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Is it possible to have children, while living a nomadic life?

 

by @manu 9yr  | 27 comments

Anyone here has an opinion on having children, while living a nomadic life?

Me and my GF have been living on the road for 2 years now. Our businesses are mostly established and we are considering having kids within the next 2 years. The questions that come to my mind:

  • Can you optimize raising children like a web startup (picking a good location, school, doing a bit of home schooling, choosing languages, etc)
  • Is anyone doing this right now? What are your experiences?
  • Where are good places to live with children? I guess we would rent a house with garden and hire a local nanny/household helper.
  • Do you think itโ€™s an advantage for kids to grow up internationally with both parents being around more than usually?

Let me know what you think. I know Graham Brown is doing it with his Japanese wife. Sadly he doesnโ€™t write too much about family matters. Then there is also a family blog, I only recently discovered, but didnโ€™t get a chance to read yet.

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This question was in my mind also because my one of my friend was in this condition while traveling. :confused:

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@shayna 9yr

http://nomadtogether.com/ is an entire community of families doing it.

Click on the โ€œFamily Blogsโ€ link in their menu for a whole bunch of blogs by people who have brought / are bringing their kids on the road.

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@rob_salad 9yr

Hope this isnโ€™t perceived as grumpy negativity, but Iโ€™m going to have to burst some balloons here. I have been nomadding for nearly two years now and I have an extremely comfortable buffer and generally tend to live quite comfortably (apartments, nice hotels) but I can tell you there is no way a child would fit in with this lifestyle, even with drastic modifications.

Travelling constantly adds overhead, researching the next place to go, basic phrases in the languages spoken, learning how to get around, getting good prices, it requires concentration and is almost like a second smaller job alongside your main work source. There are times where you canโ€™t control whatโ€™s going to happen, and bad things DO happen, you have to roll with it. As a single person (or even couple) itโ€™s totally manageable - but add kids to that? It would be insane. Even well behaved kids get frustrated quickly when they have to wait in the blistering heat, or in some boring area of town.

Itโ€™s kind of selfish and cruel. Kids donโ€™t want to be cooped up in airplanes, trains, busses. In general kids if they are young enough donโ€™t really understand different cultures or countries, they are still trying to understand basic social and societal concepts like friendship and politeness. But once they are old enough to understand, what about schooling? โ€˜Homeโ€™ schooling would add yet another huge responsibility to the already huge pile of things youโ€™re stacking onto your life. Where do you teach them? In cafes? In the hotels (or hostels in the very real likelihood you canโ€™t afford or find hotels all the time)? Can you imagine the nightmare of that?

And carrying all of the extra prerequisites for children will add to your weight - they sure will refuse to carry it. Toys or video games? They canโ€™t have those. Even a few books are heavy. Kids have and want โ€˜stuffโ€™, to help them learn plus entertain them, if you travel, they canโ€™t have that stuff.

Not to mention itโ€™s rude to other digital nomads, youโ€™re taking your screaming kids to places they will be - coworking spaces? No way. Cafes? Maybe you can dump them at a child care or something but is that really what you want? Some unresearched child care in a foreign country you donโ€™t know?

What if your kids get sick when youโ€™ve just landed in an area you donโ€™t speak the language, donโ€™t know your way around and donโ€™t even know what the health care is like? Maybe youโ€™ll avoid areas like that, but you canโ€™t always avoid uncertainty and children deserve better.

It really does seem quite a selfish idea, to everyone except the parents. There are just some lifestyles that donโ€™t suit families. This is one of them. Iโ€™m sorry that itโ€™s like that, I know the nomadic lifestyle seems like an idealistic lifestyle but please think realistically.

Perhaps consider just taking your kids for vacations for short periods of time, or relocating somewhere for a year with them? Maybe this is more what youโ€™re talking about, and not actual nomadic lifestyles, where the kids have no fixed home and youโ€™re constantly country jumping. If thatโ€™s the case, go for it.

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Just seeing this now, and thought Iโ€™d reply. Brace yourselves people, this is a freaking novelโ€ฆ sorryโ€ฆ :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: but Rob raised a lot of misconceptions that I felt I could addressโ€ฆ

Nomadding with kids definitely requires more planning. But it can be done.

First, stay put for months at a time - we rent 2-3 bedroom modern western-style condos with kitchens, in safe neighbourhoods, with swimming pools, playgrounds even. Or close to the beach. Weโ€™ve also stayed in beautiful villas with our own private pool. Note that staying put for months at a time is vastly different from owning a house and having loads of possessions and โ€œpretendingโ€ to be nomadic or whatever.

