I decided that I would write honestly about the digital nomad lifestyle.

And the truth also includes things that don’t always shine.

In this post, I write about the difficulties associated with the phone and the internet.

Real SIM card

I brought with me Yettel’s excellent card (formerly Pannon GSM, then Telenor).

And the suffering that this tech company offers in 2026.

First of all, I bought a dual SIM phone from them (more precisely, I accepted it as a gift in exchange for my loyalty). Which, after receiving it, turned out to be able to handle a real SIM card and an eSIM, but not at the same time.

Joint responsibility, but I was cut off with this phone. If I look back more closely, I wouldn’t have chosen this, but now this is what I have, I cook with it.

It is extremely inconvenient that if I very rarely want to receive an SMS, I have to change the device.

In addition, this company is at the forefront of making my digital nomad life difficult. In the system that was forced on me two months ago, I can no longer handle matters on their website, only in the application. Where I couldn’t even log in at first. I wrote a complaint to them (from Asia), asking why they allow the Digital Citizen application to be used in the system if it doesn’t work properly. Because I couldn’t log in to the application with it.

The other two methods would have been a telephone consultation (forget it, I would spend my pants on it), or personal administration. From Asia? Excellent.

So, I asked them why they launched the system without serious testing. I specifically asked them to give a substantive answer in their response and not suggest a telephone or customer service solution. Of course, they didn’t answer my question in their response, but they suggested that I call them or stop by.

For some reason, they’ve only let me log into the app once a month by sending an SMS. There’s no “I prefer to identify myself by email” or other method.

I’d say I don’t understand why this is, but I think I understand it exactly.

On my trip, I met several people who suggested that I buy a local SIM card in each country. I’m slowly leaning towards that.

But because of the lame phone, I think I’d have to activate my spare phone that hasn’t been turned on in a year.

I see a lot of travelers traveling with two phones. The above reason might be behind it for them too.

In summary: in 2026, we’re still at a point where I have to fight physical SIM cards and phone companies.

It’s not a happy feeling. I swear, I get a chill every month when I have to pay my bill, because it’s a 5-minute stunt at the top of technology.

What if I dig myself out?

The following story happened to me in Hanoi.

On a given day, I wanted to pay three Hungarian bills. This used to be a simple task every month. In Hungary.

Here, after 30 minutes of gymnastics, I gave up the fight. The next day, I took some strong Westerns, drank half a liter of vodka with it, and felt ready. I’ll just have to do it the second time. (Of course, I haven’t taken any sedatives or drunk vodka in years, I just wanted to illustrate my determination.)

Several people have asked me what a VPN is. It means many things, but in most cases I use it to make the website I’m visiting feel like I’m visiting it from Hungary. That is, I log into a Hungarian network and use the internet from there.

Why?

Because there are sites that are simply inaccessible from here. I turned on the VPN. This finally makes Yettel think I’m sitting in Hungary. But the gas company thinks I’m a robot.

Then I have to turn off my eSIM because of Yettel, but then I have to turn it back on because of mobile internet.

On the second day, I was able to pay the three bills in 20 minutes. It’s true that I turned everything off and on. But in the end, I managed.

I worked for another hour or two, then I went to eat.

I was listening to a song that wasn’t downloaded to my phone. As I was walking out the door, I even thought that I’d listen to it online now. I do this sometimes, it’s really not a problem. Listening to music doesn’t use much internet via Spotify. My eSIM budget can handle it.

Before lunch, I took a kilometre walk. Those 1,000 metres were enough for my phone to beep. I thought I was going to throw up when I saw that Yettel was texting. I immediately realized that I forgot to switch back to the eSIM and the innocent music listening went through the physical one.

I really enjoyed that morning, especially that walk. I listened to that song about five times. I don’t remember what it was, although it could have been memorable forever with the Yettel.

In retrospect, it turned out that listening to music really doesn’t consume much. I used a total of 8 MB of data for this. Just to be clear, this is the size of 1 or 2 photos, depending on the phone settings.

And what makes the event memorable is that I paid 20,000 HUF (65 USD) for this little touch on my side.

Lesson learned: never, ever use a Hungarian card.

I’m even thinking about canceling this phone number.

And next time I’ll try not to bury myself with my own stupidity.

eSIM card

Since I’ve been living a digital nomad life, I’ve seen a lot of advertisements about eSIMs.

The saying goes that you can have internet everywhere in every country in the world if you choose us.

I have reservations about this based on my experience.

I started using a service called JetPac back in August of last year.

I was actually satisfied with this provider. It’s easy to choose which country I want to use it in. There you can quickly choose from the packages. I usually choose the 3 GB/30 day package. This means that I can use 3 GB of data within 30 days. If the limit runs out during that time, or there is still a limit but the 30 days are up, the package stops working.

I always ran out of my limit before the 30 days, but based on my experience, I can say that 3 GB is more than enough for 3-3.5 weeks. Of course, I use wifi everywhere I can.

Only my own inattention caused surprises. Of course, at the worst moments. If I don’t pay attention to the package and it runs out, I can only buy a new one with working internet. It happened two or three times that the package ran out “on the go”.

Once, for example, in Thailand at the bus station yard, I couldn’t make myself understood by the cashier. Another time in the middle of Bali, when after an hour of random motorbike riding I could barely find my way home without a map. But I was also at the airport without internet, while applying for a visa.

Every problem can be solved. But in today’s world – in certain situations – being without internet for me is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. In the first moments, it’s shocking, and then I just fall.

So, the eSIM works everywhere. Yes, yes! Except where it doesn’t.

When I arrived in Ninh-Binh, this card simply stopped. The card settings don’t allow for many options. I tried everything I could, and I managed to breathe life into the system for a few hours, but then I lived without my own mobile network for 3 weeks. It wasn’t a problem, because my boyfriend and I went everywhere, and he was able to give me access.

Before I went to China, I changed providers. I chose a company called Saily. And in the last few days, I finally had my own network.

But this card didn’t work in China. As I wrote earlier, I spent half an hour practicing with the AI, and then another half an hour with the help of the company’s customer service. That’s how my own network finally worked in China.

Then came the time for Google not working, VPN not always good, and other horror stories that I wrote about in connection with China.

Summary

Everything always works. Except when it doesn’t.

Every problem can always be solved. The question is with how much effort, patience and suffering.

I think I handle these problems relatively easily. I’m not saying I don’t sweat sometimes.

But even now, the only thing that comes to mind is what I’ve already mentioned several times.

This may not be for everyone.

The post 302. | The Internet and its companions first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I will show you how to walk the physical path differently from a new perspective.

Before that, I will write about the everyday issues that arise during the traveling lifestyle.

This information may come in handy.

Especially if you happen to be a digital nomad.

Decisions, decisions!

When it comes to the digital nomad lifestyle, the word “freedom” is the one that comes up most often in the reflections I receive.

This kind of life has truly brought me freedom.

But freedom – like everything else – is not just black and white.

While writing this sentence, I realized that the expression I often use carries exactly the same meaning. I usually say that everything has a price.

This topic has been discussed several times with fellow travelers – with whom we share our time, energy, and the experience of being on the road for a shorter or longer period of time.

After a while, most people feel tired. I can’t speak for myself (yet) because I don’t feel it (yet).

These conversations are primarily not about physical fatigue, but rather a kind of mental exhaustion. And it appears especially in those who have been on the road for a long time (many months, many years).

On this road, there are a lot of decisions to be made. That in itself is perhaps not more burdensome than usual, since even in so-called “traditional” life situations, we make a lot of daily, medium- and short-term decisions.

What makes the decisions of those on the road have a different weight, in my opinion, is that here essential issues have to be resolved on a daily basis.

Where will I sleep today?

Where will I sleep tomorrow? If I want to go, I have to pack, move, agree on the next place to stay, unpack, and only then can I pack. If I don’t want to go, I have to extend my current accommodation.

So a person has no permanent home. There is no such thing as not having to decide on the question, because the origin is missing. I definitely have to decide where to go next.

If I miss the answer even once, whether I will extend my stay in a given place or move on, the end will be that I will be evicted from that place and have to sleep on the street.

And the question of where I will sleep today is not only about deciding on accommodation. Often, you have to make a decision about where to go next. Then, most of us have to decide which country to go to when we travel, because visas only allow a limited stay everywhere.

Accommodation, city, country.

Either one can be constant during the journey, but then the journey slows down or stops. In this sense, looking at the process of travel, a constant amount of work to be done is the price of the existence of free will and free decision-making.

Where and what do I eat?

In the places I’ve seen so far, the question has never been whether there’s anything to eat or drink. It’s not always guaranteed that the quality of the food is always good, or whether what I want to eat at that moment is available. It’s more of an interesting question of what price they offer it for. In many cases, you can draw a very nice map of which street the tourists go to. Up there, the prices are higher, and from there, the prices are local.

But for example, the quality of the place is not guaranteed either. Here too, there are average quality restaurants, but more often there are below average ones. I don’t write this as a judgment or with bad intentions. But I’ve had an experience where, when I got to the back of a nicely decorated, average-looking restaurant that opened onto the street, the stench greeted me. I decided then and there that if they could serve fried rice, I’d eat there, but I’d feel like I was sitting in a toilet the whole time.

I don’t know how I felt in the end. I was glad there was no fried rice, so I didn’t eat there. Or maybe I was sad that I missed out on that experience.

