Permanent Nomad

[Western Red Cedar]

Visa policy = Free 90-day visa exemption on arrival without entrance restrictions are a HUGE benefit. The more countries that utilize this policy, the better this strategy will work.

Some of the countries that have 30 day visas allow for 60 or 90 day visas (or multiple entry) if you apply for them at a consulate in advance. In the past, this saved me some headaches and allowed for longer stays. I always found the process pretty straight-forward when working directly with consulate staff, though the timeframe on getting my passport back was a little unpredictable (usually a few days). I'm thinking about this for both Thailand and Indonesia later this year, but it looks like I need to use the visa within 90 days after issuance, so I'm not sure if I'll go this route or not.

I think a lot of people tend to just extend their tourist visa for an extra 30 days, but that can disrupt the flow of a trip IMO.

[OutOfTheBlue]

You may choose to do that for your first country when you know your dates.

For Thailand, the extension of stay for 30 days (whether with visa exemption or tourist visa) requires that you have TM30 sorted out as well. It's a bit of a PITA.

In effect you also always need to have one move planned in advance, to show you have an exit ticket (at least for air entries). Some companies offer a service to produce a proof of onward travel if unsure, so that's an option too.

The bureaucracy and logistics, especially figuring out things in advance without prior experience of a place aren't the sexiest aspect for sure.

[WFJ]

When we were staying in Ubud I would regularly stop running in the rice paddies to talk with an elderly retired lawyer from San Francisco who was out for his morning stroll. He had an agreement with some locals to care for him for the rest of his life. I don't know what his plans were for when things went downhill but I would imagine he had thought it through. There are a lot of very unhealthy old guys living in Thailand and Cambodia who do not have very deep pockets. I would be interested to read stories about how that unfolds.

Usually Asians have a "now" focus and would likely tell someone "We'll take care of you" to relieve current stress knowing there's a good chance the old guy will die quickly and never need future care. The long-term care issue is complex and extremely time dependent on economic conditions in the country and individual wealth status when care is needed. Several Asian countries are aging rapidly and may be good for aging well today, but terrible in the future. Personally, not thinking much about it as conditions in the future can be opposite to conditions when care is needed. For example, US fought with the Russia and China against Germany and Japan in WWII. Now, US is semi-fighting against China and Russia with Germany and Japan as main allies... Both pointless, but any individual planning something in international destinations in the future is risky.

[WFJ]

So you are liking it so far ?

I do, but more aware of limiting factors and why many people can't pursue it. Assume age and health are the main limiting factors as traveling at times can be a drain. Really like certain places during particular times of the year and do not like or are unhealthy at other times of the year. Also, aware that conditions on the ground can rapidly change from year to year and being mobile is a must IMHO when living in developing countries.

[WFJ]

I don't mean that nomadism is somehow "losing at ERE", but that the stakes are bit higher and require more flexibility and robustness. That it's harder and requires more tools to always "win". Yeah, housesitting has a lot of outputs that also become inputs. But you can't say, "I'll be in Atlanta from the 9th to the 21st, I wonder who's house I can live at" — essentially it's the other way around.

You do want a rough budget, and mine does accommodate solving the occasional problem with money. I shoot for one paid night a month at a hotel when I'm on the road, and generally hit that. Sometimes I run into promotions for free nights or points where the reward exceeds the marginal cost, which I consider extracurricular to the one-night-a-month rule.

Hit an elk with your car, though — that's a fail.

Throwing money at the problem will result in sky high costs of travel. Avoiding dislocations is also an issue as one on a budget may get in real trouble with a "hit and elk" incident.

[Ego]

Usually Asians have a "now" focus and would likely tell someone "We'll take care of you" to relieve current stress knowing there's a good chance the old guy will die quickly and never need future care. The long-term care issue is complex and extremely time dependent on economic conditions in the country and individual wealth status when care is needed. ..... Both pointless, but any individual planning something in international destinations in the future is risky.

I agree. It is very risky. The guy I met was already quite old and was extremely hunched. Mentally he seemed as sharp as a tack and he spoke well of the Balinese family taking care of him. In his previous life he was a lawyer so he must have concocted some sort of incentive structure so that he continued to receive good care while dissuading the family from propelling him into his eternal sleep.

[conwy]

I have a sort of plan (not yet followed) of getting a 2nd citizenship in another country, most likely the UK or Ireland.

