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How to avoid getting your stuff stolen?


by @matthieudrula 9yr  | 8 comments

Hey guys,
My question might be blunt ahah but โ€ฆ how do you get your stuff stolen?
Do you stay in hostels, or shady hotels? Or do you get robbed?
I stopped using hostel with outsiders and I pretty much only use budget hotel now.
I have heard about an app that take screenshots of your room and send it to you if it detects movement too so you can alert the hotel staff.
I donโ€™t want to make everybody paranoiac too ;).

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@kirkbeard 9yr

Iโ€™ve been travelling for almost three years now, and have spent 75% of that time in hostels, and have not had anything stolen from the hostel. So long as you use a bit of common sense, you should be able to minimise any risks of things being stolen from your hostel.

  • Most hostels include free lockers, so make use of them
  • Donโ€™t go flashing your expensive stuff around more than you have to
  • Read the reviews/ratings of the hostel on HostelWorld, etc
  • Get to know the people youโ€™re sharing the room with, 99% of people are really nice and arenโ€™t out to rob you
  • Password/encrypt everything
  • Anticipate being robbed: do regular online/offsite backups (donโ€™t back up to a hard drive that you store with your laptop, because theyโ€™ll probably steal them both)
  • Get travel insurance, so if/when something is stolen, youโ€™re covered

I had serious concerns about theft before I began my travels, but I have not had any issues to date, and I donโ€™t anticipate any future issues. But, if anything ever happens, I know I will not lose any data, and my travel insurance has got me covered.

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@ahshiman 6yr

Who do you use for travel insurance?

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I bought one of these - Pacsafe 5l travel safe (they also do them in other sizes, but this is perfect size for a Macbook Air 11โ€™, small digital camera, passport, cash etc - http://www.pacsafe.com/travelsafe-5l-portable-safe-1.html and find it gives me peace of mind locking stuff up in my apartment, hotel or hostel. I actually didnโ€™t use it and simply locked my stuff in a hostel locker in April and someone stole my Macbook! I dont think it would have happened if I used this as youโ€™d need a saw/bolt cutters to get in to this, not indestructable, but deters unprepared thieves for sure.

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If you did buy one you might want to swap the combination lock it comes with for a good quality key lock instead though.

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@mule5 9yr

If data security is a concern, whole disk encryption on the laptop is a must. While traveling in Brazil I setup whole disk encryption on my laptop, so if the laptop is stolen, all the data is encrypted. So theyโ€™d have to completely wipe the hard drive for the laptop to be used again. Without the boot up password, the laptop will not turn on since the data isnโ€™t read-able.

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@pfaff90 9yr

Hi matthew

I think there are some obvious tricks. Donโ€™t show around that you have an iPhone (also avoid white earphonesโ€ฆ) . Donโ€™t sit around with your laptop in public places. But still that doesnโ€™t make it totally safe. As wanderingdev just mentioned my laptop just got stolen out of my hotelroom. It was a really nice B&B and no hostel. Then two years ago my camera was stolen in a restaurant in Cochabambaโ€ฆ

The best thing you actually can do is to be prepared:

  1. check with your inssurance that they will pay
  2. set up tracking software like โ€œfind my iphoneโ€
  3. make backups
  4. carry on copies of your passport and important numbers (e.g. embassyโ€ฆ)
  5. adapt your mindset: for some places in this world theft is just part of the deal when you decide to go there
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scroll down a bit to the thread about where to buy a laptop to read about the guy who had his stolen from his hotel room. hotel rooms arenโ€™t automatically safer. you just have to do what you can and take your chances. I do have prey set up on all of my devices but who knows if itโ€™ll work if something gets taken.

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@kathrynoh 9yr

That would be assuming that a) the staff would care and b) the staff arenโ€™t the ones doing the stealing.

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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How do you deal with โ€œproof of addressโ€ for banking and investing and other random stuff?


by @eljaques 4yr 4 years ago  | 6 comments

How do you guys deal with the dreaded โ€œproof of addressโ€ for banking and investing and other random stuff?

I donโ€™ have the option to have a family member do this for me, sadly (not wanting to use that country as residence for tax implications).

This has to be a pretty regular problem for most who arenโ€™t doing the old timey โ€œlive in one place and pay bills there foreverโ€ thing. Suggestions? Services? Hacks? Workarounds?