On this trip, there are rarely any kitchens. Even more rarely, there are refrigerators. So we are quite often left with questions like where is the nearest shop? What is available there? Where is the nearest restaurant with a good price? If I buy something, where do I put it in my room?

The last question might make you smile. But in reality, it’s not always fun, or it takes a lot of imagination to make it fun. For example, if the area is full of insects, it doesn’t matter whether they have access to the food hidden in my bag or not. In Pai, the rat that visited my room gnawed at two of my soaps. In the jungle, everything that was edible had to be put in a big box, even though we slept 32 meters above the ground.

I don’t think I need to write about the lack of a refrigerator as a source of problems.

And when I wrote that it’s also a question of what’s available in the store, I wasn’t talking about being picky. But I was talking about the fact that the offer of the stores is very limited. A 7-11, for example, is considered a good store here too. But there are hardly any fruits and vegetables. What is there is expensive. There are a lot of preserved and fast food, chips and sweets available, but there is not really any fresh food.

Then there are the rows of street shops. Lots of small garages, with the same offer. Sugary drinks, preserved foods, beer, cigarettes. Everything you need for everyday fast life.

For these reasons, research work is usually preceded by finding a place that sells fruit, for example.

So perhaps it’s understandable why I say that the question of where and what to eat also requires continuous decision-making.

What should I do with my time?

The question may sound strange, but in this environment – at least for me – it is a very serious question.

Excellent company of people. Entertainment opportunities. Beautiful nature around the settlements. Dozens of organized activities in the more frequented places. The possibility of finding your own way everywhere. Exciting streets, new shops. Daytime hustle and bustle, or discovering the nightlife.

Constant movement creates constant temptation.

If I am only in each place for 1-2 weeks, then there are so many attractions around me that I have to spent every(!) time f mine to see everything.

Then I can go to the next place for 1-2 weeks, and there is still a lot waiting for me there.

But I work as a digital nomad. So my time is severely limited.

Most people on the road I have met travel on a small or even smaller budget. I include myself. So my financial possibilities must also be taken into account in every decision.

Nevertheless, I also have to decide – almost – on a daily basis what my next program is. It almost doesn’t matter here that instead of working tomorrow I go on a boat trip and instead of tomorrow I work on Saturday.

But I still have to make the decision, and I do it quickly and often. Moreover, the majority of decisions are cancellations, because I have to decide which of the many options I won’t use.

There is no reason to regret!

Before anyone starts regretting! The conclusion of this “many decisions, many energies” cycle of thought is not how difficult my fate is, how much a person on the road suffers.

I just wanted to show that as a person on the road, I have to work for my freedom.

Everything has a price.

What an interesting paradox this has become. I achieve freedom by constantly working for it. LOL.

Random destination selection

There are certainly many ways to determine our own direction.

Several of these seem very exciting to me and I would definitely like to try them in the future.

One is the bottle spinning method. All you need is an intersection, a flat surface and an empty bottle. The bottle that is spun will definitely stop at some point and show you the direction.

As an IT professional, I can also imagine using a random number generator to determine the direction, another shot to determine the distance within, say, 700 km, and then asking the AI ​​to tell me where to go with these two parameters.

I don’t think I was surprised. When I wrote the previous lines, I immediately performed this experiment.

Northwest, 583 km. Within moments, it turned out that using this method, my next destination would be Mosha Town (Moshazhen), China.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. It’s really about 583 km as the crow flies. But it’s 1,100 km by road. There are even closer settlements in China, so I probably won’t be playing this game right away.

I have two weeks to decide.

Then there’s another method – one that resonates very strongly with me.

I simply give my phone to a stranger on the street. I ask them to mark a point on the open map. And I go and live where they point. Of course, I adjust the map zoom according to how much money I have in my wallet. LOL.

I love synchronicities like the ones that happen when I’m writing this post.

I was looking through my AI music playlist to see what song I should listen to next. I stumbled upon Madonna’s hit La Isla Bonita. I also know exactly because I heard it when entering and leaving Cat Ba National Park. This beautiful song found me in a special mood at that time.

So I started it.

I have known this song for almost 40 years. It enchanted me even when I didn’t understand a word of what Madonna was singing about. I have understood it for many years now.

Listening to the lyrics, of course these lines started echoing in my head:

Last night I dreamt of San Pedro
Just like I’d never gone, I knew the song
A young girl with eyes like the desert
It all seems like yesterday, not far away

Tropical the island breeze
All of nature wild and free
This is where I long to be
La isla bonita

These lines flooded my soul with waves of pleasure.

These waves had their time now. I am a week away from my beautiful island. And almost 40 years away from that young guy who didn’t understand, just felt this song.

Today – in these moments – I understand and feel it. After 40 years, this song has found its rightful place in me, where its rightful place has always been.

La Isla Bonita.

I have arrived.

This could be one of the ways I choose a direction. A song. An old feeling that is being reshaped by my current life and life experiences.

As I quietly observe myself now, the songs come one after another: Paradise City, Wherever I May Roam, Northwest Passage, Far Beyond The Sun, A Passage to Bangkok…

I love synchronicities like the ones that happen when I write this post. Or have I already mentioned that?

I haven’t even written a word about what I was planning to write this post about.

I wanted to get back to the original topic, but I started listening to Rush’s song: A Passage to Bangkok. And I saw in the description that “”A Passage to Bangkok” is the second song on Rush’s album 2112, released in 1976.”

I had a hunch and asked the AI: On what dates was this album released in different parts of the world?

The answer is: “March 10, 1976 – several fan and archival sources consider this to be the Canadian release date.”

Three days before I was born.

How do I do it?

Returning to the present and leaving the random choice to the mercy of the future for now, I will tell you how I have chosen so far. And what opportunities I am counting on now, in the search for a new destination.

I wrote about choosing Thailand and Koh Samui at the time. Asia called me. Within that, Thailand seemed like an exciting starting point. I wanted to give it time to decide that it should really be Thailand, but I quickly felt that this was an intuitive choice, so it was not worth thinking too much about whether it should be the first or not.

And Koh Samui appeared as a destination by selecting from the names of the better-known settlements those that are on the coast or on an island. In the end, for practical reasons – quickly – I decided where my new journey would begin.

From there, Indonesia, Thailand again, Laos, Vietnam followed based on recommendations and practical choices.

When it was clear after Wat Pa Tam Wua that Laos would be next, I started moving within the country in a way that would get me closer to the border. I had already covered a fairly easy-to-follow route from west to east within Laos.

Here, in Vietnam, I started the kind of journey where I started to put less and less emphasis on where I was going, because any place would be suitable.

But up until now, all my decisions had started with determining the next place. From then on, the only question was how to travel. In most cases, I didn’t have much choice. Train, bus, sometimes plane were the possible options. But typically only one option was always available.

However, this often means time-consuming movement in this part of the world. 20+ hour bus trips are neither comfortable – and I have to admit – nor fun.

On the advice of a friend, I thought about another method for choosing a destination.

It’s clear that I’m currently a slow traveler. My goal is not to list a dozen or two towns on my map. I do not intend to see every available attraction that is available around me.

My focus is more on feeling good where I am. It is not a problem if the list of attractions is exhausted after a visit or two. In fact, it is not a problem if there is nothing to see at all.

I have emphasized several times that the place is unimportant. The journey is endless, time does not burden me.

So I really have the freedom to go where I want, or even to places that I do not even know exist.

This, in turn, creates an opportunity to reverse the order of my search.

From now on, I will use the method of seeing where I can travel cheaply from where I currently live – or from near it. So, first, I will look for the cheapest trip. And that will determine the destination.

It is as simple as that.

This way I can keep track of certain directions, and that’s more than enough.

For example, right now my only direction is to be in Singapore in mid-August.

Until then, I’ll travel freely and easily from city to city, and to at least one other country.

Honestly, I can’t wait to spend the next few days figuring out where I’m going from this wonderful place I’m in.

In the next post, I’ll introduce this place, and maybe I’ll be able to mention where I’m going and how I found this place.

The post 280. | A change in the method of travel first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

By now I have come to realize that this is generally the most comfortable way to work in my digital nomad life.

My last few days in a coffee shop on the island were so pleasant that I thought I would write about my experiences.

Let’s have a good egg coffee together!

The rules of the game

In Bali, I had to work in a coffee shop because it would have been very uncomfortable in my room.

I was lucky. There was a great little shop not far from me.

Since I had no experience in how this thing works, I simply went into the place and asked if I could work here with my laptop.

Of course, the answer came, but they asked me to eat something at the same time. I immediately fulfilled this request by ordering a coffee. I also had the idea that if I ordered something, I had the right to sit down and take out my laptop.

I would have been more curious about something like how long a coffee would last. Of course, I somehow felt that no one would ever say that. Just like no one had ever said that in the past months.

Nowadays, I don’t start the relationship with a question, but by presenting my needs. I tell them that I’m looking for a place where I can have a good coffee and where I can work. And the answer is always that I’m at the right place.

After that, I ask if there’s wifi and how to connect to it. If I’m able to connect, I order my first coffee at that place.

This is obviously a safety game on my part. If even one of my three wishes is missing, the place isn’t for me. So far, I’ve never been to a place where I had to leave. But if it ever happens, I don’t think my leaving would be a problem for either party.

Today, I don’t worry about how long I can stay there and how much I have to consume. I sit down and start working. When I get thirsty, I order something else. I try to be fair to the place. I don’t want to abuse hospitality, so I don’t order the cheapest coffee and sit in a given place for six hours. I try to make sure that the equation of eating something every two hours works out.

