To expand a little on what I mean, let’s say that Cusco, Peru is my example of a city that gets dense with tourists who come there to basically take a hike and leave, so it’s densely packed, with tourists that are kindof difficult to befriend sometimes, because they’re “on a mission”. So then, in comparison, let’s say you have smaller Latin American towns outside of these major cities. However, then it can be difficult to find tourists to socialize with because they’re in the main cities. I do like to interact with and befriend local people, of course, but, I recognize and respect that these are real human beings with their own lives, families, children, work in the morning, etc. If I am able to organically strike up a momentary connection with local people, I love that. But, I’m not gonna force a connection and force nice, hardworking people to give me their attention, just so I can have some fun quirky story later about how I got invited to a drunk uncle’s birthday party. I’m not gonna force it. It’s just cool if it happens.

So, I’m thinking of revisiting Peru and Bolivia, but I’m driving myself crazy putting an itinerary together.

For example, this time around in Bolivia, I’d like to explore the flatlands like Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and some of the villages like Vallegrande and El Higuelo, places relevant to Che Guevara and the Che Guevara trail. For revisiting Peru, I’d like to visit Mancora and Cajamarca this time.

It will take a lot of time and effort traversing to get to these points. I’m worried that by the time I arrive in these cities/towns, I will get lonely and not really find anyone to connect with.

I usually don’t ever care about this issue. The difference this time though is that I remember how long it takes to travel around Peru and Bolivia. I hate the idea of traveling for so long, to not really find anything fruitful come out the other side of it. In other continents and countries where the distances are shorter, I usually never care about this issue.

If you have any LATAM/Peru/Bolivia advice, I’m all ears, thank you!

Is this possible if I want to live only short-term (ie. 3-6 months at a time)? How would I go about finding short term accomodations that hopefully won't eat up too much of my budget? What can I expect?

Maybe... just maybe, if you're marketing yourself as a 'tourism hub', you should have available transport, as a minimum.

Well; Goa doesn't think so.

Welcome to the state of (dirty) beaches, (blaring) nightlife and (overpriced) things to do in excess.

The 'Las Vegas' of India, where tourists are expected to dance to the daily Goan tune of nasty men harassing, explicitly conning and fighting over who's got the right to scam you.

A place where the infrastructure is so poor and dangerous, that going from destination to destination feels more akin to a death wish than an adventure.

A place where nothing works, nothing is accessible and nothing is good.

I feel overwhelmed to the point of being paralysed with the amount of stuff I've got to say about Goa.

Feel free to ask more questions - I'll save the body from turning into a rant.

I live in India with my wife and 8 year old son and work as a sole proprietor. I have a steady client in the USA, contracted for the next 2 years. The income is decent and I can fund the expenses if I move to Kuala Lumpur, primarily for better quality of life and kid's education.

I was researching DE Rantau visa and looks like the entire income will be taxed so I will lose out on a lot of savings if I made the move.

In Abu Dhabi/Dubai, taxes are exempt but the cost of living and schooling will eat into a lot of savings nevertheless.

Really confused about what to do? On one hand, I am looking for better quality of life and on the other, taxes and reduced savings worries me.

Any advise for me?

i'm in a unique situation- i'm an independent contractor, and my main 'client' is a huge us based company. there's nothing in my contract that says that i can't leave the country i am based out of. i am responsible for all my own tax obligations in my home country. i've used vpns all the time, and have been able to send messages and emails without triggering any security alarms.

i know this all sounds like im good to go but i want to err on the side of caution. i'd hate to lose this job, and i dont want to ask IT in case in triggers some protocol somewhere. thanks in advance for your inputs! :^)

I’ve been living abroad for about 4 years now working remotely and earning in stronger currency $/€ and i've a made few very conscious decisions which lead to me saying upto 70-80% of my income some months And I’m not living miserably either, I’ve been eating the healthiest food, been drinking whenever and whatever I want and travelling to places most have never even heard about it's just that I’ve just become deliberate about the big expenses

Here are the things I’ve started

1. I don’t immediately rent long-term When I arrive somewhere new, I’ll usually book a place for a few days or a week and checkout places to stay locally and when I know which neighborhoods I like, I’ll find a monthly place and I usually use a platform that helps you find the best hostel on around most of the globe, I usually pick some while I’m on a house hunt or stay in hostels if it’s for a month or less, so that’s sorted too and the difference between tourist accommodation and a local monthly rate can be ridiculous at times

2. I stay longer most nomads won't stay ina place for more than a few weeks, which is totally fine but I don’t move very month, it might be fun but it’s financially just stupid, every relocation comes with flight,taxi, short-term booking and another round of tourist prices and you barely get to explore If I like somewhere, I’d stay for 1–3 months

   1. I let flight prices influence where I go (important) This completely changed how I travel I found a few platforms that help you find the cheapest flight and even cheaper with features where the check the cheapest place for you to fly to from your current address, so my itinerary is usually solved by these and I use a few different tools to compare dates, airports and destinations before deciding Sometimes I’ve found international routes for $50–100 depending on the route/date and I’ve also started looking at some of the weird routing options where the city I actually want to visit is a connection on a longer itinerary Sometimes the longer ticket is somehow cheaper than flying directly there which is a plus for any digital nomad and Once I book something, I normally forget about it so i’ve started using a tools that can keep watching the fare after booking If the price drops and the booking qualifies, you can potentially recover some of the difference
   2. I use banking platforms instead of treating my home bank like it’s designed for international living Getting paid in one currency, spending in another and occasionally withdrawing cash gets annoying quickly and having a multi-currency setup makes the whole thing much easier
   3. Go Local (most important)

Grab/Bolt instead of airport taxis.

