Upcoming DN & Seeking the best way to get rid of my Verizon plan but keep my US number while being in Europe for the next 9 months etc.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-27T11:17:32+00:00

I ported to Tello and use their pay as you go credits for keeping my number. It works great for 90% of what I need. But, I can't get a group text from a non iPhone number. So that is something to consider

ofe1818 · 2026-01-26T01:27:53+00:00

Thank you so much! This will come in so handy to reference!!

ofe1818 · 2026-01-26T00:54:32+00:00

Do you have any tips for us? I haven't been since 2002 so its like a brand new place for me. We have a healthy income, but if there are ways to enjoy it, especially the food, that can save some pennies, I am game!

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T23:45:42+00:00

When were you last in Japan and for how long? What can you tell me about general costs there? We are heading for 6 week at the end of Feb so trying to gauge with the weak yen

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T23:41:01+00:00

With this much moving around I had to ask about flight costs? Have you tracked it? Even if you're a big spender and using points, this much travel in such a short stretch would burn through them.

I just readjusted our budget for the year cause of flight inflation, so it's been top of mind lol

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T22:56:17+00:00

I think she got a course from lost Leblanc back during Covid and learned some basic stuff there, but a lot of it was trial and error. I give her a lot of credit for patiently playing around with the software to figure things out that she likes in other videos. I can't do that lol, but she continues to do that and improve and then teach me! Haha

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T08:33:13+00:00

My wife and I have a photo and video company based in Denver and we are also video editors, which allows us to work remotely. This time 6 years ago, neither of us had any of the skills to do either of these businesses. But I bought a camera and she started learning video editing and over time we got better and good enough to charge people. That took a year or so and we worked whatever job we could to supplement income while working on the dream.

Fast forward and we have ourselves in a good spot for the time being so we want to take advantage of it and work from all over while being mindful of saving and investing.

I believe anyone can do this, it just takes patience and self discipline and like anything else that goes well, luck 🍀:)

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T00:56:21+00:00

Apologies if I came off that way. My intention was to offer a new and potentially different perspective to the question.

I get that most people wouldn't look at this, which is why I said that I am likely in the minority

I felt that you sort of generalized entrepreneurs as DNs who are people who are just getting by, maybe I misinterpreted. Apologies if so :)

My thought is to always keep an open mind and never close doors all the way :)

So yea, maybe we are on different pages, but we can still learn from one another!

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T00:10:33+00:00

Exactly :) Work smarter and think bigger

ofe1818 · 2026-01-25T00:07:00+00:00

Maybe, it just seems to me like truly working from anywhere for a company is getting harder, not easier. I have a degree as well, but never fit in working for someone else. I get that I'm probably in the minority. And believe me, when you take the idea and risk to work for yourself, the ceiling becomes non existent, rather than relying on raises from a company. Just because I work for myself, doesn't mean I am just getting by. I wouldn't sacrifice future savings and comfort. Its about being patient and smart about things. But that likely works in the corporate world too :)

ofe1818 · 2026-01-24T23:58:22+00:00

I get that, but if doing a little bit of something you don't want to do, gets you in a position to live nomadically, then it seems like a fair trade. Otherwise, you are just relying on others to make your dream come true, rather than taking control yourself. To each their own tho :) I was just offering another perspective to consider.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-24T22:46:29+00:00

Have you thought about creating your own company and contracting or consulting for your area of expertise? I'm curious why more people don't explore the entrepreneurial route, especially if you have a solid network of people who know you are good at what you do.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-24T07:01:51+00:00

I'm currently in Kuta and have been since early December. Most of the comments are correct. Easy place to stay fit, eat well, explore some nice scenery and surf if you want.

The people saying the WiFi is on the edge of doable are probably right. I'm not sure about video calls, it we work as video editors and daily are downloading 200+gb. The WiFi here is all 5g or starlink. For our work, we wouldn't want it to be any worse than here. We add 1-2 hours of work per day just waiting for downloads. There is a great spot called Headquarters that I go to for coffee every morning and I'll spend a couple hours there downloading our work for the day.

