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Lisbon vs Barcelona for mid- to long-term stay: any advice?

 

in Lisbon , Portugal by @tvr3000 8yr  | 24 comments

Hi guys,

From this spring onwards Iโ€™m returning to Europe and Iโ€™m looking to either set up a home base in Lisbon or Barcelona. Any fellow nomads who can share their experiences of living in either of those cities?

Iโ€™ve only been to Barcelona and I like the vibe a lot. Major downside is the tourists (obviously).

To me it seems that both cities have good infrastructure, internet, climate (mediterranean), nightlife, culture, food, beaches (and Lisbon is good for surfing as well of course). Price wise, Lisbon is obviously a bit cheaper.

One important consideration is the public transport. Since Iโ€™m not looking to rent a car I prefer the city where I can travel on foot, bike or metro.

Based on my limited info, itโ€™s hard to pick one. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

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Iโ€™ve lived for 4 years in Barcelona and have been many times after that, also spent some time in Lisbon, as Iโ€™m half Portuguese. A lot has been said about Barcelona and Lisbon so Iโ€™m only here to +1 Lisbon. Had you asked the question say, 6 years ago, my answer would have been Barcelona.

Lisbon has, imho:

  • better food
  • nicer people
  • is equally as beautiful (but in a different way)
  • is cheaper
  • has a more exciting startup scene
  • equally as many beautiful places to visit outside of the city (also different)
  • less annoying tourists
  • Equally as fun night life
  • Better level of English
  • Lisbon is better at mixing the new with the old
  • Equally as many options to work from
  • Weather equally as great but perhaps slightly lower temperature in the evenings in Lisbon

For me, Lisbon is the place to be in Europe at the moment. Good luck and enjoy!

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@tkrunning 8yr

I havenโ€™t lived in Barcelona (but Iโ€™m planning to visit soon), so I cannot really comment there. But Lisbon is still my favorite city anywhere, even after exploring/living in large parts of Europe, SE Asia, the US (both west and east), and Latin America.

Itโ€™s laid back, fun, cheap, has great internet, great weather most of the year, it looks stunning, locals are very friendly, itโ€™s close to the ocean, great food, and so on.

Overall just a great mix of quality of life, low costs, and a safe, well-functioning society.

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Ive lived in both and prefer Lisbon

The people are really friendly and itโ€™s pretty damn cheap considering!

Living in Lisbon made me a more relaxed person and out of all the places iโ€™ve been had the biggest impact on me.

Highly recommended, also you have the whole west coast of Portugal to explore and surf!

Hope this helps any other questions just hit me up :slightly_smiling:

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Itโ€™s a Go for us, we may find our way to Carinho do vino or A merendinha do arco (or someoneโ€™s hidden gem) afterward !

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@codino 8yr

I am based in Barcelona however, I enjoy both Barcelona and Lisbon, even though the city-vibe is quite different from eachother.

In Barcelona, high energy can be seen throughout the city with tourists flocking to La Ramblas and the nearby beaches, while serving as a perfect hub for start-ups and freelancers to network.
Lisbon, on the other hand is more like an hidden gem. It is very authentic with more places still yet to be discovered.

Compared to Lisbon, Barcelona is about 15% more expensive than Lisbon - as long as you donโ€™t run into the many tourist traps.
If you compare both cities on numbeo.com, most goods and services are more expensive here in Barcelona, but there is the possibility to pay much less if you know how thing work in this city.

Getting an apartment isnโ€™t difficult either.
You can get long-term apartments for about 8โ‚ฌ/mยฒ in non-trendy but well connected parts like Sants or Sant Andreu.
In Poble Sec, you can find plenty of bars to meet up for beers, pinchos, and tapas for about 1โ‚ฌ or a enjoy a set lunch for 7,50โ‚ฌ.
The metro is also conveniently located and costs less than 1โ‚ฌ.
And if youโ€™re looking to jetset, Barcelona serves as a great hub with hostel beds in low season are from 6โ‚ฌ and plenty of flight connections to all over Europe around 20โ‚ฌ.
However, itโ€™s easy to get caught up in the high-energetic life in Barcelona with many temptations all around.
Much of the nightlife is posh and the better-known clubs charge 7โ‚ฌ for a beer or 10โ‚ฌ for a cocktail.