On the other hand, I don’t care at all whether there is a limit to the time spent there. My opinion on this question is that if they ever limit my time in one place, they will say so. And then they will clarify the rules of the game that I have developed.

Honestly – based on my experience so far – I don’t expect this anywhere.

Choosing the environment

Nowadays, I consciously look for the right places. I use the plural because if I stay in a given place for a longer period of time, I like to enjoy the hospitality of several places.

I always look at the coffee shop from the outside. How many tables are there, how many people are sitting at them. This is important! If there are few tables and the space is small, and I see that people are sitting everywhere, then I don’t go in. Here, there is a greater chance that I will disturb the business with my presence.

If what I see is worth going in, then further investigations can come. If these do not bring satisfactory results, then I say goodbye immediately and move on.

The shape and size of the tables are also important. If possible, I would not sit at a small round table. If the table is at least big enough to fit my laptop and my two hands on both sides, then the size is good. It is also not the best choice if there are only tables for 4-6 people. In my opinion, it is unethical for me to take up the space of 4-6 paying guests by myself. That is why I like tables for two.

It is very important that there is a socket near the table where I can plug in my laptop adapter without obstructing traffic. If possible, I avoid someone balancing two coffees in their hands and pulling my computer off the table because they did not see the cable in the way.

The height of the tables is also important. Normal smoking tables are unsuitable for working for hours at a time. Sitting hunched forward is tiring. If I can sit in front of a traditional chair, then we are fine.

It also does not matter what I sit on. Comfortable, deep armchairs are good for relaxing while drinking coffee, but they do not allow me to work for long periods of time. If there is a chair in front of the table, that is a good sign. I do not care about the quality and comfort of the chair. It doesn’t matter if it has a cushion on it, or if it has a full back, or maybe just a metal frame. But it is important that it has a back.

It often happens that on one side of the tables you can sit not on chairs, but on benches fixed to the wall. That can be good too, but here I definitely have to check if the tables are not fixed to the floor. It may not be a problem if they are screwed down. But if the distance between the bench and the table is not right, then I can’t support my back.

Air conditioning is also important in Southeast Asia. For example, I am in Vietnam, in the city of Ninh Binh. It is very hot here in May. For example, here in the last few days I have not found an air-conditioned cafe. I found one with fans to cool the air, but that is not the real solution here. It is better than nothing, but if I don’t sweat as much as a horse, at least as much as a donkey.

The problem with this is not only that it feels uncomfortable, but that after a while there is a puddle of water under my arms, and for example my fingers often have to be wiped to avoid soaking the keyboard.

If there is air conditioning, then where it is can also be an important consideration. There have been times when I didn’t pay attention to this and had to realize that sitting in the air of an industrial cooling system is only as pleasant as wearing a hat and scarf in the hot sun.

In this part of the world, it is also important to have a napkin nearby. I usually ask for cold drinks. These are brought out with ice. In the best case, they are placed in front of me on a small plate or tray, but not infrequently they are simply placed on the table.

Drinks quickly start to sweat due to the heat. That is, after a while a small puddle forms under them. According to the dream book, it is not healthy to collect water near electrical appliances. The other practical problem with this water is that when I lift the glass to drink, it drips. It’s not good if the table is sloshing under the mouse, and it’s especially worrying if these fat drops fall on my laptop.

The only good solution is to put a napkin under the glass, because this immediately soaks up the collected water. And many times I have to change this napkin under the glass, or wipe the glass before I pick it up.

The rest will be revealed as you go!

The choice of drinks – perhaps noticeable after the above “circumstances” – is no longer important to me at all.

If it’s black, it’s fine for me! I drink iced American coffee most of the time, which can be good or bad in the evaluation system of consumers with sophisticated tastes, it doesn’t matter to me.

Coffee always tastes good to me, simply because the taste is not important.

However, this is only a theoretical approach, because in most places the drinks are really very delicious. And the choice is wide. A bunch of fresh juices, smoothies, soft drinks and more than delicious coffees form the basis of the “what should I drink today” game.

The price is of course still important, but this is usually easy to check when entering the store. And I rarely stumble upon places where prices are very different from the average.

My current laptop has a very good battery, I can work for several hours without a power outlet. In most cases, I keep charging my phone because I never know if I’ll have the opportunity to do so in the next place.

For the first time, in Vietnam, I experienced that the power outlets are not good everywhere. In one of my two favorite cafes on Cat Ba Island, there were three tables with power outlets next to them. But at two of them, you simply couldn’t plug the plug into the outlet.

If I could only sit at one such table, I always had to watch when the third table became empty. And then I could move everything over there. From coffee to adapters. No problem, but if possible, I avoid this moving while working.

The wifi has been good everywhere so far. I don’t make a big deal about it. If by chance it wasn’t good, I would drink what I ordered. Without any rush. Until then, I would work with what I had. But I wouldn’t order a second drink. And I wouldn’t go to that place again.

It doesn’t matter to me how loud or quiet the places are, whether there’s music playing or not, because I almost always work listening to my own music, with headphones on.

Another important aspect is whether there is a bathroom in the given café and how far it is from my table.

In Laos – I wrote this at the time – I had to ask someone several times to look after my things while I make the 4-minute round trip to the toilet. This trust game is good, but it is risky. If I happen to ask a person who wants to abuse the fact that he knows exactly how long I will be away from my table, then I could be seriously disappointed.

It is good if the bathroom is close and within sight of my table. Then I can look back before closing the door to see if everything is okay. Or, when I am done, but before washing my hands, I can open the door to keep an eye on the surroundings.

I trust people, so far there have been no problems, but if possible, I don’t want to give fate a chance to show me how the world of random numbers works. This would definitely be exciting material for a blog post, if I happen to have anything left to write about.

I only have pleasant experiences

For some reason, fate wanted me to be able to write this post without anything unpleasant happening to me.

My coffee shop memory is full of pleasant experiences, though.

The experiences hit me right at the beginning in Bali. The second or third time I entered, they greeted me like an acquaintance. We often took turns chatting. They asked questions, I told them. If I had a problem or needed help, they always helped. We worked together based on mutual respect. There was a time when we were both worried that one of the sockets at the table where I was sitting the day before had almost caught fire. The sudden rain that soaked it didn’t do it any good.

Returning to Thailand, I lived in two apartments in Chiang Mai and Pai where I could work very well, so the next coffee shop period came in Laos. But even then, only in the capital.

I first lived in a shared accommodation in Vientiane. There was a dining area with lots of tables, with power outlets and no drinking facilities, but there were only two fans in the semi-open space. This meant that the tsunami of sweat only subsided a little around 11pm.

There was also a very nice little café nearby. But here I started going to Starbucks and Café Amazon more. These standard cafés are the places with the least surprises due to the franchise system.

Here there are benches and tables fixed to the ground, but each table has two power outlets fixed to the bottom of the benches. But here, for example, I experienced the cold shock caused by the air conditioning.

I have been to many other franchise stores. Like the bigger names, they work on a consistent standard and are very reliable.

The service in these places is always super attentive and kind, but the price of this is impersonality. The little micro connections don’t develop here. That’s not a problem at all. But if I have to choose, I prefer those places where I feel like I’ve come home a little every day.

Cat Ba and my two favorite places

My favorite coffee shop experiences so far are connected to my beloved Vietnamese island.

One of the places was Catba Speciality Cafe. There were three tables with a working outlet.

An employee who spoke very good English ran the shop. For the second time, he greeted me with “it’s good to see you again!” After two weeks, he said goodbye to me, saying that he knew that tomorrow would be my last time and that he was so sorry that he would have a day off and wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to me tomorrow.

He was very nice to everyone all day. I feel like he treated me a little differently because during the two weeks I spent in that city, I spent several hours there almost every day. Every day, he helped me choose the special of the day because he always knew exactly what would be served with the iced American coffee.

He explained the special Vietnamese egg coffee in detail and how to drink it. He also recommended traditional Vietnamese coffee. This was very interesting. They put the filter on a glass with the coffee in it. They pour boiling water into this filter, which then flows slowly and beautifully through the coffee in about 5 minutes.

But he also introduced me to salty coffee. I always sincerely praised these specialties and thanked him gratefully.

On one of these occasions, he said that I could give the place a good review on Google. Well! I immediately took a bunch of photos, a few videos and wrote a short story about how much I love this place. A short text review is worth 5-6 points on Google. I was happy to show him that I had written a 185-point review in 5 minutes.

The next day I drank the aforementioned traditional Vietnamese coffee along with my usual iced coffee. I don’t know if it was because of the review, but I was a guest in the house that day.

I do Google Local Guides just for fun. I’ve never received anything for what I do there. This was the first time in my life that a blind person rewarded my work.

I really enjoyed the coffee and the attention.

Then there was another occasion when I received a lychee drink as a gift, but I wrote about that in my previous post.

After a couple of days, the entire staff greeted me with a smile and spoke to me. I don’t think it was just because I was the only one who always took my glasses back to the counter. I also brought in what others had left there from the terrace several times. I loved being there and felt that they loved me too.

My other favorite place was Tit Mit Coffee.

This was also a very modernly decorated, pleasant little cafe. There were only 4 tables for four people inside, but when I looked, I saw that it also had an upper level.

