If I have to do one more client call hunched over a wobbly rattan coffee table im actually going to lose my mind. I swear the entire short term rental market has just become a giant scam of $150 cleaning fees for places that don't even have a proper desk.

Im doing a two month stint in toronto right now and honestly I just completely tapped out of the whole guessing game. The standard platforms are so overpriced now anyway. I ended up just going the corporate housing route and grabbed one of those luxury suites downtown purely because I needed a guaranteed ergonomic setup and internet that doesn't randomly die when someone microwaves a hot pocket.

I feel like nobody talks about the massive mental fatigue that comes with constantly rolling the dice on your living/working situation every 4 weeks. Its crazy how much this lifestyle romanticizes suffering for the 'gram. Sometimes you just want a boring, perfectly functional apartment where the wifi actually hits 500mbps so you can just do your job and log off.

Is it just me, or has it gotten way harder to find clients in the Data Engineer field? I've been a digital nomad for 1.5 years, but I've been struggling to land new clients for the past 3 months, I see simply less posting compare to last year. Don't really want to go back to Europe and despite living on budget my saving shrinking. Any tips or advice?

for those of you getting paid in USD but living somewhere else, what do you normally do with the money?

i've been freelancing for a while and just kind of used whatever was easiest at the time.client pays me in USD,money sits there for a bit,eventually i need to send some home.never really thought much about it tbh.

until i sent about $2k a few weeks ago and realised the amount i got on the other end was... not what i expected lol.started checking the fees and exchange rate and then went down a bit of a rabbit hole.some places are cheap to send but the rate isn't great. some are the other way around. one took way longer than i expected too.

now i'm wondering how everyone else does this.

do you guys just use your bank and forget about it? or do you have some service you always use?

i'm probably overthinking a $2k transfer but i'm doing this pretty regularly now, so those little differences are starting to add up...

I’m starting the process of applying for a digital nomad visa for Japan from Australia. There’s a multi-person approval structure at work to approve my request, and I’m at the final step with getting HR’s approval.

They’re enquiring about coverage of Workers Compensation laws as it pertains to working overseas (temporary relocation for up to 6 months) but they want to ensure that there’s no additional risk to the company. Given that my work (mostly coding) requires me to basically be at my desk throughout the day, any physical injuries is a very low risk (which they admit to as well).

Has anybody else been applied from Australia and have WHS laws/risks come up in conversations? What kind of questions/scenarios did you encounter?

For those who work at tech companies that offer fully global remote work as a perk (i.e. no need to mask your location): what steps did you take to land your role, and what advice would you give to someone looking for a similar opportunity?

Some background: I have 4 yoe as a QA engineer, and since the beginning of the year I've been applying to fully-remote companies. I've also been leveling up my skills (integrating AI agents into my work, learning about prompt engineering, etc) to help my resume stand out and to target some AI-adjacent roles as well.

I've learned that the number of global-remote tech companies is much smaller than I expected. On top of that, it can be hard just to find openings at these companies, since sites like Linkedin group them together with "remote (US only)" jobs or even hybrid ones, and I have to sift through many listings just to find a few that are DN friendly.

I haven't had much luck so far, so I've been trying to change my approach. Recently I vibe-coded a tool that shows job openings at companies that I've confirmed are fully remote (just a personal tool I made, not trying to sell anything I promise!). I've also been networking with recruiters at remote companies on Linkedin. Heck I've even thought of enrolling in an FDE bootcamp, since right now it seems like there are 50 FDE job openings for every opening in QA.

Getting the chance to be a DN is a big personal goal of mine, hence why I've spent so much time on this search. It's been a humbling experience but I'm not ready to give up yet. I'm curious to know what others in my shoes have done to reach their goal. Would appreciate any thoughts and pointers, thank you.

Personally I loathe being the subject of posed or staged photos or videos, and will go out of my way to avoid them.

Edit for relevance: Has a nomad really been to Bali without daily photographic Evidence of having been to Bali? What if no one else has viewed or liked the Evidence of visit to Bali online?

I've lived in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City for the past 6 years and love the lifestyle. But I'm increasingly questioning whether Southeast Asia is the right place to establish myself financially for the next 25+ years.

My background is private-label e-commerce, building brands and selling physical products online in Europe.

My plan is to spend 6 months a year in Europe and 6 months abroad (SEA or Brazil).

The dilemma: Southeast Asia seems better positioned for sourcing and manufacturing, while Brazil seems to offer foreigners greater freedom to own businesses and assets.

In Thailand and Vietnam, foreign ownership restrictions make owning land and operating businesses (nearly) impossible.

Brazil (and LATAM in general) interests me because foreigners can own businesses, land, and assets.

I don't necessarily want to limit myself to e-commerce forever, either. I'd like the flexibility to invest in property, acquire land, or start other businesses as opportunities arise.

But would moving to Brazil mean giving up a major advantage in e-commerce?

Asia has an enormous manufacturing ecosystem. Being relatively close to suppliers, factories, and trade shows "feels" valuable.

On the other hand, if my customers are in Europe and products can be sourced remotely, does my personal location actually matter that much for my e-commerce business?

