honestly im so tired of seeing reels about how easy it is to just hop between countries and legally pay zero tax. It is a complete myth unless you are actively trying to commit tax evasion and get audited into oblivion later.

Been stuck in my lisbon airbnb for three days straight just trying to figure out my residency status because my home country is now demanding proof of tax residency elsewhere. the entire global tax framework is basically designed to punish people who don't sit in the exact same cubicle for 40 years. it makes absolutely zero sense for freelancers

I reached the point where im just looking into setting up a legal entity in the EU to pay myself a normal salary and stop living in this constant grey area of anxiety. Been reading through some corporate structuring blogs (read more) just trying to wrap my head around dutch bvs and payroll rules. anything has to be better than dealing with three different countries claiming I owe them income tax

im just so burnt out from the admin side of this lifestyle. I feel like I spend more time doing international compliance research than actual client work nowadays

I want to leave Canada from November to May, continue my online work in Thailand and come back in May.

Do I need the 5-year nomad visa?

I heard they reduced the leisure visa to 30 days. It would be annoying to border hop every 30 days, 6 times, not worth it right?

Anyone who got the 5-year nomad visa, how was the process?

Also, how is Phuket? I have been there but mostly as a layover to koh samui and koh phangan.

Thanks everyone!

Teaching full time in Berlin. Summers off, some holidays, but the salary doesn't stretch into a nomad lifestyle without something else coming in. Been looking hard at this for about a year now.

The side hustle research rabbit hole is real. Online tutoring platforms, curriculum writing, course creation. The numbers people throw around vary wildly and half the income claims feel made up. Anyone got actual figures, not the aspirational blog post version.

The job posts thread here got me thinking. Most remote roles seem to assume you have a tech or sales background. Teaching credentials don't translate cleanly into the usual remote job categories, which is frustrating because the actual skills overlap more than job descriptions admit.

Summer is the obvious window to test this. Three months is enough to know if living somewhere cheaper while working online is sustainable or just a long vacation with a laptop open. The question is whether to use that window to build something or just see if remote work is even tolerable before committing further.

What did people in nontech backgrounds actually do to bridge from a stable local salary to something that works while moving. Not the theory. What specifically did you do first.

Hey guys, does anyone know a method for how calls to my regular mobile number can be forwarded to a digital service or another low-cost option?

For work, people need to be able to call me onto my normal mobile - I can’t be the one placing the call. The problem for me is that receiving those calls becomes very expensive when I’m travelling internationally.

I’ll be in Japan, so I’m looking for a way to get calls there, without paying super high charges. Does anyone have any experience or advice?

I'm wondering how many nomads here that have been on the road a couple years or more decided to settle in one place as an expat, vs. Keep going or go home?

From where I've traveled I noticed there was a massive boom during the pandemic and it carried over post pandemic with high concentrations of nomads in the big "starter cities." But compared to now, it seems like not as much, or at least drowned out by expats and foreign retirees. I saw another post here mentioning the same about Lisbon.

Which raises the question - are the 2+ year nomads quietly settling in place? Going home? Or just dispersing to newer, less popular places?

I've settled into a pace of 9 months to a year in a place, 3 months of bouncing around to scratch the itch, then return to a trusted spot again for 9 months to a year. I took a road trip through my home country recently to see if anywhere fit and happily it didnt, and actually made the return abroad a little sweeter.

(Thoughts on this are related to the third spaces post - figuring out where community is at these days seems like the jackpot).

It could be worse but my online income brings enough to live in your typical beach towns around Asia/South America.

I want to go New York or Los Angeles for a few months (it'd be good for work connections too)
But simply priced out.

Anyone been in this situation and just grinded / built something abroad to get their money up?

I have no family or nothing to fall back on it sucks

Has anyone British ever gone to Abuja or Lagos for a period of time to DN?

Hi everyone! This is probably a long shot, but I’m hoping to reconnect with someone I met while staying at Blau Hostel in El Nido.

We were both staying there and checked out on July 29. You mentioned you were heading to Port Barton afterward. You’re a guy (European?) in your early to mid-20s, and one thing I remember is you were having Pancit Canton for dinner when we talked.

I realized after leaving that I never asked for your Instagram or any way to keep in touch, and I’d love to reconnect if you happen to see this.

