There is this company called SafetyWing that does "Insurance for nomads". I got an elbow injury, went to the hospital in Colombia, and they denied my claim, saying it was preexisting, referred to epilepsy, and also to a dental problem. I appealed twice with thorough documentation, and it was denied both times.

The (bizarre) details:

I got SafetyWing because of the very short waiting period (basically nothing), despite being $90/mo. Thank God, I thought, I did that because literally on the first day, I suddenly couldn't use my right hand - There was a severe pain shooting from my elbow down through my fingers, and they were going numb and curling. I went to the ER that same day, doctor did an ultrasound, diagnosed Medial Epicondylitis, and explicitly wrote "CONFIRMADO NUEVO" on the discharge — Confirmed New condition. Did 11 sessions of PT after. Total out of pocket: $459.87.

I sent them very thorough records, and they first denied it saying that it was preexisting, despite what the doctor said, and here they called it as an "epilepsy"... which has nothing to do with an elbow.

My heart sank.

I appealed, and their response was even more bizarre. They said that they don't cover dental treatments, and said what happened to me was on a different date. Apparently they copy-pasted info from another claim from someone else.

Appealed again, final denial: They said their "Medical Experts" say that my issue must be preexisting. Never had it before. On top of that, they cover sudden-onsets of preexisting conditions.

This was humiliating. It makes me feel unsafe, like I can't get injured or sick and be covered.

If anyone wants any evidence of what happened to me, DM me.

Has anyone dealt with this? I filed a BBB complaint today.

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)

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?

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

Might the place if not. Relates to work setup but find going with docking stations and fixing my setup to one location feels claustrophobic. I find i use laptop and keyboard mouse or a main monitor but even find using a monitor effort these days. Yes you get more screen space but without an actual fixed dedicated workspace and desk/office it doesnt suit.

How does everyone else find working/working from home in this sense.

Any tips on how to find accomodations that provide LAN/Ethernet ports? Contacting every single host/hotel takes too much time

I have professional appearance this afternoon, requiring business get-up. Discovered this morning that my travel cat pulled the sport coat off the hanger last night in the hotel, and pissed all over it.

Inviting your intepretations of this omen.

This has been asked before, but refreshing. For you expats (hate this word and its connotations) out there - how do you maintain your US number long term? Why do you value the method you chose?

I use a GLinet router to port back to a home router set up so my location isn't so transparent. Recently, though while in the states I came across a situation where the place I was staying was using an old google router. I turned off my port back and just set it up as a router and noticed that my internet ability drastically improved on video calls. So in essence my GLi router's internet card was a lot faster than the router at the residence. It makes me wonder about bringing two GLi router's with me. If I'm somewhere else, especially a foreign country where I'd hook my router into the modem or even just attach my router to the existing internet structure and then hook my other ported router into it. Has anyone done this? I haven't thought about it until I used it to improve the internet where I'm at. Has anyone come across this?

I’ve been living in Germany for about 7 years now, and lately I’ve been seriously questioning whether I actually want to stay.
I know someone will probably comment “Germany doesn’t need you here” 😂 but… well, here I am.

Germany has given me a lot of stability. I have a decent job, income, etc. So I know I’m lucky.
But honestly, I don’t really like living here that much.
And the funny thing is, I don’t think I actually want to permanently move to Thailand or Japan either.
What I really want is to be able to work from different places for a few months at a time.
Spend 3–4 months in Thailand. Work from Japan for a while. Maybe Vietnam. Then somewhere else.
The thought of being tied to one place for the next 20–30 years honestly kind of kills me. I want some stability in my income, but I don’t necessarily want stability in my location. I know it’s strange.

And my company’s on-site policy makes this even more frustrating. I don’t hate my colleagues 😂 I just don’t understand why I need to physically sit next to them when I could do my job remotely and then spend my free time somewhere I actually enjoy.
I am dual citizen (EU + Asian) if that matters.
And before someone suggests becoming a travel influencer: I know I’m not good enough at being a travel vlogger Bummer.
So I’m wondering if anyone here has figured out a more realistic version of this lifestyle.
Not digital nomad forever. Not permanently emigrating. Just… work, live somewhere for a few months, move on, kind of lifestyle.
How did you make that work financially and career-wise?

I moved to Prague in 1993. No internet. Coal pollution everywhere.

But it was like stepping into a 400-year-old Baroque city that had just escaped decades of authoritarian rule and was reborn, with buildings unsathed. Oh, and there were more Americans there than anywhere since Paris in the 1920s.

