The World Is Still Not Ready
This topic has been on my list for some time, but with the amount of available exhibitions, it's never been time for it, till today. It's a topic that I'm following as it's of utmost importance for millions and today I wanted to see if there is any development in this regard. Which topic you may ask. Well, the crypto nomad visa! What else?
To see if I have missed something lately in this crazy rush called life, I ran a search and this is what the big G gave me.
Not at all what I was looking for and this already indicated that I'm not going to find any favorable development today in this regard, but as I don't like to give up things so easily, I scrolled down to see if the algo can still throw me something good and I found something that surprised me.
When I saw the date of the post, I said Damn! Someone front ran me about two weeks ago in leo and was very curious to see who it was and what they wrote in the post.
This is what I got! Imagine my surprise, when i saw it was my own post that I wrote 3 years ago. It's on the first page now (on both Google and Presearch), if you use the keywords I used. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to see my post, but was hoping to see some official news as well, which can assure me there's development in this regard, but I suppose I have to wait a bit more for that to happen as the world is not ready for crypto nomads yet.
Scrolling thought the list of articles the big G gave me, I came across a bunch of articles about which is the best visa, what are the best countries for digital nomads, analysis regarding cost of living and so on. You go down the rabbit hole pretty fast, if you start reading them, but as I'm really interested, I gave it a shot and here's what I found.
As I mentioned before, I was looking for a crypto nomad visa, but at the moment, the closest you can get is a digital nomad visa. This is not all bad and I'll explain why.
The difference between the two visas is the employee status. Again, crypto nomad visa does not exist at the time of writing, but if it would, being employed would not be a requirement as that's the whole point of being a crypto nomad. Eliminate the obligation of being employed and work for yourself.
However, I think there's a way of getting close to it and being in crypto, while nomading as well, but it's not easy and it's definitely not for everyone.
What Are You Looking For?
Before you look at the offers, I think it's wise to define what you are looking for. A well defined list can help you eliminate the offers that don't fit your requirements.
This is what I would be looking for:
- Fast internet at a reasonable price
- Safety
- Affordable cost of living
- Decent health care
- English language widely used
- Political stability
- Good weather (to my taste)
- and so on.
It's hard to prioritize as all of these are equally important for me, so the ranking is kind of irrelevant.
What Articles Are Highlighting
Going abroad for a whole year is a huge responsibility, especially if you're employed and you must be employed as otherwise you don't get a visa. Therefore you need to do your research and know what you're getting into, before you do it as you can be fooled easily by the nice articles offering you affordable paradise which can turn out to be the most expensive hell.
In this article, Travel Off Path is offering you four destinations where you can live with less than $2k per months. Now, $2k can mean a fortune to many, but if you live in a developed country, you know that's an average, or even good price for a month of expenses.
First on the list is Bucharest, the capital of Romania, where they say you can get away with US$1,945. That's fine, you most likely would have to rent an apartment at the outskirts of the city, but that's not the point now. Average internet speed is 38Mbps , which sounds about right and maybe you can even get a better speed at a very cheep price.
I don't live in Bucharest, but the services are of the same quality in big cities, so I did a test at home and this is the result I get through Wi-Fi.
Here you have two more tests, using two different test providers and the result is pretty much the same. I also need to mention that there are no disruptions, the connection is very stable and if you have a problem, it gets fixed in an hour max, which is more than convenient.
Moving on, the second on the list is Antalya, Turkiye. We all know Antalya as a popular tourist destination and the article praises the beauty of it, which is fine, but then comes the cold shower you don't want to get in life.
NomadList members have agreed that US$1,518 is enough for a salary to live reasonably well in the city, though the internet speed appears to be lower at 7Mbps on average. source
7Mbps on average? Most likely there are countries where this is considered good speed, but I would be pulling my hair for sure. When you go there to work, you need to make sure the work gets done and your efficiency depends heavily on internet speed as well.
Zagreb, Croatia and Skopje, North Macedonia comes next on the list, where life is way cheaper than in the Romanian capital. You can get away with US$1,489 and US$1,322 per month, but the internet speed is almost as slow as in Turkey, being 11Mbps and 9Mbps.