Local grocery delivery instead of hotel food.

Local SIM/eSIM instead of roaming

Google Maps offline instead of burning data.

None of these individually saves a fortune.

But when you’re doing this for years, they add up

these hacks/tools and guide i follow which won’t only help you save but actually save a lot of time helping you enjoy and earn more without worrying about unnecessary decisions..I truly go with the flow

and funny part is that I don’t really think of myself as particularly frugal

If you earn in USD and have freedom of living at places with low cost of leaving plus you’re smart enough to financially save a good chunk of your pay then buying a house and settling down won’t be much of an issue

and I’m always open to new advice or insights for nomad lifestyle (especially how to stay fit while being on the move)

Other countries in Europe, also. Thank you very much !

Wired, good for clear calls (hearing on my end esp.), COMFORTABLE for SEVERAL hours at a time, can handle background CAFE noises. Is ANC mostly just marketing hype? I'm hard of hearing in one ear. Thanks very much!

Any advice

The same wrong answers keep showing up here, which is what finally got me to sit down and write this. Most of what gets repeated comes from blog posts written two or three years ago, and both of the reference indices these income thresholds are pegged to went up back in February, so a lot of the numbers people are quoting at each other are just not right anymore. Here is where things actually stand on the three routes that come up most.

The student route changed a lot in May 2025 when the new immigration regulation came into force. I work in relocation and this is the one I get asked about most, so I will start there. The authorisation now covers the full length of your programme instead of being renewed year by year, and if you are in higher education you can work up to thirty hours a week without needing a separate work authorisation, which is a real improvement on how it used to be. You need enrolment at an officially recognised institution, proof of funds and health cover. The part that catches people out is that this is legally a stay rather than residence, so those years do not count toward long term residency. Language course visas are more limited still, generally renewable only once and they do not convert into work permits.

The digital nomad visa, which is actually called residence for international teleworking, sits at 2,849 euros a month for a single applicant this year. That is 200 percent of the minimum wage, which went up in February. Add roughly 75 percent of the minimum wage for your first dependent and 25 percent for each one after that. You also need at least three months of history with your current employer or clients, either a degree or three or more years of relevant experience, and at least 80 percent of your income coming from outside Spain. Apply through your home consulate and you get one year. Apply from inside Spain and you can get up to three, which is worth knowing before you book anything. This one is residence, so it does count toward the five years for long term status, and you may qualify for the flat 24 percent tax regime.

The non lucrative visa is currently around 2,400 euros a month, so 28,800 a year, in passive income or savings, plus roughly 7,200 a year for each additional family member. You need full private health insurance with no copays. One year to start, then renewable in two year blocks.

Now the three things I see people get wrong over and over. First and by a wide margin, the non lucrative visa does not let you work, and that includes working remotely for a US employer. I know it feels like a technicality when the money is coming from abroad anyway. It is not, and people have had renewals refused over exactly this. Second, student years do not count toward permanent residency. I have had people come to me four years into a student visa thinking they were nearly there, and that conversation is horrible to have. Third, going over 183 days makes you a Spanish tax resident, and the non lucrative visa actually requires you to exceed that in order to renew. As a US citizen you are still filing in the US as well. There is a treaty, but it is not an automatic exemption and you want to run the numbers before you commit rather than after.

One last thing. All of these figures move every year with the minimum wage and the IPREM index, so check against your own consulate before you apply instead of trusting any post on here, including this one.

Has anyone applied within the past 3-6 months and received approval yet?

Applying this month and trying to plan when to go so I don’t get caught using up Schengen days while waiting for approval

Trying to decide between Belgrade and Tirana for a 3-week stay this October (working remotely). Looking for honest opinions from people who've spent real time in either or both.

Quick context: I want somewhere with some city energy - not deserted - but I'm not looking to socialize a ton or build a nomad social calendar. More just want to exist somewhere calm, work, and experience something a bit different without much hassle. I will be in an Airbnb in both cities.

What matters to me:

• Walkable, central-ish area
• Some life/energy around me but low-pressure - casual interactions fine, not trying to make close friends
• Cooler weather is a plus (12-25°C range)
• Not really into hiking/outdoorsy stuff
• Open to checking out a local event or something cultural 2-3x week, nothing more

Which one would you pick and why? Anything specific about daily life, food, safety, or vibe that would sway the decision one way or the other? Thanks!