For that I would probably need to work as a sponsored employee for 5-6 years, but there are certain visas and tricks that can lessen that. E.g. it's not often mentioned that the UK Skilled Worker visa technically doesn't require full-time work, so one could at least "semi-retire" on a part-time job while working toward the UK citizenship.

Once I have the 2nd citizenship, I would switch between the two countries/regions, spending longer stretches of time in each citizenship country and shorter stints in nearby countries.

E.g.
9 months UK, 3 months Switzerland
9 months Australia, 3 months New Zealand
9 months UK, 3 months Spain
9 months Australia, 3 months Hawaii

The main benefit of this approach is that it allows a longer "stable" period to be spent within a region (e.g. the UK). This can allow for cheaper accommodation, some short-term employment to top up savings, and generally a slower pace of travel. All of which seems to be in harmony with ERE philosophy.

I like to think each citizenship "unlocks" a chunk of the planet Earth for slow & steady exploration.

That said, I'm nowhere near beginning this. Partly because I'm still on the accumulation treadmill and can't seem to figure out when enough will be enough, in terms of savings & investments. But that's a personal problem with my own mindset, not a weakness of the strategy.

[sky]

I might be able to get dual citizenship, but I prefer not to for tax reasons. If I was younger I would be careful for conscription reasons. If I wanted to travel as a permanent nomad, I would move to another country every two months or so, just using the usual 90 day tourist visas.

[chenda]

I have a sort of plan (not yet followed) of getting a 2nd citizenship in another country, most likely the UK or Ireland.

An Irish passport will be much more valuable than a British passport, as it's EU and also entitles you to live and work in the UK. That said the COL is higher in Ireland with lower salaries and fewer job opportunities, so that might be an issue if your planning on obtaining residency with a view to acquiring citizenship. I believe Australian and New Zealand citizens have reciprocal residency rights, although British citizens have none with either.

[conwy]

An Irish passport will be much more valuable than a British passport, as it's EU and also entitles you to live and work in the UK. That said the COL is higher in Ireland with lower salaries and fewer job opportunities, so that might be an issue if your planning on obtaining residency with a view to acquiring citizenship. I believe Australian and New Zealand citizens have reciprocal residency rights, although British citizens have none with either.

Very true, and I thought about Irish citizenship a fair bit.

Some factors that make me lean more towards the UK:

• Irish nationality law appears to require naturalised citizens to "intend to remain domiciled in Ireland after naturalising". While those spending significant time outside of Ireland can send a letter every 7 years to confirm their intent to eventually return to Ireland, I still have some concern about potentially losing the citizenship. My significant investments are in Australia and I don't intend to sell them and realise taxes. I worry this could cause hesitation on the Ireland side. Additionally, it appears Irish citizenship can be lost by "voluntarily acquired another citizenship by any method except through marriage or civil partnership". This all gives me the general impression that the Irish government prefers its naturalised citizens to live in Ireland and be as Irish as possible. By comparison, UK citizenship doesn't seem to have any such conditions attached. One gets the impression UK citizenship offers more freedom to one's place of regular residence.
• The UK visa process appears to have become easier, with the introduction of visas like the Skilled Worker visa and Scale Up visa. These make it easier for employers to hire you (e.g. no labor market shortage test) and easier to stay in the UK (e.g. the Scale Up visa can be extended indefinitely without requiring sponsorship).
• UK citizens are free to live and work in Ireland for any length of time. So once I have the UK visa, I could simply move to Ireland and live there for 5 years to acquire Irish citizenship. This arrangement is reciprocal. However for the reasons I mentioned earlier, the UK citizenship seems a safer bet than the Irish citizenship for someone living a semi-nomadic lifestyle with significant investments overseas.
• Cultural factors – maybe kind of difficult to exactly measure, but I get the general impression that Ireland is considered the home of the Irish, whereas Britain is considered the home of the British + whoever was part of the colonies. I think we see that with, e.g. commonwealth countries being allowed to vote in UK elections. As an Australian, with no Irish roots that I know of, this makes me feel more comfortable emigrating to to the UK. I feel I'd be more welcomed as "one of them" vs. Ireland. No fault of the Irish – they are very friendly people with a wonderful culture, but I think they would understandably have a different attitude to foreigners than the more immigration-based countries like UK, Singapore, Canada, US.

[guitarplayer]

@conwy, have you not been London based for the last several years which would make it possible for you to apply for the UK passport now?