Never have enjoyed working for other people, but I think that's most ppl. Currently in Mexico to save $ (spending about ~1k a month) but don't wanna spend all the 50k. I think I would need to return to USA if it got bellow 25k~ maybe so I have some room to get a job in office.

My skills are mostly software dev + design. Some motion graphics but nothing advanced.

Have NOT been working for almost ~ 4 years, living off savings. Tried a few things, nothing worked so far. Have always wanted to build my own thing. Did do some freelance years ago but nothing in a while.

I have considered going to Asia so I could extend my runway but I enjoy LaTam more than SEA. Maybe will head to Peru at one point. My dream is to build games but that's so difficult to do but I think I wanna keep trying my own stuff for at least another 6-12 months. So I would be at ~30k total net-worth if I do that and it doesn't work (gonna go with ~1.5k burn rate per month). I am keeping up with AI, it's incredible but also can basically do most of my old job(s).

I'm okay with risk. But curious if others have been or are in similar predicaments?

I've been a digital nomad for the past year. I used some savings and odd jobs it was more of a part time sabbatical.

However I've reached my level of savings that I'm willing to spend, and actually feel like I have TOO much time on my hands.

I've just sign a 1 year lease for a place in South America because I want a level of stability and base that I've not had, although I'll still be traveling it will be more IN country.

Does any have any ideas or recommendations/tips for finding any temp work whilst I work on landing a decent role in my main profession (Senior product designer).

Also has anyone been in this position of having alot of time off from a tech/corp role because of nomading and then get back into the rat race - what do you tell them in the interview. The absolute truth or something more vague (took time off to be with family etc)

I am a young person from Latvia and I really want to move for around a month to work remotely between Oct - Feb. I prefer warm places where I can meet new people, hang out in cafes, I like electronic music, art. I don't earn a lot so very expensive places are off the table :)

I was thinking about Palermo, Spain, maybe Albania...

Thank you for recommendations!

I'm a Norwegian AI Solutions Architect in Oslo, even building my own apps on the side. I love what I do - breathing AI day and night.

I'm 50, apparently look 40, and live more like I'm 25. Tons of energy, whether I'm building AI apps or doing something a little outside the ordinary (tell you later).

Someone recently described themselves as "a slightly crazy guy with a good heart," and I thought: Hey, that's fucking me too 😂 Well maybe not crazy, but a fun streak of it.

Most people at my company work out at clients, so I want to build my own gang in a coworking space in Oslo.

You don't need to be like me. A little unconventional streak might help us click, though.

I'd love to find a group where you can show up as yourself. Some days you're on top of the world. Other days you're exhausted and barely functioning. Either way, you're still part of the gang.

Just good chemistry, shared working days, and some laughs 🫶

We could start with a coffee.

Anyone interested?

I've lived in Southeast Asia for the past 6 years (Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City), and I genuinely love it here.

But as an entrepreneur thinking about the next 25+ years, I'm starting to question whether SEA is actually the best place to build my long-term future and wealth.

A little background:

• I've built and successfully sold an e-commerce business.
• I'm planning my next business ventures (e-commerce) and want to invest in real estate for retirement.
• I'm at a stage where choosing the right country to settle in matters more than ever.
• I'm increasingly considering Latin America, particularly Brazil.

My biggest concern with SEA is its "anti-foreigner laws."

Despite loving the lifestyle, I find it difficult to justify building my entire financial future somewhere with significant restrictions on foreign ownership.

These include:

• Restrictions on owning land.
• Restrictions on owning houses.
• Restrictions on foreign business ownership.
• No/limited legal rights and protections for foreigners.
• Restrictions on mortgages and loans.

These aren't necessarily dealbreakers when you're young and primarily focused on lifestyle. But when you're thinking about retirement, real estate, business ownership, and long-term financial security, they become much more important.

Here's how I'm currently comparing the two regions:

Southeast Asia

Pros:

• Proximity to the world's manufacturing regions.
• Excellent lifestyle, quality of life, and cost of living.
• Respectful social environment.
• Low crime.
• Strong entrepreneurial and work-oriented culture.

Cons:

• Anti-foreigner laws regarding land, property, and business ownership.
• Limited or complicated paths to permanent residence.
• Difficult access to mortgages and loans.
• Uncertainty about building long-term wealth.

Latin America (especially Brazil)

Pros:

• Foreigners can own land and houses.
• Foreigners can own businesses.
• Clear paths to permanent residency.
• (Potentially?) Better opportunities for building long-term wealth through locally owned assets.
• Similarly, attractive lifestyle, climate, and cost of living.

