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- Kazakhstan joins the party | Siargao storytime | Spring nomad events | Issue #0026
Kazakhstan joins the party | Siargao storytime | Spring nomad events | Issue #0026
Let’s make your Tuesday a little more palatable.
You might not realise it yet, but you won’t always want to be on the road. You can do both though - have a brick-and-mortar business AND nomad - as one nomad proves this week.
Oh, and we’ve decided to be millennial and join Instagram so give us a follow for some bullet updates and useful stuff we find throughout the week.
As well as…
🎒 The carry-on carry on…what exactly are the rules?
🇰🇿 TWO digital nomad visas from one off-the-beaten-track spot
🎤 The nomad events to be at over the next few weeks
🤝 Meet nomads in your next place
💰 Save some cash with some of the offers in our resources area
Enjoy your Tuesday!
NEWS
Central Asia is open for business
Not your normal destination - but then what is normal these days? Khazakstan announced their Neo visa scheme last year, but this month they went to the press to announce their two new options for nomads and a residency visa.
A multi-entry for 12 months for those who are actively nomadic, and a single-entry which is designed really as a pathway to residence.
This piece explains the three new visas pretty well, and if for you Khazakstan is still just that country that was defined by a crazy movie, then here’s something more substantial to decide if it might be a place for you.
WHAT ELSE…
🧳 These are the rules There have been some scandalous reports of charges for carry-on lately. Here are the rules for the major airlines…if they matter!
🍎 Early lift off Word on the street - for all you “must-have-the-latest-tech” peeps - is that tomorrow might bring a surprise new bit of Apple tech.
🍚 Fun, free and useful Play a word game and help provide food to the UN’s World Food Program.
👩💻 Preaching to the converted You don’t need research to tell you this, but wfh/remote working is better. But does your experience align with this insight?
GET CONNECTED
The Digital Nomad was born from the desire to connect nomads with each other when we were in Chiang Mai, where it isn’t always as easy as it should be.
We’re building a resource for nomads in as many cities and countries as possible, and getting a lot of help from you in the community in doing so. See the list of groups, chats and websites in your current or next destination here:
Thanks to Tom and Kelsey who contributed connections in Mexico and Georgia last week. If you are in a nomad hotspot then help another nomad out and share any communities you are in or know of with this quick form.
DIGITAL NOMAD STORIES
No coworking space? Then build one.
When we out a poll out a few weeks ago, you told us a lot of you rely on coworking spaces. Somewhere to work from, meet other nomads, maybe even make working connections.
Well, Itay is someone who definitely falls into that category. So much so, he built one!
Not many digital nomads set up a physical business, so what’s the story?
I’d been a digital nomad for around 4 years before making it to the Philippines, but fell in love with Siargao. I was a software developer - and still am - and visited then to have a surf vacation, but decided it was going to be somewhere I wanted to stay.
So you built a coworking space there…
Like many I was a lonely digital nomad and decided to do something about it by creating somewhere to work and meet other nomads in Siargao. I found an architect, got the land, and built Coco Space - the name comes from Coworking + Community (and Siargao is known as coconut island!).
What is it about Siargao that made you set up some roots?
I’m still a nomad - there’s a team who run the space. I am there most of the year though. The people in Ph are what I love the most though, and it helps that English is the dominant language and the similarities to western culture. Locals mix with foreigners a lot more than in a lot of Asia too, which makes for a more connected community.
Also, Starlink was a game-changer! The internet wasn’t always reliable in the past, but that’s not the case now.
Tell us about Coco Space then. It’s only a year old, right?
Not even a year yet, but it’s gone really well. It’s a welcome quiet space with incredible views in what is a high energy island, and still only 10 minutes from General Luna and Cloud 9. We’ve put in a pool, roof terrace, community room, relaxing outdoor spaces. We have events every day and as it’s built by digital nomads, it serves them well we think and is a real community hub now.
So, you’re going to be living out your days in Siargao?
