• safetywing.com
• globelink.eu
• truetraveller.com
• imglobal.com
• allianztravelinsurance.com
• cignaglobal.com

Comparing insurance websites was a task of medium difficulty. I could have said it wasn’t easy, but that wouldn’t be the truth. It was more like a time-consuming task, and there was a point during the two hours of work when I got a little bored.

Of course, insurance companies themselves offer several different packages. So I had to start by understanding the packages on each website, then comparing them to decide which one I needed. To do this, I chose the method of saving the packages with screenshots and then putting them side by side in Excel so that I didn’t have to spend a thousand clicks back and forth.

When compiling the packages, I tried to select the same period. Wherever possible, I set the insurance period as if I were starting to travel on March 1st and traveling for 28 days. This was because on the first page you can take out 4-week insurance. On the others, I either managed to set the 28 days of March or not. There were some where you could only select a period, so on one page I was forced to select 31 days. On the other, the first option was “0-3” months.

When I selected the package with the given insurance company, I got to an insurance premium. This is specified in USD on one page and in EUR on the other. So I converted the given premium to HUF. Finally, taking into account the days of the selected period, I calculated a daily insurance premium for each insurance, so that I could clearly compare the prices.

Here, too, I was not completely clear. That’s when the concept of “self-financing” came into play. To understand this word, I had to dig through the entire explanatory part of one page, but in the end the picture became clear.

The insurance “excess” (in Hungarian, deductible) is the amount that you have to pay out of your own pocket in the event of an insured loss before the insurer pays the remaining amount.

How does it work?

• For example, if you have car insurance with a deductible of 100,000 HUF and you have a claim that costs 500,000 HUF:
• You pay the first 100,000 HUF.
• The insurer pays the remaining 400,000 HUF.
• If the claim amount is less than the deductible (e.g. 80,000 HUF), the insurer does not pay, since you cover the entire claim.

Why is there a deductible?

• Filtering out minor claims: Insurers avoid paying out for minor claims in this way.
• Responsibility: The deductible motivates the insured to act prudently.
• Cheaper premiums: If you have a higher deductible, you get a lower insurance premium, since the insurer takes on less risk.

And the situation here obviously gets more complicated when comparing. With one insurance, there is no mention of this. With the other, the amount is unique per insured event. With the third, I have to determine this from 0 to the starry sky. In other words, comparing insurance options is not easy at all levels.

Let’s get started!

Looking at the websites of the 6 listed insurance companies, it turned out that the last two are not available to me, a Hungarian citizen. This only came to light now because when writing the previous post about insurance, I only included the last ones as a task to review, i.e. I have only seen them for the first time.

For the sake of simplicity, I will only give the final result for the websites and that too only in HUF, since the numbers speak for themselves.

safetywing.com

Current price: 1,284 HUF / day.

The insurance covers a lot of things and with very high insurance limits. The smaller package is enough for me, and taking out the insurance is a fairly simple process. The website is very impressive and provides a lot of help, there is a description for almost everything. Not in vain! It was made in America.

globelink.eu

Current price: 2,228 HUF / day.

It pays out much larger insurance amounts than the previous one, but is also much more expensive. The range of insurance events is quite similar. Compared to the previous insurance, I had the feeling that this was more of a general insurance, and there were events that were more typical of travel than of the nomadic lifestyle. I think the price reflects this as well.

truetraveller.com

Current price: 1,493 HUF / day, or
Current price: 1,040 HUF / day.

Here the price of the insurance can be reduced by not taking out the policy for 28 days, but for a longer period. The price of 1,040 HUF is for a 60-day policy, for example.

I still have to calculate with this site when I take out the actual insurance before departure.

imglobal.com

Current price: 1,823 HUF / day.

It’s by far the highest insurance price, I didn’t even think about it too much.

Who is the winner?

Safetywing.com and truetraveller.com are still in the ring. On an emotional level, I would say that safetywing.com will be the winner because of its simplicity, the beauty of the site and the slogan “Health and travel insurance for nomads”. Truetraveller.com is much cheaper, however.

If I take out insurance there not for 30 or 60 days but for 180 days, the daily price is 806 HUF.

So, despite the magic word nomad, we have a winner.

The post 48. | Who won the insurance competition? first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Revolut Ultra

Revolut Ultra offers 30+ benefits in addition to choosing a card. The card costs 16,550 HUF for the first three months, and then 19,500 HUF per month. Here and now, I will focus specifically on the details provided by the insurance. These are:

• Car rental excess insurance: Coverage for a specified excess of up to 2,000 EUR, plus deductibles or liability fees!
• Personal liability insurance: Insurance coverage for claims for damage or injury caused by you to a third party, up to a maximum of 1,000,000 EUR.
• Emergency medical care insurance: Insurance coverage for damage up to 10,000,000 EUR for medical care abroad for you and your immediate family members.
• Winter sports insurance: Insurance for injuries sustained while participating in sports (except extreme sports) and for loss, theft or damage to equipment.
• Air travel insurance: Insurance for late arrival, damaged or lost luggage, and for delayed or interrupted flights.
• Cancellation insurance: Coverage in the event that you have to cancel your trip before departure, or if your trip is interrupted and you cannot get a refund. The reason for cancellation must be among the reasons listed in the insurance terms and conditions.