Cons:

• Much farther from Asia's manufacturing hubs.
• Security and crime concerns in certain cities and regions.
• I'm not sure if LATAM's economies are "thriving" like SEA?
• I'm not sure whether the lifestyle would match what I've enjoyed in SEA, or that it would be a downgrade.

The biggest question for me is whether proximity to manufacturers actually matters as much as I think it does.

I previously operated a successful e-commerce business without ever visiting my manufacturers in person. Samples and products can be shipped internationally, and much of the business can be managed remotely.

So am I overestimating the advantage of living close to Asian manufacturers?

On the other hand, am I overestimating how much easier it would be to build long-term wealth in Brazil simply because foreigners have more opportunities?

I'd especially love to hear from entrepreneurs and business owners who have experience in both regions:

1. Has living near Asian manufacturers actually given your business a meaningful advantage?
2. Is Brazil genuinely a better place for foreign entrepreneurs and to build wealth as a foreigner?
3. Can Brazil offer a lifestyle comparable to Bangkok or HCMC, assuming you choose the right city?
4. If you were choosing a permanent base today, which region would you pick, and why?

I'm currently leaning toward Brazil, but I'm aware I might be focusing too heavily on LATAM's advantages while underestimating its disadvantages.

I'm not looking for another "SEA is amazing" or "LATAM is amazing" discussion. I'm trying to understand which region makes more practical sense for an entrepreneur who wants to build an e-commerce business, own assets, and settle down for the next 25+ years.

Would really appreciate hearing from people who've faced a similar decision or actually built a long-term life and business in either region.

Thank you!

Looking for 3 months stay somewhere with budget of $1500 a month including rent in a proper modern building renting a studio.

Thailand seems great but tourist visa is up to 30 days. The 6 months digital nomad needs $15k, i got most money invested into stocks and that doesn't counts.

Vietnam is up 3 months tourist visa which makes it easier.

I've lived abroad a bunch in my 20s. Did tons of the typical backpacker stuff. I saved at home then went off for months. It was more cheap living most of the time.

I eventually got work online and would live abroad. Mostly in places like Malaysia and Bali cause it was affordable and I weren't earning much online.

Now I'm 34 years old and got my own business set up. I'm making enough to live better. Most people around me in my hometown are settling, having kids, super in careers and not really doing anything other than this. Which is fine. My previous relationship in my hometown I just felt so trapped and glad it's over. I don't want to live in my hometown anyway it's small and nothing much going on.

I'm considering a slow mad trip around Chiang Mai, Bali, Japan, maybe somewhere in Vietnam too. Few months at a time for a year kind of thing. I don't really drink or go out partying these days. Not against it when a good occasion occurs though. Happy to go out at night and not drink still. I like good sleep. Training in the morning MMA/swimming/running, outdoors in nature, reading, meditating, blah blah blah...

I'd like to be in places where I'm not the ultimate unc though haha. Definitely won't be in any big hostel dorms with a bunch of 20 year olds.

Even writing this out I think it's silly cause I already saw a bunch of people decades older than me when I was that young kid living good but I didn't get to know them or connect so not sure of their lifestyles. I guess you can find community anywhere if you try and my post is silly overthinking but I'm this far so I'll post anyway.

Any 34+ year olds done something similar?

I've worked remotely around the world in countries low / non-censored internet for the past year. My setup is the GLinet Beryl AX with StarVPN residential IP using their Amnezia Wireguard protocol. Now I want to try working in China. Does anyone have experience with this? I work a remote US job that thinks I've been in the US the whole time, so it's absolutely essential that this setup works in China, otherwise I won't try it.

See attached link for recap.

Anyway, I applied for certificado migratorio and being a foreigner, they sent me to the office to pick as opposed to sending me a PDF that I could download.

When at immigration, I got the document but decided to ask about article 46, resolution 5477 of 2022. More so, what does "Validity upto 2 years" mean. He looked i to the system and interpreted it as is...it means after 2 years, you apply for a new visa. We debated over this and I told him how Cancillera frustrates me each time.

But yes folks, it is blantly what it says....renew after it expires.

https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/s/1AytucFMEC

Citi said clients can make a "travel notice" for ±365 days at a time.

Three other banks all told me..."we gonna freeze and you gotta call".