We’ll see. I’ve got plans to add more sites in the Philippines and around the world. Siargao is just the start now we can see it’s impact. I think there is a model we can use to connect people in other parts of the world too.
If you find yourself in Siargao - and increasingly digital nomads are - then swing by CoCo Space. Even if you don’t, it sounds like you might find one in other destinations soon anyway!
We love to feature nomads and what you do that can help the rest of us. Fill out this form to show us your thing!
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CONNECT
Ready to make some last-minute plans?
Off the back of Nomad Summit last month, there is suddenly a glut of opportunities to hear from leaders across the digital nomad space, network, and socialize with nomads - all in a short few days.
If there was a fest/summit “season”, then the next couple of months are it. Here’s where you can find the next few:
9-15 March → Nomad Week Cape Town 2025
13-27 March → Vietnam Nomad Fest 2025 Da Nang & Hoi An (get 10% off your ticket with code TIM at checkout!)
16-23 March → The Nomad World Rio de Janeiro
4-5 April → Alicante Nomad Summit Alicante, Spain
28 April-11 May → Nomadbase Live Tarifa, Spain
POLL
How do you manage SIM cards while on the move? |
BRAIN FOOD
Book - Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals. Self-explanatory title from Oliver Burkeman.
Apps - It’s had its ups-and-downs, but Spark is back on top of the email client charts for many, thanks to it’s AI features.
Useful - How to greet people in different parts of the world.
Music - Ok, so this might end up being a distraction, but we’re sure it’ll put a smile on your face while you work. Thank us later!
If you have any recommendations we can share here, let us know.
Do you like the look of The Digital Nomad? You can easily build a great-looking newsletter of your own with beehiiv, even with their free plan.
MAKE DIGITAL NOMAD LIFE EASIER
Resources that are actually helpful
Check out our new resources page for the longer list. This gets added to every week, but here are a few notable deals or resources for this week:
Alt_Coliving’s popup in Japan is only a few weeks away. More here.
Mastermind Retreat - Join Max’s mastermind in Koh Lanta next month, focussed on accelerating growth for entrepreneurs and their businesses. Get 5% off using code DNN5%.
Kaya Connections’ April retreat in Siargao - for entrepreneurs and business owners - that we featured recently is filling up fast. Mention The Digital Nomad for $50 off!
Get an eSim from Airalo, using code NEWTOAIRALO15 for 15% off with this link.
VPN - NordVPN have a birthday sale on. You’ll get up to 70% off and 6 months free on most plans using this link.
Check out the new resources page for more useful tools and services.
THE LIST
Are these really the top five?
So this week’s list is more a test of what the wider world and the digital nomad world see as good destinations. This what Forbes consider the top five dn spots for 2025:
St Lucia
Lisbon
Barcelona
Greece
Panama
We see several issues with this list, but out of curiosity…
How many of these feature in your plans for 2025? |
BE SEEN AND HEARD
We would love to hear from you if you have some valuable knowledge, products or services, information, or just a fun or crazy digital nomad story. Get more eyes on your thing, or maybe you just like sharing with fellow nomads!
Fill in this form if you want to FEATURE FOR FREE in The Digital Nomad.
TRIVIA
How well do you know your local food?
Can you name the popular digital nomad countries these dishes are commonly associated with (bonus nomad points if you can name the dishes too!)?
Answers below.
COFFEE BREAK
📜 History - Ever wondered about the Irish potato famine? No, nor us, but it was 100% not what you’d think the cause was now they’ve studied it.
🧍♂️ Lifestyle - This may be a little depressing, but this O.G. of travel-writing proves you are not alone if going “home” is not what you thought it might be.
📺 Watch - Pure coffee break fodder. Watch where raindrops go.
SPREAD THE WORD
Have you been forwarded The Digital Nomad by a friend? If so, don’t miss out on future issues by getting it every Tuesday.
Or do you have digital nomad friends, or ones planning to be? They could use a quick weekly fix of what’s happening in their world, so share this link or share on your socials with the links at the top of this newsletter.