Hostels are not our styleโ€ฆ too cramped and we need our space. Ditto for hotels. Although we occasionally stay in them short term if doing a visa run. But for us, visa runs involve a flight to somewhere we want to vacationโ€ฆ spent a fabulous week in Singapore for exampleโ€ฆ blew through lots of money, but we all had a blast at the theme parks and sightseeing. Last week we made a visa run from Thailand to Hong Kong and Macauโ€ฆ it was great.

We donโ€™t do the variety of visa runs that equates to hopping on an hours long bus ride to the border, getting our passports stamped or whatever you have to do, then turning around to get back on the bus for another hours-long bus ride to go back where we came from. Sure, thatโ€™s a cheaper way to do a visa run, but itโ€™s not practical for most families.

Flying somewhere to have fun is a treat for everyoneโ€ฆ thatโ€™s a better way to do a visa run with a family.

The amount of time our kids spend โ€œcooped up in airplanes trains and bussesโ€ is minimal. Ok, well, itโ€™s more than the average kid back home in suburbia gets, but nowhere nearly as bad as you make it out to be either. Actually, we avoid long-distance trains and buses completely because they take too long, and to be honest, Iโ€™m concerned about the safety record of long-distance buses in many of the countries we go toโ€ฆ better to pay a bit more and flyโ€ฆ get the travel over with faster and safer. And since we find a home base for months at a time usually, the travel days are kept to a minimum.

So far any long-haul flights have been in business class, so weโ€™re all quite comfortable. Nope, weโ€™re not richโ€ฆ we used travel hacking techniques to get enough points to fly in business class for less than the cost of purchasing economy class tickets. My kids will be the first to tell you how much they look forward to our next long-haul flight :smile:

That being said, we only do long-haul twice a year (to go home to visit, and to leave again)โ€ฆ so even if our kids did have to deal with long-haul in economy, itโ€™s only 2 days of the yearโ€ฆ not the end of the world.

re: โ€œresearching the next place to go, basic phrases in the languages spoken, learning how to get around, getting good prices, it requires concentration and is almost like a second smaller job alongside your main work sourceโ€

**Again, the solution to that is to stay put for months at a time. ** That way, you spend way less of your life figuring out how to get groceries, how to get around, how to communicate etc. And in most places, English is spoken well-enough by most people so we get by. (Not saying I expect people to speak English, but I do feel lucky that so many people DO speak it in such a wide variety of countries)

re: โ€œEven well behaved kids get frustrated quickly when they have to wait in the blistering heat, or in some boring area of town.โ€

With proper planning and budgeting, you donโ€™t have to do this. We never get stuck โ€œwaiting in the blistering heatโ€โ€ฆ

re: " Where do you teach them? In cafes? In the hotels (or hostels in the very real likelihood you canโ€™t afford or find hotels all the time)? Can you imagine the nightmare of that?"

See point #1. Living in hotels long-term would be really tough if you have kids. Thatโ€™s why we donโ€™t do it.

Instead, we budget for renting 2-3 bedroom apartments or houses in family-friendly neighbourhoods. Homeschooling isnโ€™t that hard, in fact, the 1-on-1 teaching they get is far more efficient and productive than having 1 teacher trying to teach 20-30 kids at once.

re: " itโ€™s rude to other digital nomads, youโ€™re taking your screaming kids to places they will be - coworking spaces?"

If youโ€™ve actually seen that happen, that sucks. Who in their right mind would take screaming kids to coworking spaces? LOL Thereโ€™s no need for it. And second of all, happy kids wonโ€™t be screaming all the time. Mine certainly donโ€™t.

And in any case, if we were to use a coworking space, one parent would stay home or go out with the kids, and the other parent would go ALONE to the coworking space.

re: โ€œMaybe you can dump them at a child care or something but is that really what you want? Some unresearched child care in a foreign country you donโ€™t know?โ€

Nopeโ€ฆ didnโ€™t have kids to โ€œdumpโ€ them in childcare and have someone else raise them. One of the benefits of this lifestyle is we get to spend more time together. With proper planning, work gets done, homeschooling gets done, play time fits in, sightseeingโ€ฆ it all gets done.

And, although we havenโ€™t used childcare in a foreign country, I donโ€™t see why a family who felt the need for childcare couldnโ€™t just research it before placing their kids there.

re: โ€œThere are just some lifestyles that donโ€™t suit families. This is one of themโ€

Every family is different. My kids would cry if we told them we were going back home and theyโ€™d have to go to school and live a normal life. They donโ€™t even like the idea of staying put in one place for 10 months next year (as we are considering doing)โ€ฆ my kids think thatโ€™s โ€œboringโ€. I told them not to worry, that weโ€™d take โ€œvacationsโ€ every few monthsโ€ฆ so itโ€™ll still be exciting and fun.

