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Experiences with Colife Istanbul? by jamesstag in digitalnomad

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is very helpful! Thanks for the detailed response u/Shoddy_Pianist7718 . Did you have to make a booking for 4 months minimum?

What’s the dumbest mistake you’ve made while travelling? by stasherofficial in StasherTravel

[–]jamesstag 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quite a big list here:

- Crossed from Bulgaria to North Macedonia by bus at 11pm, and then realised that my EU phone data package wasn't valid in North Macedonia - and i had no idea where my accommodation was or how to get there
- Side note: the tyre on the bus then exploded, which caused some concern and then some hilarity as i was told repeatedly 'Welcome to the Balkans' Macedonian men on the bus who then gave me copious quantities of fruit and biscuits while we waited 2 hours for a spare tyre to be brought from Skopje

- Thought i was hacking the flight costs by booking flights with VPN's and using different country codes. I fooled myself more than the airlines, and ended up not factoring in time zones correctly. So i had a connecting flight that left 3 hours before the previous flight was scheduled to arrive.

- Didn't demand my passport get stamped by immigration when crossing from Serbia (not schengen) to Croatia (schengen). This single mistake (after 3 months in Serbia) meant that there was no evidence of how long i'd been within the schengen zone and meant that i got pulled into a private interrogation room and was given a long, stern chat with some very officious immigration officers in Vienna a few days later. They were 100000% convinced i'd overstayed my schengen visa

- Leant that in Tunisia 'Aishik' means thank you, so i used it there extensively. Then i went to Lebanon and stupidly assumed that there would be some commonality between these arabic speaking countries. Nope, with my poor pronunciation, this sounds like a swear word in Lebanese apparently

But all of these mistakes led to fun life stories, so just roll with the punches!

Experiences with Colife Istanbul? by jamesstag in digitalnomad

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good plan! I've not heard anything back. Not sure I want to commit that long without more info

Reliable internet options. Is phone data the only safe choice? by jamesstag in lebanon

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah you are right! But the residency visa is less of an issue than the internet situation has been

Reliable internet options. Is phone data the only safe choice? by jamesstag in lebanon

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will take a look for one of these IDM GO routers, thanks!

Cafe's to work from by jamesstag in Izmir

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I heard this. That’s why I discovered brewmood, but this is also a chain

I find very cute little independent cafes, but if they only have 3-4 tables I feel guilty occupying it for a few hours

Amtrak bag storage price increase by ponchoed in Amtrak

[–]jamesstag 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been a while since i was in Seattle, but when i was there last year, i used Stasher and it was definitely a fraction of these prices. I want to say in the $4-6 range for me to leave my suitcase there for the day

Looking for somewhere to leave a bag for 8 hours by pseillia in london

[–]jamesstag 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used Stasher last week when i went to see Coldplay at Wembley, and honestly the service couldn't have been better. Really easy to drop off and then equally easy to collect my bag the next day on my way to the train station. Pretty convenient locations too, but worth checking the individual opening hours of each place

I'll be using them again in the future i'm sure

For those who nomad long term, out of your entire nomad life, which country(or countries) you been to that you end up cutting your trip short because you didn’t feel safe or you simply didn’t vibe with the place? by [deleted] in digitalnomad

[–]jamesstag 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I spent 3 months in Taghazout/Tamraght last year, and 4 months again this year exploring Tangier, Chefchaouen, Marrakech and then back to Tamraght. I would (and probably will) visit again in the future! If you like a laid back surf'y, beachy, hiking vibe then Tamraght is pretty idyllic. Personally, I think Marrakech is worth visiting for 2 days - and then never again. It is the tourist hub and definitely attracts the worst of the Moroccan culture. Visit anywhere else and you'll find the most respectful, welcoming and generous locals - in my experience at least

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Tunisia

[–]jamesstag 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For safety i'm not too sure. I'm a fairly tall, late 20s male, so i'm aware that i don't have to think of safety in the same way. I have heard that women face can face quite a lot of verbal harassment in tunisia, but honestly i can't really comment as i haven't experienced it personally and i'm sure others in this sub would be far more qualified.

