Is there any typical scams in Southeast Asia to be aware of?

Hi everybody. I live and work in Germany and want to go to Canary Islands for 6 months to work from there. I'm going to keep my current job, just change the "home" in the home office part of things. Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of? I was reading about becoming a residence after 183 days, thus having to pay taxes there plus my employer having to register there. Does anybody know how it works exactly? Thanks a lot!

We're looking for a country in South East Asia that can function as our base, mainly for tax purposes. Meaning it will have to be a place where we can stay for the 183 days required without too much hassle.

We've been looking at Thailand, but have heard that it's very hard to do visa runs etc., so what other can you recommend? Indonesia looked like a good option, but the income rate is a flat 20% and very high for the region.

Hey everyone,

Looking for blogs by individuals who document their progress/business in South East Asia - ideally Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos - but also Thailand/Myanmar too.

Thank you,

Haiducci

Hi guys!

We’re leaving on Dec 1st for a 5-month DN experience with our kids, but we have second thoughts on our journey. We were supposed to do a trip in South-East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia). We’re from Canada, and our clients are all in Canada right now (we’re digital marketing consultants).

After comparing destinations, we’re starting the think Latin America may be a better choice to make sure we keep most of our clients during these 5 months (same timezone). Also, it seems Latin America fits our needs too :

• cheap (actually often cheaper than Chiang Mai according to Numbeo)
• great weather (sunny while less hot than Asia)
• business continuity : good wifi connection, limited time difference
• learning opportunity : one single language = great opportunity to improve our Spanish
• relaxed pace of life
• kid-friendly
• relatively safe (see countries below)

So here are our 2 options ; which one would you recommend for our criteria?

A: SEA : Thailand (Chiang Mai and a couple islands in the South), Indonesia (Bali and Lombok), Malaysia (Penang)
B: Latin America : Mexico (Playa Del Carmen/Tulum), Colombia (Medellin), Peru (Lima and other TBD towns), Chile (Santiago and other TBD towns), Argentina (Buenos Aires and other TBD towns).

Thanks!

Hi everybody,

we’re a family of 4 from Canada (Quebec province) leaving to Thailand on December 1st.
Our plan is to take things slowly and live in a peaceful environment while working a little and doing homeschooling to our 6-year-old son (plus escaping Canadian-cold winter )

This is roughly what our plan would look like:

• arriving in Bangkok, staying there for about a week (air bnb probably)
• moving to Chiang Mai then Krabi (most likely Ao Nang, Ao Tha Lane, Railay) or Koh Pha Ngan (North part) or Koh Chang (2-3 months)
• then Indonesia (Bali/Gili islands) (1,5 months)
• And Malaysia (Batu Ferengi, Penang) to finish (1 month)

We’re not city dwellers, and love being surrounded by nature.
Knowing that, what would be the best places for a family who want something quiet, walkable and with reliable Internet service?

Thanks!
Magali and Guillaume

Hey all! Planning to head to Southeast Asoa later this year and I’m looking for a place that’s got a good community of people who play beach volleyball. I’m in Medellin at the moment and joined up with a community of locals and expats who play a few times a week and I’ve gotta say I’ve quickly fallen in love with the game!

I want to find a place that’s got a good community I can play and practice with somewhere down there. Mix of locals and expats are both fine, though ideally there’s at least a few expats so I can communicate with at least one person in the same language! I’m open to indoor volleyball too, though I know that’s much less common (especially amongst nomads).

Appreciate any direction ya’ll can give!

Hi there,

Glad to be part of the digital nomad community.

Originally from the Netherlands, I lived in Madrid for two years and have been living in Melbourne since July 2017. Although I am used to living abroad and working from home, the digital nomad lifestyle is new to me.

I recently decided to explore Asia starting from July/August this year, and am wondering what your thoughts and experiences are. I am thinking of staying about a month in each place. Bali, Chiang Mai and Vietnam are on my mind.

I enjoy a balance between fun and tranquility/nature. I very much enjoy socializing with people, but I prefer good talks in a chilled environment over going out in nightclubs. Any ideas which cities/environment might be suitable?

Thanks in advance for your advice

Regarding remote work in Asia/Far East, How have or could you successfully navigate the time zone and internet issue. It sounds like you really have to use a cowork space there to have adequate connection but I would be working mainly in US time zones with 12 hour difference, are there spaces open 24 hours? Is it possible to get good internet with a long term rental instead? I would need a really good connection, which it’s hard to tell if exists in some places at all. Thanks!

I’ve been looking to travel for a few years now, and I’m finally at the point where I’m pretty much ready to get going, hopefully next month.

That said, I’ve not planned ahead well, and it only just occurred to me about vaccinations. I’ve done a bit of research and there are vaccinations available, but I’m unsure how necessary they are.

I plan to chat to my local nurse/doctor before going, but I’m also interested to hear whether most people do vaccinate at all before heading out or not?

In terms of specifics, I’m planning to fly to Japan and then move south, likely hitting up Thailand, Bali, Vietnam etc.