A young man was the owner of the place. He also spoke excellent English, so we had a really good conversation on my first visit. In addition, about 300 books awaited visitors on the two levels. The bookshelves looked very nice. Almost all the books were in English, as he said he had read most of them.

I worked upstairs – except for one occasion. There was only one table for 8-10 people, but it was paradise. On one side, there were a few board games, several Jenga towers and several sets of chess waiting for the playful guests.

I also drank all kinds of delicious drinks at his place.

Somehow the issue of Google reviews came up there too. Yes, I remember. After a few days, I noticed a big box of key chains. There were all kinds of cute little figures in it. I asked why it was there.

He said that anyone who wrote a review about the cafe could choose one from the box or request a one-time 5% discount.

I told him that I would have written a review about it anyway, but then I would do it now. And I don’t need either the 5% or the key chain. But he hit on the idea that made me think a little about accepting the key chain. He asked me why I didn’t take one? He’s sure I’d find a little kid who would love it.

How right he was!

He also knew when I was leaving. But for some reason we didn’t meet on my last day. However, he wrote a message the next day. He thanked me for spending so much time with him and said how happy he was to have met me.

We exchanged a few messages over the past few days. It’s so respectful how the people here treat each other. Yesterday I wrote to him that I think Vietnam is the most wonderful country I’ve ever seen as far. He replied that it was a great honor for him and his country…

I left both places with the ease of “see you next time!” But I will cherish their memories, I’m sure.

A sunflower seed

Since it belongs to this post, I will tell you the story of my sunflower seed here as a conclusion.

A few days ago I lived among the wonders of Ninh Binh.

It was our second evening in the main square of the city, watching a performance by local dance groups among the locals.

Suddenly, a beautiful little girl with an angelic face stood in front of us. Without a word, a little shyly, she gave us each a roasted sunflower seed and a piece of potato chips.

I was so touched by this kindness and childlike elegance that I immediately remembered my keychain. I was very sorry that I didn’t have it with me.

I simply couldn’t stop thinking that this was a perfect moment. I only had 4.6 seconds to think about what I wanted to do.

I quickly went back to the accommodation, which is fortunately only 600 meters from the main square. I went into the room, which has 10 beds. I fought the demon of “how to open a combination lock without glasses” and hurried back to the main square.

I was so happy that it worked out this way!

I got back just after the show ended, everyone was already heading home. But I saw the little girl among the people leaving. I bowed to her, showed her a Wai and gave her the key ring.

That incredible smile will always be with me, as she was happy to get something from me. She left. But half a minute later she came back and gave us another piece of chips.

2 pieces of chips and a sunflower seed…

The sunflower seed is a very strong symbol for me.

The seed that we sow…

She gave me this symbol.

She planted another thought in me about life.

And I would really like to believe that I was able to plant a little seed in her about what she probably already knows:

It’s really good to be kind to each other. Without words. A little chip is enough for that.

Thank you, little girl, for being a kind person!

The post 279. | About cafes first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

The adventures, joys and hardships I have lived through come together and continue to exist as experiences.

I believe that these experiences are essential components of the digital nomad lifestyle.

Or are they inherent?

Whatever. I don’t want to get lost in the details.

9 months

266 days. 9 months in 1 week. Three quarters of a year.

That’s how long it’s been since I left for Southeast Asia.

Besides the dirt, something else stuck to me.

This time was enough for me to move from the initial state – resulting from inexperience – to a different way of functioning.

This time was enough for me to no longer be the junior in a company. Nine months also have weight among travelers. Sometimes I don’t just keep quiet about the trip, but I tell others new information based on specific experiences.

As I think back on these few months, I don’t remember feeling lost once. Yet something has changed in me, I just have a hard time finding the right words. What and how.

I don’t know this even as I write these words, but I’m sure I will find it. If this post appears, then I have found it. If I don’t find it, I will be the only one reading this.

I will start taking stock of the individual travel areas, in case the changes in each area finally show the right idea.

The countries

Thailand, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

4 countries, 5 border crossings.

When I arrived in Thailand, I only had ideas about Southeast Asia. I read, watched videos, analyzed lists of good advice. And of course, there were the ideas that had reached me in the previous decades.

But all knowledge was just an idea. In reality, I only started to get to know this continent when I stepped out of the Koh Samui airport. I had been to Bangkok before, but there I only saw an international and then a domestic airport. Asia, but still not. A neutral area, the same everywhere.

I remember the first days. When I stated – both silently and aloud – that if I looked out the window of my accommodation, I really wouldn’t be able to tell whether I was in a Hungarian room or a Thai one.

Walking the streets (yes, in most cases there are no streets) it was nice to discover how much everything is similar and what the differences are.

The grass is the same (or very similar) as in Europe. The bitumen and concrete are no different. There are palm trees and exotic plants, but the similarity is not always and not everywhere very sharp.

The discarded garbage is like anywhere. The dust on the roadside is no different. There are also electricity poles next to the road. The traffic signs are 95% the same. The layout of the shops is no different than anywhere else.

I am not looking for more similarities, I am rather saying that in many aspects there is no difference between Asia and Europe.

Parenthetical note: I have just reached this point in the writing when something happened to me that has never happened before. While I was doing something that I have never done before. I happened to be sitting on a sun lounger on the beach. Sea, waves, sand. The only thing missing was the sunlight, because it was already evening.

I had never written while sitting on the beach before. I had been spending my days sitting in cafes for days, and I felt like it would be nice to relax on the beach. Then I felt so relaxed that I took out my laptop and started writing.

After 15 minutes, a guy stopped by me and said – at 7:40 PM – that it would cost me 50,000 to sit here. I didn’t ask him if this was a serious thing or just a joke. I told him that in that case I would leave.

This is how it happened that during an activity I had never tried, an experience I had never ordered came to me.

Returning to my original thought process: There are the differences.

There are different goods in the stores, and what is the same, is sold under different brands. There are different kinds of vegetables and fruits on the shelves. The beer is different. The bread is different.

There are more dogs on the streets. The traffic is different. The houses are sometimes very different in shape. They are arranged differently

Parenthetic note: This is one of those evenings. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten very far from the previous part in parentheses. Not in writing either. Not far either, because the beach is about 800 meters from here. But in the meantime I came home to the hostel. I bought myself two cans of beer so that I could continue writing while sitting peacefully in the garden.

At 20:05 the karaoke night started. Actually, now I only mention one name frequently while writing. Jesus Christ!

The girl who opened the night sings so fucking badly that all I can think – without judgment – is that if the others become like this, and the volume doesn’t decrease either, then a) my brain will burn out, b) I’ll go up to my room and sit in my bed and write.

I’m drinking a little beer now to find out how much danger my brain is in. I’ll continue from there. Sometime and somewhere. (The second song has started. Two young girls are trying. Jesus Christ is still my most used phrase tonight. But I definitely feel like my brain is going to explode. This will be another departure. I don’t think I would stay even if they paid me 50,000. LOL.)

Well, okay! I’m not going anywhere. I’m turning off my hearing among my senses. If I hear something good, at most… Fuck, the third girl is good. She can sing! And she sings well. Very well!

I hope I don’t have to go back to writing again. I mean, it would be nice if nothing happened today.

Well, jumping in again, pretending like nothing happened.

There are also differences between Thailand and – let’s say – Hungary. But it’s not even close to saying that they are the same because of the similarities, just as differences don’t mean that everything is incomprehensibly different.

This was Thailand. There were new things in Bali too, but compared to Thailand it was a much smoother transition.

Naturally – I wrote this at the time – I returned to Thailand as a familiar person.

Then came Laos. Here I recognized the differences more clearly and with much more character, faster. The similarities in this case meant that very, very many things were exactly the same as in Thailand.

And although I have only been here in Vietnam for two weeks, the familiarity of familiar things already surrounds me very naturally, and it almost immediately dawned on me how different this country is.

To sum up this part, I think that I was over the cardinal differences at the beginning, and the smaller – although not insignificant – differences are much more noticeable to me.

Maybe there was no change in me, but I simply had a reference point. In the first country, everything was one big first impression. Now I automatically compare new experiences with previous ones. My curiosity is no less, but my impressions come to me in a more orderly way.

Other aspects

I wanted to continue with the locals.

I think it’s unnecessary.

I wanted to write more about the trip. The accommodations. The food. My workplaces. The tables and chairs. My encounters with other travelers.

But by the end of the previous paragraph, I realized that I had found the explanation for why I am more experienced. I think it is likely that this would be the explanation I could be satisfied with, even if I delved deeper into other areas.

It was as if gaining points of reference and interpreting impressions differently created my own internal “Asia operating system.”

I had trouble at the beginning of this article because there were certain terms that would have been easier to use.

“Culture shock.” “It takes less energy.” “Relearning and its difficulties.” “Without a handhold.” “The dynamics of arrival.” “Fine-tuning.” “I have to put myself together.”

These thoughts came to me, but I had to immediately dismiss them because I couldn’t identify with them.

At the beginning of this post I wrote: As I look back on these past few months, I don’t think I’ve ever felt lost. Yet something has changed inside me, but I’m having a hard time finding the right words. What and how.

I enjoyed figuring myself out tonight. Despite the terrible karaoke!

The post 271. | I have become more experienced first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Summary

Sometimes I have to take paths that ultimately seem fruitless, just to get somewhere. I could apply this idea to any area of my life. Now it's my turn to look for a job.

This is my 200th post. Actually, it’s my 201st post, but I don’t want to get lost in the world of numbers. Let’s go to another world!