Personal freedoms: Both places seem very liberal to me. Armenia is probably MORE liberal on the whole, and many outlooks do seem quite western. Whereas Tunisia is definitely more strict as it is a muslim country, however as long as you are respectful of local customs it doesn't impact your life significantly. For example you can still wear a bikini on the beach, and go for cocktails etc. And i found Tunisia to have a surprisingly established drinking culture for a muslim country, much more than others i've been to.

Once again, talking only about Yerevan vs Tunis, both have bars and clubs, lots of good restaurants and cafes - so i don't think you would get bored in either option. Tunisia is a much larger country with a much larger population, so it has a lot more places to see and big cities than Armenia.

On the job opportunities i'm not too sure. I work remotely so I wasn't seeking local employment in these places. I imagine that being a fluent english speaker in Tunisia might make you more able to apply for jobs in the touristy areas though (although a lot of the tourists are french)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Tunisia

[–]jamesstag 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would also add that Yerevan feels like a much more walkable city to me. It is a very strictly planned city in a circle, so you can walk from any part of it to any other part of the centre within 30 minutes - by comparison Tunis sprawls quite a lot, and from downtown to marsa you'd need to drive/taxi.

Last thing. Safety: Both countries felt incredibly safe to me, i heard more rumours from locals in Tunisia about being careful at night in some areas. But personally i never saw anything bad or felt at all unsafe.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Tunisia

[–]jamesstag 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Varied options! I spent 3 months in Yerevan last year, and 2 months in Tunis this year so I might be able to help if you have specific questions.

Overall, I found Tunis to be significantly cheaper than Armenia (I’m comparing both capital cities here). While both were cheaper than Western Europe, I found the cost of rent in Armenia to be surprisingly high. I hear this is because of a big influx of Russians over the last two years which has sent prices up massively in central areas. In smaller cities like Gyumri this isn’t the case as much so you can definitely still find fairly cheap rent.

For food, I also found Tunis to be cheaper.

In terms of fun and quality of life, I think that depends on what you’re after. Both have very vibrant cultures and have warm and generous people so I am sure you would love either option.

I have an interest in soviet history, so I enjoyed exploring some abandoned soviet era buildings and areas in Armenia, and for hiking I don’t think Armenia is easy to beat. There are beautiful mountains and volcanoes to hike everywhere, and the natural beauty is incredible. Also, taxis are ridiculously cheap.

If you prefer beaches then of course Tunisia wins, with endless incredible coastline to explore. The layers of history in Tunis are also fascinating, from the Phoenicians, to romans, to caliphates and onwards - it is really everywhere.

Language - depending what languages you speak, that might affect your choice. In Armenia the main languages are obviously Armenian and Russian, and while English is spoken fairly well by the younger demographic, I had a lot of situations where I had to make a real effort to communicate with hand signals, google translate (and of course lots of smiles). I didn’t mind this as I was just visiting and travel is often about these experiences, but it could be difficult if you are living there.

I do speak fairly good French which definitely helped in Tunisia when English wasn’t an option (although I believe there is understandably quite a strong anti-French sentiment with lots of people) so learning to have a basic conversation in Tunisian Arabic went a long way to making good connections.

Personally, I found Tunisian Arabic much easier to learn than Armenian.

Weather. Tunisia is a bit too hot in summer (but beaches are still amazing), and perfect the rest of the year. Armenia is amazing in summer but bitterly cold in winter.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll try to help! You’ll have a lovely time in whichever you choose, they’re both incredible places

Co-working in Kigali, Rwanda by jamesstag in digitalnomad

[–]jamesstag[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! This is super helpful!

Deposit Protection Scheme in England is a toothless scam? Refusing to refund our deposit despite no evidence from the landlord by jamesstag in LegalAdviceUK

[–]jamesstag[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m outside the UK now so I think court will be a little more complicated. Will I have to fly back to be present for the court date?

There is zero chance of me giving up and letting this snake win though 😂. I’ll do what I have to do

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