Points 3, 4 and 6 are particularly interesting to me. The offer is quite exciting until I read this at the bottom of the page:

We only cover trips paid for through Revolut. The maximum duration of the trip can be 90 days.

From there, it becomes clear that this is not the insurance I am looking for. This scheme was not invented for me. It is for those who go on short trips, for a maximum of three months, and pay for their flight tickets with Revolut, for example, thereby obtaining the insurance status. This scheme is not completely understandable to me, but it is not important for me to deal with it any further.

At most, if I still get this card because of the other benefits, then I will pay attention to how I can use this insurance, but this can only be additional insurance for me.

Let’s see what other options I have reviewed!

hello.hu

This site came to my path by accident. It provides foreign trips of up to 90 days, it does not seem to be a relevant site to me.

I couldn’t find any Hungarian offers by searching. The only result I managed to get was an article from about 5 years ago, where someone called the attention of insurance companies to the fact that this is a pretty good market, it would be worth dealing with it. I don’t think anyone heard this idea.

You can find travel insurance, but I couldn’t find insurance suitable for the digital nomad lifestyle.

safetywing.com

“Nomad Insurance covers extended travel and health worldwide. Choose from two coverage levels based on your needs.

Sounds good. At first glance, it seems like something specifically designed for this lifestyle.

It offers two types of packages:

• Essential: Travel medical insurance.
• Complete: Full health insurance with extra travel protection.

This insurance company discreetly reminds me that I am not a child of today. The insured ages are grouped into 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69.

• Insurance price: The Essential package is 36 eHUF per month for ages 40-49, 56 eHUF per month for ages 50-59. The Complete package is 84 eHUF per month for ages 40-49, and 127 eHUF per month for ages 50-59.
• What does the insurance cover: There are so many things covered that I have no doubt this insurance could be suitable.In the case of worldnomads.com, which I did not introduce right away, it occurred that the service was not available to Hungarian citizens, so I tried to check this in the case of safetywing.com. It’s a vicious circle, because until I register on the site, I can’t check this information. In any case, it’s reassuring that this system has a representative in Hungary, so I have a chance that this insurance is available to me too.

worldnomads.com

Travel insurance, inspiration and opportunities to help you fuel your curiosity, find your journey and travel bravely

Based on the structure and appearance of the page, I clicked on the What does it cover? menu item with high hopes, but reality quickly fell apart, in the form of the following message:

Travel insurance is not currently available for your Country of Residence, but we’ll be back soon. This information is for residents of Hungary.

Thanks!

globelink.eu

This site is available to Hungarian citizens. However, it can only be subscribed for a maximum of three months in advance and a maximum of 120 days.

• Price of the insurance: After that, I can already see the price, which is 465 USD / four months, or 116 USD / month. In other words, that insurance is more expensive than safetywing.com
• What does the insurance cover: A lot of things are insured here too.

truetraveller.com

Insurance available to me. Two types of packages are available: Traveller is our most popular policy. Traveller Plus is the best choice if you want higher cancellation cover.

• Price of the insurance: Traveler is 103 USD per month, Traveler Plus is 118 USD, but I need to delve deeper into the calculation because I requested a quote for one month, but the monthly fee decreases as the duration increases.
• What is covered by the insurance: Here too, a lot of everything is insured, based on the list, the list of items is shorter than in the case of the previous two insurances.

This site offers a lot of packages and options, I need to get to know this system more seriously before making a decision.

bigcattravelinsurance.com

Looks like a great site, but only offers solutions to UK citizens.

Asking the AI

I asked the AI, “As a Hungarian citizen, I will become a digital nomad. Please recommend me sites where I can take out insurance for a permanent period of even half a year to live abroad!”

It threw five Hungarian sites at me, where I tried the only one I didn’t know, and it immediately turned out that travel insurance cannot be taken out for even two months.

I clarified my request: “I am not interested in Hungarian sites. Please recommend foreign sites where I can take out insurance as a Hungarian citizen and choose insurance for at least half a year!”

I received an answer that made sense to me:

As a Hungarian citizen who plans to spend at least half a year abroad as a digital nomad, several international insurance companies offer long-term travel insurance options. Below you will find some recommended providers:

• SafetyWing: Insurance designed specifically for digital nomads and remote workers, valid worldwide. The insurance operates on a monthly subscription basis and is valid for up to 364 days of continuous stay abroad. The contract can be cancelled or extended at any time, so it is flexible to adapt to your travel plans.
• World Nomads: This insurer offers a wide range of coverage for long-term travelers, including various adventure sports. The insurance period can be flexibly determined and extended if necessary. It is important to check whether the chosen package meets your individual needs and the duration of the trip.
• IMG Global – Patriot Travel Medical Insurance: IMG Global offers various travel insurance packages that can be valid for up to two years. Patriot Travel Medical Insurance, for example, provides coverage from 5 days to 24 months and is available worldwide. This type of insurance can be particularly useful for longer stays abroad.
• Allianz Global Assistance – OneTrip Prime Plan: Among Allianz’s international travel insurance packages, the OneTrip Prime Plan offers annual multi-trip insurance, which in some packages covers up to 90 days of continuous stay. It is worth checking if this option fits your half-year travel plans or if you need to extend it.
• Cigna Global – Close Care Plan: Among Cigna Global’s health insurance plans, the Close Care Plan is specifically designed for those who are staying abroad for an extended period. This plan offers flexible coverage and can be customized to suit your needs.