This number wants me to write something serious.

I could defend myself by saying that I only write about serious things, but I think even I would laugh at myself.

This post is very close to what this blog was originally intended to do. Maybe it can help someone else who wants to become a digital nomad.

Job search in the online world

I decided to share my experience with location-independent job search mainly because this area is full of avoidable traps. These traps are mainly embodied in the promises offered by prepaid systems.

Because promises and good-sounding advertising are behind almost every system.

I had to chew my way through a few systems to finally arrive somewhere. I didn’t know it at first, but these systems not only didn’t give me work, but also forced me to finally articulate who I am professionally.

But I’m not starting here.

LinkedIn

The professional Facebook.

If you are not present, you do not exist.

I used these and similar phrases to position the characters on this page. I made a cover photo that looked (as professional as I could) professional, I found the most professional profile picture.

I uploaded my completely up-to-date CV (see, “About my CV and its uselessness”), turned all my experience into gold, and waited for employers to come knocking. Obviously, everyone would want to work with me.

I had a few inquiries. The first one came straight from LinkedIn. I mean, if I subscribe to the professional Premium system (about 200,000 HUF, 600 USD) per year, my chances would be much better. This offer comes up weekly.

Then a few people contacted me because they saw my CV and everything in it was so professional, but they would help me make it even more professional. I had already rejected this opportunity, and it wasn’t hard to say no this time either.

Then network builders started looking for me, and they imagined me joining all kinds of sales networks that offered serious success.

So, I had to realize that despite all my efforts and experience, the dog wasn’t even interested in me.

Of course, I set up job monitoring emails, so every day I see dozens of opportunities in my inbox that I can’t do anything about. But I’ll write about that a little later.

Job offering systems in general

Every system is free. I mean, it promises to be free.

Yeah! Sorry! Usually it’s not.

But who expects anyone to operate such a serious system for free? Someone has to pay for it, and it’s obvious that the unfortunate job seeker has to take a share of this payment.

These kinds of systems pose a serious risk for every future digital nomad!

To feel like you’re doing everything you can to get a job, you have to take these systems seriously. Filling out your professional profile is already a time investment in a system like this.

Obviously, I have to show myself, and seriously. Profile picture. Uploading your CV is often tricky because you have to fill in all the data almost line by line. Schools, workplaces, dates from to, the stupid date selectors, mandatory selection fields that don’t recognize Hungarian universities.

Then comes the name of the job you want to fill, which is an entrance to a fantasy world even in Hungarian, let alone in the terms dreamed up by the inventors of all kinds of systems.

The icing on the cake is that in many systems the number of jobs is limited. Let’s say 5. In other words, choose carefully, because that’s what your results will depend on. If you’ve been working as a facility manager for 30 years, then there’s no problem, because you only have to enter this one. But if you happen to have worked in 20 different jobs in 30 years, then pull yourself together and make a responsible decision.

So, let’s say you can spend hours registering on an average job search system. Then comes the search. Because this search is also a trap.

You can search for free and happily in several systems. Then when you have found the job of your dreams and would like to apply, it turns out that you already have to register to apply.

Jump back to the start field and don’t want to miss this job!

UpWork

This is a site offering project jobs.

Sites like this have been in my sights for about 10 months, but I haven’t put in the serious work to look for them here. So I tried this system.

It offers a lot of small jobs that I can do single-handedly. It shows job fees transparently, with descriptions that meet expectations.

Well. Last year’s registration just needs to be oiled up a little and I’ll be a millionaire.

When applying for the first job, it turns out that you don’t have to pay for it. The system only deducts from the available so-called connections for each offer I submit. I get 100 of the connections when registering, and applying for a job costs 10-20 connections. After 5 applications, the connections run out, but don’t worry, I can buy more for myself for a few USD.

But the system is free, because I don’t pay with money, but with connections. If we replace the word “konnekt” with “krumpli”, it will still only mean that we have to buy the potato.

Let’s get over this pitiful job and buy a few “konnekts” and become a subscriber in the system, because then we will only have more opportunities. By the time I blinked twice, I had already spent 20,000 HUF (60 USD) in this system. It’s okay, a good investment, because soon the job that lays the golden egg will be there.

I quickly applied for about 20 jobs and waited for the next email to arrive with the sound of the cash register jingling instead of the usual email beep.

After two days, I was still looking at the fact that the person I sent my job applications to hadn’t even opened them.

That’s when you have to look deeper into the system.

This is an evaluation system. The employer evaluates the employee, and vice versa. There are dozens of applicants for every job.

The system puts applicants without a rating – like me – at the bottom of the applicant list. The job offerer looks at the ones at the top of the list, chooses from the top 3, and we’re done. Of course, no one expects a person offering a job for 100 USD to look at the data and offers of 70 applicants.

Because when you apply for a job, you are actually making an offer. (And you are using up your connections.) So, if your offer is even professionally suitable, but someone – say, from a poorer region – would do the job for half the price, then you don’t have much chance of being selected.

Overall, you have to compete not only with applicants with more ratings, but also with those who work significantly cheaper.

The system came up with this idea that you can boost your application by offering extra connections to get to the top of the list. Of course, it is impossible to know the extent of this, so if you find a good job, then BID 100 more in addition to the 17 connections, so that you might be the first.

In the meantime, hope that your colleague didn’t go to the top of the list with 200.

I’m not kidding, when I activated this system, I had a few connections in front of me, and then the next day I woke up to 200 emails waiting in my inbox. All with excellent offers.

I had fun with this system for a few more days.

In the meantime, I redirected the emails from the inbox to a special folder. In this folder now, two weeks after registration, there are 1,673 unread job offers waiting for me
to never read them.

This system simply doesn’t work. Despite having 30+ years of professional experience, I am a snotty, bottom-of-the-list beginner to the system. I can spend any amount of money to apply, I don’t think I’ll make a dent in this or similar systems.

One of my favorites – AI Apply

Things got a little funny after that. Just as I was starting to realize that I wasn’t going to get anywhere with this system, an ad popped up in my news feed.

It was nice to get confirmation from an advertisement that my intuition was right and UpWork was useless, as you can see in the picture, the fake job offers generated by AI make it impossible to function normally.

Fortunately, the advertisement provided the solution. I should try their old system and I won’t be disappointed. Maybe the symmetry of the advertisement (only the even sentences have a period at the end) strengthened my trust, but I gave this system a chance too.

They promised that after registration, the system would be so AI-driven that I would only have to prepare for the interviews that were organized, I wouldn’t have anything else to do.

This sounded so good that I didn’t wait long to register.

Start for free! – we start from here. The first question was about the stress factor during the login, the essence of it was about how urgent it was to find a job, the scale ranged from I’m really relaxed to I’ll get the job right away.

On the next screen, a motivational piece of advice reassured me that I wasn’t one of the scum of the world just because I didn’t have a job.

Then I could enter the job titles I wanted to apply for. You can enter a maximum of five, and the AI ​​helps in the selection by correcting the entered title to industry standard.

Now comes the selection of experience level.

These few pieces of data were enough to immediately give me the encouragement: “Thanks to your rich professional background, you have a good chance of reaching the highest level of opportunities.”

This AI knows something to draw this conclusion from all this. And if this isn’t a conclusion, then I’m already in trouble with this system.

Now comes the expected annual salary level. For me, the fact that the salary selection slider is politely set to 40 million HUF (120,000 USD) per year is already a warning sign.

I reduced the number to be on the safe side, so that I could fall on my face in the face of reality.

You still have to provide the industry, the type of employment and when I am able to work, plus whether I am willing to move for work.

And it already analyzes the vast amount of data I provided. After the analysis, there are also demographic questions, it is certainly important for employment that I do not define myself in a binary or heterosexual way.

Then we’re there to give you my card details. With all the usual trappings of such offers: This is a reduced offer, but it’s only available for 10 minutes and the clock is ticking. The basic package is chosen only by the losers, the middle one is what everyone spins.

It doesn’t matter, it’s all just a big blah-blah-blah.

Most of these systems want to ask for money without me even knowing exactly why I’m paying.

Good luck to everyone with these systems, but be careful!

Professional identity

If nothing else, these systems helped me by highlighting that my search method was not appropriate.

The question of what to call my future job title presented me with a difficult task, because I realized that I couldn’t clearly articulate it, or even define it with a single good title.

So I slowly had to realize that my personal, spiritual self-definition journey was complemented by the desire to formulate my professional identity.

This task did not scare me, and I only thought a little about whether it was safe to shine the flashlight of a midlife crisis on it from the outside. Personally, I do not feel myself to be either midlife or in crisis, so I will not identify with this well-known terminology now.

I would like to point out once again that this is a task. And it has never scared me. So I got over it in the past week.

So now I am much more specific in targeting job advertisements, and even positions that I had not even considered before have come into my sights.

Overall, I do not regret spending some time and energy with job search systems, that through my own unpleasant experiences I have come to a new realization and task. The point is that by the end of the process, I have a clearer view of who I am in the world of remote work.

The post 200. | What’s new in the world of remote work II. first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

So I suggest that if you want to live abroad and haven’t done so yet, you should also think about whether to go for it or try it out first!

A week that is not a vacation, but a test run

I have written several times, and I have mentioned several times in the past that I am aware that I am not going on vacation to the other side of the world. I am simply moving my living space and my work area to a place where people prefer to go on vacation. In my opinion, this is very important to clarify. First of all, for myself, but also for my environment.