The good thing is, you can make living in Barcelona as expensive as you want.
Most of the locals live off 1000โ‚ฌ or so a month.
In a sense, you can hack the system and learn tricks to survive on a shoestring.
For example, you can pay nothing to get into clubs just by signing in online at guestlist.
Additionally, you can go coworking from cafes with fast-internet, meet other nomads, join lectures and workshops at the many zero-cost-meetups (where also the beer is free).
Also the infrastructure is surprisingly goodโ€”efficient public transport, bike-sharing stations everywhere, and a thereโ€™s a walkable city centre so there really is no need to use the metro most of the time.
There are so many great opportunities funded by the city such as free support for entrepreneurs from Barcelona Activa, free use of libraries, open air events all year round and many possibilities for outdoor-activities. The beach and the great weather are also a priceless advantages!
So, take your time and soak it all in. In the end, youโ€™ll see that spending some time in this city will be a much better investment than a quick tourist trip.

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@dpt 8yr

There is one somewhere between Arroios and Intendente; walk Avenida Almirante Reis (on the eastern side). Look into the side streets, somewhere there is one of the domes.

Another one was on the azul line somewhere after Sรฃo Sebastiao, but even after looking at the map I canโ€™t remember what stop.

Another market is the Mercado de Campo de Ourique (http://www.mercadodecampodeourique.pt/contactos/). Itโ€™s somewhat similar, but it also has a food court and is not in a round building like the others. Maybe it would work to go there and ask for locations of similar markets.

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@dpt 8yr

For healthy food in Portugal: there are large dome-shaped things all over Lisbon with farmers markets inside. Theyโ€™re all ordered cyclically with fruits and vegetables on the
outside and meat and fish in the center.
Once you know this you will start recognizing these things all over town.

But you can also get decent quality stuff at Pingo Doce, they have a store every few blocks.

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@bavals 8yr

@dpt This is very interestingโ€ฆ Could you give me a couple of approximate locations (e.g. intersections) where I can look for the โ€œdome-shaped thingsโ€? I donโ€™t think Iโ€™ve ever seen one and Iโ€™ve walked pretty much all over: Baixa, Bairo Alto, Rato, Amoreiras, Campo Pequeno, Estefaniaโ€ฆ Of course, it could easily be that I saw one but didnโ€™t know what I was looking at.

P.S. If anyone wants to get together for dinner in Lisbon in the next 2 weeks, Iโ€™d be game for that.

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Tomorrow (thursday) ? PM us :slight_smile:

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Me and @chapuppi are here too in Lisbon. Loving the city, but struggling with food. One is veggie and one is wheat-free.

Hoping to meet @phillippe and Conchita and @bisonravi soon :slight_smile:

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About 10 years ago, I was living in Algarve and was in the supermarket shopping with a Dutch vegetarian friend. I asked if they had any meat substitutes. The answer was โ€œYou mean fish?โ€. I bet it can get pretty tough in Portugal with special diets. Lucky are those who eat everything (me. in abundance.).

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Oh
you could have said that before ^^ยฐ

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We would land in Lisbon on monday :smiley:
Stay tuned for ongoing #Nomadโ€™sDinner! (and meetup asap)

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@reganha 8yr

@tvr Iโ€™ve lived in Lisbon for nearly 3 years and before that my โ€œchildhoodโ€ was spent about 60 km from the city.
Itโ€™s hard to appreciate and describe a city when you havenโ€™t spent much time somewhere else, but Iโ€™ve spent nearly 6 months in Taipei, Taiwan, and Iโ€™ve been traveling around SE Asia (Phuket, Bangkok, Shanghai, Singapore).

All I can say is that I canโ€™t wait to go back.

Biggest points to Lisbon:

