until February. I want to find some of people favorite spots for surfing and community. I have heard Nicaragua and Guatemala have many options.

Multiple one month or more stays in countries below the US (CA, SA, Caribbean as all?). Spanish isnโ€™t a problem. Safety, internet, and surf are priorities. Ive heard good things about Panama and CR but they amount of gringos currently in these places is sort of a turn off (Im a gringoโ€ฆbut that is my preference). Budget is sub $1500/month.

Thank you for the suggestions!

Ryne

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