Working and living abroad
Bad Digital Nomad is a place for the life that happens after you book the flight. I write about working abroad and getting a feel for a place once you have groceries to buy there.
Some of it is useful. I reserve the right to get distracted by something ridiculous on the way.
The longer notes live here. There is room for an opinion I am still working through, alongside a guide you can have open while figuring something out.
Throwing a laptop in a bag feels like a plan. Then comes the work of making an ordinary day abroad feel like your life. A few thoughts on the fantasy, with room for enjoying the hell out of it anyway.
Read the essay
Walk through an ordinary week before choosing a neighborhood. Start with the errands you already do and the people you want to spend time around.
Use the worksheet
Questions to ask before booking a place you will also have to work in, including a message you can adapt for the host.
Read the workplace guide
Watch
I want the conversation that gets past the impressive part. When someone says they solved a problem abroad, I want to hear how the first attempt went and what they would do differently now.
I haven't added interviews here yet. I'd like to start with people who have worked through losing access to their phone, or found a social life during a longer stay.
What I hope to filmResources
I'd like to put useful reviews here as I work through the gear and services involved in living abroad. That still needs work. For now, I've written down the questions I would ask before choosing something.
Open the resource deskCommunity
Someone else has probably wrestled with the problem you are staring at. I want a place where they can explain what happened, with enough context for you to decide whether their answer fits.
I haven't opened a private community yet. Eventually, I'd like it to include furnished-rental contacts that people are happy to share. First I need to figure out how to keep the space useful and the information current.
Where I hope to take this