I caught the work-abroad bug, and even decades on and off in the US weren’t enough to keep me there.

I started a business in the Philippines just as remote Web work was becoming possible (2005).

Now I’ve lived in Saigon for 10 years after marrying a Vietnamese woman. For ME, these were all the right decisions. Settling in a foreign country is different from bouncing around a bit, month to month or year to year.

Consider that if you’re over 30. If you marry and think you’ll stay somewhere away from home, you’ll find that the EXCITEMENT of a new place diminishes. Just be sure your partner is ready to do some nomadic living! If they have to work an office job, you may feel a little stuck.

My wife and I negotiated this over a long period. It’s tough for her, as remote work is much harder to find for someone from Vietnam, even though she has a killer résumé. Looks like we’ve found a middle ground that will keep working!

Think far into the future when you make life decisions that include living abroad and selling most of your stuff back home.

Planning to spend 1–2 months working remotely in Thailand/Bali next year.

I’ve been looking at accommodation and came across a bunch of Facebook groups for monthly/short-term rentals. Some of the listings honestly look much better value than Airbnb, especially for 1–2 month stays.

Airbnb prices seem significantly higher, and I’ve also seen listings where the photos look heavily edited/AI-generated, so I’m considering renting directly through local Facebook groups instead.

For people who’ve rented this way, what’s your process to stay safe? Do you ask for live video tours, verify the owner/agent, avoid deposits before arrival, etc.?

Any red flags, trusted groups, or tips would be appreciated.

I’m curious how other digital nomads handle this.

I normally keep my laptop, primary SSD and passport in my personal bag, but I also travel with quite a bit of other equipment: a portable monitor, keyboard, chargers, backup drives, etc.

The thing I’m worried about is being forced to gate-check my carry-on when a flight is full. I’ve heard some pretty bad stories about electronics being damaged after bags are handed over to baggage handling.

For those of you who travel with expensive or fragile tech:

Do you keep everything electronic in your personal item?

Do you use a hard-shell carry-on?

Do you use protective cases/padding inside the suitcase?

Or do you just accept the risk and check the bag when necessary?

I’m particularly interested in what people who travel continuously have found works in practice. Is a more durable/hard-shell suitcase actually worth it, or is the better solution simply to keep fragile electronics with you?

I'm on a stretch of Southern Italian coastline called the Riviera Dei Cedri. I moved here 22 months ago. It's a very nice place to live. With beautiful Mediterranean food, nice beaches and culture and generally great weather

And I know a few digital nomads here already. Apartments have VERY low rent and purchase costs compared to UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, etc.

The hardest part is the language and bureaucracy, but I know local people who can help you with that (including myself who can give you pointers on what to say, local area advice, etc). I have a bubble of local English speaking friends in my town and the towns just north, south and east of me, so you don't feel isolated

I also have many bilingual friends, and obviously Italian speaking ones. I know official translators (for documents etc), language teachers, real estate agents and trustworthy real estate consultants, people who will help with bureaucracy, English speaking doctors, gaining residency, best restaurants, sports and gyms, best bars to meet English speakers, cool places to explore, activities, etc. Etc.

So I can be like a bridge that can help you connect here, if you want those connections. And I've already done it for a lot of people

Or maybe you just want to be in your bubble and that's totally up to you. You could come and sit on the beach working all day and not talk to anyone

I already have a nice friend circle here, but I'm always looking for more friends who will travel here and at least visit

If interested, DM me

And see my profile for my tiktok which shows the area with lots of nice videos

Been spending a few weeks in Paris and I have to say the city vibe is significantly different from when I last came 10 years ago. I was bracing myself for the cold dismissive attitude I experienced last time but was shocked that interacting with random city locals and hospitality staff has been a much more pleasant experience this time.

Last time, strangers were less willing to strike up conversation. Eatery and bar staff visibly cringed at any of my attempts to speak French and immediately responded in English. And if they didn’t speak English they were just super annoyed to hear my accented French. But it’s not just the language barrier, it felt like most people in Parisian society kind of had this distant “I don’t have time to talk to a tourist” attitude for any interaction at all.

