Ask HN: How many in the community here consider themselves digital nomads?
Just wondering if the HN crew is taking advantage of the new opportunities for remote work.
Towards the end of that, however, I was getting pretty tired of traveling and just wanted a home base. I had also met my now-wife, and so settled down in Taiwan (which at the time was still friendly to visa runners). I then got a marriage-based visa not to long before the country locked down due to COVID.
I'd be curious to know if any of the previously-visa-running-friendly countries are still that way? Around Asia, at least, my impression is that travel is opening up but is still quite a bit more scrupulous (and I'd certainly hate to get denied entry or get stuck in a quarantine hotel somewhere right now).
Definitely an experience I'd recommend for those who are interested and able to make it happen -- changed how I understand myself and I don't think is something you could easily replicate in other ways. Need to get the timing right for after you are capable of making money online, but before you have a family and need roots
Travel is open in ASEAN countries. Taiwan/China have the strictest of rules. Korea is open, Japan is opening up - and SEA is basically open. No quarantine - at best a covid test and questionable officials that may allow no vaccine/positive covid tests through.
From the past few months:
Philippines - Open, no quarantine, verify test results on arrival - no issue. Getting a Covid test within the PH is hard, and most expensive in Asia, on average $60-200 USD for a PCR.
Indonesia - Just announced no more covid test needed to enter the country. Bali was open throughout the past year. No Visa, nothing complicated, just buy a ticket and show up.
Vietnam - Open, no test required. Nothing else.
Thailand - Open, covid test required, nothing else.
Singapore - Open, just vaccine and covid test.
Cambodia - First to open, no test.
I've been a DN since 2014, and it's rewarding and also challenging in many ways, I suggest everyone "do it" but also you need to be really adapt and open to what you want in life and expectations. It can be hard to balance business/work/tourism in a new place.
All it made me realize is that having a home base, is key - even if abroad or "home" it helps tremendously for everything. Just looking at housing in the USA and ouch.
But the cost of living arbitrage, is fantastic. Pay $3000 a month for a West Coast condo that's horrid or pay $400 a month abroad, even if the tickets cost $600-1200, you come out ahead on that. Matching working times, and learning the local culture and such - makes everyday rewarding than retiring from work to "stream" videos and stay "inside."
But also being able to stay inside, and do nothing itself is rewarding. :)
You know, selling "how to be free just like me." Back in my day, we just went backpacking and picked some apples to make money.
But moving past the term and looking at working remotely from different locations, yes. Myself and my partner have been doing just that ever since Covid started and remote working became more acceptable.
We moved around -- and are still moving -- a lot, between Dublin, the Canary Islands and Southern Spain. The biggest difficulty we found was sourcing office furniture and extras (monitors, etc.) in each location. This is a problem that needs fixing, at least in sunny climates that attract remote workers for a few months.
While we'll probably slow down on the frequency and duration of moves now that things ares settling a little, we're unlikely to stop completely. It's hard to argue against a cold and grey Irish winter in the sun.
The idea was to stay at one place for at least a single month and where we directly or indirectly know a local. This worked very well pre-pandemic but it became a bit more unorganized and spontaneous since.
Currently we're in Costa Rica and start working at 6am for a company in Germany. Then surfing in the afternoon.
We'll probably settle down somewhere in the next years.
But I am also interested in eastern Europe. If anyone has recommendations, I am all ears :)