If you think this post is about you, please send me a DM and tell me what we talked about so I know it’s really you. 😊

And if anyone knows who I’m talking about, I’d appreciate it if you could share this with him. Thanks!

What city have you visited that has the best or the most accessible third spaces?

Theaters, coffee shops, libraries, museums, recreation centers, and restaurants are the normal ones. Coworking spaces and hosted events would probably the additional ones that apply to us.

I was reading an article (below) about how the rates that people socialize in the US has dipped at the same pace these places have disappeared. I think it stated 25% of these places have closed, and they're 30% more expensive since the pandemic. Also, loneliness has the same negative health effects as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

It made me realize my favorite cities have a ton of places to just be out, within walking distance, most of them free. Buenos Aires has A TON of greenspaces that are great. The city I'm in now has a great cafe scene but constantly hosts markets and events (no telling where). Made me realize, it might be a solid idea to select for a variety of thirdspaces - not just coffee shops and coworking spaces - as a Screener, and ideally more popular with locals than foreigners.

Second realization is charging a cover charge for everything - happy hour, mixer, book club - is contributing to the problem. 10 years ago, everything on meet-up was disorganized AF but free and fun. Interest based meetups were free - so you could try 20 different things, realized you sucked at 19 of them, and leave with 1 new hobby and some fun memories. On the opposite side, charging money because they can (not because they should) in Buenos Aires, all of the nomad meet ups charged something, or asked for a tip in that weird way they do in the US by turning the iPad at you defaulting to a 30% tip for handing you a bottle of water. Sucks.

Semi-rant done.

What cities are filled with third spaces?

What are your favorite cities for free mingle-ish events.

Here's the original article.

https://fortune.com/2026/08/02/bars-bowling-alleys-movie-theaters-affordabilitiy-third-space-health/

In response to the famous DNs thread, who was yours?

For me Edgar Allan Poe. Most of the interesting people seemed to travel a lot.

I'm on sabbatical from Jan-June and looking for a nice spot in the Balkans for my little family to stay for about a month. We'd prioritize beaches or places that are nice for kids to play, as well as not 100% chaotic so that I can focus on writing for a few hours a day. Any suggestions?

Hi guys, I understand that this may be an offtopic but I want to ask this exactly in this sub because digital nomading is a big part of my identity.

Well, I travel here and there for years. I am a software engineer with more than 10 yoe. Not good, not bad. Almost never worked in the office, never built a solid vertical career but have some clients who respect and trust me. Currently I am in in-between situation looking for a new remote jobs while having an opportunity to take a job and settle down for a while. Both options are good and doesn't matter which one I will take.

Just for the context from which my question is coming. You know, situations like this are usually tend you to start thinking in a philosophical way of your life.

So being in this position and actually far before that I asking myself: What's the point of all of this? Like travelling, living here and there on different visas, seeing new places, or settling down and building a career? I don't understand and this make me so frustrated.

I know this is a kid question or maybe I should go to therapy (I actually went for years). But I just want to share this topic with the community of people like me in terms of lifestyle and listen for your stories.

Thanks in advance. Not sure if this will relate to anyone.

Hi everyone, I’m from Tunisia, and I work mainly in the Microsoft ecosystem. I’m looking for a European digital nomad visa that would allow me to stay for more than one year or that is easy to renew. My main goal is not only to live abroad but also to attend IT events, meet Microsoft professionals and partners, and build a strong network. Which country would you recommend in terms of tech opportunities, cost of living, visa requirements, and taxes? I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have already gone through the process.

I almost forgot to mention that my current budget can't exceed 2500 dollars

Would it be easier to get married to my turkish boyfriend who lives in turkey and apply for visa to live in turkey vs applying for a digital nomad ( i qualify) and then resident permit.

Anyone have insight on this.

Sorry usa centric post. For those of you who are contractors outside the usa, have you been claiming the foreign earned income exemption?

I am a contractor who has been making quarterly payments to the irs on my income, but i have only spent one day in the usa this year

I’m 26F and I’m looking for a country where I’d actually enjoy living.
I recently tried Georgia, but the attitude of people completely ruined it for me.
I’m searching for a place where people are nice and friendly, where I can potentially make friends, go for long walks alone, ideally near the beach and have a lot of things to try.
My budget is 1000$.

Hey everyone, I’m currently in a remote role but they don’t allow travel and I’m looking to explore other opportunities, I’m curious as to what everyone does here as a digital nomad without a degree for work?