Important notes:

• Check coverage and terms: Before you take out insurance, carefully study the terms and conditions of the insurance, especially the coverage, exclusions and limitations. Make sure that the insurance meets your specific needs and the duration of your trip.
• Healthcare services: Check what healthcare services are covered by the insurance, especially if you are traveling to countries where healthcare can be expensive.
• Customer service and support: It is important that the insurer provides 24/7 customer service that can provide assistance if needed.
• Visa requirements: Some countries may require digital nomads to have a special visa, which requires valid health insurance. For example, Estonia and Germany both offer digital nomad visas, which require insurance coverage.

As insurance conditions and coverage may vary from country to country and insurer to insurer, it is recommended to contact your chosen insurer directly and inquire in detail about the options and conditions for a six-month stay abroad.

It’s good that I’m done with SafetyWing and World Nomads. What I still need to look at:

• https://www.imglobal.com/
• https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/
• https://www.cignaglobal.com/

The Allianz link is out of the picture because I’m Hungarian.

However, the other two, considering the time frame, give me a reason to spend time on them as well.

Summary

The first conclusion is that as a Hungarian citizen, I can’t cooperate with a Hungarian insurer because the insurers don’t want to do that. There are some seemingly good options that also escape me because the insurance company doesn’t want to insure the residents of our country.

There are some sites that fall through the cracks because, for example, they don’t want to insure the trip for a long enough period of time.

However, there are exactly 5 left, which I’ve only just got to know, but now it’s time for a really serious comparison and in-depth analysis.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, one more thing seems certain. If I survive the bite of that particular snake and want to process the unpleasant experience in a hospital afterwards without loosing my bitten pants, I’ll have to reach into the pocket of my pants, which haven’t yet had holes in them, for around 400 USD per month.

The post 44. | Insurance survival package for digital nomads first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

However, I received a response on Monday from the Thai embassy in Budapest to my letter from Saturday. She responded to my letter sent in English in Hungarian, since I mentioned in my letter that I am Hungarian. The lady in charge asked me exactly what my purpose was for living there. A little afraid, I wrote to her that “I would like to work independently of location in the next few years, or to use the fashionable expression, I will become a digital nomad. In other words, I would like to live in Thailand simply because of the country, while I would do my work elsewhere.” In response, I received the information about DTV in English and Hungarian. This official document states that “DTV encourages remote working foreigners, colloquially known as “digital nomads,” to stay and work in Thailand for extended periods without immigration or tax concerns.” Well, we think of the concepts similarly.

After writing the post Visa to Thailand, I immediately looked at apartment rental options. I had previously saved the Thailand Property page for this. I saved this page in my bookmark manager with two search parameters: Looking for apartments in Bangkok and up to 8,000 THB (Thai Baht) per month. 8,000 THB is about 240 USD.

So, when I opened the site and changed Bangkok to Koh Samui, not a single property for rent appeared. At first, it was quite scary. I didn’t want to have to choose another place to live because there were no properties there. Then I quickly realized that there probably weren’t any for 8,000 THB…

But there are some for between 13,000 and 16,000 THB. (390-480 USD/month). If I had to book now, this would be my choice:

Experience the best of both worlds with the versatile vacation setting of Cottage B. House in Koh Samui. Whether you seek an active adventure or a laid-back retreat, the choice is yours to make. Situated just 7 km from the city center, this charming cottage offers a perfect blend of tranquility and convenience. Take leisurely strolls to explore the neighborhood and discover nearby attractions such as Mae Nam Beach Pier, Bo Phut Beach Pier, and the vibrant Fisherman’s Village. Enjoy the freedom to tailor your vacation experience to your preferences at Cottage “B. House.”, Bo Phut Beach Pier • 3.0 km, Fishermans Village • 3.3 km, Bangrak Beach • 4.1 km, Wat Phra Yai • 6.2 km, Wat Plai Laem • 6.9 km, Bangkok Hospital • 7.4 km, Mini Golf International • 7.9 km, Nathon Pier • 8.3 km, Ko Samui Hospital • 8.9 km, Wat Lamai • 10.8 km

By the way, Airbnb also offers dozens of similar rental apartments.

So the choice doesn’t seem difficult, I hope it will be the same when I actually have to rent my first remote apartment.

The post 38. | Apartment for rent in Thailand first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

So, as an IT professional, web developer, programmer, and former company owner, I know the internet and the opportunities it offers. At least a very small slice of it. The events of the past few weeks are proof of this.

I haven’t been very active in looking for a position or a job in the past many years. Actually, I wasn’t very active before that either. Somehow, the next opportunity always came along. In the current way of life, I can’t count on that. It would almost be like waiting for that particular fried pigeon to finally fly into my mouth. So I’ve been surfing the internet quite a bit lately.