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How do you avoid settling in one place?


by @sukienniko 4yr 4 years ago  | 10 comments

As a follow up to my previous question (I guess I donโ€™t have the right to post links here?), but on a larger scale: if living as a nomad in a place for, say, more than a month (which will be beneficial for the sake of getting work done), how to you prevent yourself from getting too involved in the local society?

I find that every time I stay somewhere for a significant amount of time, I naturally start to settle into the idea that Iโ€™ll be there permanently, or at least long term. I guess this is human nature: wanting to have a stable lifestyle, with stable friends, relationship, workplace, recreational activities, etc. But, indeed, that is not my goal-- I believe the benefits of the nomadic lifestyle are far greater at this stage in my lifeโ€ฆ

So, for those of you who have successfully avoided settling somewhere time despite staying for months at a time, what strategies do you use to stay afloat, as in, not getting too deeply integrated locally?

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How do I ensure that getting refused entry to the UK won't keep me from getting an Australian 462 (work and holiday) visa?


in Australia by @allisonkirschbaum 5yr 5 years ago  | 0 comments

On New Yearโ€™s Day this year, I was refused entry to the UK due to not having proof of funds, an outward-bound plane ticket (I was road-tripping out with a friend via car) and not being able to prove that I had indeed canceled the lease on the apartment I had leased during a prior recent trip.

I havenโ€™t had any entry issues to any of the several countries Iโ€™ve visited after, but now Iโ€™m applying for a 462 visa (work and holiday) visa in Australia, and since Australia and the UK share an immigration info system, I want to make sure getting refused entry wonโ€™t keep me from getting a visa. None of the issues that cropped up in the UK (the proof of funds, the plane ticket, and the apartment) will be an issue in Australia, as Iโ€™ve never traveled there before, donโ€™t know anyone and will have proof of more than sufficient funds for the trip and an outbound plane ticket.

Anybody have any suggestions on how to make the approval process go as smoothly as possible?

Many thanks in advance! :smiley:

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Getting started: where to?


by @vforvalerio87 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi everybody!

I just joined this community because Iโ€™m currently in a place in life where I can live the digital nomad lifestyle and I feel like I would really be missing out if I didnโ€™t catch this opportunity. I work fully remotely, no fixed hours, I currently live in northern Italy and I basically have no partner or kids.

So, the question isโ€ฆ where to? I would love to hear the advice of more experienced digital nomads!
Laptop and internet is enough for me to work but I need decent internet for conferencing and I really have to put in the hours: some days are more relaxed, others Iโ€™ll have to work all day and night.
I enjoy more temperate climates, so no torrid heat or unbearable humidity, if possible.
I like decent food but Iโ€™m very adaptable in terms of tastes: anything is fine as long as quality is good and sanitary conditions are acceptable.
I absolutely do not enjoy the club life and would just rather go hiking during the weekends and pubs (or breweries) during the evenings. Iโ€™m a social person though and I donโ€™t particularly enjoy places where people are too introverted (been in Seattle for four monthsโ€ฆ the freeze is real); I really look forward to making friends or acquaintances wherever I end up.
I enjoy decent transportation so places where thereโ€™s a viable metro system or Uber actually works would be nice.
I prefer places with a bit more of history and culture (this is one of the reasons why I absolutely loved Portugal, for example).
Iโ€™d like to spend under $3k average per month for rent, food and going out.

For now I was thinking either:

  • Staying close to home for a first experience, so something like Vienna or Berlin
  • South East Asia; Iโ€™ve been to Hong Kong a few times before, now I was thinking either Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi, or possibly Thailand
  • South America, especially Colombia. I also have some people I know in Bogota and in Medellin, which I think would be a plus

When? Ideally I would leave anywhere from mid to late March and stay away for 2 or 3 months.

Sorry for the long read, I hope to get some input. Thank you for your time, if we ever meet in person I owe you a beer (or whatever youโ€™d prefer).

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Tracking expenses when prepaying for stuff


by @kathrynoh 5yr 5 years ago  | 7 comments

I was wondering what systems/apps etc people use for tracking their living expenses? I try to keep records but find that some months I prepay for a lot of future expenses (eg. Airbnb, flights etc) while other months I spend little because everything has already been made.

I guess what I need to know is my actual spending in a month, regardless of when I actually spent the money but also the cash flow for each month.