And in case anyone is wondering, life back home was great by normal peopleโ€™s standardsโ€ฆ so itโ€™s not as if we have some horror story to tell youโ€ฆ

On the flip side, we met up with a traveling family last year whose 7-year old cried all the time for the first 2 months because they missed home and school. The adventure wasnโ€™t worth the trade offs for that kid. So be it. Every kid is different. But that family was only taking a year out to travel, then planning on returning to normal lifeโ€ฆ so their kid will be fine.

In contrast, my kid was thrilled to not have to go to school anymore. He was perfectly fine in school, had friends, but โ€œnot enough time to playโ€ he said.

โ€œWhat if your kids get sick when youโ€™ve just landed in an area you donโ€™t speak the language, donโ€™t know your way around and donโ€™t even know what the health care is like?โ€

We donโ€™t go anywhere that we havenโ€™t first researched health care. We carry a rather expensive expat health insurance policy (annoying to have to pay so much, but itโ€™s worth it for peace of mind), and always know where the nearest hospital is that can provide us with Western-quality care if something goes wrong. In other words, we know where to get quality health care help before our plane even lands.

See, you canโ€™t just do things on the fly when you have kids along. You have to research everything ahead of time, have a plan (and back-up plans) etc. But if you do that, it goes surprisingly well.

โ€œAnd carrying all of the extra prerequisites for children will add to your weight - they sure will refuse to carry it. Toys or video games? They canโ€™t have those. Even a few books are heavy. Kids have and want โ€˜stuffโ€™, to help them learn plus entertain them, if you travel, they canโ€™t have that stuff.โ€

We travel with 3 large suitcases that are always checked baggage. Plus our full carry-on allowance. Why? Extra supplies, and yes, much of them because we have kids and donโ€™t want to need something and not be able to get it wherever we happen to beโ€ฆ easier to cart it around.

Our kids each get a carry-on sized suitcase of toys. Theyโ€™re cool with that. They have iPads (useful for video games, we limit that though, and homeschooling apps). They have colouring/art supplies. They have Play-doh. So while they donโ€™t have a bedroom overflowing with mountains of toys as they would back home, they do have enough to keep them entertained. We even carry boardgames with usโ€ฆ Monopoly, Risk, Life, Battleshipโ€ฆ(all condensed into a single board-gameโ€™s box) Decks of cards for card games take up almost no space. Thereโ€™s chess and checkers on the iPadโ€ฆ Easier to pay for checked baggage than to attempt to re-purchase everything in each new country.

And yeah, because theyโ€™re young, they canโ€™t be expected to carry all of the stuff that we bring because of them. We help by carrying almost all of itโ€ฆ obviously. Any parent would. You just do what youโ€™ve got to do. It works out though.

If you asked our kids if they want to go home, theyโ€™ll tell you โ€œNo way!โ€. (Theyโ€™re 6 and 8, in case youโ€™re curious.) We had a very nice life back home, but living in the rat race wasnโ€™t ideal. And after enjoying all this travel, our kids say going home would mean living a โ€œboring life.โ€ (Hehโ€ฆ guess they take after their parents lol) But if some day our kids no longer enjoy our travel lifestyle, weโ€™ll go to plan B.

So donโ€™t assume the worstโ€ฆ sure, a travel lifestyle wonโ€™t suit all families, but for some, itโ€™s a dream lifestyle. People just have to know themselves and their kids well enough to figure out what will work for them is all.
:sunglasses:

And the โ€œselfishโ€ thing can be twisted around any which way.

I donโ€™t actually think this, but for argumentโ€™s sakeโ€ฆ

One might say that parents who โ€œdumpโ€ their kids into the school system to spend most of their waking hours with a teacher to โ€œraiseโ€ them are selfish for taking the easy way out and not raising their own kids. Maybe theyโ€™re just lazy and trying to โ€œget out ofโ€ doing their job. Because obviously the poor kid would learn a lot more with the 1-on-1 attention theyโ€™d get if their parents would just step up to the plate and homeschool them properly. And, on top of it all, rather than wasting hours and hours each day learning in an inefficient school system, the homeschooled kid gets WAY more time to pursue their own interests which means they have a BETTER childhood. If only so many parents werenโ€™t ruining their childrens childhoods by forcing them to sit at a desk in school all dayโ€ฆ

One might say that parents who spend 40 or more hours a week away from their kids just so they can afford to live in a fancy house in suburbia are selfish for not putting their kids first and spending more time with them when theyโ€™re growing up.

Again, I donโ€™t actually think life is so black and whiteโ€ฆ I truly donโ€™tโ€ฆ every family is different. But just as one can frame things such that all nomadic parents are โ€œselfishโ€, one could also frame things in such a way that paints all parents living a so-called normal life are selfish in their own way too.