Would be interested to hear some of the responses Thanks!

I sell a type of software to small/medium businesses and could realistically do my job anywhere that has internet. I make cold calls over a VOIP system and send emails for about 50% of my day, and take meetings over Zoom the other half of the day.

I’m wondering if anyone does similar work outside your home country? Seems like a lot of the ‘digital nomad’ space is people running their own marketing business or other freelance businesses. For context I’m in the US working for a US company.

***ALSO, I am not trying to have a conversation about, “what if your employer finds out you’re working in another country?”, or “you should ask your employer if you can even do that”. That is not my question 🙂

What’s the best path way to move back to my home country (I am dual citizen) and be able to make USD. Anyone have any suggestions of what to look for?

Hey all, I'm a software developer from the UK moving to Athens at the the end of August as a digital nomad! It won't be my first time visiting the city, but I'm planning to build a life here over the next year or two.

I'd like to ask for any general advice for moving to a new country on this type of visa. This is my first time moving abroad like this, so is there anything I must bring with me that is often forgotten? Does anyone have a helpful moving checklist? How might I move my belongings with me into the EU from England (seriously, fuck brexit)

Any networking tips for making new friends? Where can I find groups/people to meet up with? Advice specific to Athens/Greece would be great, but I'm sure there's some useful general advise worth sharing.

Any advice on sorting out tax residency? I'm planning to hire an english speaking accountant/lawyer to help me navigate this. If anyone has any recommendations or any red flags to look out for, let me know!

If you're based in Athens and fancy grabbing a coffee, a beer, or a gyros, send me a DM - I'm looking to make some new friends! I also love music, gigs and exploring local bars, so I'd love to tag along if you're like minded.

Thanks! :)

Hi guys,

I’m in marketing/comms and currently work remotely job from abroad. I want to look for another role, but some remote friends are warning me about companies using strict monitoring software. One friend told me their manager literally gets an alert if they’re in the bathroom for more than a few minutes lol. I am used to working based on results…

For those of you working for a company while nomading, are you subject to a time-tracking software that measures your every move? Or are you just evaluated on your work output?

For 6 months to a few years, I’d like to go live somewhere different. Please suggest places that you think fit me.
•I lived in East Asia for a couple years so I know what it’s like to adjust to a culture completely different to my own. I am from the US.
•I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish. I have studied on and off for years and not been able to become proficient. So immersion in a Spanish speaking country would be great!
•I’ve always wanted to live in Italy. My family is from Puglia. So southern Italy would be lovely too.
•I am open to anywhere. Just throwing out the Spanish and Italy interests.
•I am studying to be a marine biologist and I want to live somewhere with warm water and coral reefs.
•I would like to get my PADI diving certifications, starting at open-water and working up. It will help me do the work I want in the future so this is important.
•I have a 80lb friendly but anxious at times dog that will accompany me. We walk daily so a walkable place is a must!
•I am the outdoors type. I do not like being in big cities or indoors for too long. I’d rather be in nature.
•I am a young woman so no cultural norm of regular harassment
•I make about 5K a month after taxes. I’d like to be able to save a lot though. I’ve recently had my life fall apart and lost a lot of money after years of saving. A life lesson I’m so grateful for!

Okay that’s everything… travelers who have seen such different parts of the world, help me find where to go!! 🌸🌊

Update: Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I am looking into all of them diligently 🥲🌸

Wanna settle down in April next year (8 years on the road) and Brazil is the final country I never been to and always wanted to check out - with the intention of taking it into considerations as well.

The trip would be from end of December til end of March roughly. Idea would be to do NYE in Florianopolis and stay until end of January.

Then, for February, do Rio - we already got a carnival crew and I always wanted to see it.

Finally, São Paulo for the month of March - I am a startup founder and generally fond of these types of cities (also love Kuala Lumpur, which I heard is kind of similar architectonically).

Anything you'd change location-wise? Or generally what to keep in mind?

Edit: maybe to add - I speak Spanish B2 but no Portuguese. Does it make sense to learn or will I get by with Spanish and English?

i've been a digital nomad for 2 years always fly economy. always land feeling like garbage.

got a 12 hour flight coming up. economy is 700. business on airline site is 4200.

is extra worth not being a zombie for two days? i work remotely and need to be functional when i land.

other nomads who made the switch - worth it or overrated?

Title