  • Crazy cheap living costs, really. After being in Taipei, I wonโ€™t ever complain with the prices in Lisbon. 80 cents for a Kg of spaguetti to cook at home and 40 cents for a litter of milk never felt so awesome.
  • The weatherโ€ฆ I used to dread the winter months (from November to February), where half of the days are grey and rainy and temperature is around 12 to 19ยบC. Only now I realized how great that is compared to most places. Specially the sunny part, I can stand some low temps and rain, but please give me some blue sky and sun. Apart from those months, itโ€™s a great weather to live/work with, may get a bit hot in the summer some days, but completellly managable since itโ€™s dry weather.
  • The easyness, calmness of the city. Some may consider this a downside, but itโ€™s just THAT easy to live in Lisbon. To give you a perspective, I lived in Campo Pequeno and had a car, which I parked on the street (free after you get your โ€œresident cardโ€) and drove daily to the university (also in the enter). Try doing that in Barcelona :slight_smile: Everyone is laidback, things move slow, itโ€™s a great environment to work on, as long as you donโ€™t let yourself be slow aswell.
  • Portuguese people usually do their shopping in big supermarkets, but you still have small stores everywhere in the city. The quality of the food, veggies, fruit, etc, is really good even in the big supermarkets, and everything is so f*cking cheap!
  • 200/20 MB internet costs 26โ‚ฌ/month with TV (2 year contract tho), cellphone card with 1GB and unlimited calling costs around 15โ‚ฌ, 5Gb for 20โ‚ฌ.
  • Low costs gymnasiums cost 25โ‚ฌ / month, the big chain with spa and stuff, around 40-50โ‚ฌ.
  • Local restaurants cost anywhere from 7โ‚ฌ to 15โ‚ฌ (eat all you can/buffet) and the food is great. You can also have small meals (main dish, coffee and drink) for as low as 5 to 7โ‚ฌ.
  • A bedroom in the city center costs 250 to 280โ‚ฌ. A studio/1 bedroom probably around 350 to 400โ‚ฌ. This prices go up if you try to live near the โ€œtourist centerโ€, which I donโ€™t recommend for daily living.
  • Taxis suck as they try to overcharge foreigners, but you have Uber that is super cheap compared to other Western countries.
  • I donโ€™t know about bikes and walking, portuguese people are lazy, we drive everywhere :smile: . Metro system is solid, monthly pass costs 35โ‚ฌ if Iโ€™m not mistaken.

Ok I could go on and onโ€ฆ @tvr @bisonravi @joshadamlevy If you do the move or anyone else that will or is already in Lisbon, I donโ€™t mind being your โ€œgo to guyโ€ whenever you need some โ€œlocalโ€ info or anything sorted out. Iโ€™ll be back to Lisbon next month :smile:

Cheers

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@tvr3000 8yr

great post, I will contact you if/when I go to Lisbon : )

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I cant vouch for Lisbon, but I have spent tons of time in Barca and even run coliving houses for digital nomads there. For me it is the best city on the planet. I think it is amazing for DNโ€™s and just the perfect place to beโ€ฆfor me. To each their own. I know the DC (a group of digital nomads) has a strong presence there and growing. Good costs, good people, good living!

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I have lived in both for months at a time. Lisboa is more my vibe the older I get in that its smaller and feels a bit more intimate. I would also agree with people saying it is safer. Much less pickpockets or too much dunken silliness (though in Bairro Alto you would see that). Really all depend on you. I would stay each for a month then see which you would like best.

The DN Community in Lisboa isnt as big compared to Barca.

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So, IIRC Barcelonaโ€™s metro closes kinda early (except Saturdays), but the city is a lot more foot and bike-friendly than Lisbon. But since most expats in Lisbon tend to stay in the more center (and thus foot-friendly) areas, I would say that itโ€™s not that big of a deal.

Like it has been said, Lisbon will have less young (and drunk) tourists. And itโ€™s cheaper. I also prefer Portuguese cuisine to the Spanish cuisine. People donโ€™t really worry about organic food since this is Europe and the EU is a lot more restrictive than the FDA. Most veggies/fruit in the supermarket will be fresh.

There are some tech/startup meetups in Lisbon and there are now quite a few coworking spaces. Startup Lisboa is the main startup organization in Lisbon/Portugal and they have a few expats there.

Btw surfing isnโ€™t really โ€œcloseโ€. Itโ€™s a ~1hr drive (and similar ride by train).

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I would choose Lisbon over Barcelona. I personally prefer it more and one of the main reasons is that fewer tourists seem to make it all the way there and when they donโ€™t they donโ€™t seem to be as much โ€˜frat boy on drunken holidayโ€™ as the ones in Barcelona do. :smile:

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@bavals 8yr

FOOD

This is a little strange, but I havenโ€™t noticed too much of a โ€œfarmerโ€™s markerโ€ culture here. In fact, I donโ€™t know of any outdoor markets. People just seem to be content to go to the supermarkets.

For higher-end groceries, including organic stuff, there is Celeiro with several stores in central Lisbon:
www.celeiro.pt/lojas

Iโ€™ve been meaning to check out Brio (www.brio.pt) but havenโ€™t yet gotten around to do that.