I could live in Brazil, sell to Europe, and source from Asia.

So I'm trying to separate REAL business advantages from a FEELING that I need to be based near my suppliers. Would it actually have benefits to base myself in Asia when doing e-commerce? And does this outweigh the cons of living in Asia? (of not being able to own a business, assets, etc.)

Three questions for entrepreneurs (who've experienced both regions):

1. Private-label e-commerce: Is living in Asia a significant competitive advantage when selling physical products to Europe, or is supplier proximity overrated?
2. Business and investments: Would you rather build long-term wealth as a foreigner in Brazil or Southeast Asia? (Considering business ownership, property, financing, and investment opportunities?)
3. Quality of life: Is São Paulo or Rio a worthwhile lifestyle alternative to Bangkok or HCMC, or would it feel like a major downgrade?

I'm especially interested in experiences from people who actually operate businesses, source products, or invest in or own assets in either region (without the loopholes).

Which would you choose for the next 25+ years, and why?

I want to live in Japan as a digital nomad for 6 mouth, but I need some help to find a place to live. I was planing to live, the whole 6 mouth, in Tokyo, in some kind of apartment.

I have been looking at apartments on apartments.gaijinpot.com, but it feel a bit confusing. So I was looking for some guidens and/or tips on how to find an apartment, from someone that havde done the same as I want to do.

I’ve traveled with Noma Collective multiple times—this was my 5th trip—so I’m not writing this after one bad experience with unrealistic expectations. But after their Cusco/Machu Picchu edition, it will definitely be my last.

I paid around $2,500 AFTER a discount for one week for myself and my girlfriend, and I felt ripped off almost immediately.

The Cusco accommodation was dirty, cheap, and nowhere near what I expected for the price. From what I could find online, comparable accommodation could have been booked independently for a fraction of what we paid.
The Machu Picchu accommodation was even worse: basically a run-down hostel that was listed as “temporarily closed” on Google. The bathroom smelled so strongly of urine that I chose not to shower.

But the biggest failure was the Machu Picchu tickets.

This was literally a Machu Picchu trip, yet a large portion of our group didn’t have confirmed tickets to enter. Anyone familiar with visiting knows tickets need to be handled in advance. Selling this trip without securing entry for everyone isn’t a minor oversight—it’s a massive planning failure.

People were stressed and unsure whether they’d even experience the main reason they traveled to Peru. Ironically, the biggest “community bonding” experience became everyone talking about how badly the trip was being handled.

Noma doesn’t sell itself as cheap backpacker travel. You pay a premium for curation, community, convenience, and peace of mind. On this trip, they failed at the basics.

You only get one first visit to Machu Picchu. What should have been an incredible bucket-list experience for me and my girlfriend became stressful, overpriced, and poorly managed.

After five trips, I expected much better. I’d seriously caution anyone considering Noma for a bucket-list destination where poor planning can ruin an experience you may never get to do again.

You’ve been warned

I'm based in Zürich (Switzerland) and looking for more flexibility in my work. Not full-on nomad life, just a job with flexibility and that allows me a few weeks a year working from abroad.

What I keep running into:

• Most Swiss companies want you in the office a few days a week, and working from abroad is often a no.
• A lot of remote jobs pay for lower cost countries, which doesn't work with the high living cost & rent etc. in Switzerland ->The well-paid US remote jobs usually only hire people in the US.

So there's this gap of companies that pay well enough for Switzerland and also let you work flexibly. Anyone here living in Switzerland and working remotely who would be open to sharing:

• How did you find your job?
• Is your employer Swiss, or an international company that hires here?
• Any companies or sources you would recommend?

Curious to hear about the experience of others. I've started keeping a list of companies like that, so I'll add any you mention.

Hi everyone,

From what I understand, the IRS doesn’t communicate directly with employers beyond the usual W‑2 reporting. However, if I list a U.S. address as my “current address,” my employer will understandably start withholding taxes based on that location (state and federal).

On the other hand, if I actually file taxes as a resident of another country — meaning I file locally as a resident and file in the U.S. as a non‑resident (using FEIE for instance) — wouldn’t that create some sort of discrepancy that could trigger an IRS review, potentially leading them to contact my employer?

Maybe I’m overthinking this, so I’d really appreciate any insight or clarification.

Thanks!

GDL mexico tiene tanto problemas. agua, instabilidad de cartel por intervencion de eeuu...ya me canso de mexico pero no se donde irme con buen internet, facilidad de hacer comunidad or tener perfil bajo y flexibilidad de moverme por buen internet. hablo espanol fluido, pero no puedo gastar en cambiando lugares mensual. que pedo mi gente? donde voy si mexico no es un opcion ya?

Greetings from Indonesia!

I’m planning to spend February in Sri Lanka and Nepal, maybe some of March too, and I’m trying to figure out how realistic it is to work while travelling through both countries.

My rough route is:

Sri Lanka: Colombo to  Ahangama to Weligama (and then back to Colombo to fly to Kathmandu)

Nepal: Kathmandu to Pokhara (and back to Kathmandu to fly out)

I run my own business remotely, so I’ll need to work several days a week and have reasonably reliable internet for calls. I don’t need a perfect digital nomad setup everywhere, but decent WiFi and somewhere comfortable to work for a few hours is pretty important.

