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Business & Pleasure is the show that discusses what it’s really like to be a digital nomad. We talk about the ups and downs, the lessons learned and the big discussion about whether you can really have it all.
Lyd: Hello and welcome to the Business and Pleasure Podcast, the show that discusses what it's really like to be a digital nomad. We talk about the ups and downs, the lessons learned, and the big discussion about whether you can really have it all. Today we have Dominik Sobe on the show. Dominik is an indie hacker, digital nomad, founder and creator of Help Kit hq.
Blogs, which are Videos on Twitter, sharing advice, learning and insights into what it's like being a digital nomad. He's been traveling the world as well as working for the last three years. Today we're gonna discuss what the last three years have looked like for Dominik, how he approaches work and travel, and why he should be considering the digital nomad lifestyle.
Welcome to the show Dominik. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you. And, um, to everybody listening, I'm sorry if the sound is slightly off today. We've had a few technical issues, digital nomad life. so hopefully you can hear me? Okay. Dominik, let's just get straight into it. Can you tell us what you were doing before you became a digital nomad and why did your digital nomad journey begin?
Dominik: Sure. So I initially started out, um, like a lot of people I was just studying during my undergrad. I was studying business, um, and during my undergrad I sort of got exposure to traveling abroad. I did an exchange semester in Hong Kong when I was, I think 20 years old. And I feel like that was like the first time I actually stepped foot out of Europe.
Um, been traveling around Europe quite a bit when I was a kid, but like never really. Did a big thing and then I went alone to Hong Kong. Lived there for half a year and that kind of opened up my eyes in like terms of how cool it is living in Asia, just in terms of how friendly people are, different cultures.
And then I came back. And then ever since I came back I was kind of, sort of disappointed, still living in Austria. I'm originally from Austria, um, which in the winter is really nice. It snows a lot. But it can feel a bit claustrophobic, especially if you spend your entire life there. And then for my master's, I decided I have to leave Austria.
'cause it feels very, it just feels like the same all, all, all year long. And then I was like, okay, I need to go somewhere warmer. So I went to Portugal, I went to Lisbon to do my master's degree there. It was much sunnier. I love the city. And so I got kind of like, already my, my toes wet in terms of just traveling around a bit.
And then doing my masters, I realized I just, I, I really don't want to spend my, most of my time in Europe. 'cause I feel like I had always had like my, my back, like my story back from, from college back in Hong Kong. In my back of my mind, I was like, if I could just find a way to like just. Go somewhere else, like be in Asia, travel around Asia, that would be amazing.
During my entire master's, I was just trying to build a product so I could earn enough money to actually become a digital nomad because, you know, like parents were already talking like, oh, you're gonna get a job after graduation. What's gonna happen? And so I used my entire masters to essentially just build my own products and most of them fade, but luckily one got really successful and then it sort of allowed me, it just opened the gates in terms of what I could do financially.
And all my friends that I met in Lisbon were talking about Bali. And I heard so many good stories and so many bad stories and I just, I, I told myself like, I have to see it for myself. And so as a sort of like first hashtag digital nomad journey, I embarked on the way onto Bali
and uh, it was amazing.
Yeah. And then that kind of changed everything. I feel like my whole trajectory in terms of digital nomad, 'cause there's so many. Digital nomads in Bali. I'm actually back now. I'm back in Bali. I met so many people, share different stories, and then I was like, all right, digital nomads kind of cool.
I think I'm gonna try it out.
Lyd: I love Bali as well. It's the best. So I'm very jealous. Um, and how did you, how did you navigate that change in lifestyle? You mentioned you were at university at the time. It's quite a big change from going to university, having that structure and that sort of routine and then becoming a digital nomad.
Sort of having the freedom to have a routine, not have a routine. How did you find that?
Dominik: Yeah, I agree. Like in terms of, I feel like just letting go of like most of the things that you're used to, your routine, your friends, in the beginning was a bit, felt a bit odd. But on the other hand, all my friends already back in my undergrad, I. Um, they were all sort of leaving the country going somewhere else.
So I lost sort of like most of my community there. Then I went to Portugal, met a couple of friends doing study, but it also, like, I felt, I didn't really feel like I had like a tripe of like-minded people back then. So in terms of like community, it wasn't like a big, big decision. Um, it was just like more of like what I'm comfortable with, you know?
'cause if you, if you're know a place really in and out, it's really nice, you know where to go, where your gym is, et cetera. But I think like I just, I was really sort of depressed with the way of, um, like I just wanted to find people that are more like-minded. And so for me, actually, it was pretty easy to just go alone, start being a digital nomad and see what the word kind of has in offer. Um, I would say I'm, I'm still like very introvert when it comes to like talking to people. So Bai was a really good first place because people are just so social. So I got like really forced into meeting people and that was a really great first, uh, introduction I think for me.