Not expecting any official health advice here, more just personal experience. Any thoughts appreciated

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? I’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?

Where can I find locally sourced, organic (or at least non-GMO) and also be able to work with strong internet?
I did a search but didn’t find much info. We love Bali and the food here is amazing, we are just looking to try somewhere else out (preferably somewhere in Europe) after a long time in Asia. We also loved the Northern Rivers area in Australia and want to find similar food offerings and compare our options!

I’m planning a visit to Chiang Mai and Bali starting in April. I have a Google Nexus which has worked flawlessly in Mexico at least. Assuming it will work just as well in CM and Bali? If I decide not to work in a coworking space, but rather Airbnb w/wifi and/or Coffee shops wifi, would a dedicated 4g sim card device be worth spening $75 USD to purchase, plus local sim, plus potential SIM hassle, or just rely on Nexus hotspot + airbnb and coffee shop Wifi?

Hey guys… I’m from a EU country but in the past 6 years I spent there just 3 weeks.

I have a bank account in Australia, since I spent there over 4 years. Now I’m mostly in Thailand or travelling around.

Because of my experiences

a) PayPal froze my account for several weeks until I was able to give them documents that are very difficult to get if I’m no longer in Australia

b) when applying for a tourist visa to Australia just to pick up rest of my stuff - it’s supposed to be done within 48 hours… well it took them 3 weeks just to ask me for additional details (that I already gave them with the application anyway) - I lost my tickets and bookings - of course no way to email them, call or whatever

This made me think about the fact that I have all my money in Australia. While I’m doing nothing illegal I can’t risk that some “officer” with a bad day decide to freeze my account to investigate whatever and I’ll be left with nothing for who knows how long. Not to mention they usually can’t grasp the concept of perpetual travelling.

So my question - anyone has RECENT experience with opening a bank account in SE Asia? Either personal or business (thinking about UK LLP or US LLC)

It seems that

a) countries such Singapore has assumption that everyone and his dog is laundering money… $500 at a time…

b) Thailand with lazy and incompetent staff where you ask to open non-resident bank account just to be told “don’t have” … you point on the 3x3 metres huge board behind them listing interest for non-resident bank account - answer “aaah, yes yes can’t open, new rules” (even while having a Thai with me)

Thanks!

I’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 is… 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?

Hello,

I’m going to Asia in November, from the 15-30th. My first stop is the Phillipines, I have an office there and am meeting with my team for the first time (never been or seen them, we’ve worked together on the internet), I don’t want to spend too much in Manila, maybe 2-5 days - so I was thinking of heading to Palawan for 5 days, but then venturing out of the Phillipines and going to Laos or Cambodia or Thailand (still undecided). And then ending the trip with a few days of refreshment in Bali or may skip Bali if it makes the trip to crammed.

I’ve been to Thailand (10 years ago when I was 8, so you can probably write it off as a never been) I’ve also been to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, KL, Bali, Japan. - so want to avoid those areas (excluding Thailand) - but I think 2 weeks is really limited.

Things I love are beautiful waterfalls, turquoise beaches/reefs, exploring incredible places – I don’t want to be bored lazing by the beach all day for days. I was in Kuala Lumpur for 5 days a couple of weeks ago and found myself bored by the 3rd day, so I think I like to move often.

What do you think I should do to get the best out of this? I’m going with my best friend and meeting one of my employees/friend from Venezuela whose coming from a 40 hour journey so I want to make this trip the best for all of us.

This is my first proper trip to Asia / taste of digital nomadism, so I want to make it great

Flying soon from Toronto YYZ to ICN Seoul so, most likely Asiana but maybe Korean Air.

Read a few of the websites/blog post reviews for both Airlines -Seems nice. First/Suite Class seems a little bit lacking in value proposition for me. But feel like I’m kind of at a point in life where I want to fly upgraded just to have an experience with it.

But from your experience as a nomad is it really worth doing?
… Maybe I’ve been home for too long haha.

I want an insurance that covers my belongings only.
I already have a international travel health insurance, hence I do not need some link or recommendation to do-it-all packages (i.e. insurance for health + rescue + belongings).

I came across this threads:

• What's the best laptop insurance for European nomads?
• How do you insure your laptop when you have already left your country of residence?

But they did not help me because:

• I do not live in the UK, nor am I a UK citizen
• My credit card does NOT cover my belongings, nor does any of the insurances I already have

Ideally, I’d like to find an insurance that can insure my belongings regardless of my nationality & residence. Any link to information of quality is welcome.

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 isn’t good from both a health and environmental perspective. Have used a drink bottle with a filter but can’t say I trusted it, and it was a little annoying. Any better options in use?

Hi,
Currently in LATAM, I’m in the same timezone as the USA, very good for the teamwork.
In SEA, particularly for the developers, do you sleep during the day and work during the night with your clients? Or don’t they care at all?
In my mind the best countries would be UK, USA. Do you work with Australian mainly time zone wise?