"Digital Nomads" (Working abroad on Internet Marketing)?

We're Americans, living in Davao City, Philippines where we have our company, home base, etc. We both travel throughout Asia quite a bit, though...mostly for fun but a little bit of business mixed in! (Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, etc.) I like the Digital Nomads lifestyle because I just love to travel and make money while I'm doing it...can't beat it!

Cool! Sounds awesome, do you know any good websites that focus on the 'digital nomad' style life?

These guys have a really nice community:
Location Independent | Live and Work Anywhere

Cody McKibben's pretty interesting to follow, although last time I talked to him he beat me up for my social media "tactics"...ouch!
Lifestyle Entrepreneurship, Permanent Travel & the Digital Nomad Lifestyle | Thrilling Heroics

That should give you a couple of good places to look!

I'm now back in the UK and settled again but in the last 3 years I've lived in America (Boston), Singapore and been all over the world to more countries than I can remember- doing IM the whole time.

Great to see some good responses here, where do you think some of the best countries to minimise costs and have a good quality of life are?

I've lived in Riga, Latvia and Buenos Aires, Argentina and have good things to say about both. I can live a lot cheaper in both these places than my home town of Melbourne, Australia.

But I'd like to know what other options I have. I'm thinking of dropping into SE Asia for 2-4 weeks in July/August and wondering about tips. Anybody done Bangkok?

I'd love to do that stereotype, sit on a beach with pina colada in hand and work on my laptop.. just because

Vietnam = $1 per bottle of Heinekin
Paris = $15 per bottle of Heinekin

Tough call all the very best, Allen

Haha, funny I usually go on can of coke or the price of a big mac...

I've been working+traveling for years. I dont do the backpacking trail anymore (did it extensively through my 20s). Instead, what I do now is to move somewhere, rent an appartment, settle in like a local, live for half a year or so, move on, etc. I've been doing that in France, Germany, Thailand, Spain, Argentina and some other places along the way.

Nothing, NOTHING, beats the feeling of knowing that you're in full control of your next destination and your location in the world, and you can change it within the day.

All being well we're moving out to Thailand this year and plan to travel in Asia, from the UK.... Can't wait...

I've done this too but always found it hard to focus being in a new time zone, adjusting to food/culture, seeing the sites and then finding time to do internet stuff when I know that I may never be at that specific place ever again

As for taxes I was away on April 15th and my accountant filed for an extension so my taxes are due in October. (I think being overseas you can get an automatic 2 month but it may be an automatic 6)

The Philippines is an excellent place for a low cost of living, beautiful beaches, etc. If you get outside of dusty, smoggy Manila, there are some amazingly beautiful places you can go. (Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, etc.) I highly recommend stopping in if you're out and about on an adventure. Locationally, it's a little out of the way, but it's a great place to check out.

For the best tax advice, definitely speak to an accounting professional! I can tell you that it's a really good idea to set up a corporation or LLC...we have a corp based out of California and another corp here in the Philippines. As a foreigner, you can't own a business here in the Phils, so what we had to do was have our corporation in the US own 95% of the corporation here. The other 5 percent is split up between my partner and I and three Filipino placeholders.

As an American, you're taxed on worldwide income, not just income made in the US, but there are tax breaks for those living abroad X% of the year...but, again, speak to a tax professional.

I have not been home to the UK for 5 years, all I need is my laptop and an internet connection and I can work anywhere. I even managed to keep working whilst I was trekking, half way up a mountain in Northern Thailand thanks to mobile internet.

I've been living in Thailand for the past 3 years, and I can't get enough of it. At the moment, I'm actually visiting family in the States for the first time since i left. I've been here for 3 months, and it was great to see everyone, but I can't wait to get out there again. I'm planning on heading back in a couple weeks.

Great men.. IM really a border-less business...
I hope some day I can do my IM business in other country..

What an inspiring thread. I have heard that U.S. citizens don't have to pay federal taxes on earned income as long as they are not in the country for more than 30 days out of the year.

Cool man! Great job...

Doing the same as well, but found a place to stay a bit longer to really dig deep in the culture, life, etc. That's the beauty of working online, you can choose to stay in a place for a day, or for a year and move to another place...

Regarding taxes, that's a complex subject, but I know that if you're traveling outside the U.S., many countries don't allow you to work unless you have a special visa (work visa, etc.)

So if you're in one of those countries, you have to work under the radar... how hard is that working online anyway

Just curious about language barriers...

For those of you in other countries, did you find it hard to learn the new languages?