I look around in astonishment and wonder

With targeted searches and a single-minded focus, so many opportunities appear before me that I very quickly wondered where I had been before? How is it that I don’t have this knowledge yet, that I haven’t seen these opportunities anywhere? I truly felt a few days ago as if I had been dropped into a new world.

Quite a few options appeared before me, I’ll show you a few examples of what I mean.

Trainings

There are skills that I, for example, possess. In a way that I have been practicing them for years. A site drew my attention to the collection of sites where you can complete certain training courses for free, and at the end you can obtain an exam. After that, I will have a document proving my qualifications that certain employers will be happy to welcome in my CV.

We are talking about Google certificates, for example. So, I complete the course, at the end I take the exam and I will have an official document about a given Google skill.

I am currently halfway through the first curriculum, I want to obtain the first such certificate this week. In the first round, I set myself 5 Google qualifications.

There are sites where I can acquire specific knowledge material that is suitable for a particular company. Let’s say I take the exams that are loved and desired by the Meta company.

Based on the above, you can be quite targeted when applying for a job.

Business Models

A vlogger or blogger doesn’t just present opportunities, they present complete, step-by-step solutions. What makes an opportunity really exciting is that the given educational material even lists the free tools that can be used to achieve the goal.

A lot of people are busy telling the whole story. Listening to each of these rhymes, I find that some of them are worth listening to. If nothing else, they are good for constantly maintaining attention to the topic. Half of them are definitely bullshit, and Spanish wax wrapped in a robe that is a shame to waste time on, but some of them can give quite thought-provoking ideas. They can cause a change of perspective and increase confidence in the topic in those who are currently in the spotlight. For example, in me.

My goal is not to list these models here, or even introduce just one of them, I simply did not want to leave the topic aside. According to YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, as soon as you start watching videos of this kind, you will receive more and more recommendations.

Collection and telling sites

I have come across a lot of videos lately that show the possibilities of making easy money in a few points. The question immediately arises in my mind: why does someone who knows how to earn 1,000 USD a day with nothing still make video content? Maybe people are so smart that they immediately publish the secret of ultra-richness?

I just watched the video “Earn $950 A Day Copy & Pasting Google & YouTube Links: Quit 9-5 job & Go Viral”. It shows a method with astonishing simplicity that is not easy work, promises instant money, but after an initial investment of time it can be really profitable.

If this has results, you can read about it here, I’m sure of it!

The post 37. | A new world first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Some tools are still missing from my equipment, and some I still need to acquire or replace.

I have a to-do list of what I need to work with:

1. Phone and eSIM.
2. Laptop.
3. External data storage.
4. Cloud backup.
5. Mobile VPN.
6. Password Manager.
7. Google Maps location sharing.
8. Backpack.
9. External camera or camera.
10. Power Bank.

Let’s look at these in order.

1. Phone and eSIM

I’ve been using my current phone since 2018. That’s quite a long time for a phone, but it’s definitely proof that you don’t necessarily need to replace your phone every two years.

This phone is a Redmi Note 9 Pro 128GB, 6GB RAM Dual Mobile Phone. To this day – I feel – it works and serves me perfectly. Obviously, the battery of such an old phone is not the best, so I started thinking about starting my trip around the world with a new phone based on the thought “maybe it’s ripe for replacement”.

In addition, two other questions have been raised about the future phone in recent weeks. One is whether it is suitable for eSIM handling, and the other is whether it can be used on mobile networks in, say, a Far Eastern country.

ChatGPT gave me this answer to the eSIM question.

“The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro device does not support eSIM technology; it is only suitable for using two nano SIM cards. eSIM is an embedded SIM card that allows you to use mobile network services without a physical SIM card. However, eSIM support varies from device to device, and this feature is not available in the case of Redmi Note 9 Pro.”

The first Xiaomi phone that supports this solution, according to the list shown by AI, is the Xiaomi 13 Pro. I took a quick look at it. It’s a pretty big phone, and unfortunately, that’s not good news for now. My idea for the phone of the future is that it should be smaller than the current one.

I still have to work on this issue.

2. Laptop

In recent years, my workplace laptop has been different from my own. In previous years, the two were the same. I’ve been using one since last summer, and this is now my workplace computer.

So I’ll need a good computer. The current one, an HP Probook, is perfect for my purposes. It’s small, its battery lasts a long time. The display is 14″, I’ve been working at my home desk for months without a second monitor, and my experience is that I can work completely comfortably this way.

Cloud life and the use of external storage reduce the installation procedure to hours.

Therefore, I will have time to deal with this issue in the coming months.

3. External storage

In previous years, my many – organized – data were scattered on various external hard drives. I got bored with this situation and found it untenable, so at the end of last year I bought a 4TB SSD, and now everything is in one place.

This device is the size of two matchboxes. The T5 EVO will protect your data even if you accidentally drop it from two meters, so you can be even more relaxed. It is protected by Bitlocker, so in principle my data is safe.

I regularly make backups of my data. From the cloud to this SSD, and from the SSD to the HDD stored at my workplace.

This way my data is in order locally.

4. Cloud backup

The HDD stored at work gives me the feeling of security that if my home data storage is destroyed or stolen, I have everything. Backups stored away from home are important.