Several people asked me if I had been to Thailand before, and if I thought it would be a good idea to go there for a week or two first to try out what life is like there.

I do not feel it is important to move my life to another place as a test, because I know myself very well. I know exactly that whatever I will encounter in Thailand, I will enjoy my stay there. I know that it will be hot, the air is humid, basically a tropical climate that I have never experienced before, but despite this, I cannot really imagine giving up my stay there because of the heat. I was prepared for the loneliness, I was prepared for the isolation caused by foreign languages, etc. Since I want to be there, I will feel good there. And if it turns out that I was wrong, I’ll not afraid to admit it.

However, this is not the case with everyone. Everyone is flexible, resilient, and everyone sticks to what they want to achieve in different ways.

With different perspectives and different carrying capacities, it is worth thinking about the following questions:

• Will you try out the nomadic life or not before the “real departure”?
• Are you aware that the goal is not to relax, but to live a normal life in a different environment, with work and daily routine?
• Where would you go, under what circumstances (country, city, accommodation, timing)?

However, there are also factors of the trial trip that need to be looked at with a different eye.

Key components of nomadic living

I’m thinking of things that aren’t just a matter of whether I can tolerate it, like it, or if I don’t care about it. There are factors that have to be there, otherwise the nomadic lifestyle doesn’t work. Of course, there are things here where I can be flexible.

What am I thinking of?

1) Questions about working on the go

• How stable is the internet?
• How much can you focus in a given environment?
• What can work well, what will bother you?
• Coworking or working in a café or accommodation

A stable internet is essential in this working environment. I can’t be a digital nomad without a digital network! I started collecting experiences related to this during the Nomad Cruise.

I think the issue of focus and distracting circumstances is a multifaceted issue. On the one hand, there is the experience that the home office, which has become more and more common and experienced in recent years, will provide for all of us. Those who have not yet experienced what it means to work from home may need a test trip abroad to get some practice in this. Start!

What bothers you, what doesn’t? A good pair of headphones works wonders in blocking out distracting sounds from the outside world. Especially if your favorite relaxing music is also recorded on one of the surfaces. But if there are shootings and explosions in the street, for example, then this will not be enough. That is why, if possible, I will not go to work in a war environment. And in general, for any reason…

For those who may not have heard of it:

Coworking is a work environment where professionals from different backgrounds, often independent, entrepreneurs or small companies, work together in a shared office. These spaces offer flexible rental options and promote community relations and collaboration. The goal of coworking is to provide an inspiring, professional environment while supporting networking and knowledge sharing. It is especially popular among digital nomads and freelancers.

You should imagine working in a cafe as sitting down somewhere, buying something to give, not just receive, and working there for a few hours. There are places that really like it when you sit there as a digital nomad, but I’ve also met a place where they looked at me in a bad way after I’ve been sitting at a desk for an hour. There’s nothing more annoying than when they start letting me know it’s time to go. There are apps that give you information about places in a given city that love you. One such database is nomads.com.

Working from home also has its beauty. I really like working from home, in solitude. I think it’s likely that I’ll work from home at first. Especially if the diarrhea promised at the vaccination center comes true. Then I’ll move my desk in front of the toilet. After the initial period, I’ll look for a cafe, which could even be a bar. And, once I’m over that, I’ll look into the possibility of coworking, but that’s definitely not what I’m looking for at first.

2) Daily routine and schedule

• When do you get up, when do you work, how does your day go?
• What is missing from your usual environment?
• What is better here than at home?

If you don’t have a routine in these matters, then this lifestyle will certainly pose more challenges for you. If you have only worked as an employee, then you are used to when you have to get up, when you get home, you have a schedule. In the first period of entrepreneurial life – in my opinion – everyone struggles with having to get up due to different schedules, but they have to get up in the morning. Or they don’t get up, but then they know that they will continue working in the afternoon.

The question of the schedule is a bit similar to the question of whether during the Covid period, a person dressed “properly” for working from home, or spent their days at home in pajamas. A schedule is always needed!

For example, I work at home in underwear because I like it. I assume that it will be similar in Thailand, especially because of the temperature. I will change clothes on the way to the coffee shop. I will check out the coworking office to see how others use it. Maybe it also functions as a communal sauna.

For my part, I imagine that I will not miss anything from my home environment, based on what I wrote in my post “I live a minimalist life”. I have also thought a lot about the question “what is better anywhere else”. Since one of the bases of my decision falls precisely into this question, I do not expect to be disappointed wherever I am. There will be better and worse things everywhere. I do not even want to talk about the fact that finding a place is not my primary goal.

3) Testing your technical equipment

This is also an important question. But, you don’t necessarily have to go to the place where you’re going to live – especially not for a week. I was already able to test out my Vasco translator. The free eSim I got during the Nomad Cruise didn’t work. I didn’t have an internet solution on the ship, I was dependent on the official internet. I didn’t have the opportunity to plug my laptop into the outlet in Marseille. I did buy a converter, but I realized at home that it was the wrong one.

There are a lot of questions that may arise regarding technology.

For example, yesterday I saw a video in which I was warned – among other things – not to take a power bank to Thailand because I would get in trouble at the airport.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Personally, I – due to my flexibility, which I have already detailed many times – don’t think it’s important to have everything prepared in advance and then solve it on the spot. If this is not comfortable for you, it’s worth thinking about a trial trip.

Life in a new place – beyond comfort

The following questions arose in my mind regarding comfort:

• How will you cope with the language, culture, transportation?
• Food, shopping, cooking – will it be Menton or rather chaotic?
• Connecting with people – or will it be a lonely experience?

Anyone who likes to think ahead, take care of things, or perhaps worry in advance will certainly appreciate the above questions. All question marks, with uncertain, intuition-based answers.

For my part, these questions did not justify taking a test trip either.

Regarding language, I have the expectation that I will not be able to use my only foreign language without problems, English, unconditionally, but I trust Vasco. I am not worried about the food, especially since “The gastronomic revolution eluded me”. Connectivity is a current movement in my world, see my post “Nomad Cruise Summary”.

Surprises – good and bad

When I think about the new life, sometimes it occurs to me that it is worth developing a strategy for dealing with “surprises”. I am not writing about avoidance directly! Rather, I am writing about preparing for the fact that something bad, but otherwise common, will happen.

What do I mean?

• What is it that you did not expect? Can it teach you something?
• “Crash moment”? How will you handle it? What and who will you turn to?
• And success? Will you cope with it?

Once again! Here, the essence of thinking ahead is not avoidance, but damage mitigation. It could be environmental overload, disrupted sleep rhythm, diarrhea, sudden weight loss, weight gain. Depression, burnout. They get robbed. They lose something. Something gets ruined. An accident happens.

I am not sure that I am the best person at mapping out negative things in advance, because I usually look to the future with excessive optimism. You might need to find a really negative, pessimistic person and brainstorm possible problems with them. Once you have the problems, all you have to do is think of possible solutions and you’re done.

Or, read my previous posts and you’ll find some of the answers already ready.

Am I prepared?

Even without a trial trip, I have the thoughts in my head that I know I’m not ready – but I don’t have to be perfect, just be present. I’ve thought about what might happen, I’m prepared for what I’ve thought of so far. Not all of these things are perfectly worked out, but that doesn’t make me anxious. Finally, I’m aware that there will be things along the way that I didn’t think of. I’m friends with these thoughts! What do you think about your own journey?

As a final thought, I remember an interesting memory from when I was around 16. At the time, I told my grandfather that I wanted to have children when I knew all the answers to the questions about raising children. Then, as time went on, I realized that not only would I not know all the answers before my children were born, but I also couldn’t formulate most of the questions. By the time I actually had children, I knew that I wasn’t looking for questions and answers, I just had to be present. The right questions would arise along the way. And if I had the talent and luck, I would know the right answers at the right time.

The post 106. | Trial trip – should I or shouldn’t I? first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Summary

It’s easy to choose the digital nomad life, since the only thing missing from it so far is the nomad.

Besides choosing the digital nomad lifestyle, a very important factor for me is that I love what I do. The fact is that my whole life has been spent at the computer. So I don’t have to choose a new form now, because my everyday life is intertwined with digital life.

I will tell you about my connection with IT.

Me and the computer

I was born in the heroic age. Neither computers nor mobile phones were part of everyday life. We were probably around 1987. The computer as a phenomenon was then starting to infiltrate our lives. I am talking about Hungary. At that time, we were still a country on the COCOM list. The COCOM list was a multilateral trade embargo that hit the countries of the Eastern Bloc. The list got its name from the abbreviation of the first two words of the committee that coordinated the embargo, the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls, founded in 1947. Although computers existed earlier, they only started to reach the population of Hungary during these times. Sometimes people managed to get them by smuggling.

Around 1987, my brother and I got a card game called Ace Basic. Its slogan was “Programming is child’s play – even for adults”. It was a pack of cards that taught the basics of programming. If I remember correctly, I didn’t go far with it.

My father asked me a question at that time. I still remember that I was working in the bathtub. I was 11 years old. What else would I have done? I was writing my thesis about the prehistoric man, Samu from Vértesszőlős. You did things like that in the bathtub, please calm me down! Dad came in and asked me what I would say if we bought a computer. I didn’t really understand the concept. He said he meant a Commodore. I only knew the Komondor breed of dog, so after we finished the conversation, I was actually thinking about buying a dog.