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@rob_salad Being a nomad doesnโ€™t mean country hopping every week or month. It can work if you country hop say once a year or once every two years. I grew up in a military family and would have to move every 2 years to a different area of the country. It was fine. Had to make new friends but it wasnโ€™t that much of a problem.

Sure, with kids you will slow down. You wonโ€™t just fly to Hong Kong on a whim. But if you expect that then youโ€™re probably in for a world of hurt.

I agree with you that the way young people live as digital nomads is not compatible with kids. But with a longer time horizon, itโ€™s still possible.

You can still be location independent and move every year or two.

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@rob_salad 9yr

I guess if you use that definition of nomad, but thatโ€™s really just working in a foreign place and not technically โ€˜nomadicโ€™โ€ฆ youโ€™d have a house and fixed possessions and so on, Iโ€™m not really sure why people are wanting to redefine the word to suit some fad, but Iโ€™m glad if this is what was being suggested and not actually being a nomadic traveller with children.

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@pashley 9yr

Try a web search on the phrase โ€œthird culture kidโ€. That refers to kids who grow up outside the โ€œhomeโ€ country. There is some academic research, web sites for TCKs, โ€ฆ

My daughter, now in her 40s, and her motherโ€™s other kids are very much TCKs, though their parents were non-digital nomads. She likes the Facebook โ€œThird Culture Kids Everywhereโ€ group.

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Thereโ€™s also:
1dad1kid - single dad, props!
A little adrift took her tweenaged niece along with her for a year - I love the idea!

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Just to throw out an alternative to home schooling, I have a past co-worker who used an online private school, k12.com, for his childrenโ€™s education.

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@patrick 9yr

The Zapp family did it, and still are on the road.
Their kids were even born on the road.

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Weโ€™re doing it this year :slight_smile: And there is a fabulous worldschooling FB page I am part of with over 1,000 worldschooling parents. So inspiring!

Hereโ€™s my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/aroundtheworldpluskids

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@manu 9yr

Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion so far. There is now a dedicated #_family channel on http://hashtagnomads.com. If you travel with children or plan to, please join and share your experience.

@Sheralyn @Jasmine_Rocca @BellyBellyKelly @AngelaAlcorn

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@manu 9yr

Yeah. Germany is totally against it. That law dates back to the time of Nazi Germany and they never changed it. In Austria itโ€™s much easier. They just need to do a test once a year (in June) at any school in Austria. I just donโ€™t know if you can do it without a residence.

I know that people here are against international schools (expat bubble, elitism, etc), but sometimes they could be a convenient option. A few weeks ago, I asked our PA to research the cost in popular Asian cities. Here is the list he came up with (as a rough guideline).

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@smange 9yr

For consistency youโ€™d really have to stick to homeschooling, but make sure they get socialised locally by joining clubs, sports groups and drama groups and stuff (like Felicia Day did as a kid!). I personally recommend groups like choirs too, as youโ€™re working towards a performance and then they can move on afterwards.

There are some countries that are really against homeschooling, though, like Germany. Youโ€™d probably have to enroll them locally if you went through a country that disapproved of it, which wouldnโ€™t necessarily be a bad thing occasionally.

Personally, weโ€™re doing slow-motion nomadism and can enroll our kids locally.

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@manu 9yr

Thanks a lot for the link and your input @Sheralyn. I can relate to many things you write on your blog and will definitely refer to it again. Iโ€™m certain it can be a great resource for other users here. Here is my own collection of blogs so far. I have excluded the ones doing mostly advertising, RV travelers from the US and any other edge cases (10+ children):

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I read this a while back and liked it. Itโ€™s a book about a couple ~40 years old who had a couple kids who decided to travel the world with them in tow: http://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Off-Round-World/dp/1885211651

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Hi Manu,

I do have a blog - itโ€™s at www.escapingexpectations.com (mods, feel free to delete the link - only posting it as a direct answer to a question, so hope itโ€™s ok, but if not and you remove it, no hard feelings!!)

re: kids and friends - I guess I just have faith that there is more than one way to raise a little human than packing them off to school to sit in a room with 20 kids of the same age for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you do this, youโ€™d have to be prepared to answer well-meaning friends, family, and strangers asking you that over and over again - so get ready!! :smile:

As for making friends, one advantage of this lifestyle is that theyโ€™ll get lots of practice meeting new people (more than they ever would at home) - my hope is that such experiences will make it that much easier for them to form friendships since โ€œbreaking the iceโ€ will hopefully become second nature to them. Additionally, we are trying to connect with other long term nomadic families - there should be some opportunity for meet-ups and the like (arranging one such meet-up for later this week actually!) - but itโ€™s true that such friendships will be different than the kind they would form at traditional school - however, I donโ€™t think different (ie. staying in contact via FB, e-mail, with occasional in-person meet-ups) is necessarily badโ€ฆ just different.