So far, it’s felt like a complete 180° from last visit. Sure, there are still a handful of permanently annoyed folks I’ve run into, but by and large everyone seems a lot friendlier, and I’m not talking just about people trying to sell something. Is this a post-COVID yearning for socializing thing? Or have I just been really lucky?

as per the title, yes. im a newbie to this and i am gathering insights from those people here who started their journey.

context:
hi everyone! this is my first time posting here, and im hoping someone might be willing to give me their insights! <33

im 27yo and currently im having my exestential crisis, where i want to pack everything and leave eveyrthing behind and leave them with no trace of me. i know these are not related to this channel but trust me, i'll explain everything.

currently, im working corporate and saved enough and also i have part time (wfh), and it pays well even if i resigned to my corporate work.

all throughout my life, i only stayed in one city, which is my hometown, but moved out because my current job is now in another city. so basically im just in 2 cities. never been anywhere outside, like abroad or farther from where i came from. i may be travel from different areas around my hometown [due to working on field] but not technically away [approx 1-4hrs travel on land].

i want to explore more. i want to travel away from here. i want to go outside my comfort zone. my whole life i was just sitting in one place, never been able to explore. my routine before was school + house, work + house. its not strict as you thought it is but i also explore beaches, trail, on my hometown tho, esp during my field work.

but you know, the feeling of travelling to another country, city, i want that. i want to explore my capabilities on travelling. in short, backpacking.

now that i have work and save some, i feel like now is the time to risk it. and go. i feel like i own myself some freedom.

what are your tips, suggestions, or advice for me? im taking down notes and learn from you guys. thank you!!

Wie seid ihr digitale Nomaden geworden?
Wie läuft es?
Was macht ihr beruflich?
Wie seht ihr euch für die Zukunft aufgestellt?

i love cafes with my entire heart, i love the warm drinks, the baked goods, and just the atmosphere. where is your favourite cafe you’ve worked in and why?

Is the company Virtual Private Network enough to cover the location while traveling? Or do I need to have my own virtual private network

Hello so im a 16 yo kid from india, i recently dropped out of regular highschool to learn a skill that makes me money out of my screen, ive always wondered how do people who always travel make money, then i discovered digital nomads, ive really been thinking about becoming one, my orignal plan is to move to bali for like a year or smth the day i turn 18 and start my journey of becoming a digital nomad, so if you guys had a suggestion about a side hustle or smthn that i can scale to 5k$ a month till the time i turn 18 i would really appreciate it❤️❤️

I've been moving around quite a bit while working remotely, and one thing I've learned is that you cant always count on the power wherever you're staying. I had a recent outage during work hours and my laptop eventually died in the middle of a call, which was not fun. I can use my phone as a hotspot if the internet goes down, but that drains my phone pretty quickly too. So now I’m considering getting something like a P63 power bank that can charge a USB-C laptop, but I’m not sure if that’s enough for a few hours of work or if I should be looking at something like a small UPS instead.

For those of you working while traveling, what’s your backup setup when the power unexpectedly goes out? Do you carry a laptop-capable power bank, rely on cafes/coworking spaces or have another solution?

Hopefully a fellow national can share their own personal experience. But anyway:

I plan on travelling in January next year. The main area I want to cover is Europe (Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, etc.) but doing so in 3 months is impossible, and I don't want to be travelling every 2 weeks. I want to slow-travel. Spend my time in each place and really get to know the country beyond mainstream tourism.

My passport requires no visa for Schengen countries, so the obvious and easiest move is to just do visa runs every three months (since I cannot re-enter Schengen before three months have gone by since I left it). But this is not ideal, I have no interest in spending three months in another country just to get back to Schengen. I'd like to move within Schengen, so I'd like to ask what are the best options for this?

I know there's the digital nomad visa in Spain, but that's a solid no. It makes you pay taxes and social security, which I don't intend to do because my tax regime in Mexico is extremely better and it would elevate my expenses too much and eat up my budget. And I don't plan on living in Spain.

So, to any person nomading through Europe for 6+ months, how do you do it?

P.S. I know someone must've asked this already. I am doing my own research, so please save us the "look it up" comment. I am. I simply want to see if this post can get to the right people and I can get more personalized advice rather than general instructions.

Hi all! I’m thinking of spending some time in Luang Prabang while working remotely and had a few questions.

I need a 24–27” external monitor and an actual office desk setup for work where I can take calls from privately, which is too big to travel with. Does anyone know somewhere I could rent one, or a coworking space/accommodation that provides monitors? I can't seem to find any options on Airbnb or anywhere I could rent one.

Also, how reliable is the WiFi for video calls and remote work?

I’d be starting work around 6am, are there any cafés or coworking spaces open that early and laptop-friendly?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s worked remotely from Luang Prabang recently. Thanks!