I'm looking forward to living several places outside of the US in my upcoming retirement, but I worry that it'll be hard for me to pick up new languages at my age. LOL

I'm also a digital nomad/location independent person. I just returned from a 4 months mini retirement in Asia where I got to travel around the area. I stayed mainly in Bangkok where I fell in love with the city. It's truly an addictive and intoxicating city in the positive sense. The kind of city that has an energy and vibe life few cities in the world. Cost of living is cheap, food is delicious, weather is good, it's a fabulous location strategically speaking as you're an hour away from some of the most glorious beaches of the world such as Phuket, Krabi etc...2 hours from Singapore, Bali, KL, 3 hours from the Philippines, 7 hours from Tokyo etc...plus the women are sexy, feminine and beautiful, just the way women should be. I'm now visiting family back home but I'll be back to Asia next month and I can't wait!
I've been running my online biz everywhere I go as all I need is my laptop and internet connection and i'm good to go.
So yeah, being a digital nomad or location independent is truly addictive and the more I travel and see new places, the more I want to do some more.

its one of the 'perks' of what we do.... gotta take advantage of it. been living in amsterdam for the last 3 months.

back to the states next week

The Philippines has some pretty slick tax laws to encourage foreign investment. Your corp can apply for a PEZA or BOI tax exemption/holiday, depending on where your business is located, avoiding corporate taxes for 4 years.

They also have something called the SVEG (Special Visa For Employment Generation) which basically gives you permanent resident status, the ability to work, etc. My business partner has his, but there was a mistake made on mine and I have to get the 1 year probationary again before mine's permanent (ugh).

It's true about Baguio being nice, from what I hear. WAY up in the north on the Luzon island. I wanted to go, but they're pretty random about getting flights up there (sometimes they have them, sometimes they don't!) and sitting on a bus for 10-12 hours sounds pretty miserable. I'm thinking about taking a quick trip to Camiguin Island which is here in the south, close to CDO. BEAUTIFUL beaches and fairly untouched, from what I hear. Will definitely do the drink-in-hand, toes-in-sand WF posting when I go! :-)

When my online business took off ten years ago, it allowed me to leave cold, rainy, expensive London and move to a house near the beach in Australia. Now I can travel the world and run the whole business from my laptop - or even from my iphone. Awesome!

Chris from The Journal Of An Entrepreneur Traveling Around Asia has travelled SE-Asia for the last 7 years at least.

I've lived in Bangkok and can only recommend Thailand. Maybe not Bangkok actually unless you wan't to study Thai or some other course. The city has a lot going for it, never a dull moment, big and diverse expat base, lots of possibilities to pursue your interests, but it's also a very polluted, crowded concrete jungle.

Phuket and Koh Samui on the other hand have awesome beaches (get away from the touristy ones, they're the worst!), you can dive off Koh Tao or many places around Phuket. You have a banging nightlife in both places (for all tastes), great seafood and a generally relaxed lifestyle. You can also rent a nice house for as little as $500 a month or a condo for $200 up. Cons is that there is a limited expat base, mostly retirees. There also isn't much in the cultural and educational department if you're someone who needs that.

All in all, Thailand is an awesom place to be if you have some money.

I would be interested to hear how some of you travel? Do you just stay in hotels and go as you like or do you get something more permanent.

I would preferably like to have business interests in a lot of places.

Big thanks to the OP for bringing this topic up and all the wonderful, inspiring comments.

To be honest, these types of posts are much more encouraging to me than the "how much money we all make" posts. They tend to remind me of the freedom I have and reading everyone else's stories and travels also reminds me of all the amazing exciting places I have yet to go.

Wow, Traveling Internet Marketer....Where do I sign up???

Mostly Asia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and the likes but stay away from Beijing, you'll probably have a hard time working online there like i did 2 years ago....just dont know how strict they are now. Love the place, hated the Great Firewall

This is awesome, I hope to be living the dream like you guys very soon! What would you guys recommend doing as far as buying a house? I feel like if a buy a house but then go live abroad being an internet marketing nomad I'll basically have a house for nothing.

Should I live abroad first and then buy a house? I also want to buy a car haha..decisions decisions!

I don't think you can avoid UK tax by hopping around from place to place ...

Usually you can't lose your UK tax residency until you become a tax resident of another country.

(ps disclaimer - see your accountant for a professional opinion)

Doing a little market research for a possible niche? I have been thinking about it as well but from a little different angle. Time for a new project? I don't have time for my current projects. LOL

I too live in the Philippines, in the Central part of the country.

I'm not here because I IM but it allows me to continue supplement my retirement pay. One of the benefits of IM is that it can follow you any place.

Some people take it a step further. Not only do they make money online but become travel writers. Getting paid to travel then write about their travels and get paid again. Nice gig!

Someone asked about taxes. You're generally not going to escape tax reporting to your home country, you certainly don't escape US taxes. Your overseas income may not be taxable in your home country. It would depend on many things, including your home country.

If you're a visitor in another country, it is likely you cannot work or operate a business thus your income would need to be based on your homeland.

There are usually visa's that can be obtained. There is a special retirement visa in the Philippines for example that gives you permanent residents status and allows you to operate a business. (SRRV) This one is kind of costly, you need at least 10K in the bank BUT once it is approved you can invest that 10K in a condo that you live in. There is also a $1500 or so application fee and I think renewal fees of around $400 to $500 a year. Still cheaper than getting married. lol I will probably go this route.