And lastly, youโ€™ll always have the opportunity to change course if it turns out that your future kids, or you and your girlfriend, is unhappy with the way things are going as a nomadic family - nothing is set in stone.

I agree with Grahamโ€™s advice to go to every available social meetup too. Good advice for sure!

To be honest, I think in this internet age, nomadic families will become more common as time goes onโ€ฆ more and more people are waking up to the fact that itโ€™s possible to raise your children this way and not mess them up :slight_smile: No guarantees, I knowโ€ฆ but no guarantees with the traditional route either!

Those are couple blogs by people who have been doing this a while - their kids seem fine :slight_smile:

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@manu 9yr

Thanks for the great input @Sheralyn (do you have a blog by any chance?) and @amy.

One question that comes up again and again is:

How are your kids supposed to make friends, when they have to leave them behind again and again?

In his book, Graham Brown suggests to go to every available social meetup. This is not really a satisfactory answer. How do you handle this @Sheralyn?

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@amy 9yr

Christine Gilbert travels with her family and writes about the experience. Her blogโ€™s also won some awards.

There is a few RV families that Iโ€™ve read about that travel on the road and all homeschool. One is traveling with like 12 kids in ONE RV. Not joking.

I definitely agree that itโ€™s great for kids to grow up internationally - military brats for example.

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Just to clarify, Christine Gilbert blogs at www.almostfearless.com
Her husband is a friend and former colleague of mine. They seem to be doing well with their two kids!

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[quote=โ€œmanu, post:1, topic:340โ€]

  • Can you optimize raising children like a web startup (picking a good location, school, doing a bit of home schooling, choosing languages, etc)[/quote]

Not sure exactly what you mean, but yes, you can homeschool while traveling. We use digital programs mostly (traditional textbooks too heavy to travel with), and itโ€™s going great!

We quit our jobs to travel indefinitely with our kids earlier this year, and itโ€™s honestly one of the best decisions weโ€™ve ever made. Our kids are aged 5 and 7 right now, and so far, they love this new lifestyle.

It depends on what you have in mind. We travel slowly, spending a few weeks to a few months at a time in each destination - with kids, you canโ€™t get as much done, canโ€™t sightsee as fast, so you need to allow more time in order to avoid frustrating yourself, or them. We usually rent apartments or houses - with kids the extra space comes in handy.

I think there are pros and cons to whatever you do. You can raise them traditionally, have bad luck and end up with grown children who are drug addicts (ie. if for some reason they are attracted to the wrong crowd in school). Or you can raise them on the road where they will be more sheltered from THAT, but maybe theyโ€™ll grow up to hate you for not letting them live a normal life. OR maybe theyโ€™d be fine in regular school. Or maybe theyโ€™d be perfectly happy as adults with having spent their childhood on the road.

Thereโ€™s just no way to know for sure. What is encouraging is that IF you go the nomadic childhood route, as far as homeschooling goes, there are loads of studies showing that homeschooled kids on average, do at least as well as their traditionally schooled counterparts, both socially and academically. The nomadic part is an unknown. I think you can mitigate some of the potential downsides simply by being aware of them, and trying to make up for them. That should put the odds in your favour of everything working out ok in the end.

And yeah, I do think there are HUGE advantages to exposing oneโ€™s kids to the wider world - better than having them grow up in a bubble, afraid of the unfamiliar, intimidated by it. Thereโ€™s a level of confidence you get from knowing you can thrive anywhere youโ€™re planted, know what I mean?

Hopefully this helps some. Good luck in your decision! :slight_smile:

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Sheralyn can I interview you for my blog?

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Hey Jasmine! Yes, absolutely - probably easiest to just contact me via our blog Contact Us page, and weโ€™ll figure out the details?

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@levelsio 9yr

I think it can be awesome for kids to grow up in a more adventurous environment than a traditional city. It will probably make them more creative too.

Thereโ€™s always the problem of when they need to be schooled at around age 5. If you keep moving around then, they wonโ€™t be able to make/keep friends etc. Thatโ€™s a real problem I think.

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@manu 9yr

Thanks. Those are both great resources. Superstar-blogs.

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@feli 9yr

Hey manu,

have a look at the blogs of Caz and Craig from Y Travel are a traveling family http://www.ytravelblog.com/about-us/
as well as โ€œThe Family without bordersโ€: http://thefamilywithoutborders.com/โ€ฆ

I think there are quite a lot child-friendly places around the world. Countries of SEA or Australia/NZ might be good options.

