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I am actually about to embark on this next week. I work remotely as a freelance writer. Some call this phenomenon being a "digital nomad."
It's amazing how costs drop in the right locale ("geo-arbitrage"). My health insurance is $40/month. My accommodation is $350/month in Bali, $200/wk in Japan, $400/month in Phuket and China. That beats $1,200 for Nowhere, FL.
My accommodation is $350/month in Bali, $200/wk in Japan, $400/month in Phuket and China. That beats $1,200 for Nowhere, FL.
Is that really an apples to apples comparison? $1,200 in Nowhere FL is probably an apartment with full kitchen, full sized fridge, central air conditioning, and 1-2 separate bedrooms. There are some nice places in Bali but for $350/month they are often a lot more sparse. Hell lots of time $1,200 can be an entire house in Nowhere Florida.
I'm not doubting what you say is true, just curious if you're getting the same thing in Bali or Phuket.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang
Is that really an apples to apples comparison? $1,200 in Nowhere FL is probably an apartment with full kitchen, full sized fridge, central air conditioning, and 1-2 separate bedrooms. There are some nice places in Bali but for $350/month they are often a lot more sparse. Hell lots of time $1,200 can be an entire house in Nowhere Florida.
I'm not doubting what you say is true, just curious if you're getting the same thing in Bali or Phuket.
but... as lq well knows... $400 / month in nowhere SE asia can get you some pretty nice places, even on Homeaway. (My Thailand Beach Condo w/ everything and pool / scooter was $400/month).
Tourist towns about 2x - 3x. 10-20 minutes away via scooter = ... CHEAP!
I don't know if FL is having the current USA rental squeeze. It is really bad in desirable locations.
$1200 gets you a blank space (but larger than Bali!)
My kids are renting rooms / basement out in their houses for $1k. each space - Crazy.
I suggest to stay international as long as possible.
Glad Amelorn is actually DOING it. don't think that is popular among C-D readership
A couple of places I lived for extended stay, about twenty years ago:
Paraguay, little town, rented a two room house for $30 a month, plus electric bill (two bulbs), basically lived on the veranda, slept inside. Borrowed furniture from neighbors.
Indonesia, rented little house (think tourist court style), an outbuilding on an estate, on a tiny remote island. Paid $50 a week, including meals for the two of us, but mostly bought groceries and used kitchen privileges.
Chile, two story house just below the lighthouse overlooking the Pacific, furnished, hot water, etc., as I recall about $150-200 a month.
Hows do PTs deal with return/onward tickets? You can't fly anywhere on a oneway ticket anhymore. Ethioipian airlines made me buy a ticket back to Ethiopia before they'd let me on a flight to Djibouti, even though I had a ticket back from Somalia to Ethiopia.
Years ago, airlines used to issue an MCO (miiscellaneous charge order) -- You give then $200 and they issue a blank ticket, no destination or dates, one year validity and refundable, and it was accepted as "onward ticket".
You have to have a ticket to a country of nationality or legal residence, or they won''t let you on the plane. There are a few airlines (Lufthansa, Emirates) with reasonable fees to change ticket dates, but in most cases (United is the worst), you are pretty much committed to flying out on a certain date to a certain destination.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I only ran onto a few destinations that required onward travel (in which case I would buy the cheapest thing I could find (with no intent of using it). )
or... book it and change it, or book it and use it to leave the country for a few days. then book inbound from a nearer / cheaper country. (probably very tough in Africa, EZ in Asia and Europe) SA (?)_ but I think they have budget carriers. (sacrificial tickets).
I am so grateful for US SWA as I change my tickets often (2x today)
Free bags
Free routing changes
Free WiFi (for A+)
and CHEAP fares!
Fun employees help too! SWA Pilot exclaimed last night "Sorry the flight is crowded, but Thanks for making this flight so POPULAR!, we appreciate the revenue). Of course the FA's... "Don't like our service?, there are 8 exits off this bird" & "in case of oxygen masks and too many lap children... choose the one with the most potential!". My mom only wished she would have had that option, would have been so much simpler!
One issue I never see addressed in these discussions is how PTs maintain bank accounts. Using foreign ATMs can rack up big transaction fees and there are the usual daily limits for cash withdrawals. Establishing a foreign bank account is difficult to impossible for U.S. citizens now that the IRS has imposed FACTA reporting requirements world wide.
Open a checking account with Charles Schwab. They never charge a fee anywhere in the world, reimburse any fees charged by the ATM you use your debit card at and give the best currency exchange rates. No transaction fees on purchases either. Fidelity has a similar account.
Open a checking account with Charles Schwab. They never charge a fee anywhere in the world, reimburse any fees charged by the ATM you use your debit card at and give the best currency exchange rates. No transaction fees on purchases either. Fidelity has a similar account.
Don't they require large min. balances to avoid other banking fees?
Hows do PTs deal with return/onward tickets? You can't fly anywhere on a oneway ticket anhymore. Ethioipian airlines made me buy a ticket back to Ethiopia before they'd let me on a flight to Djibouti, even though I had a ticket back from Somalia to Ethiopia.
Most of time traveling for PTs is done by bus or train, which don't have any onward ticket requirements.
If arriving by plane and need one we'll either book a burner ticket ($30 Air Asia we don't plan on using), use a temporary ticket service online, or we'll obtain a tourist visa in advance since with a visa you don't need the proof of onward travel. Other option is buy refundable ticket then cancel it, and I've heard of people buying a normal ticket and printing it then canceling within the 24 hour window.
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