I’m based in HCMC and almost all my work is with US clients, so my day is fully upside down. Here’s what my setup looks like:

• Sleep: 1pm to 8pm. Blackout curtains are non negotiable. HCMC at 2pm is loud and very bright.
• Calls: 10pm to 5am my time, which covers most of the US business day. East coast mornings are the easy part. West coast afternoons hit right before dawn.
• Where I work: home, mostly. Cafes are great until your first call at 11pm.
• What I’d do differently: less coffee. When your “morning” starts at 8pm, it’s very easy to have a 2am espresso and then wonder why sleeping at 1pm doesn’t work.

The upside: daytime errands, empty gyms and lunch when everyone else is at work.

Anyone else running full US hours from Asia: how do you keep it sustainable long term without turning into a vampire?

Hi. I want to get a remote tech job at a start-up. I then want to tell them I am in the continental US while actually being not in the continental US after working for a few months and doing a good job and getting situated. Has anyone done this? How? Please tell me all the stories. Thanks!

I was looking into the DTV Thailand visa and .... holy fuck is that thing far more complicated than it needs to be

And then there's the ever changing rules around Thai visas in general (even just today they changed the rules AGAIN for 3 countries)

Those of you who stay 3 months or more in Thailand; did you get the DTV (digital nomad) visa?

Or do you just wing it and leave and come back every 90 days?

Curious if anyone is following FIRE (financial independence retire early)

Hey everyone, so i would like to come back to DN in South America, but the travel always kind of made me worried that it would conflict with my job. South america routes can be long, face delays and cancellations, and it’s also just the general un-ease about if the travel will go smoothly.

I know i can also do flights, but sometimes they just dont have the flight route you’d need to get to the next place, or the flight schedule is really sparse, etc.

This time around, i’m interested in colombia, bolivia (samaipata/sierra de la cruz/ruta del Che), brazil, panama. This is a very huge and expansive list, so i am definitely going to cut it down. It’s really just figuring out the travel in between locations that’s getting me.

In hindsight, i also felt overwhelmed this way when i visited Uyuni and the Atacama desert area. Yes, it was a LOT of transfers and coordination, so i did hire a local guide for this part of my trip. And, in hindsight, i am really happy i hired a local guide to help me pass through all of those different van and bus transfers and border crossings, and i could just check my work emails on my phone and answer phone calls etc.

Thank you!

I’ve been working from a new city lately and bouncing between different coworking spaces. Some desks only have one outlet nearby, and my laptop pretty much needs it all day. If my iPhone 17 runs low, I either have to unplug the laptop or leave my phone charging somewhere else.

I’ve tried a regular magnetic power bank. It was convenient, but the charging felt pretty slow. A wired power bank seems more reliable, but then I have to carry another cable every day.

What do you use at coworking spaces? Is magnetic charging enough, or do you usually end up plugging in?

A little background before getting into the list.

I was born in India and completed my schooling here up to middle school before continuing most of my education in Europe. I'm currently in India and thought I'd share a small part of a book I'm writing on international business.

I hold a passport from a European country, so my visa and travel experiences may differ from those of Indian passport holders.

Professionally, my background is primarily in aerospace, aviation MRO, airport management, risk management, special operations and security. My work has taken me to various countries over the years, sometimes for extended periods and sometimes for less than a week, depending on the purpose of the visit.

As part of my book, I've been categorizing countries and territories I have visited based on their business environments, taxation, government cooperation, safety, corruption, quality of life and other practical considerations.

The list below is one part of that work, based on my professional experiences, personal observations and broader assessments of these jurisdictions.

This tier list is just one part of that broader project, and I thought I'd share it here.

This isn't a ranking of the best countries for tourism or simply a list of my favorite places.

The main factors I've considered are:

• Ease of doing business: Corporate laws, regulations, bureaucracy, administrative procedures and general ease of operating.
• Taxation: Corporate and personal taxes, tax structures, regulatory treatment and the overall attractiveness of the jurisdiction from a business perspective.
• Government cooperation: Administrative efficiency, transparency, institutional reliability and how straightforward government procedures can be.
• Safety and security: Personal safety, executive security, political stability, crime and broader operational risks.
• Corruption: Institutional integrity, transparency and the predictability of the business environment.
• Quality of life: Infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, living standards and general convenience.
• Tourism and travel experience: Hospitality, accessibility, leisure opportunities and the overall experience of visiting the country, although this has been given considerably less weight.

One thing worth emphasizing is that these factors aren't weighted equally.

For example, a country might have certain security concerns or a relatively lower quality of life, but its favorable corporate laws, taxation system or strategic business advantages could still place it in a higher tier.

On the other hand, a country might be absolutely fantastic to visit or live in but rank lower because of its business regulations, taxation, bureaucracy or operational difficulties.