In comparison, the family soon acquired a Commodore VIC 20 computer. We bought it from a young guy, and we went to get it together. The boy showed me an impressive program he had written. A three-dimensional donut was spinning on the screen. He showed me the program. It was magical. I immediately felt that I wanted to write programs too.

The decision remained, but I couldn’t make it happen. At that time, I didn’t know that I was capable of self-taught learning. There was no internet back then (oh my God!), and without help I couldn’t do anything with a computer. Even though I went to a school club at the age of 13, where they taught us the Basic language, I simply didn’t understand it. I didn’t attach much importance to it.

Then, when I was 14, my dad brought home a 286 AT PC. This was also the heroic age, but this computer was somehow more serious. Such niceties as a Winchester and a mouse weren’t even in this machine yet. It came with a Hercules monochrome monitor. And 2 pieces of 3.5” floppy disks. One disk had the operating system (DOS). This started the machine, and then you could remove this disk. The other disk had a development system called Quick Basic.

The real story actually started here for me. The computer was serious. I was already a serious person myself, at least that’s what I thought about myself at the time. Basic, on the other hand, was child’s play. Of course, that’s not true, that’s what I thought at the time. Even though I didn’t succeed with it, the card game was still just a game, and my incorrect conclusion from this was that the program itself was a game.

I needed something more serious!

So I went to my dad’s workplace to the IT guys and asked them if they could give me something serious, not this toy. They looked at me strangely, but after a short conversation they gave me a third floppy disk with Borland’s Turbo Pascal on it and as a bonus a 600-page Turbo Pascal university book. And the advice “good luck!”

That summer, at the age of 14, I learned to program in Turbo Pascal. Life’s strange little surprise was that I went to an economics high school, where I graduated as a computer programmer. In the first year, it turned out that we would learn programming in Turbo Pascal. In other words, I arrived at this training with almost the same level of knowledge as our teacher, who had just graduated from university. For a while, I basked in the experience of getting a few looks from the teacher asking for my approval during classes.

I started writing complete programs very quickly, just for my own entertainment. Within a few years, the moment came when I could ask for money for what I was doing. This was still the early nineties.

By the end of the decade, the internet was available. Accordingly, my first job was web design, which is why I can say that I have 25 years of experience in web design. Visual Basic development was also my first job.

I almost forgot that I was introduced to Excel around 1995. My God, it is my friend for almost 30 years…

Before I remembered, I already had a complete second job in addition to my regular jobs. It was an excellent income supplement, I often worked instead of sleeping. But I always enjoyed doing this kind of work.

Since April 2002, I have been keeping an Excel spreadsheet in which I can find the exact time spent on all my personal work. It’s like a block clock: I sit down to work and press the button. If I get up for some reason, I press it again. I know exactly to the seconds how much time I spent on my second job on the computer. The table now has 25,000 rows and 6,861 hours of work recorded…

Summary of my digital past

For the past 35 years, computers have been my learning, my recreation, my work, my second job. Whatever I have done professionally, it only exists digitally. It probably occurred to me 20 years ago that if we turned off all the computers in the world, there would be no trace of my professional work.

Besides that, of course, I have done a lot of things that can remain. I have built walls, built a garden, built parts of my apartment and house. I made a play castle for my children. I planted trees. But these are not the results of my professional work.

What do I still love about it?

Despite having been typing for so many years, I still love doing it. The computer is my companion, the one I can always count on.

I still enjoy listening to the keyboard click under my hand. It is an experience to see the lines of my writing come to life on the monitor.

I love that I use the computer to create order in my own chaos. I enjoy the fact that my computer is in order. It gives me confidence that I work with methods that maintain the illusion of dominance. I feel this world as my own within my own framework. This is knowledge that I can pass on to others.

I love that by the end of the day, there are no more than ten emails in my mailbox. I love that there is no more than one icon on my Windows desktop. I love loading and consuming my to-do list program. I enjoy having all my tasks in my Google calendar. It feels good to know what email addresses I have and what I use them for. I look into the password management program with feelings like I’m entering Ali Baba’s cave. I use the programs I’ve chosen over the years with satisfaction. Using none of them is an obligation. They simply help my life.

I like that I can experience creative experiences with the help of this tool. For me, creating a well-done Excel table is a joy. Whether I make it for myself or for someone else. I’ve met many grateful looks after handing over a solution or after creating it in front of the user’s eyes.

Every website I’ve created has been a joy in the end. I’ve created more than a hundred, and I’m sure I still have a few more waiting for me.

When I want to switch off, I sit down next to my computer. Assuming I’m at home, because I’ve designed my life so that I’m not a geek. I walk a lot in nature, ride a bike, travel. I’m in company a lot. But if I’m not doing these things, I can sit down at my computer at any time.

I turn to this tool for planning and studying. Google has been making our everyday lives easier for many years. And for a while now, AI has been turbocharging our everyday lives. I welcome every change.

This is how easy it is to become a digital nomad

When I said that all the events of my past life have led me to make a complete lifestyle change, I also have the facts in mind that I just wrote about.

I actually only add the adjective nomad to my digital life so far. I want to continue doing what I have been doing. I simply want to travel while working.

The digital world is not for everyone. I have met many people who claim to be anti-talented when it comes to IT, and I have to agree with them. I have seen many who think they are prepared to use the machine, but they are not. And of course, I see a lot of professional around me. Everyone does it differently. That is why the digital lifestyle cannot be right for everyone.

The post 32. | I love what I do first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

I became a Hungarian Digital Citizen in December, it’s time to expand my palette. I feel like preparing for a new life is all about saving, just think of the many bank accounts I already have.

One of my tasks today was to look into exactly how to become a citizen of another country. But before that, I thought it would be worth clarifying exactly what the benefits are.

What is the benefit of Estonian digital citizenship?

Estonian digital citizenship is particularly popular with digital nomads for the following reasons:

1. Ease of starting a business

• E-residency (digital citizenship) allows you to quickly and easily start a business online, even when you are not in the country.
• The Estonian business environment is favorable, transparent and built on modern technological solutions.
• Taxation is transparent and favorable, especially for reinvested profits (undistributed profits are tax-free).

2. 100% digital administration

• With Estonian digital citizenship, all company administration processes (e.g. taxation, invoicing, administration) can be completed completely online, which is ideal for digital nomads who are constantly on the go.
• You do not need to be physically present in Estonia either for starting a company or for day-to-day administration.

3. International business opportunities

• An Estonian business operates fully legally in the European Union, giving you access to the EU single market.
  This can be attractive to digital nomads with a global customer base.

4. Account management and banking

• With e-residency, you can open a business bank account digitally or use Estonian fintech services (e.g. Wise, Revolut) that facilitate international transactions.

5. Tax benefits

• The Estonian tax system is simple: profits are only taxed when you take them out of the company. This is favorable for those who would like to reinvest their earnings.

6. Access to modern digital infrastructure

• Estonia is one of the most advanced digital countries: fast internet, e-signature, e-government services that make life and business convenient and efficient.

7. Support for a flexible lifestyle

• For digital nomads, it is important to be independent of a specific location. Estonian digital citizenship gives you the opportunity to run your business from anywhere, where there is internet.

8. Join a global community

• E-residency is also an international community: digital nomads, freelancers and entrepreneurs from all over the world have already joined.
• The Estonian e-residency program has been used by over 100,000 people since its launch in 2014, so you can be part of a solid and supportive community.

9. Low entry threshold

• Applying for the e-residency program is simple and relatively inexpensive, and you can receive the card by post once your application has been reviewed.

10. Innovative country image

• Estonia is at the forefront of digital development, and the program is backed by a stable, technologically advanced and progressive government, which inspires confidence among digital nomads and entrepreneurs.

Quite a few advantages have been formulated. The Estonian model was launched in 2014, which means it has a ten-year advantage over the Hungarian system. DÁP is still in its very early stages, and many new features are promised for 2025. For example, selfie identification, QR code login and electronic signature at market service providers, vehicle sales. The last would be interesting to me too, if they didn’t promise it for the last quarter of 2025, because then I wouldn’t have to start selling my car at the beginning of March.

When I read these advantages, I was still committed to the fact that I needed this membership.

Then I started looking for an image for this post and stumbled upon this page:

The Ultimate Guide to Estonian E-residency, Banking, and Taxes – Nomad Gate

The Ultimate Guide to Estonian E-residency, Banking, and Taxes – Nomad Gate

Nomad Gate is my travel guide to living a nomadic lifestyle – at least that’s what the site claims. I kind of agreed with that right away, because the site offers the following: Life hacks, finances, guides and community for digital nomads, perpetual travelers, remote workers and location-independents. (I should note that I immediately joined the membership.)

The link above gives a very thorough English summary of how the registration process works, how to open an Estonian bank account, how to open a business and last but not least, why an intermediary company is needed to keep things running smoothly.

I will only highlight two important points from it.

But first of all, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the e-residency. Let’s just get a few of the glaringly obvious ones out of the way right now.

What the Estonian e-residency is not:

• IT IS NOT an actual residency. It does not give you any rights to stay in Estonia, the EU or the Schengen zone whatsoever. Nor any other social rights in Estonia or anywhere else.
• IT IS NOT a way to avoid paying tax in your actual country of residence.
• IT IS NOT a citizenship, and you will never receive any consular support from the Estonian government for holding an e-residency.
• IT IS NOT a travel document. It is not a picture ID. It can not be used as a form for identification in the “real world.”