Another aspect to take into consideration is safety. According to numbeo.com, the crime index of the first three cities is pretty acceptable (compared to rates worldwide), with numbers between 21% and 28%, placing these cities on the lower end of the range, but Skopje, with 46.86% looks a bit dangerous.
nomadcapitalist.com provides a list with most of the countries offering digital nomad visa. It's not up to date though as I checked and Romania already has a digital nomad visa, but it's a good source of information, regardless.
Quite many are interested in exotic destinations, myself excluded, so I checked a few offers and saw some countries are looking at this type of visa as a good source of income. When you check the visas in the Caribbeans, the British Overseas territory of Anguilla is first and while the place may leave you with dropped jaw for its beauty, the requirements would do the same for the opposite reason. The visa fee is between $2,000 and $3,000 for up to 12 months of stay, which is a bit steep for those who arrive with a backpack and their laptop. The internet fixed speed is not so good either as it is 10 Mbps, which would drive you crazy for sure.
Antigua and Barbuda is not any different as the visa fee is regarded, as you would need to put down between $1,500 and $3,000 on the table, but the good news is you could get a visa for 2 years and the internet speed is 32.84 Mbps.
If you read a few of these articles, you realize they are all highlighting the beauty of the places and the good travel opportunities, cultural offers among others, which is great as once you're there, you most definitely would want to enjoy all the beauty the country has to offer, but that's not all. You need to fulfill your duties as well. Working in cafes just because of the free WiFi is not a solution. Those places are fun to check your emails or send a few messages, but offer no privacy for work, besides, connecting to a free WiFi is the most dangerous thing you can do. I never do that.
How To Circumvent This?
I don't think you can circumvent it completely, as you still have to be hired and have a valid contract with a company, but today there are a bunch of crypto based companies, where you can do various jobs remotely and get paid in crypto. I'm not saying trade for a prop firm as for that you need stability and a very fast and secure internet connection, but there are other jobs like content creators, admins, streamers (although that's not easy). However, if the company is solid, you can get a business visa as well and you don't have to struggle with renewing your digital nomad visa, or move to another country every year, when your visa expires.
This situation will change in a few years in my opinion. Countries are looking to make money and to attract those with considerable wealth. As crypto is getting adopted by more and more countries, a nice portfolio will have a say in getting a visa. When? I can't answer this question and certainly won't say soon, but it's coming. I'm sure of that.
Photos were taken in Vienna.
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During my stay in Berlin last year, this kind of topic was the eternal conversation. Everyone kept complaining how the city that has always been "poor but sexy", meaning comparatively low priced while having all types of freedoms, is becoming expensive and restricted, raising the question of where to go next?
Just like in your post, the most popular destinations seem to be on the Balkans: Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, or North Macedonia. Costs are low, and presumably stable, and laws are not too strict (depending on what you're interested in - the folks I talked to used 3-day-long techno parties as example). However, on the downside the infrastructure seems to have too much room for improvement. While many people say that this could suddenly get better if the masses moved there, it is really not a convincing factor. Countries like Croatia or Hungary are considered too regulated and expensive. But the latest favorite fantasy of digital (and artistic) nomads is the city of Kaliningrad / Königsberg, once they manage to secede from Russia. Honestly, if that happens, I can almost guarantee that I will be there myself to see it!
Very True of Berlin. Have lived there 10+ Years and the costs have risen astronomically accelerated by the pandemic. Rents are more than double what they were a decade ago and the average cost of living is the same. A Döner and a Mate were less than 5 Euros at most Imbiss back then, that'll set you back 10euro+ in some locations these days. We've seen the exodus manifesting the past years in the artist community, they are usually the first to go. The real question is, what will happen to Berlin as the German population ages and all of the young people no longer find it cool/affordable?
Oh yes, I remember being outraged when I made the three price comparisons to the first time I lived in Berlin in 2003. Back then the cost of a Döner was €2 (versus €6 today), about the same as a public transport ticket (versus €3 today), or a beer at a Späti (the only thing that has not had a price increase whatsoever!).
I can only imagine what Berlin will look like when the cool young people move away: the only ones left will be the types who have either been living there since the 90s, and thus still benefit from unrealistically low rent, or the ones who have bought in late due to the coolness factor. In either case, they would be an aging population, clinging on desperately to a fading memory of alternative culture. This would probably manifest itself in form of geriatrics full of tattoos and piercings, going to nostalgia raves with their wheelchairs and walking frames.