However, traveling the world, I could only apply this with half-confidence. If my data storage was stolen from a hotel in Japan, I would probably lose both.

So the idea was born that I needed a cloud backup option. Three days ago, I wrote myself the task that I had to look into this. Along with writing down the task, I asked the AI ​​to recommend 10 solutions for cloud-based backup. Not surprisingly, it came up with a complex solution. It gave a detailed explanation of why it recommended each solution. It showed how much each one would cost. I won’t copy the entire conversation here, just a summary of it.

Recommendation for choosing:

• If you’re looking for great flexibility and scalability: Google Drive, Dropbox or AWS S3.
• If you plan for a one-time fee and for the long term: pCloud Lifetime.
• If you need it specifically for backup: Backblaze or iDrive.

I chose between these. iDrive was the solution for me. It offers 5TB of storage at an affordable price. It offers 10 GB of storage in the free plan, so I could try it out before I made a final decision. So what I had written down for later became an immediate solution.

I registered in the system with the 10 GB option. I downloaded and installed the Windows client. And I immediately backed up a larger directory from the SSD to see how it works. Wow! I didn’t have to do anything, it backed up. I immediately tested it by making changes and saving again to see if it would do its job reliably. Not surprisingly, it did.

The surprise came the next day when it turned out that the client program also had a default scheduling task, meaning my cloud backup was updated to the given library.

At the same time, I received the subscription offer for the 5 TB package with a 90% discount for the first year. I bought the storage space for 12,5 USD for 1 year. The next bill is due in a year for 150 USD, so this solution will cost 13 USD per month in a year.

In truth, I should have taken this step in the summer, but the offer was irresistible. Not to mention that a few days ago I actually not only have a backup on my work computer, but now in the cloud as well.

My laptop synced my data stored on an external drive to the cloud in 26 hours. Now, a full backup of my data is made every night in about 40 minutes.

5. Mobil VPN

First of all, what is a VPN? A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a technology that encrypts your internet traffic and creates a secure channel between your device and the internet. This means that when you connect to a VPN, your data is protected from hackers, snoopers, and your internet service provider.
A VPN can also make it appear as if you are browsing the internet from another country because it hides your IP address and assigns you a different one. This is useful, for example, if you want to connect securely to public Wi-Fi networks or if you want to access content that is not available in your country.

Why do I need a mobile VPN solution as a digital nomad?

As a digital nomad, a mobile VPN (Virtual Private Network) solution can be extremely useful for the following reasons:

1. Security on Public Wi-Fi

• Digital nomads often work from coffee shops, hotels, airports, or other public places. These networks can be easily compromised, and hackers can access your data.
• A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, protecting sensitive information like login details and banking transactions.

2. Bypass geo-restrictions

• Some websites, services, or apps may be blocked in certain countries.
• A VPN can help you set up an IP address as if you were in another country, allowing you to access the services you need.

3. Privacy

• Your online activity can be tracked by ISPs, governments, or websites.
• A VPN hides your IP address and increases your online anonymity.

4. Access streaming services

• If you want to access content from your favorite streaming platforms that are not available in your country, a VPN can help you bypass geo-restrictions.

5. Secure remote work

• When you connect to corporate networks, a VPN allows you to access the resources you need for your work through an encrypted channel.
• It prevents unauthorized people from accessing your company data.

6. Cost optimization

• The price of some services and products, such as flights, hotels, and subscriptions, may differ depending on where you browse the Internet from.
• A VPN allows you to virtually switch to an IP address in another country to find better prices.

7. Bypass Internet censorship

• Some countries restrict access to social media, news sites, or other online services.
• You can access these sites and continue working or communicating with them through a VPN.

8. Stable Internet connection

• If your ISP limits data traffic for certain types of activities (e.g. torrenting), a VPN can help you avoid this regulation.

9. Protect multiple devices at once

• A good VPN can be used on multiple devices, protecting not only your phone but also your laptop or tablet.

10. Peace of mind

• Being aware of your security and privacy helps you focus on your work without having to worry about cyberattacks or data leaks.

Recommended VPNs for Digital Nomads:

• ExpressVPN: Excellent speed and global server availability.
• NordVPN: Strong security features and intuitive user interface.
• Surfshark: Cost-effective solution with unlimited device connections.
• ProtonVPN: Focuses on privacy and has a free version.

Using a VPN is key to a secure, hassle-free, and peaceful digital nomad lifestyle.

As I mentioned earlier in the Health preparation post, Revolut Ultra also offers a VPN solution in its package. And NordVPN from the list above, which I now read about on the Revolut website:

Encrypt your online data and keep your virtual location safe. You also get 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage and other benefits.

Wow! Another TB of storage. I’m starting to wonder what to do with the cloud, I’ll be able to store so much data. NordVPN is a significant cost factor in itself, so now I have another argument in favor of Revolut Ultra.

6. Password manager

I already have such a solution. I have been using the KeePass application for about 15 years. It is a solution for storing passwords. I have been using the application for many years so that when I register on a site or system, I enter the site’s data and use the program to create the password. So my passwords for the last many years are something like this: “4,>t(A”24~0OE1$XV:*D%F+FQHK|5G”. Good luck with the decryption!