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Anyone have tips for preventing or getting over jet lag? ๐Ÿ˜“๐Ÿ˜ดโœˆ๏ธ


by @artofbryce 5yr 5 years ago  | 10 comments

We just finished our first stint around South East Asia and somehow survived 3 days of way too many flights, leaving me to feel like death.

Too much shitty airplane food, not enough sleep, big time difference from Mexico to SEA.

Anyone have tips to prevent that more in the future (aside from better flight plans)? More importantly, how do I recover faster from this horror?

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Getting a Russian Visa while traveling


in Russia by @shaulsolomon 6yr 6 years ago  | 1 comment

I am an English/American currently in Israel, and heading in a week to Georgia/Armenia for two weeks and then want to head to Russia for a week.
As I am only in Israel for another week, would it be possible to apply for the visa in Israel and ask to receive it in Armenia (my last stop before I want to go to Russia)?
Or perhaps there is another better option that I have available?

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Am I being silly by worrying about getting Zika in Bali? ๐Ÿ˜•


by @metamas 7yr 7 years ago  | 5 comments

Bali was at the top of my short-list of places to go DM for 1-3 months until I saw it had the โ€œZykaโ€ tag on Nomad List :scream: . Iโ€™m not super read-up on the whole state of Zyka, other than occurrences of infection being on a decline (for now), but I am a worrisome enough person about such things that it has got me reconsidering. Though, it still seems to not be stopping the rate of DMs visiting Baliโ€ฆ

Is there cause for large concern here, or I am just being a nut? โ€ฆItโ€™s been known to happen pretty frequently over such things :anguished: :face_with_thermometer: :mask:

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Is it just me or are Airbnb prices getting way out of hand?

 

by @srg_b 7yr 7 years ago  | 37 comments

I had this impression for a while now, but now it seems impossible to find a monthly stay over airbnb for a decent price. Just now I was looking at Utrecht which averages at 2500 euro per month for a studio. People seem to provide only small monthly discounts. In my last few trips I relied on Facebook groups for finding stay. I do have decent budget but paying โ‚ฌ1500+ for a studio in a European city simply seems ridiculous. How is everyone else finding accommodation?

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Bring external monitor to SE asia and avoid coworking cost?


by @anderkd 7yr 7 years ago  | 13 comments

Would it be advisable or wacky to lug an external monitor from the US in hopes of avoiding coworking costs by working from Airbnb with decent wifi? Iโ€™m not sold on coworking spaces, and like the solitude of coding away in my own little airbnb space. One screen is limiting to productivity, hence the love of an external monitor. Thoughts?

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How do you avoid getting charged large fees by your bank when withdrawing overseas?


by @creative_nomad_ 7yr 7 years ago  | 14 comments

Hi All,

My question is about banking when it comes to being overseas/working etc. How do you avoid getting charged large fees by your bank when withdrawing overseas?

Iโ€™m originally from Australia and do my banking still in Australia. I live in the UK and most recently was living in Vietnam where I found I had to withdrawl money just to get charged very large amounts from my Aussie bank.

How do you get around this? What can you recommend.

Thanks

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How do you deal with getting data on your mobile while travelling?


by @nomads_and_drifters 7yr 7 years ago  | 15 comments

Hi,
I wondered how everybody deals with getting data on their phone in each country they travel. Is there a way around it? It is always such a pain having to buy and activate sim cards everywhere. I have tried the company โ€œworldsimโ€ and had an international sim for a while, but they where terrible and ended up to be super expensive.

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Working remotely in New Zealand and getting permanent residency?


in New Zealand by @mmorris 7yr 7 years ago  | 4 comments

Soโ€ฆ Trump is Prez. The world looks to the US as a role model. He doesnโ€™t think Climate Change is real. Weโ€™re !@#$ed.

Canadian Citizen here. Was considering Costa Rica for a long term solution, but they wonโ€™t deal with the impact as well. We were always fond of NZ and my parents spend at least 3 months of the year there along with knowing some citizens.

Questions:

  1. How can we gain a Permanent Residency Visa? It seems the Skilled Migrant Category makes the most sense as I am a Systems Analyst (by NAFTA requirments) and my wife could probably qualify as a Nutritionist/Naturopath/Counsellor. Anyone have experience with this path?
  2. I currently work for a US non-profit remotely. Does NZ allow for this? do I need a job in NZ to be considered for the Skilled Migrant Category? Can I work for the US org while my Permanent Residency is processed?

Thanks!