STARTUPS

I have no idea about nomads, but there are digital entrepreneurs moving here for sure, especially from ridiculously expensive locations such as the UK. The biggest draws are a reasonable cost of living, decent infrastructure, and plenty of under-employed students and young grads (=inexpensive yet highly educated labor force, ripe for being exploited by pie-in-the-sky start-up impresariosโ€ฆ I am being cynical, I knowโ€ฆ).

I havenโ€™t made a concerted effort to network with anyone since I am no longer sure I have the required โ€œstartupโ€ mentality (I suspect I may have grown out of it, having been doing things online for 20 years and seen how much of the culture around it is pure BS), but maybe this will be useful: startuplisboa.com. Check the meet-ups, too.

For shared offices and such, I think there are a few decent options and none very expensive. Here is one example I was considering myself: liberdade229.com. As you can see, itโ€™s only 180E / mo.

You can also check out whatโ€™s listed on copass.org. FWIW, I once used that site for a 2-day meeting and quickly grokked that people running small spaces would prefer if you came to them directly rather than through an intermediary. Itโ€™s all very informal, anyway.

P.S. Sorry for injecting my ideological bias into this. Just take the links if you donโ€™t care for the jaded would-be tycoon talk.

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@tvr3000 8yr

(I suspect I may have grown out of it, having been doing things online for 20 years and seen how much of the culture around it is pure BS)

haha THIS! I agree so much with this. Yeah I was referring more to a lively expat community then a startup scene tbh.

Once again thanks for the info.

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@bavals 8yr

I am in Lisbon right now and having spent about 3 months (cumulatively) in each of the two cities, I sort of feel that I am starting to feel at home in both of them. Although I like them both, I imagine itโ€™s very personal.

Lisbon feel smaller. There are fewer tourists (although still quite a few, especially downtown) and those who come are not necessarily young and boisterous (as it largely seems to be the case in Barcelona). The Lisbon Metro is excellent, but I rarely use it since I tend to go everywhere on foot. Actually, entire Lisbon is borderline manageable on foot: the distance from the very โ€œbottomโ€ of the city (Praรงa do Comรฉrcio) to the Campo Grande (an effective northern boundary of the central city) can be walked in about an hour and a half.

Lisbon is indeed cheaper than Barcelona. Iโ€™d also say that it feels somewhat safer. On the other hand, Barcelona feels more โ€œdevelopedโ€ and modern. Nevertheless, what I like about Lisbonโ€™s commercial texture is that there are many super-modern and designer-y boutiques, cafรฉs, and shops peppered even among its seemingly rundown blocks. This creates a pretty cool contrast. There are also many low-end shops in central Lisbon, which I think makes the city a livable place for locals and less of a museum (the day when everything here becomes a boutique targeting foreigners will be a sad day indeed).

Finally, you have to train your ear to figure out which language (or combination thereof) you like better: Portuguese, with quite a few local English speakers, or Spanish+Catalan, with more tourists but fewer local English speakers. To me, Portuguese is a lot more challenging to understand, especially the local, European version, but I still like it.

But donโ€™t decide anything before you visit.

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@chappupi 8yr

Thanks for writing this. I am moving to Lisbon (will be living in the Alfama) in 1 week and will be there for about 5 months. My girlfriend and I deliberated the Lisbon vs. Barcelona question.
Your info is incredibly helpful. Cheers.

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@tvr3000 8yr

What a great reply. This is very helpful.

2 follow up questions:

  • For a health conscious person, who likes to eat fresh, organic foods, is there a scene for that in Lisbon? Even just a few good supermarkets and restaurants would be good enough tbh : )

  • How is the expat/digital nomad/online entrepreneur community in Lisbon? I know Barca has quite a big community in that regard.

Re: the language. Yeah itโ€™s tough. I speak a bit of Spanish, but spanish in Barca is prtty different then, say, Valencia or South America. Much faster, much harder to understand.
Sounds beautiful though :wink:

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Bali vs. Chiang Mai for digital nomads?


in Chiang Mai , Thailand by @snu6ew 7yr 7 years ago  | 16 comments

My girlfriend and I started our DN life this March and went straight to Chiang Mai because of itโ€™s ease of living. We love it. CM is great โ€“ we got a scooter for 2700 THB, a nice apartment for 8000 THB all in, we get our laundry done for 50 THB, eat out at nice places every day for less than 100 THB etc. Arriving here needed nearly no preparation โ€“ it just worked out all by itself.

We are still on tight budget and donโ€™t want to give up much of CMโ€™s quality of life but we want to see other places and we are now thinking about what could be our next destination. We are not really willing and able to spend more than what we spend now. Bali seems to be a good place according to what you all wrote.