Why did I put this tool on this list, if I already have it? The reason is the following. KeePass works with a local database. What I can store in the cloud, so I can always access it, but the condition for this is a laptop on which the client program is installed. However, if my computer happens to be stolen and I end up in a place where I can only work with the internet, but I don’t have permission to install the program, then I’ll be shot.

So I need a cloud solution that I can access even if I happen to only be able to sit down at a free computer in an internet café.

Based on the recommendation of AI, I found and tried the cloud password manager program Dashlane in the past few weeks. It’s going to be excellent. According to my plans, I will only store the most important information here, in case of emergency in case. By the way, it was able to import the data stored in KeePass without any problems, so, as of two weeks ago, it has my entire database. This is just an additional security, I don’t want to store my data in two places, and I don’t want to replace KeePass.

So I have this tool.

7. Google Maps Location Sharing

This solution is designed to allow people I give access to my shared data to see where I am online on a map. I’ve known about this solution for a long time, but I’ve never used it. It didn’t make sense. It will definitely be there in the future. So I’m preparing this solution and sharing it with my family and some of my friends.

It won’t be on all the time, because it uses up the phone’s battery. But if the situation requires it, I’ll be able to turn it on immediately and notify the appropriate circle that they can look.

So if I get lost in a jungle, at least they’ll know where that snake bit me.

8. Backpack

I will travel with a backpack, not a suitcase. I really don’t like the wheeled suitcases that everyone is lugging around. I like the weight of a bag on my back. There is something about walking 40 km with 14 kilograms on my back, with a 3,000-meter elevation gain.

I am an experienced hiker. I have a backpack of the right size. For years it has been in the state of “I will slowly replace it”. It has covered many kilometers with me, served faithfully in winter and summer. But perhaps it is already a little difficult to bear the fact that I have to carry more and more equipment according to the seasons and tasks. It has slowly, slowly started to fall apart, but I will “slowly replace it.”

Well, it will not be coming with me on the trip around the world, so the “slowly” has just arrived. I have some information gathered from the past few years about what to look for when choosing, apart from my own needs, so I will make that change soon, and this new companion will accompany me on my larger tours at home. With this, it can also prepare for different experiences offered by more distant landscapes.

I also have a smaller hiking backpack, but – as the marking shows – it is suitable for smaller tours, it is not enough for a long trip. However, I do not know if I will take it with me for other purposes. I probably will not, but I will use my laptop backpack for smaller tours around the world. I do not know this for sure yet.

9. External camera or photo camera

I’ve never used anything like that. But I had to think about how I would take pictures if I became a travel blogger (too). After all, I probably wouldn’t be able to satisfy my readers by publishing only text content. I’m doing that while writing this, but maybe you can forgive me if I don’t include a camera picture next to these lines.

However, if I want to report on …, my visit there, then maybe no one will mind if I take a few pictures.

The reason I put three dots in the article here is because I wanted to write about a secluded place that I haven’t even heard of. I tried to resolve the contradiction inherent in this thought with the help of AI.

And although it doesn’t belong to this topic, I’ll copy here what I learned about the most secluded place in the world.

What is the “most secluded” place in the world?

The “most remote” place in the world depends on a number of factors, including geographical distance, difficulty of access, and minimal contact with the outside world. Here are some examples of the most remote places:

1. Tristan da Cunha (Atlantic Ocean)

• Why is it special? It is the world’s most isolated inhabited archipelago, located in the South Atlantic Ocean. The nearest inhabited place, Saint Helena, is over 2,400 km away, and the nearest continent is Africa (South Africa), which is about 2,800 km away.
• How to get there? It is only accessible by boat, and the journey takes over a week from South Africa.

2. Bouvet Island (Atlantic Ocean)

• Why is it special? This island is the world’s most isolated, uninhabited piece of land. It is considered a territory of Norway, but it is thousands of kilometres from any other inhabited place.
• Accessibility: Only special expeditions can reach it, as the weather and icy waters make access extremely difficult.

3. Pitcairn Islands (Pacific Ocean)

• Why is it special? With a population of around 50, Pitcairn is the smallest administrative unit in the world. It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and is very far from any major landmass.
• How to get there? It is only accessible by boat, and the nearest port, Mangareva, is about 500 km away.

4. Alert (Canada, Arctic)

• Why is it special? Alert is the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited settlement, located just 817 km from the North Pole. The inhabitants here (mostly scientists and soldiers) live in extremely harsh conditions.
• Accessibility: Accessible by plane, but only with special permission, and weather conditions severely limit accessibility.

5. Ittoqqortoormiit (Greenland)

• Why is it special? This settlement is located in one of the most isolated points in Greenland and has only a few hundred inhabitants. The surrounding area is largely covered in ice.
• How to get there? It can only be reached by helicopter or special boat trips when ice conditions allow.

6. Oymyakon (Siberia, Russia)

• Why is it special? It is one of the coldest inhabited settlements in the world, where temperatures can drop as low as -60°C. Although it is relatively easy to get to, the extreme climatic conditions make life very difficult.
• How to get there: It can be reached by car from the city of Yakutsk in the Far East, but the journey is long and exhausting.