Reasons to bank in Estonia

Here are just a few reasons for why you might want to bank in Estonia:

• You live there or spend a significant amount of time there
• You have friends, family, or customers there
• You want a euro account or a multi-currency account (which many Estonian banks offer)
• You want to diversify your assets as part of an internationalization strategy
• You want access to modern banking that you can manage from anywhere
• You want to place (some of) your assets in a country where the government isn’t consistently running huge budget deficits
• You want to do your banking in English, Estonian or Russian
• You want to incorporate a business in Estonia, for example to access the EU market
• You have an e-residency card and want to use it for something.

Brokerage company

The procedure requires some preparation, work and, last but not least, the registration fee, which was increased from EUR 50 to EUR 150 at the beginning of the year. Then comes the question of whether an Estonian address will be required to open an Estonian business, the accounting of the Estonian business must be done, so an intermediary will be required.

It is obviously worth doing the registration process with them, so the fee can be up to EUR 350 in an instant. The intermediary recommended by Nomad Gate performs all these activities for EUR 59 per month.

At this point, I had to think about whether there was a real reason to get involved in this!

The summary also addressed tax issues with great care. And here, not for the first time, the question arose in my mind whether it was possible to embark on a trip around the world as a Hungarian citizen, with a Hungarian sole proprietorship, but without a reliable accounting team behind me that could provide adequate support for foreign issues.

Conclusion

So today – for now – I gave up my Estonian digital citizenship, but I called an old friend about future collaboration.

The post 29. | Estonian digital citizenship (e-Residency) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Let’s create a definition!

Digital nomads are people who use the possibilities offered by the internet to work regardless of location. They typically use online tools and technologies to do their work, which can be freelance, entrepreneurial, or even remote work for a company.

Their main characteristics

• Mobility: They are not tied to a specific location, but often travel while working. Many digital nomads have a lifestyle that balances work and travel experiences.
• Technology use: The internet, laptops, smartphones, and various software and apps are their essential tools. They use them to get work done and stay in touch with clients or colleagues.
• Flexibility: They have a high degree of freedom in terms of working hours and location. They often use coworking offices, coffee shops, or rented apartments to work.
• Diverse fields of activity: Digital nomads include programmers, designers, marketers, writers, consultants, online teachers, and many other professions.

Lifestyle benefits

• Freedom to travel and choose your lifestyle.
• Opportunity to explore new cultures and places while working.
• Independence from the traditional workplace environment.

Challenges

• Finding a stable internet connection in remote locations.
• Maintaining work-life balance.
• Handling financial and legal matters (taxes, insurance, visa) in different countries.

The digital fifties

Based on what I know so far, my age doesn’t necessarily fit into the general picture, but beyond this sentence, I don’t care at all.

The digital nomad lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular, especially among younger generations who value flexibility and location independence.

The demographic composition of digital nomads has undergone significant changes in recent years, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some key statistics:

• In 2023, there were over 60 million digital nomads worldwide.
• Nearly 50% of digital nomads come from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom with 7%, Russia with 5%, and Canada and Germany with 4%.
• The gender ratio among digital nomads is almost equal, with both men and women represented, and most are between the ages of 25 and 40.
• The main areas of occupation of digital nomads include IT (21%), creative services (12%), education and training (11%), sales, marketing and PR (9%), finance and accounting (9%), and consulting, coaching and research (8%).
• According to a March 2022 international survey by Statista, the average digital nomad earns between $50,000 and $250,000 per year, or approximately HUF 19 million to 95 million.
• Digital nomads spend an average of 3-6 months in a country.
• The most popular destinations include America (53%), Western Europe (18%) and Asia (13%).
• Situation in Hungary: It is estimated that at least 5,000 digital nomads may work in Hungary, primarily in Budapest, but their number may jump to 10,000 during the summer.

Interesting facts about the digital nomad lifestyle

One of the most interesting aspects of the digital nomad lifestyle is how it can accommodate different lifestyles and goals, and how it requires creative solutions to overcome everyday challenges. Here are some interesting facts:

1. Coworking islands and villages

• Some locations are specifically designed for digital nomads. For example, Bali (Indonesia), Chiang Mai (Thailand), or Playa del Carmen (Mexico) attract followers of the lifestyle with coworking spaces, community events and nomad-friendly infrastructure. There are also projects that create complete digital nomad villages, for example in Madeira, Portugal.

2. Nomad visas

• More and more countries are introducing visas specifically designed for digital nomads, which allow them to stay in a given place for a longer period of time. For example, Barbados, Estonia, Hungary (White Card) and Dubai also offer this option. These visas are often subject to certain income minimums.

3. Work from “exotic offices”

• The offices of digital nomads can be extremely diverse. One day they work from a beach bungalow, another day from the terrace of a mountain chalet, and the third day from an ultra-modern coworking office. This diversity is motivating and inspiring for many.

4. Minimalist life

• Most digital nomads lead a minimalist lifestyle, carrying everything they need in a backpack or suitcase. Owning fewer things is not only practical, but also helps them live a stress-free, freer life.

5. Community spirit and friendships

• Digital nomads become part of a global community. Various meetings, events and conferences around the world (e.g. Nomad Summit, 7in7 Conference, Nomad Cruise) help them get to know each other and share their experiences.

6. Shaping new jobs

• The emergence of digital nomads has contributed to the popularization of professions such as influencer marketing, SEO expert, online consultant or virtual assistant. In many cases, these jobs did not even exist a few years ago!

7. Close-to-nature lifestyle

• Many digital nomads are not only looking for urban coworking spaces, but also settling in locations close to nature. Off-grid locations are popular, using solar power and working part-time on organic farms.

This lifestyle is not just about work, but also about a new way of thinking: freedom, mobility, and the creative use of global opportunities.

The famous digital nomads

Many digital nomads have become famous by setting an example for others with their lifestyle and work, and by inspiring those interested in a location-independent lifestyle. Below are some well-known digital nomads:

1. Tim Ferriss

• Reputation: Successful entrepreneur, author of The 4-Hour Workweek.
• Contribution: Ferriss’s book revolutionized the way people think about work, passive income generation, and mobile living. Although he didn’t explicitly call himself a digital nomad, many consider him a pioneer of the movement.
• My note: I read the aforementioned book early last year. Now I can pick it up with my notes.

2. Pieter Levels

• Reputation: Founder of Nomad List and Remote OK.
• Contribution: The platforms he created serve the digital nomad community. Nomad List, for example, rates the best places to live a mobile life. Levels himself lives as a full-time digital nomad.
• My note: I already wrote about nomads.com in the article Starting specific tasks, and that’s where I bought my first ticket. Remot OK brought the first successful work, which turned out to be a hoax.

3. Rolf Potts

• Reputation: Author of the book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.
• Contribution: Potts’ book has inspired those interested in long-term travel and independent living. In his work, he writes about the philosophy of travel and the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle.

4. Chris Guillebeau

• Reputation: Writer and speaker who has traveled to every country in the world.
• Contribution: As the author of the book The $100 Startup, he helped people realize how to start a business with little investment that can support a location-independent lifestyle.

5. Gary Arndt

• Reputation: Award-winning photographer and blogger who started the blog Everything Everywhere.
• Contribution: Arndt has spent decades traveling and blogging, documenting the cultures of many countries. Through his experiences, he has inspired those who want to travel and work remotely.

6. Nomadic Matt (Matt Kepnes)

• Reputation: Founder of the blog Nomadic Matt and travel writer.
• Contribution: With his blog and books (e.g. How to Travel the World on $50 a Day), he provides practical advice for long-term, cost-effective travel.
• My note: The Hungarian equivalent of this book is the book How to Travel the World on $3533 a Day?, mentioned in my article The Decision.

7. Vanessa Van Edwards

• Reputation: Founder of The Science of People and behavioral researcher.
• Contribution: With his research and online trainings, he has proven that it is possible to develop valuable personal and professional relationships regardless of location.

8. Johnny FD (Johnny Foreign Domestic)

• Reputation: Blogger and digital nomad lifestyle expert.
• Contributions: Her blog and podcasts explore the benefits and challenges of digital nomadism, as well as tips for building e-commerce and passive income.

9. Kristin Addis

• Reputation: Author of the blog Be My Travel Muse.
• Contributions: She has a particular impact on the female traveler and digital nomad community with her inspiring stories and advice.

Origin of the term

The term “digital nomad” is relatively new and is associated with a specific work. It was first used in 1997 in the book Digital Nomad, written by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners. In the book, the authors outlined a vision of a future in which people would be able to work freely from anywhere in the world through advances in technology, breaking away from the traditional, fixed-location workplace model.

The authors – Makimoto and Manners – foresaw that the spread of mobile technologies (laptops, mobile phones) and the Internet would allow people to work regardless of their geographical location. The book emphasized that this lifestyle could bring people greater freedom, creativity and innovation, while also pointing out that it would result in social and cultural changes.

Popularity of the term

Although the term “digital nomad” has been around since the late 1990s, it only really became popular in the 2010s, as technology—especially fast and reliable internet—became available on a global scale. The rise of Nomad List and other digital nomad communities, as well as books and blogs like Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek, helped popularize the term and popularize the lifestyle.

The term has now become the basis for an entire movement and lifestyle, followed by millions around the world.

It wasn’t that long ago that more people…

The post 24. | Who are digital nomads? first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.