My professional background also naturally influences how I look at these places. Certain jurisdictions might be particularly attractive for aviation, aerospace, manufacturing, logistics or other specialized industries, even if they aren't necessarily ideal for every type of business.

I've included certain territories and jurisdictions separately because their legal, corporate and tax environments can differ significantly from those of the countries they're associated with.

These are broad, qualitative assessments, not a scientific index or a definitive judgment of any country. I've spent considerably more time in some places than others, and I wouldn't claim to understand every country's circumstances equally well.

Also, India isn't included in the rankings. Since I was born here and am currently here, I wanted to keep this particular list focused on places I've travelled to outside India.

The countries within each tier aren't ranked individually. I've simply grouped them by geographical region to make the list easier to read.

TIER 1 - Outstanding
Europe: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Andorra, Gibraltar
Asia: Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, UAE, Bahrain,
Americas: United States, Canada, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Panama
Oceania: Australia,

TIER 2 - Excellent
Europe: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece
Asia: South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Kuwait, China, Qatar, Oman
Africa: Mauritius
Americas: Chile, Uruguay
Oceania: New Zealand, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands

TIER 3 - Good / Specialized
Asia: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, Turkey,
Africa: Rwanda, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Réunion
Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Brazil, Peru, Barbados, Grenada, French Guiana, Argentina
Oceania: Fiji

TIER 4 - Challenging / Restricted
Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Armenia
Africa: Nigeria, Djibouti, Algeria, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar
Americas: Suriname
Oceania: New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Norfolk Island,

TIER 5 - High Risk
Europe: Ukraine
Asia: Russia, Iraq, Yemen
Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali

A few things worth clarifying:

These classifications are based on a combination of my personal observations, professional experiences and broader assessments of the business and operating environments in these jurisdictions.

The tier labels refer specifically to the business and executive-related considerations mentioned above. They aren't intended as judgments of a country's people, culture or overall worth.

A country in Tier 4, for example, might have considerable economic potential but also present substantial operational, regulatory or security challenges. Similarly, a Tier 3 country might be particularly attractive for certain industries or specialized projects.

It's also worth keeping in mind that circumstances change. Taxation, corporate laws, government policies, political stability and security conditions can evolve significantly over time. These classifications reflect both my experiences and my understanding of more recent developments.

The rankings should therefore be understood within the context of the criteria I've outlined, rather than as universal measures of how good or bad a country is.

If anyone has any specific questions about the countries listed, international business travel, or anything related to my experiences, feel free to ask, send me a DM. I'll be happy to share whatever I can from my own experience.

Not a ragebait but finally got some income for work - but suddendly had to reinvest it all into remote work gear (new tech to help my business) then suddendly i had to buy food, bills etc, is this normal was hoping to put some on the side for takeouts or food to save time.

It just feels money is really worth less (worthless) right now with rising fuel and post covid cost, what happened? again i do wanna save up $3000 FOR a good gaming PC for my remote work but had to buy some other gear for work.

Barely anything left for food and living expenses so i start meal prepping. Bassicaly living on savings

If you could go anywhere in the world for one month to do a little bit of vacationing, but mostly just work from home from a nice location, where would you go?

Here are considerations/possible constraints. I'm based on the East Coast in the U.S. I don't want to be too far off those hours. I want to be somewhere warm, and I ideally want to get my diver certification. Apart from that, no real constraints. Happy to get a Starlink if that makes working easier in less reliable places. Prefer not to be in a very resorty town, ideally, I have my own house/space, and I don't want it to be a crazy hassle to get there, but I don't mind a little bit of legwork.

Has anyone stayed at a coliving space in Mexico City that they would recommend? I'm thinking of going early next year and am looking at staying at one of these instead of an Airbnb or hotel. Was checking out Outside and Covive but am open to others. Thanks.

Hi everyone! I’m moving to Mexico City and have enough savings to live comfortably for several years without any income, however I’m hoping not to blow through all my savings while I figure things out.

I have permanent residency in Mexico via family unity so I do not need a visa. Im also a US citizen and German citizen so I will have to pay US taxes.

I’m planning to freelance in email marketing since I have experience in this. I also have a lot of project management experience but I’m not sure it is as freelance friendly.

How long did it take to build up clients and earn at least $1500 a month doing freelance?

I know I cannot survive doing a 9-5 and being happy in the United States. I have traveled abroad before and have seen people suffering with less and people that are happy with nothing. For those that are able to be a nomad how are you able to fund this and how long did it take for you to get to this point.