I know some people that grew up kind of nomadic. They became all very great people todayโ€ฆ

Feli

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@jcw 9yr

We had both our kids while living abroad, but are now moving back home as the eldest is 4 , and is ready to start school.

I think you could possibly get away with travelling around constantly while they are young, but kids like routine and familiarity. They love having their little group of friends they see everyday.

From all the travelling with kids blogs Iโ€™ve read, I donโ€™t see any benefits to the children from being on the road. Although if the parents are happy, then the kids are more likely to be happy. So if you are miserable at home, then maybe being on the road is best for the kids?

Also, if you are from a child-unfriendly country, then maybe life would be better/safer for them on the road?

This post is interesting, and exactly the opposite of how Iโ€™d like to live with my kids ;-), but its a good insight into how it can work for some people:
http://almostfearless.com/practical-matters-traveling-with-small-children/

I guess the best way would be to have a base somewhere with a stable expat community and good international schools, then do some travelling from there in the holidays.

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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Any good coliving or other monthly rentals in Seville?


in Seville , Spain by @antoine_th 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

Hello Everyone

I'm planning to stay in Seville for 6 weeks for mid January - end of February. Do you any recommandations for a coliving or a place to live in?

Thanks ๐Ÿ™

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Do you prefer co-living spaces or hostels or Airbnbs?


by @davda1546 4yr 4 years ago  | 5 comments

We are hoping to become nomads soon and have booked an AirBnB in September in Goa for our first destination. We are considering what would be the best option for accommodation after that. We are trying to decide between co-living spaces, hostels, or Airbnbs.

What are your experiences of accommodation in terms of the following: reliable wifi, social aspect, pricing, cleanliness, cooking facilities?

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Has anyone created a list of co-living spaces around the world?


by @keegansard 4yr 4 years ago  | 4 comments

Iโ€™m a big believer in co-living but Iโ€™m finding hard to find all the options available in different cities.

I have found the major players like Roam, The Collective, and WeLive but havenโ€™t found many others.

Has anyone seen a list or should I start making one?

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Shikoku,can anyone help me with information about living there please


by @lofty 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi,
My name is Nick,currently living in Australia and looking at moving to Shikoku next year to live for a couple of years.My wife is Japanese,but I dont speak much though I have lived in Tokyo for some years previously.
Any advice on best areas to look at would be greatly appreciated ,

Thanks in advance
Nick

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Any good coliving or other monthly rentals in Barcelona?


in Barcelona , Spain by @adrienbetweets 6yr 6 years ago  | 1 comment

Iโ€™m looking for a monthly rental in Barcelona. Iโ€™m only planning to stay 1 or 2 months.

Thanks!

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Living in Dubai for a month. Tips?


in Dubai , United Arab Emirates by @cyrilgupta 6yr 6 years ago  | 2 comments

Heya!
I have to be in Dubai by end of the month to finish the formation of my company and residency etc. Iโ€™ve stayed at hotels earlier, but that sounds pretty impractical considering I will be living there nearly for a month.

Anyone got any tips about renting a short-stay apartment for a month? Maybe even a few leads?

What about living in Dubai? I will be working hard, but I donโ€™t want to be bored out of my mind. Places I can hang out, things I can do?

Please share :slight_smile:

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Best Co-living / Co-working in Hawaii?


by @roconnor661 6yr 6 years ago  | 1 comment

Hi nomads, Iโ€™m in Hawaii for a couple months and wondered what the best co-working or co-living spaces were on the islands and why? Preferably near surf spots and also easy to meet some other DNs.

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I'm beginning my Nomadic journey - what advice do you have?


by @jacob_tr 7yr 7 years ago  | 8 comments

Hello Everyone,

On January 8, I set off on my Nomadic Journeys. I have a one way ticket to Iceland booked for a film shoot, and a flight into mainland Europe on the 20th, and from there I have no idea, and I am completely on my own.

What advice do you have? Right now I am feeling everything, from bad to good about it all, really can feel that safety/wool from underneath me get pulled away, I know Iโ€™m jumping out of my shell here.

(To give some background, Iโ€™m starting my nomad journey after having started a successful business, so financially I am set. Itโ€™s the question personally, mentally how do you cope in the beginning of leaving everything and going?)

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Any nomadic electronic music producers?


by @bavals 7yr 7 years ago  | 12 comments

I am curious if anyone here is traveling while also working on their electronic music productions. I know there are a few โ€œrealโ€ musicians here (respek!), but I am even more interested in finding my digital brethren.

If youโ€™re out there, how do you manage to do it? Granted, it has become a lot more feasible in the past 5 years or so, but not entirely problem-free.

