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Nomad vs Settled: How Much Does Housing Cost?
Whether you’re nomadic or settled, the main expense categories are the same: housing, transportation, food, health, and leisure. Only the amounts and proportions will change. One advantage of being a nomad is that you can easily adapt if your income drops. In a pinch, you can move to a low-cost country to reduce housing costs. Stay longer in one place to cut transportation costs. Cook more and eat out less to lower food expenses. And of course, cut back on leisure. Out of curiosity, I wanted to compare the cost of our Parisian apartment before we left on our world tour with what we spent during our first 10 months…
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The most luxurious hotel we’ve stayed at – Vana Belle Koh Samui ***** (Thailand)
If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know about my bling side. I have a soft spot for pretty hotel pools, and every now and then I book the cheapest room in a 5-star hotel just to enjoy its pool. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I had my eye on Melia Koh Samui (Booking link, Agoda link) after seeing photos of its pool and its double loungers as big as a bed. We were supposed to go right after the quarantine in Bangkok, but it didn’t happen. Since we had to return to Koh Samui to get vaccinated by the French…
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Resting in Haad Rin: Sarikantang Resort & The Cabin – Koh Phangan (Thailand)
Haad Rin is world-famous for its Full Moon Party: a place for parties until dawn, a place of debauchery, with tourists sleeping right on the beach half in a coma, endless buckets of alcohol. But because of (thanks to?) Covid, Haad Rin is turning into a ghost town, and that’s the only reason we’re setting foot there 🙂 Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Sarikantang Resort and Silan Residence (where we’re currently staying) have the same owner. So when we received an offer from Sarikantang Resort, offering all Silan residents a 30-hour stay at the partner hotel for 1,700 baht. With this offer, we get…
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Another Day in Paradise – Chaloklum, Koh Ma, Haad Son in Koh Phangan (Thailand)
After a month in Koh Samui, we decide to head to Koh Phangan. Those living in Koh Samui warn us about the boring side of Koh Phangan “there’s nothing to do,” but we go anyway to check it out. We had passed through briefly a few years ago and had fond memories. We were told there’s a community of digital nomads in Koh Phangan, so the infrastructure has been adapted for this type of expat: fiber optics, offices, and even coworking spaces… Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Koh Samui – Koh Phangan by speedboat For the first time, we take a Grab to the…
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[Test & Review] Insta 360 Go 2, 27g: For Travelers Who Want to Film Discreetly
It looks like it’s the year of gadgets! After convincing hundreds of people to buy screen., I pulled out my wallet to get theInsta 360 Go 2. If you don’t want to keep blowing your budget on gadgets, stop reading right now, because I can be very persuasive 😀 Note: this post is not NOT sponsored. Nobody is sponsoring me, to my dismay (I want free stuff! I waaant iiiit) I hesitated a lot before buying it, because my Osmo Pocket can already do everything if you have the right accessories! It can even go in water if I buy the protective case. Plus, due to the global semiconductor shortage,…
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Fisherman Village Koh Samui (Thailand): Travel Journal
Planning a trip to Thailand? – Plan to buy a SIM card to have internet access – Book your activities in advance with Civitatis – Protect yourself with insurance that offers good coverage. For example, with Heymondo (5% discount by using this link) After two weeks in the quiet south of Lamai, we decided to head to a livelier area near Fisherman Village, recommended by a fellow nomad. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Accommodations Not Suited for Digital Nomads There are no hotels with two work desks in Fisherman Village itself, so we chose to stay at the condominium Replay Residence, which is full…
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How to apply for a 30-day visa extension in Thailand? Koh Samui Immigration Office
JB already told you about the risks of overstaying in Thailand (hint: prison). I’m going to tell you about the 30-day visa extension, which every tourist normally gets without any difficulty in Thailand. As you know, we came to Thailand thanks to a 45-day visa exemption (30 days turned into 45 days “thanks” to the 14-day quarantine). Upon arrival, we had to fill out the TM6 form, and a stub of this form must be kept with us until we leave Thailand (the “departure card” stub). Documents to prepare: photocopy of your passport, then sign on the photocopy photocopy of the TM6 given to you upon arrival, then sign on…
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South of Lamai, Koh Samui (Thailand): Two digital nomads over forty
As you know, after two weeks of quarantine in Bangkok, we took the first flight to get to Koh Samui, one of the paradise islands in the Gulf of Thailand. We visited Koh Tao , and Koh Phangan during our first round-the-world trip, but we carefully avoided Koh Samui (too touristy), until Covid emptied the island of its usual crowds. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I’m glad I found a moment to write this travel diary. JB and I are swamped with work and are in “pad thai, work, sleep” mode or “need to be taken care of” mode, meaning we’re in such a…
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My Current Favorites [May June 2021] Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall
Seeing a “Missed Connection” pop up on my Instagram today reminded me of this beautiful book by Sophie Blackall that I’ve read and reread dozens of times. Sophie Blackall is a children’s book illustrator. One day, after an encounter with a charming stranger who told her to find him on “missed connections,” she discovered the concept and decided to illustrate one “missed connection” a week on her blog. The blog gained traction and a book was published (Amazon link) A “missed connection” is an encounter between two strangers – or two people who knew each other – but for some mysterious reason, or out of shyness, neither of them dared…
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[Review] reMarkable 2, my best Purchase Ever
Contrary to what one might imagine, I’m much more of a gadget person than JB. I’m often the one who buys things if I think the new technology is cool, and it can save us work time. However, I am far from being an early adopter. I often wait for the 2nd, 3rd versions… before deciding. Recently, I discovered reMarkable 2, the tablet that allows you to take notes but with a paper-like feel. It is trendy among engineers and managers. So I bought it for JB. JB really likes taking notes. He tried to do it on a normal tablet (iPad), but the touch is not the same, so…