Lyd: I would probably say I'm the same with how I started. I sort of just went into it and didn't think too much about it yeah, I agree. People in Bali are just so open and welcoming and chatty that you. Straight away feel comfortable. And it's sort of you let down your wall a little.
It's a great place to begin the digital nomad journey. And what would say biggest learnings are?
Dominik: Well, I think that's a good, that's like a big question, right? I feel like there's so many, so many lessons that I learned. But I think. Like, I think there's a couple. The first big one is traveling light. I started traveling with like two big American tourist, uh, suitcases and I absolutely hated it.
I had so much stuff with me and I just thought I needed it. And, uh, quite frankly, like I didn't even use maybe like. Like, I used maybe a 10th of the stuff that I brought with me, and then I realized, um, why, why do I bring all of this stuff? And so I gradually, it was actually quite a long process. I got rid of almost everything and I stripped it down to one backpack, one small carry-on.
And then when I do like sort of longer term travel, I have one little. Plastic bag with me and that's it. And I did the whole like digital minimalism, Marie Kondo, what doesn't spark joy thing. And it actually really helped, like I feel so much happier owning less. and I think that's like the first, the first big lesson.
In terms of like other things, I feel like, routine is a big thing , because , when you travel a lot, it, it's very, Easy to fall into the trap of just going with the flow, doing whatever other people might just invite you to. There's a drink there. There's a drink there. Um, you go to a coworking space, you meet some people, then they wanna do a trip to like a mountain, so you go hiking, which all is fair.
But if you actually wanna get work done, I think realizing that you have to get back into a specific routine is really, really important. And it kind of can make you depressed after a while if you just go with the flow. Definitely for travel that I don't know how it is for you, how it was or how it is for you, but that was a big
lesson as well.
Lyd: I think is as well with that, it takes you time to realize that because when you first start the the journey, you're like, oh, of course I wanna be social, I wanna make friends. I wanna explore this new place I'm in. So you put all so much effort into that, and then you end up tiring yourself out and then you realize, oh, actually I haven't been putting the amount of time I should be putting into work.
And then you are. Then you're annoyed at yourself. It's all the emotions, basically. But you've sort of gotta ride that wave to figure out what that balance is for you. And then you can be like, oh, actually I went out for drinks last night, maybe the next few days I shouldn't go out for a few Bess like and get back to work.
It's, it's riding that wave, isn't it? And, and getting to that point of like, oh, I'm, I'm not really finding a balance here.
Dominik: Yeah, I agree. I feel the thing is giving yourself, like you think if you have a routine, you're sort of restricting yourself, but it's quite the opposite. Having a routine actually opens up sort of slots for you that you can actually, I. Um, enjoy what you are about to do, even if it's going out like with friends, whatever.
But you actually give, like, you're giving yourself space and time for doing the things.
By not having a routine, you just, like sooner or later you just get wrecked. And I think it does happen to almost every digital nomad I ever met. And it's totally fine. Like if it's your first sort of like trip, your first digital nomad trip, sort of just embrace that it's gonna be.
Like, you're not gonna be really productive. It's just gonna happen. But also realize that it's really important to get into a routine.
Lyd: Yeah, definitely. I agree with that and I think it, it ebbs and flows like, depending where you are and who you are with, and just if you are moving around a lot, you can easily sort of lose that routine with the time difference. And I think it's being okay. Happy that, you know, sometimes that is gonna happen.
It's not gonna be a constant thing forever. They're two really good learnings. I think the traveling light is a great piece of advice and again, something that you sort of have to figure out as you go. Like, my dream is just to have carry on. But I am not there yet. I've got like this big backpack and then I also have like another backpack that I carry my laptop in.
And I've met lots of people in my travels and they just have carry on. I'm like, oh gosh, I wanna be you. And um, I go back to the UK in a few months and then I'm back to Southeast Asia and my aim is to really get rid of a lot of things and travel even, like, so I'll keep you posted.
Dominik: One thing I just wanna add onto this, because that's also a thing people can easily get wrong, is. When you, when I say travel light, it doesn't mean you have to like restrict yourself to only like three pairs of underwear, like two, two pairs of shirt and you're, you're not gonna enjoy life anymore 'cause you're wearing the same stuff every day and it, everything feels sort of bland.
What I mean is like, You just gotta like, you gotta think about what are the actual pieces you really enjoy wearing and then you even enjoy them more. Um, it's not about like just taking away everything, the whole fun out of like whatever you have or the stuff you have, but it's like being conscious about the things you actually enjoy.
