TL;DR version: Dude in my 30's who owns an online business. Coming off this recent Midwestern winter has made me decide that I want to try to spend half the year somewhere not cold. I'd prefer to befriend / chat / plan the beginning of a trip with someone else in a similar situation, so that there is some level of accountability between our planning and motivation to go through with it, and so that we can land in the country already knowing someone.

So yeah, I hope this is allowed here. Anyone want to travel to Thailand later this year?

Some years back, I was really invested in this idea of living abroad but a career change in the mid 2010's meant that I could no longer work remote, and the idea just sort of faded away.

For the past couple of years, however, I've been working from home for a small business that I run. I can't stand another cold winter. There is just nothing appealing about it, I've spent most my life somewhere where the winters are awful and I don't really see the point in being miserable and hating life for 1/4th of the year.

My plans so far is arrive at a yet undetermined date / time-frame, probably do the more 'touristy' stuff the first couple of weeks, then likely try to find a more permanent long term rental in the northern part of the country.

I'm not looking for a room mate or anything, it's pretty cheap there and I'm a relatively quiet / private person who hasn't shared a living space with anyone in over a decade so this is more of a request for someone (or a group!) to get familiar with one another so we put feet on the ground in a new place with similar situations and act as a sort of support for one another. Sounds weird putting it like that, but I guess that is what it'd be. I've done solo traveling in the past and I'm fine with wandering around a new place relatively aimlessly by myself and just doing my own thing, but being somewhere new and for a longer period of time than I am used to for a trip, it may be nice to catch up from time to time. (Go explore something new or just grab a meal)

I'm just a quiet dude who enjoys nature and despises winter and cold winds. Good shape, do a lot of long distance backpacking and love outdoorsy stuff. But I also have a legitimate job so will still be doing a lot of work while I'm there, and budgeting about $1,500/mo USD for my life in Thailand ( I still got bills and expenses in the states ) which will be more than enough for a comfortable time but hoping someone has a similar budget so we're both on the same page when researching stuff.

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Posted by3 hours ago

Lifestyle

Digital nomad vs expat lifestyle?

Hi, I am a to-be DN taking my first steps towards this lifestyle. I have a remote job, my visa is sorted. But I need to work atleast 6 hrs a day, so daily travelling is quite tough. Hence i decided to slow travel and stay 6 months in a country to experience it better, starting with Austria. I am first time DN hence still figuring out how things work. So please bear with me. I want to spend less than 1k euro per month for ' stay' . This 1k budget is only for accommodation and does NOT include food, travel or other expenses. What kind of accomodation should I pick?

AirBnBs look super expensive.
Hostels seems a good option but i don't know how it'd be to work from hostels long term.
Taking up long term rentals and using it as a base seems going back to my expat lifestyle (nothing against it), will it be limiting and taxing on the pocket since I'd be paying rent plus hotel fares wherever I go.
Short term rentals look doable. I am looking at housing anywhere, the rent seems slightly higher for short term rentals I notice. How have you managed your stays as DN? What factors should I consider to decide on the type of stays i should opt for?

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6 comments

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Posted by4 hours ago

Question

First-time Digital Nomad moving from the UK to either Portugal, Spain, or Croatia. Where to move?

Hey folks,

I'm planning to become a digital nomad in the following months for the first time in my life. Though, a bit scary venturing into a new lifestyle without much experience behind, it's just one of these lifetime decision that need to happen sooner than later.

I've been in the unfortunate position of being laid off from my previous role, and the job market is too tough, finding it almost impossible to get a new role despite my 5+ years of experience and skills in digital marketing.

Luckily, I've been freelancing on the side for the past 7 months for a company in the US that is slowly transitioning into a full-time position as we are onboarding more clients.

Saying this, I am planning to move to either Portugal, Spain or Croatia. I've visited all 3 in the past few years and fall in love with the culture, cuisine, people, and lifestyle. Though, Portugal (Porto) holds a great place in my heart.

Life in the UK has become really difficult in the past 6 months since the cost of living crisis has intensified and the rent, bills, and food prices are through the roof atm. Plus an overall feeling of poverty and misery on people's faces wherever I look around.

I am a UK/EU citizen paying income taxes in the UK, despite currently working for a US company as a contractor (W8-BEN submitted). What will be the tax implications if planning to live in either of the 3 countries for 6-8 months considering the latest digital nomad scheme changes?

What would be your go-to country on a budget of £1,800-2,000/month that will cover a decent rent in a central area, food, gym, and basic necessities, plus going out 2-3 times/week?

Lived in big metropolitan cities all my life, I feel like needing a change and slowing down while getting my life back on track. Therefore, capitals like Madrid and Lisbon wouldn't be a first choice.

Which of the three countries mentioned above offered you the best experience whilst allowing you to make friends with locals easily and live a decent life on a budget?

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1 comment

382

Posted by1 day ago

Lifestyle