There is the SVEG which allows you to operate a business but it is not an immigrant visa. Just might be the easiest way to do it. Generally, you have to hire 10 Filipino in your business. Employment laws seem complex to me. You'll need a lawyer for sure. What I've wondered is if these employees have to be full time or not. I've read the law and I didn't see that as a requirement. There is substantial talent here at low cost in the IM field. I've not yet put any of it to work for me but I'm at the point where I need too. I'm not at the point I can hire full time employees. Salaries for college grades in my part of the country are often around $200 a month or less. TryBPO, do you know about the full time requirement?

And there is the ultimate sacrifice, you can get married. LOL

I'm sure other countries have similar programs to encourage international investment.

Hey RustyF!

Where in the Philippines are you? Cebu? Iloilo? You said "the middle" so now you've got me guessing, lol.

I'm not exactly sure about the "full-time" requirement. (For example, what if you had 6 FT people and 4-5 at 20-30 hours a week? I'm not sure) For sure though, they have to be on the books and you have to pay SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, etc. There's also an inspection at your office from DOLE to make sure they're working under safe conditions, you have the employees you say you do, etc.

Joe's SVEG was relatively easy while mine has been a bit of a nightmare, actually. It's a really cool program/offer and very encouraging for foreigners in BPO, but like everything else here it can be a bit difficult to implement! The first one that you get is a 1 year temporary and then your permanent comes next and you have to get a new icard every 5 years, i believe.

It was nice to have the last time I left the Philippines...i got to skip a REALLY long line at NAIA in Manila and didn't have to pay the exit tax or whatever...good thing because we would have missed our flight to Hong Kong otherwise! lol

Hi Ex Rat!

Yeah, I know about the perpetual traveller thing. Going on what my UK accountant says, it is seen as tax evasion. More info here:

Client working overseas

Just a quick update:

For anyone that's just starting out in IM, just finished college and wants an adventure, etc. you should definitely check out the TropicalMBA program:

Get Paid to Travel the World – The Tropical MBA — Start and Grow a Global Business From Your Laptop

Basically, it's a paid internship in places like Bali, Indonesia...Puerto Galera, Philippines...etc. It's usually a 3-6 month gig but, hopefully, turns into a much longer relationship and sets you up to never have to work a "job" again. It pays crap...but everything's taken care of and a pretty amazing experience...I met up with a few previous MBA awardees and they LOVED the experience. I've been getting to know the guy who runs the project and LOVE what he's doing there...just thought I'd share.

I travel from time to time although locally but this is one great things about earning online or being an IM. As long as there is an internet connection and your laptop or netbook is with you, you can do business and pleasure at the same time. Cheers!

When you are travelling in these locations, what do you tell people that you do for a living? Do they ever say that you should not work there and should pay tax etc?

How do you meet people (if you are travelling alone)? Where do you find apartments to rent for 3-4 months in these locations?

@TryBPO

I've enjoyed this tread following your adventure. TropicalMBA looks like a nice program for those not looking to climb a corporate ladder.

I always say traveling is like winning a lottery ticket. So keep rocking the internet marketing to travel the world.

@PingoCallingCards

We were so impressed with the TropicalMBA intern model we created our own! We had 17 people apply and have selected the person to come out here to the Philippines to work/live with us for 4-6 months...he arrives Feb 18th.

For anyone that would like a chance at something like that or would like to hire "traveling" entrepreneurs, I would DEFINITELY recommend checking out TropicalWorkforce...from the same guys that run TropicalMBA:
Tropical Work Force

It's a job board for whacky people like us. :-)

I can't wait to become location independent. Working hard to make my first dollars from IM.

I haven't but I heard there was a marketers cruise that I think Mike Filsame was sponsoring. I'd love to go!

Wow! Very inspiring everyone. Thanks for sharing, y'all have expanded my horizons

This is one of the main reasons I got into this industry: to work wherever, whenever I want. My only problem is taking the time to travel instead of solely working (yeah, my personality is a blessing and curse...).

Does the California desert count?

I mean, I lived among desert people, nobody in California knew we existed, and I rode to work on a camel.

I have been doing business in many countries for many years now. In Europe it is normal, I have also done business in Africa, Asia and Eastern European countries as well as the US and Canada. It is great to travel and see the different people and cultures. Sometimes it is difficult to get a good internet connection and sometimes there is no internet. Cell Phones make a great story and you need different SIM cards and networks and sometimes even different Phones with different GMS systems. It is an adventure and a mix between caos, hope and winning. Keep you blood flowing and makes you open to new ideas, religions and concepts.

I am working on a project in Germany at the moment to bring Germans and Americans together to do business and help each other with translations, laws, and regulation. It is completely done in different lanuages so anyone can join in. It gives Americans a chance to sell thier product and services to a new market which is even good for some old products and services. It is based in Germany and will be open the end of May or first of June. We already have over 1000 Americans with thousands of products and about half as many Germans. I will be giving people who are interested more info in the coming weeks.

Just think about having the chance to offer your products to a Completely New Market.... just the though makes me smile. :-)