How does it compare to Chiang Mai or Thailand in general?
CM can get very hot and we often acknowledge that we should have chosen an apartment with a pool here. Can I rent something in Bali for a few months with a pool for less than 250 USD?

Are there any Nomad-houses or similar projects at the moment that make it easy to connect to other people?

We donโ€™t really hang out in co-working spaces, more in cafรฉs. We source products in China and sell them to customers in Europe through e-commerce.

Any tips or experiences are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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What's best internet solution for travelers? SkyRoam vs Global Roaming Data plans


by @alexmarinov 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Whatโ€™s up nomads!

What do you use to get internet for work when you travel? Iโ€™m trying to figure out the best option to get internet when Iโ€™m traveling. For now mostly in Europe and mostly for conference calls with screen sharing. Iโ€™m willing to spend $200-300 per month.

I need to:

  1. tether my laptop to my data plan on my phone, or on another device (like SkyRoam which I donโ€™t have yet, but considering)
  2. have data on my phone for essentials like Google Maps when driving around.

My US carrier is Sprint Wireless. I have unlimited data, which I can enable globally at no extra charge but itโ€™s supposedly 3G, but doesnโ€™t really work. Sprint also has a plan called Sprint Global Roaming, which offers high speed internet, but itโ€™s $30 per 1GB which can add up to $500-$600 per month given my usage.

Iโ€™m not always close to WiFi or Co-Working spaces. Iโ€™m looking for a solution that would basically allow me to get on a Google Hangout or GoToMeeting call on my laptop from my car.

Any experience with gadgets like SkyRoam or similar ones from Verizon or AT&T? How good and reliable are those?

Any ideas? What do you use?

Thanks,
Alex

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How to find a short-term apartment in Lisbon?


in Lisbon , Portugal by @jenny_ 7yr 7 years ago  | 10 comments

Hi everyone,

we plan to work from Lisbon from mid of April to mid of June this year and were wondering if anyone knows how to find a short-term apartment. AirBnB does not really offer much under 1000 Euro, which seems a bit high to us.

We are looking for a 1-bedroom apartment close to the city centre - budget: max 800 Euro. Can someone help?

Thanks! Jenny & Sebastian

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Looking a for a flat to rent in Barcelona from January for 6 months. Anyone?


in Barcelona , Spain by @aleravanetti 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Hi guys, as I wrote in the title I am planning to move to Barcelona with my girlfriend starting from January 2017 and I am looking to rent a flat for 6 months, possibly in the Born area, but open also to other neighborhoods. My budget is around โ‚ฌ800 per month. Is anyone looking to rent out something that could fit my request? Any help would be appreciated!

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What are the best Lisbon neighborhoods to live in?


in Lisbon , Portugal by @thefakekozy 7yr 7 years ago  | 12 comments

Hello friends :slight_smile:

Moving to Lisbon with my gf for some slow nomadism in November '16 and could really use some recommendations as to where to set up a longer term residence! I just finished about 9 months in Brasil (Portuguese is still basic, but getting better everyday) and 10 months in Australia before that. Iโ€™ve applied for the residency visa so I wonโ€™t get the boot after 90 days like most US citizens in the Schengen zone.

Looking for something somewhat trendy, with good places to eat and near public transit. Would love to keep rent under $800/month for 1bd place, but can go up to $1000. Iโ€™ve heard about Santos and Alcantara from another nomadic blog, but would appreciate any insight on favorite hoods/locations and generally getting around Lisbon.

Cheers,
Kozy

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Do you know good gyms in Lisbon, Portugal?


in Lisbon , Portugal by @chappupi 8yr 8 years ago  | 4 comments

Hi!
I just moved to Lisbon, Portugal. Iโ€™m in the Alfama district, near Santa Apolรณnia metro.
Iโ€™d really like to find a gym which has weights and cardio machines. It looks like there are incredibly few options in Lisbon - and all extremely expensive.

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What are the best ways to find an apartment in Barcelona?


in Barcelona , Spain by @tylertringas 8yr 8 years ago  | 15 comments

Lots of nomads in and headed to Barcelona. Letโ€™s create a central place for resources, guides and sites for finding an apartment.

Iโ€™m headed there in April for 1-3 months (argh, Schengen!). So far Craigslist and Spotahome seem useful. What else is there?