These places are all distinguished by their extreme isolation, and what they have in common is that they are considered “remote” due to their difficult accessibility and natural conditions.

So, I haven’t used such devices before, but I know some of the options that can be used while doing such activities. A body or head-mounted camera that films things while moving. An underwater camera. A camera. A drone with a camera. A selfie stick…

I still have to work on this question. I don’t want to choose too much or too little. I will probably have a body or head-mounted camera that can be used underwater, and surprisingly, I also thought about a selfie stick.

I also need to learn a little about photography and videography, because I have little experience with this.

10. Power bank

Luckily, I don’t have to worry about this anymore. I always had one with me on my larger or longer trips. For years, I used the useless category, but I finally got tired of it last summer, before a seven-day trip.

Then I bought a BioLite type power bank with a capacity of 20,000 mAh. It is a 410 gram device, but based on my experience so far, its power compensates for the heavy weight. The BioLite 20,000 mAh power bank is a high-performance device, which is ideal for charging multiple devices multiple times while traveling or camping!

Some examples of how many times it can charge:

• action camera: 13 full charges
• phone: 3 – 6 full charges
• tablets: 1.5 – 2 full charges
• laptop: 1 – 1.3 full charges

I dare to trust myself with this device while traveling.

Nothing else has come into the picture yet. This doesn’t mean I’m done with everything, but it means I’ve gotten this far.

The post 36. | Getting ready with my tools first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Summary

What questions arise regarding digital nomad banking?

Well, yes. I’m not going to write about the Jason Statham movie.

In the past few weeks, I’ve had a lot of questions that the internet could help me solve. However, I have a premium banking advisor, so I decided back in December that I would contact the lady on the first normal working day and set up a personal meeting with her. We did this in about 5 minutes today, so I’m going to visit the bank next week.

I don’t like to arrive at such meetings unprepared, so today I’ve collected the questions that would be good to discuss at the bank.

These are the ones as of today:

• The relationship between my salary and the apartment’s down payment.
• How USD and EUR accounts work and cost.
• Can we work together on insurance?
• My regular Mastercard bank card expires on 07.2025. I would like to apply for a new card. How many years is a card valid for? What is the card replacement fee?
• My Mastercard credit card expires on 04.2026. A renewal may be necessary here too.
• A power of attorney for my confidant to act on my behalf.
• Is there anything the premium banking advisor can bring to my attention? What has escaped my attention.
• Let’s stay in touch, I’m sure I’ll have more questions.

Salary and apartment repayment amount

I haven’t told you yet, but it’s part of it, how much my thinking has changed regarding my home loan. When the idea of ​​leaving came to my mind last summer, I still saw the repayment amount of my existing home loan as an obstacle. At the time, I thought that I would have to squeeze the next 2-3 years to save as much money as possible for pre-payment or final repayment of a loan, so that I could leave with as little burden on my neck as possible. So I can start after 2-3 years. On the other hand, by the end of November, a natural, simple thought occurred to me: Don’t let that 340 USD per month hold me back from leaving. I have to earn this money on the other side of the world. It’s as simple as that.

When designing the housing loan structure, we followed the usual (Hungarian) procedure: the condition for the appropriate loan condition is that my monthly salary arrives at the bank providing the loan. This did not cause a problem at the time, since I had been with the bank where I took out the loan for many years.

However, the situation will change now. In a few months, no money designated as a salary will arrive at the relevant bank account. So I need to find out whether my monthly repayment amount will change, and if so, by how much it will increase.

USD and EUR accounts

Although it is unlikely that I will open a USD and EUR account with a Hungarian bank, I do not rule out the possibility of this happening. Let’s look at the conditions!

Insurance

I have Hungarian life insurance, but I am sure that I will need more sophisticated insurance that is valid in international waters. My bank also has an insurance business, so it is worth listening to an offer from there.

Bank cards

I have two bank cards with this bank. (They also manage my sole proprietorship account, but I did not apply for a bank card there, because my business is completely cashless.) My bank card will lose its validity before my trip, so I will need a new one, in the first half of the year.

My credit card will not expire until April 2026, but it will be easier to replace this one along with the other card, so I can extend the validity period for both to the longest possible time frame so that I don’t have to deal with replacing another card as soon as possible in the future.

I will be embarking on this journey with the support of at least two Mastercards from my own bank.

However, Vigh Bori drew my attention to the fact that a trip around the world requires at least three types of cards:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express

I still have to get Visa and American Express.

I have a Revolut account where I have had a EUR account for years, and I also opened a USD account in December. But I am not yet familiar with the use of these, this is also one of the tasks ahead of me.

After a conversation with a friend this evening, I also opened a Wise account. This was a task that took about 20 minutes. My next bank card will arrive in twelve days.

As I see the future, I will have a deck of plastic cards with me.

My confidant

I will have a personal representative in Hungary who will be able to act on my behalf in matters that require my personal presence. I need to clarify with the bank what documents are needed and what the bank will accept so that we can achieve the goal. I trust that a simple consent statement will be enough and that we will not have to go through an impossibly complicated procedure.

About the rest

After all this, there is still the possibility that something has not come to my attention yet, or will come to me later. That is what the last two points are for.

The post 18. | The Bank Job first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Summary

What factors influence the determination of the departure date?