Do you have a more comprehensive set up at your home base that complements your mobile studio or are you 100% mobile? Do you have a MIDI controller in your backpack/suitcase at all times? What about the monitors? While weโ€™re on the topic, would you maybe care to share your setup (DAW, interfaces, controllers, peripherals)?

Hereโ€™s my situation right now: MacBook Pro with Ableton Live, AKG headphones, a simple/tiny m-audio MIDI controller, an Apogee MiC for recording samples & voice. So far, nothing for the digital interface (apart from the built-in one) or monitors.

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Any digital agency owners living the nomad lifestyle?


by @nicolas 7yr 7 years ago  | 9 comments

Iโ€™d like to get into conversations with other agency owners with employees, or even create a mastermind group and share experiences around questions like:

  • how you manage teams remotely
  • how you keep them motivated without daily face-to-face discussions
  • how you find and work with customers remotely
  • whether your goal is growth and exit or just lifestyle entrepreneurship
  • etc.

Anyone interested? Thanks!

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Living in one EU country with a residence from another EU country?


by @robetus 7yr 7 years ago  | 8 comments

I really thought this had already been asked on here but couldnโ€™t find anything specific. Apologies if it has been asked before and a link would be greatly appreciated. Iโ€™m a US citizen and if I have a residence permit for one Western European country that states I only have to live in the country for 6 months out of the year can I live in another European country for the other 6 months. I plan on EU country hoping every other 6 months to avoid becoming a resident of more than one country.

Is anyone doing this now?

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Would you like a coworking & coliving space in Panama?


in Panama by @oricoh 7yr 7 years ago  | 15 comments

Hi everybody,
We are at the beginning of a very interesting journey to eventually establish work spaces and accommodation in Panama.
But before we start, weโ€™d love to figure out how Panama is perceived by you, US time zone and currency are any advantages ? Would you prefer more urbanic or beachfront locations ?
All feedback will be highly appreciated.
Cheers =)

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Tax: what are the best options for a nomadic Dutch freelancer?


by @maarten 7yr 7 years ago  | 11 comments

Originally, I am from the Netherlands. Since january 2016, I have been working remotely all around the world. But even though I havenโ€™t been in the Netherlands this year, I am still paying taxes there. Iโ€™m still registered as a citizen.

I have to unregister in the Netherlands as a citizen. But if I donโ€™t register somewhere else, or have a freelance status or company somewhere else, I would still have to pay 50%+ taxes. This is, of course, not fun at all.

So I decided to move my business elsewhere. Either get freelancer status in another country, or create a business there to send invoices from. Which brings me to my question:

What is the best country tax-wise for a Dutch freelancer?

As of now, I found two solutions:

  • Have an agency set up a company in Bulgaria. It will kost 3000 euro a year, once 3300 euros and extra money if I want residency. And then of course 10% income tax on my earnings.
  • Have an agency set up a company in Dubai. It will cost around 2000 euro annually and 5000 euro once. No income tax.

Wether residency in an other country is required for the Dutch tax authority to not tax your world income, seems to be a grey area. However, if I unregister in Holland and send invoices from a company in a whole other country, it should be fine.

I have little or no experience. People with know-how: would you be so kind to comment on these options?

Are there alternatives I should consider?

I donโ€™t really like to hire an agency. Iโ€™d rather just fly to a country, fill out paperwork, incorporate there and from then on invoice from that company. If itโ€™s too bureaucratic, I wouldnโ€™t mind hiring a local lawyer or accountant to do it for me.

Do you know a country where there is no or a low income tax and this process is relatively easy and suitable for Dutch freelancers?

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Anyone interested in coliving in Las Palmas Oct 15 - Dec 18?


in , Spain by @jeremyreaux 8yr 8 years ago  | 12 comments

Toying with the idea of renting a house with other nomads in Las Palmas between Oct 15th - Dec 18th. If youโ€™re interested, please PM me with your email address, budget and dates.

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Any nomads up for skiing and a co-living experiment in Canada?

 

in Canada by @vladepap 8yr 8 years ago  | 31 comments

Hi guys,
Iโ€™ve been traveling for awhile now and lately Iโ€™ve been dreaming of heading back to Canada for the 2016/17 winter season (Dec-Mar?). Namely of spending a ski season in Nelson, BC, a mountain town I lived in a few years ago.

Nelson, BC is known for the most amazing powder. The small resort at Whitewater is very accessible (about 20 minutes outside of town) and in close proximity to slack and backcountry skiing. Nelson is also located near the Powder Highway and is accessible to a lot of other well known powder spots.

Have you ever dreamed of being a โ€œski bumโ€ for a season? Of skiing in the morning and working in the afternoon? Of attempting a co living experiment with other working, professional type nomads who share your passion and lifestyle?