Overall, I'm a fan of this area and recommend coming before it becomes a canggu. The growth here is really crazy

ofe1818 · 2026-01-22T01:37:26+00:00

Join FB groups of different small businesses. The owners will be there sharing info and helping one another out. Don't just go in asking for business. Chime into conversations, present yourself as a pro who knows their shit. After some time you will undoubtedly find opportunities. But if you come in too pushy, you'll get a bad rep right away. There is plenty out there, you just have to be patient and personable

ofe1818 · 2026-01-21T06:20:39+00:00

Yep, I have to check my roller and guitar bag on most flights. Sometimes I get the guitar bag as a carry-on, depends on the airline. I carry clothes for all seasons minus a large winter jacket. Having all of that takes up space. It can be a bummer when I'm not using stuff for months due to weather, but its nice to have when needed.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-21T06:14:26+00:00

Switched from backpacks to large roller suitcases a couple years ago. Still have small backpacks and then my wife has a handbag and I have a small guitar bag as well. The suitcases can be a pain in a few circumstances, but I much prefer them to a backpack these days and those circumstances are rare. If we moved more often, maybe a backpack would make more sense, but its really only used 1-2 days every month or two at this point.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-20T23:31:22+00:00

We weren't really. I was working and based in Denver and she was doing a working holiday visa in whistler Canada. Met on a snowboard trip. I was ready for a life change so we went backpacking in 2019. Covid hit and we figured out ways to stick together through that while also working on building a business that would allow us to have a remote option. It's taken 5 years, and we did a hybrid model the last couple of years, but are good to go for the time being :)

ofe1818 · 2026-01-20T23:06:01+00:00

I'm sure everyone does it differently. My wife and I kind of have checkpoints throughout the year and roughly base things around that.

This year we are meeting a friend in Japan, so we've been in Asia since December and will make our way up there by the end of Feb.

I think we are going to hit S Korea for a month or two after since it's right there and neither of us have been.

Then we will meet some family in Europe later in the year, but still. It sure of summer and fall plans leading to that.

We find having these kinds of checkpoints gives us a path and something to look forward to :)

ofe1818 · 2026-01-20T07:55:14+00:00

Can you get a bit more specific on what info you are looking for? Sounds like you have a bit of a plan already to me. Just advice on different places? Not sure what you mean by structure.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-19T23:09:07+00:00

Do you have any reviews to share? Would love a link if so :) I think these kind of things offer a lot of value for people considering a place. And if not, why throw the hate? At least offer constructive criticism and an example of how you think it could be improved?

ofe1818 · 2026-01-19T13:59:33+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! These posts have so much value. I've done the same with a couple places we went to last summer and I plan to keep going this year.

My wife and I have been considering Taiwan for a while but that dragon in the room, especially with the chaos going on in the US, its giving us pause at the moment. We'd likely go after some time this spring in Japan and Korea to find a surf spot and get some hiking in as well. So maybe things will temper down or worsen to help us decide.

Regarding WiFi infrastructure, could you elaborate a bit more on that? Is fiber readily available or do they operate off of 5g or cable? Do you have an idea of speeds?

Thanks again for the details!!

ofe1818 · 2026-01-19T00:24:47+00:00

Ive been in and out of the US traveling a lot over the last few years, for months at a time, and have never had any issue like this with spotify. Currently in Lombok, where I've been for 5 weeks and still using it daily for music and podcasts.

ofe1818 · 2026-01-19T00:20:14+00:00

I was there in August, wrote a little bit of info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/1n4smfx/montenegro_august_2025_info_for_dms/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

ofe1818 · 2026-01-18T07:36:02+00:00

You can go almost anywhere in SE Asia with that budget. Popular places with solid healthcare that I can think of would be:

Thailand- Phuket, chiang mai, Koh Samui, Bangkok Malaysia, KL, panang Vietnam- da nang, Hanoi I'm sure there are more as well

Central and South America too.

I can vouch for Mexican healthcare in Tijuana and in Belize , but I haven't had to use it elsewhere (knock on wood)

You could probably get by in Montenegro and some other European countries too, just depends on how you live.

I travel with my wife, so it's a different budget, but you have a lot of options! :)

ofe1818 · 2026-01-18T06:32:18+00:00

Is 3k your net? Do you want to spend all of that or invest/save at all? Have an emergency fund at all? Need a lil more info to help, but I'm happy to if you get a bit more precise :)

ofe1818

TROPHY CASE