Also any thoughts on neighborhoods would be great here. Right now Iโ€™m looking at Gracia which seems to be the spot. Probably avoid Barrio Gotico and Barceloneta due to masses of tourists. Iโ€™ve heard some good things about El Bornโ€ฆ thoughts?

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Where to Register Complaints Against Businesses in Barcelona?


in Barcelona , Spain by @joutazo 8yr 8 years ago  | 1 comment

Long story short, my friends and I flew with Vueling and they lost our luggage. Theyโ€™ve done nothing so far except ignoring the problem. Theyโ€™ve failed to give us any kind of status on the luggage or offer any kind of compensation. Some of us even had our work laptops in our bags. Itโ€™s been five days with no response. Several times when weโ€™ve contacted them, theyโ€™ve hung up the phone on us. Itโ€™s been a terrible experience, and since we canโ€™t get them to do anything reasonable through their normal customer support channels, Iโ€™d like to escalate it by filing a formal complaint with some sort of government or legal entity that helps hold businesses accountable. The only problem is that I donโ€™t know who to report it to in Barcelona/Spain. I speak good enough Spanish to file a claim, but since I donโ€™t know what that sort of entity is called in Spanish, Iโ€™ve been having trouble finding where to do so.

TL;DR Where can I file consumer complaints against a company with the government or a legal entity in Barcelona or Spain?

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Blog recommendations for mid-budget nomads?


by @kathrynoh 8yr 8 years ago  | 7 comments

Pretty much what the title says, Iโ€™ve been trying to find a few good blogs to follow by nomads in the mid-budget range. There seems to be a ton in the budget/backpacker range, trying to do everything as cheaply as possible or, in the mid-budget range but are short-term travellers.

There does seem to be a lack of blogs in the mid-budget, long term travel area that arenโ€™t run by professional bloggers & full of sponsored posts. Am I looking in the wrong places or is it just that people in this niche are too busy making a living doing other work donโ€™t bother blogging?

I follow Making It Anywhere, which is good but not updated much. Any other recommendations?

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Formentera, Spain vs. Santorini, Greece?


in Santorini , Greece by @que 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Hi,
Iโ€™m ready to start traveling again (looking at May through August, about). I have a little more money to spend and would like an island experience in Southern Europe. Iโ€™m a little older and looking for a little more comfort these days. I would plan to rent a 1 bedroom apartment if possible. Places that come to mind are Formentera or Santorini. Iโ€™d like to stay for 2 or 3 months. Does anyone have any experiences to share with these two locales. One concern I have about Greece is safety given the economic crisis. Any insight into there would be appreciated.

Thanks

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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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Ho Chi Minh City vs Chiang Mai vs Medellin?


in Chiang Mai , Thailand by @mementomoriblog 8yr 8 years ago  | 7 comments

Iโ€™ve realized that if I really want to be a DN entrepreneur, I need to get my ass to a DN hub.

My income (around $1000 USD/month) and some research Iโ€™ve done point to Saigon, Chiang Mai, and Medellin as 3 great choices to start out with.

I know some people who could โ€œplug me inโ€ to the DN scene in Medellin and Saigon, but not Chiang Mai.

The primary goal of me moving is to build relationships with DN entrepreneurs, and get great work done. Quality of life for $1000 USD a month is very important too, as I know how much a lack of money can degrade oneโ€™s quality of life.

Any advice from people who have lived in 2 or more of these cities? Any particular ways I should be thinking about this?


Right now my initial, probably wrong impressions are:

Medellin -
Pros: Culture and language are more interesting to me than Vietnamese or Thai culture.

Cons: More dangerous than SE Asia, not sure how much more. Higher cost of living than SE Asia. Thriving community, but not as much as SE Asia.

Chiang Mai -
Pros: Lowest cost of living. Very friendly, safe. Probably the easiest to integrate into, and least stressful.

Cons: Harder to connect with locals than in other locations (I know a decent amount of Italian, so Spanish seems easier, and apparently a decent amount of Vietnamese living in Saigon speak English.)

Saigon:

Pros: Seems to have the best community for what I am looking for. Very exciting entrepreneurial atmosphere. Cheaper than Medellin.

Cons: Pollution, could get old living in super urbanized area (stressful perhaps)

Right now I am leaning towards Saigon haha, but I am hoping for othersโ€™ experience based perspectives as I am just spouting theory right now :slightly_smiling:

Also, it seems like maybe I should be just thinking about Medellin vs either of the other two cities, since I could literally just fly between Saigon and Chiang Mai for cheap and see how I like either of them.

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