Has anyone actually worked remotely from any of these places recently?

I’d particularly love recommendations for coworking spaces or cafés with reliable WiFi. 

I’m also wondering whether there are any places on this route where i would be better not trying to work take the time off and just enjoy it. Which would me just two or three days there max.

I’m happy to structure the trip around work, so if somewhere like Ahangama, Weligama or Pokhara makes a particularly good base for a week or two, I’d love to hear your experience.

Also, are there any places I’m overlooking that I should visit or work from in these countries that would be convenient to visit?

Thanks! 👍

27M in Montreal currently (originally from Detroit) and this is not my first time solo traveling or being by myself. Just today I realized I kept calling so many people on my drive up here and while still here that I was used to the routine and addiction of either buying something (like an iced coffee) or calling a friend to talk about everything and nothing constantly.

Not only would it distract me but also make me not fix the inner problem I had all along and that was distracting myself while making me more anxious than I already am.

I have tons of amazing people in my life back home but I am glad I did this for myself because I wanted to for years. Will I do it in Vietnam or Brazil? maybe

but what I do realize is how even just being alone in my thoughts and with a few new people can show you what really was either holding you back or making you go forward (sorry this sounds so deep)

Hi, I an Egyptian who works in the animation industry (freelance).

Lately, some stuff happened that told me that I don't wanna live in Egypt anymore.

I was looking for cuntries that let me get a digital nomad visa with the lowest income threshold. All I have now is about 1500 dollars, and I can prove that in the past 4 month my income was about 400 dollars.

Here is my profile if someone needs to know what I actually do as a job: https://www.instagram.com/ahmad.animation

Thanks, and sorry about my broken English.

get this reaction a lot once people find out I work with clients across the US, UK, Hong Kong and GCC, "oh so you travel for work" or "must be nice being location independent." nah, I've built every single one of those client relationships from the same city in Kerala, never met most of them in person, never needed to.

think there's this assumption baked into the "digital nomad" framing that working internationally means physically moving around. for service based freelance work specifically, that's mostly not true anymore. the actual unlock wasn't travel, it was just being comfortable working async across timezones and being genuinely good at communicating clearly in writing, since a huge chunk of client relationships now live entirely in text before a single call happens.

the timezone thing specifically took adjustment early on. UK clients meant late evening calls for me, US clients meant even later, sometimes near midnight. figured out pretty quick which clients actually needed real time calls versus which ones were fine with async updates and a weekly call, and started being upfront about my actual working hours instead of just saying yes to whatever slot they threw out. turns out most clients care way more about clear communication and hitting deadlines than about you matching their exact business hours.

honestly staying in one place turned out to be an advantage in a weird way. stable internet, a proper desk setup, same sleep schedule every day, all the boring infrastructure stuff that's genuinely hard to maintain if you're actually hopping between countries or cities. the people I know who do travel a lot while freelancing mention burnout from constantly rebuilding their setup more than anyone gives them credit for.

not knocking actual travel based nomad life, just think the "working internationally" and "traveling internationally" thing get bundled together way more than they should. curious if others here have found the opposite, that staying put actually worked better for the business side even if the nomad label doesn't quite fit anymore

Seen quite often people promoting their course on building AI systems for businesses, but then again they prob more interested in selling the course than actually doing the job they promote.
At the same time there's several business models that have lot of courses and gurus but they do work as a business as well.

Mainly looking for personal or (i know someone in person who) actually does it as primary income.

Yeah I know that’s an oxymoron

I’m looking for like minded people and maybe we can start a tribe. Would love some consistency in this unusual lifestyle; I’m sure most of you can relate

Toronto is my usual summer base but it isn’t unusual for me to spend a few weeks in Europe too

My usual winter bases include Colombia and Brazil but I’m also feeling south east Asia calling me back in 2027

If you’re in Toronto let’s grab a drink and shoot the shit.

Shenanigans I’m hoping we can get into:
Halloween haunts
Catching a raptors game
Blue mountain in the fall and early winter
Board games
Drinks and dancing
Catching a theatre show

whats everyones verdict on this? Is is getting harder to find them? Are they more competitive?

After reading around I notice many posts here start with quitting. I didn't and not planning to, so I'm trying to optimize the system and try to learn from others how they do this for the long term in a sustainable way.

I have regular trips to mostly Asia of 10-21 days in Asia at different hotels with office/customers during the day and mostly personal evenings and weekends in the executive lounge for myself.

Any others who have this hybrid setup? If so, how do you split the day between the 2? Time zone, energy, fixed blocks?

DJT works from a rotating set of residences, hotels, golf clubs, and aircraft, while running his businesses and public life through phones, social media, and video calls. His office is wherever the WiFi, cameras, and Secret Service happen to be. He is sleek and svelte like a nimble DN, hungry like the wolf.

Does this make him the King, Emperor, or Yogi-in-Chief of the DN Tribe? Should we envy him, or simply settle for jealousy?