Even though I already have a target date in mind, I haven’t written about this important issue until now. I have made a short list of the factors I took into account when determining the departure date.

Existing work commitments

I am an IT team leader in a manufacturing company in Hungary. We knew months before my decision was made that we would have a few months of project work in 2025 regarding NIS2 compliance. This work should be completed around April, May at the latest. In order to meet this commitment, I would have to stay at my job at least until the end of May.

Preparation time

Based on what I have read so far, I accept that the responsible preparation time is at least six months for a plan of this size. Considering that I started planning in late November, early December, this also determines that it is not advisable for me to leave before the end of May, June.

Vacation planning

For years, I’ve been going on vacation with my daughters as a trio. In recent years, we’ve been going abroad more often in the summer. We’ve been to Croatia, Paris twice, London, Athens, and Berlin. We can plan a vacation with them in Turkey or Spain in early August 2025, so leaving before August doesn’t seem very feasible.

A wedding

Based on all of this, the very first target date was 01-09-2025. When I was one of the first to tell this to a friend of mine, he replied: “Don’t go anywhere in early September, you’ll be busy.” He and his girlfriend plan to have their wedding on10-09-2025 as a couple, with only two witnesses. I will be one of the witnesses. They don’t know where the ceremony will be yet, but somewhere like Dominica or Cuba. Whether or not I will come home from the venue of this wedding is up to me.

Based on all of these factors, the target date is
20-09-2025 08:00

Along with writing this post, I also set up the WpDevArt Countdown widget in the sidebar on the blog and started the countdown with the above date.

At the moment the counter is as follows:

My friend called me this week about the wedding. It will be sometime around December instead of the planned September. So I immediately changed the departure date from 20.09.2025 to 25.08.2025, a Monday that promises to be a pleasant one.

This reduced the countdown by twenty-six days.

The post 13. | Setting the target date first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Summary

This post is about how I started concrete preparation for the digital lifestyle.

I was definitely planned in Excel. I created the first of the many spreadsheets needed for preparation on December 5th. That was when the Todoist project called “my future” was completed and that was when I created the directory structure on my laptop with the same name.

Even earlier, on December 1st, I did something I rarely do: I just started searching the Internet. I looked up the requirements for working in Hawaii. I would have registered for the US Green Card Lottery that day if the registration period hadn’t just closed.

When it comes to gathering information, Google is not the only friend I have, but of course AI is too. In recent weeks, I have been regularly nagging about my plans.

With the help of AI, I found out how many countries there are on Earth, that is, how many destination countries I can choose. This list has already been included in the spreadsheet. The AI ​​also whispered that yes, there are lists that rank countries, such as the Human Development Index (HDI), Mercer Quality of Living Survey, OECD Better Life Index, World Happiness Report. I downloaded the Human Development Index or World Happiness Report ranking of a given country into Excel, along with the country lists. After all, it doesn’t matter how happy the developed country I’m going to is. Then I got a list that shows how I can enter a given country with a Hungarian passport, and finally I also added the continent on which the given country is. Just in case I don’t know. I’ll show you this Excel table.

In the meantime, I continued my search, where I was able to find such useful information:

Many international job search portals now specialize specifically in location-independent jobs.

• https://weworkremotely.com/
• https://www.workingnomads.com/jobs
• https://jobspresso.co/.

A characteristic of the freelance lifestyle is getting work from freelance platforms.

• https://www.upwork.com/
• https://www.freelancer.com/
• https://www.fiverr.com/
• https://www.toptal.com/.

Source: https://features.hu/digitalis-nomad

It takes days, even weeks, to process the results of such searches. So the list of specific things to do, to see, to answer grows bigger every day.
I signed up for quite a few sites without thinking. I signed up for free courses. I have been receiving daily tasks and daily videos for a week. I do these with honor, increasing the number of Excel tables and Todoist entries.

I created a budget table, which I have already designed so that it can perform cross-calculations with current USD, EUR and any freely chosen currency exchange rate. Now I know what my salary in Hungary is in USD, or even in EUR. I know how much money I need to cover my expenses in Hungary, and what is the salary that would fill me with satisfaction.

On December 17th, I paid the one-time 100 USD entry fee to nomads.com. This social site provides so much information about nearly 1,400 settlements (e.g. public safety, price of a pint of beer, quality of wifi, monthly living expenses, type of electrical outlet, specific job offers, etc.) that at first I didn’t know what to do with the sight. However, I already know that there is a country where you can live on 350 USD per month…

I started planning the future of my business in Hungary, and at the same time, my thoughts are constantly on the construction of a possible digital nomad business. I collect business ideas, assess my own abilities, involving, for example, good friends and family in this work.

I pay attention to all task-like things in the information sources I read and the lectures and podcasts I listen to, and I constantly shape and expand the tasks to be completed. I also asked the artificial intelligence to create an action plan for me for living abroad. It was from it that I first heard that I would have to deal with my driver’s license and driving abroad separately, and it also drew my attention to the importance of foreign insurance, for example.

With each click, with each video I watch, I move higher and higher in the information sphere.

In the future, I plan to write a more detailed article about each subtask.

The post 8. | Starting specific tasks first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.