What I know about co living I have learned from research around co working and it seems like the next logical step (to me). Have you heard of 20Mission in San Francisco? Or one of the other co living proposals in this forum? The experiment part is to see who would commit and what amazing projects and ideas might come out of such a space. In my experience, when I travel, there is something missing out of the places I stay. Either I get lonely or distracted by holiday makers and other travellers. I sometimes struggle to find a work space where I feel productive as well as engaged and would like to explore this as a solution. Work AND ski everyday? Be creative and productive where I live? Sounds pretty close to living the dream to me.

Some extras about Nelson:
Think white winter. Silence, snow covered trees and streets. Fireplace.
There are hot springs close by.
This is no ordinary small town, thereโ€™s a very diverse population.
This town is an organic, clean living mecca, or the opposite if thatโ€™s what you seek.
There are many opportunities to engage in the community, be it volunteering, participating in clubs or groups.

Thinking about it, I would put down three requirements;
Desire to ski
Working nomad
Long(ish) term stay (eg: a month?)

The idea is to rent a house with a group of committed individuals and see what happens. Will a type of community be fostered and emerge? How can we co-create it?

If I have piqued your interested and you want to join me, learn more or keep in touch, let me know. This post is meant to give me an idea of whether there is any interest in this idea.

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What would you pay for coworking + living space in Calcutta, India?


in India by @dave_chakrabarti 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Iโ€™m building a longer-term base in Calcutta, India, and was wondering what digital nomads would think of renting a room here, or what theyโ€™d consider a fair rent.

Quick overview:

Newly renovated, ground floor, in a nice residential neighborhood (Salt Lake), a ten minute walk to the City Center mall. Restaurants, pharmacies, public transportation, etc are all within a five minute walk.

Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, fancy shower stall, nice patio with hammocks and bean bags. AC in the study and bedrooms.

The study has high speed internet access with redundant internet lines (the main line is an actual physical DSL connection, not cellular, extremely reliable, goes down for a few hours maybe once every three years), extra network storage if you need to backup or dump large files, and there are a couple of raspberry pis around if youโ€™re a techie and want to make something while youโ€™re bored.

New paint, new tiles, new electrical wiring, granite bookshelves; the entire apartment was rebuilt (everything from the floor tiles up) this month.

The downside, of course, is that Calcutta is very far off the digital nomad path :slight_smile: Assuming anyoneโ€™s interested in seeing this side of the country, what would a reasonable rent be for someone sharing the apartment with me in a private bedroom? I suspect I could make the place work at $250/month.

What else would you like included or available as an option? Food (Iโ€™d normally recommend against this; food in Calcutta is cheap and amazing), tours, travel in this part of India, other stuff I havenโ€™t thought of yet?

Thanks! All ideas welcome. Iโ€™ve been toying with the idea of making this a space more friendly to digital nomads since I started the renovation, so I figured itโ€™s time to start vetting the idea.

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Living in CZ but working for USA


by @tygrysk0landia 8yr 8 years ago  | 1 comment

I currently live in California, and work remotely for a company in Philly. I am considering moving to CZ but keep my job here, get paid here, and pay taxes here. I am dual citizen of USA and Poland (EU member), so I know that residency wonโ€™t be a problem, but I am interested in paying taxes. If my company keeps paying me to my account in USA, and taxes in California, do I have to pay taxes is CZ as well? This company doesnโ€™t have a post in CZ.

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Living and working in two very different time zones


by @rwill007 8yr 8 years ago  | 4 comments

If you are living and working out of Thailand (UTC+07:00) but work with people in the New York EST (UTC-05:00) Time Zone, how do you deal / handle the time difference and still be able to enjoy or make the most of the experience without turning into a tired night owl zombie?

Better yet, what do you find to be the benefits / drawbacks of having to work on such a schedule? (specially in Thailand)

Any advice from those who have done it for a long time? (2+ months)

Thanks,
Will

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How are you earning a living while traveling?

 

by @mattlock 8yr 8 years ago  | 22 comments

Iโ€™ve been traveling for over a year, and Iโ€™ve been working on 3 month contracts in locations abroad to sustain travel. I wanted to see what the community was like as far as digital nomads go. Are you trading your skills for $$$? and if so, how are you doing it?

(Iโ€™ve also wanted to try this, but havenโ€™t been to successful.)

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Does fulltime RV living count as being a digital nomad?


by @juliet 8yr 8 years ago  | 7 comments

Iโ€™m thinking about living fulltime in an RV mostly in the US and North America. Is this still part of the digital nomad community? Is there anyone who has tried this? Pros? Cons? Thanks!

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