Hi @stortebeker, nice to see you! Your comment just proves what I was saying and I'm grateful to hear that from someone who spoke to people who are interested in nomading.
I tend to agree with you. Just because of a sudden interest and massive moves, things won't change drastically. There's a lot needed to see significant improvement in infrastructure.
I don't know about Croatia, but you're right about Hungary, I know that from trusted sources. I could live there as long as I want without any visa but I don't want to.
I checked out Kaliningrad / Königsberg and seems to be a nice place, but as you say, the political situation has to get better.
It's sad though, that there are so many obstacles and quality of life is getting worse.
I know... I tried Hungary once in 2003-5 and then again in 2010-12. The first time it was a vibrant and very lucrative experience with incredible potential. The second time around I realized that I may just as well go back to the stale comfort of Germany, and still end up with more money.
As for Kaliningrad, just recently, when Finland joined NATO, it went from being a strategically important and highly valuable place for Russia to an expensive liability. Plus, there is quite a bit of a popular movement towards independence, so who knows... Russia may just let them go. We'll watch and see.
Hi @erikah .
Very interesting. Seems thatvI learned a thing today. Thank you for that 🙏
I completly ignored the existence of such crypto nomad visa's, but thy seem to make entirly sense in my opinion.
I think I will dive further into that topic
Unfortunately such visa does not exist yet, as I mentioned in my post a few times. But I hope it will one day.
🫢 I should probably have written 'the idea' instead of 'the existence'. Still we are talking and writing about it, what for me means, that the idea of it is real what often is a first step towards it.
Wishing you an excellent weekend
Many are talking about it and it's going to happen sooner or later, just a little time is needed.
Thank you and have a lovely weekend 🙂
Looks like so much instability, at least to me. I mean, if you have a set contract and what not then it brings some stability. But then again, the digital nomad style is about freedom so a contract is counterproductive. Maybe it is simply not for me. But I know a couple of people, including on hive, who live the digital nomad life and love it not to mention excel at it.
How crazy to stumble upon your own post. I used to hope some of my posts made it to page 1 of Google (it did only a couple of times).
Nomading is definitely not for those who are looking for stability. Your profession requires stability, so it would not be for you I think, unless were talking about doctors without borders or something :)
Trust me, I've never expected to find my own post on the first page, have never thought of that, but it's happened regardless. Knowing how the also works... one can't have any expectations.
Looks like so much instability, at least to me. I mean, if you have a set contract and what not then it brings some stability. But then again, the digital nomad style is about freedom so a contract is counterproductive. Maybe it is simply not for me. But I know a couple of people, including on hive, who live the digital nomad life and love it not to mention excel at it.
How crazy to stumble upon your own post. I used to hope some of my posts made it to page 1 of Google (it did only a couple of times).
Oops 😁
This is my first time hearing about the digital nomad visa and I think it’s a very great move. Doesn’t look like my country is looking in that direction now but I hope they do in the future.
This was really insightful. Thanks for sharing.
It is indeed a good thing for those who are not office bound with their work. Unfortunately your country is not among the highly sought after places for the obvious reasons, but who knows, if things can improve, it may be one day.
Well, I hope things improve sooner.😄
Interesting topic. I don't really work anymore so not something I'm looking for 😊 I'm shocked by the internet speeds. I live in rural Vermont and have a fiber 1 Gig internet connection. In the US, the government has pushed (read financed) high speed internet for areas with poor connectivity like rural areas. Before that there were some corporations like Google that were running super high speed in certain markets as a test. Google started hooking up Kansas City with Gig speed fiber in 2010 as a test and have since started rolling Google Fiber out to other cities with speeds up to 8 Gig. This isn't an ignorant privileged American post, there is a point lol I bet there are some spots in Europe with test probrams that are way above average speed and not only expensive markets. Kansas City is definitely a second tier US city, maybe not even that high lol
Can you please run a speed check and post a screenshot here? There are several speed checkers available online.
Thats google speed test
Thank you! The reason I asked for a test is because I did my research before publishing my post and have not seen these numbers anywhere, not even close and the US was not even close to the top countries with the fastest internet :)
source
Here's an article from 2023 for example. The fastest is Monaco with 319.59 Mbps, which is one third of what you got. I checked a few other articles with statistics and did not see a higher number. So we either testing different things or ... I don't know 😁
source
This is from 2021 they say.