@jasoncookdesign

Hi there!

I’m sorry if this question has been asked before, whether in disguise or directly, but I couldn’t find its own dedicated topic and I find it very interesting to talk about.

One of my issues with the remote working world is the lack of knowledge of where to return to. After a one/two/ten month stint living and working somewhere else (say Airbnb’ing or a short let, meaning a place that is NOT yours by any means), where do you return to?

• Do most nomads own a place that you rent while you travel?
• If not, is this something that you consider doing?
• Do you return to your home country before deciding where to go next? Or do you jump directly somewhere new?
• And when you return, do you find the need to be in a personal, private space? (ie, not sharing with strangers 24/7 365 days a year)

Speaking for myself, I’ve gotten rid of my apartment in Portugal 2 years ago and moved to London simply for the pursuit of new and interesting opportunities. I’m now, at last, working remotely and I plan on working and living for a few weeks/months in random European cities, but not knowing where to return after to after this… is killing me! (I still own too many possessions to carry in a backpack. Not too many, but moving is a hassle).

• Those of you who travel without a set of keys on you, how do you deal with this thought? I’m really curious to get to know your views on this.

Thanks in advance. This forum has helped me a lot convincing me that this is a leap I need to make sooner or later cheers!

I’ve got a lot running through my mind at the moment, I’m rather anxious as it feels as if I’m coming towards a crossroad and need to make a decision soon, of which I’m not confident in making the right one.

Long post, it does come back around (i.e., details about my situation in middle, then Q at end about anyone similar, or who thinks their old life was the same if not better)

I have a partner & a pet.

Scenario:

City A

• Own a house
• Have some family left, they are getting old (mid 70’s). Have some friends and roots, no close friends though.
• Nothing particularly wrong with it. Don’t get out much so lack of attractions isn’t a big deal (and besides once you’ve lived for 10+ years it will have little left to do outside of routine gym/cinema/restaurants/beach)

City B

• I have parents here with 2 siblings (very young). So ‘future-proof’ wise this is better (i.e., would we end up moving here one day anyway? Could be worth biting the bullet now)
• Okay-ish for rent, very expensive to buy. Basically double what my house is worth.
• If we fell out with parent or didn’t like siblings (it could happen) then we’d have lost pretty much the only reason to move here

Nomad

• The generic pros/cons
• More specific cons: What to do with house (rent likely). What to do with all the contents (~$20k worth), would sell at a fraction of what would cost to rebuy. Our pet
• Would cost $1-2k each year to come back home to visit. Reliant on other people (staying at their house while visiting for a few weeks/month would be harder then being close where visits are shorter and easier to not be so intertwined).

I travelled for ~3 months straight last year so I’ve got a decent understanding of the work implications and routines there.

I’m wondering what to do, is the travelling really worth it or is it an escape fantasy that won’t deliver?

It’d be hard to go back if change mind (hey can we take our pet back? Tenant has a 12 month lease. Rebuying things).

My thought was (pending family thoughts):

• Take some key things to family house in City B. Pet can stay here
• Nomad lifestyle, and visit City B once a year or so along with City A and some other various family for ~2 months before leaving again
  Seems to be the best compromise between nomad lifestyle and family.

Has anyone else been on the fence, how did it work out?
Has anyone changed to the nomad lifestyle and found out it wasn’t as good as they thought, and staying put would have been a good option in the end?

This year I would to work for a few months in a different location taking my partner with me. I’m calling it a working holiday. Bulgaria is the place I’m thinking of starting this “trend” I would like to do. I have read a lot of other peoples thoughts of it and I know a guy who I sort of worked with, He currently works around the world.

My question is as I am a British WordPress developer will I need a work visa or anything? All my work will be with clients back home. I’m fully booked up with projects for around 6 months - it grows each week.

Will my partner need any visa?

I have been looking at places to stay and the thought of working on a nice sunny balcony overlooking the sea really make me feel good.

This one is for those of you who have full-time remote jobs. I noticed @wanderingdev mentioned being an FTE for a US company, hoping she may be able to weigh in here.

I have a very nice remote programming job. Great team, and the whole team’s distributed. I’ve been working remotely for years now – but never as a developer. I used to do more writing-related jobs, where you get paid by the word, and hours don’t matter.

As a coder, I’m suddenly paid by the hour. I am not a “consultant” - but I still find it very confusing and troubling, and I’m trying to nail down some norms. I’m supposed to be “full time”, which basically means 40 hours/week or so (43, but who’s counting).

I have a timer I use (nobody asked me to use it, and I don’t share the time report with anyone). I used to stop the timer whenever I went to the kitchen for a moment or to help with the kid. Working like this, an 8-hour day quickly became a 13-hour day. Meaning, it took me 13-14 hours to get 8 hours of work done, and it was pretty terrible.

I decided to do a sanity check with a colleague whom I have good rapport with. He’s a senior dev who’s been with the company for years. He said that in an 8-hour day, he usually manages to get in about 4 hours of “billable time” – meaning, about half his time is spent actually working, and the other half is doing other things, which he says is important to stay creative/fresh and not burn out (I definitely see the sense in this).

He told me that when he used to be a consultant, he used to charge exactly per what he actually worked – but then he doubled his rates to make up for it. (I don’t get a ton of money, I’m not a very experienced coder, and I’m not considered a consultant by any stretch of the imagination)

So… I decided to cast a wider net here, just as a sanity/reality check. As remote programmers, how do you manage your time? What does an “8 hour workday” look like for you, in reality?

Do you have a timer? When you watch a YouTube video, do you stop your timer? Etc. etc.
When working at an office it’s easy to get a fix for the norms - but working from home, you guys are what I have. TIA.

Just made a list of a few of my favorite things when working out on the road…would love to hear what other people are using! What do you use to work out on the road?

Nomading can be a lonely lifestyle. Which is probably one of the biggest worries for people thinking about solo travel. However, nomading can also be a great opportunity for making new friends from different walks of life.

Where do you make new friends on the road? What kinds of places do you meet them? Any tips for finding like-minded folk?