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Worth waiting until getting to Asia to buy gadgets?


by @skewed_corp 7yr 7 years ago  | 7 comments

Iโ€™m ticking off my lists before I venture off again and am starting to purchase stuff like 4G Routers, Wireless speakers, Mice, etc.

The only thing isโ€ฆ all of the stuff is shipped from Asia in the first place. Are all these gadgets readily available in a place like Bangkok and is it worth waiting to save on costs?

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Any experiencie airmailing your stuff to yourself when moving from one place to another?


by @chelocoach 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Hi there!

Iโ€™m going Nomad in about 3 months. Mainly Iโ€™ll stay in some places for at least 1 month, but Iโ€™m planning some backpacking trips in between movings. So Iโ€™m planning to travel carry-on only on this trips. But I also would like to carry with me some non-indispensable stuff that helps me to keep up with my lifestyle and work on the places where Iโ€™ll stay for a longer period. For example a blender, coffee and an Aeropress to prepare my bulleproof coffee. Also my guitar, some camera gear, a good quality screen to work, etcโ€ฆ

Except for the guitar, everything fits into a medium size luggage.

I know I can check in this stuff when moving. But if Iโ€™m going to backpack I donโ€™t want to carry this stuff around.

  • Is airmailing this stuff to myself a good option?
  • Any experience on this?

Iโ€™m a newby on this lifestyle so any advice is welcome :slight_smile: . Many thanks!

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What do you do to avoid plastic bottled water in Asia?


by @nomadaccountant 8yr 8 years ago  | 18 comments

If I stay somewhere for a while I usually get hard bottled bulk water containers, but often I have to rely on cheap plastic water bottles, which isnโ€™t good from both a health and environmental perspective. Have used a drink bottle with a filter but canโ€™t say I trusted it, and it was a little annoying. Any better options in use?

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How to avoid Tax Residency/Wealth Tax in Spain?


in Spain by @palimpalim 8yr 8 years ago  | 4 comments

Iโ€™m planning to move to Spain this year, but Spain has a wealth tax for worldwide assets over 700.000โ‚ฌ if you are classified as a resident which I want to avoid.

Iโ€™ll try to be a short as possible:

  • I am a german citizen and Iโ€™m renting a flat in London, UK but havenโ€™t stayed there a single day in 2016. (110 days in different countries in Asia, 10 days in Spain, 30 days in germany)
  • I own a flat in germany that I rent out to tenants (limited tax liability for the rental income in germany), but besides that I donโ€™t have any income except for a few dividends from my stocks
  • I am planning to fly to Thailand for 2 months beginning of December 2016

Although I am renting the UK flat until December 2016 I prefer not to be in UK, which would mean that I would not be classified as a UK-resident because I would not meet any of the automatic UK or sufficient tie tests.

Iโ€™d like to move to Spain as soon as possible but would be willing to stay out of it for x weeks to avoid being classified as a resident and save wealth tax.

Can anyone help me in this matter? whats my best line?

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How can you avoid foreign banking, ATM, and transaction fees?

 

by @danielgenser 8yr 8 years ago  | 52 comments

Whatโ€™s the latest on how to avoid ATM/bank/foreign transaction fees? How do you keep track of money spent when youโ€™re never quite sure of the exact exchange rate? I normally use YNAB to keep on top of my budget here at home, but Iโ€™m dreading keeping tabs on all the minute foreign transaction adjustments abroadโ€ฆ

Iโ€™m looking at this to check out some of the banking options: http://thepointsguy.com/2014/02/the-top-11-checking-accounts-for-avoiding-foreign-atm-fees/

Have you used any of these?

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Is getting a work visa then quitting a possibility to stay long-term? (For Colombia)


in Colombia by @matthieudrula 8yr 8 years ago  | 0 comments

In Colombia, I have heard people telling me that once you have a work visa you can enter and not care about what happen if you get fired.
Unlike the USA where if you lose your job, you are *****ed.
Is it a possibility to get a job, get in, open a bank account(not sure if thatโ€™s a good idea since itโ€™s not going to receive a consistent flow of cash from a Colombian company), then quit and work as a freelance remote.

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Should I buy a SIM card for a country before getting there?


by @idrisraja 8yr 8 years ago  | 7 comments

Does anyone know of a service where I can buy SIM cards for countries before actually getting to the country? My mobile coverage doesnโ€™t work most places out of the US (or itโ€™s an exorbitant cost). I just want to land in the country, and pop in a SIM card right at the airport.

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