And then you can also spend a bit more. On the few things you have for better quality. Um, so like, I bought like a new backpack that is just much, much better quality. I bought like a little like tech pouch, you know, but like a really good one where the zipper is like really smooth. It's like these tiny things.
But now every day I use it. I'm super happy I have it, and this is only thing I have. So yeah, that's just one thing I
wanna add on.
Lyd: Yeah, that's a really good point. Have a smaller amount of things, but that, make sure those things are things that you love and what you really enjoy and. Things that you actually want because it's like you can end up packing loads of things and you, you don't end up wearing it. Or you're like, why have I even bothered bringing this?
Like really sit down and think about what you want and what brings you joy. I think that's a really good point. And moving on to your sort of best travel experience, worst travel experiences, what would you say your best travel experience is so far?
Dominik: I think probably the best one I had was going to Japan. It's sort of, uh, Cliche, I think, um, a lot of people fall in love with Japan the first time they go there. Um, it definitely was the case for me. I feel like just the combination of like this very homogenous society, like 99.9% are Japanese, you really feel like a foreigner there.
Um, but you also feel very welcome. So it's this combination of like just actually feeling like you're really abroad, like in Bali. Most people are just like they are from all around the world, but mostly they're from Europe, north America. So like you feel the same, right? But if you're in Japan, it really feels like, okay, this is completely different and people are sort of judging you.
It's just a funny, it's a funny way and the food is amazing. Um, I love, I like, I love everything about Japan. Maybe besides the anime culture, I'm actually really not into this despite a lot of people going there, actually, specifically just because of that. Um, but yeah, I feel like Japan definitely was, like Japan and South Korea were the two.
Um, I really like, like the most in terms of just a cultural experience, I would say.
Lyd: I felt the same when I went to Japan and I was a bit, I felt very, out of my comfort zone to a point, the language barrier and everything like that, but again, Amazing. Absolutely loved it. No place like it in my eyes.
Then what would you say your worst travel experience is so far? Or something that's just not really worked out?
Dominik: Hmm. Um, well, I think probably it was India. I spent only two weeks nomad through Stan. There used to be king's area of India. It goes through Agra, but Etj, Mahali and then some other cities. And I just had a really bad experience traveling through India in terms of There are so many ultra friendly people, like people that wanna have like autographs, like you feel like a celebrity.
Absolutely. Hospital people. But on the same hand, I just felt there is like, There's so much, like people that trying to sell you stuff and they would just wouldn't let you go. Usually in places you can be like, Hey, I know you asked me five times I don't wanna buy it.
And they just let you go. But in India, I felt like it's almost impossible. You have like constantly people following you I don't know what you call it, like this hustle culture. . I just didn't really like it, so I felt really not comfortable.
I could really focus on, I couldn't barely focus on work at all. So that maybe was like negative. But also on the other hand, like the culture, like the, the, the experience in terms of like amazing food, Talking to really funny people made up for it. But yeah, like that was a, that's not a place I think you can easily go as a digital normal thinking you'll get to like get your best work done there.
Lyd: Yeah, that's, yeah. That's good to know. And did you travel, alone when you were in India?
Dominik: I was actually there with a friend, American friend. Um, so we were two, I think alone would've been even a bit crazy. Um, I usually travel alone, but for India, like a friend of mine really wanted to go as well. So it was like a nice
match. I.
Lyd: what do you find hard about being a digital nomad?
Dominik: I feel like the first thing that comes to my mind obviously is I. Like, like finding a rhythm. And what I mean this like, the routine thing is that in the beginning I made the mistake I think a lot of nomads do is I traveled quite frequently. I was traveling like a week there, two weeks there, maybe sometimes like three weeks there.
But I realized that it's almost impossible for me to feel like home. In the beginning, you feel like as a digital owner, just as a tourist, right? But then at one point you realize I actually need to sort of live right. And I. I realised that the whole concept of like slow-madding the idea of going to a place for a minimum, I would say of two plus months is so much more suited for my mental state, my physical state.
Um, so what I found out is that I really, really enjoy. Staying in a place longer, even than three months. The sweet spot for me might be three to five months, I think. Um, it's like the sweet spot and I sorta right now, like it's always changing, but I came up with this, This idea of like separating your year into three seasons.
The first season is like when I am more adventurous, where I actually give myself the room of just traveling more, like doing like one week there, three weeks there for like maybe one, two months. Um, where I know, okay, I'm not gonna get like really the best of my work done. I won't get into a lot of flow states with my work, but I'm gonna see a lot of cool stuff and I'm gonna meet new people.
And after that, Like, I have this phase of like focusing more on work. So it will be a couple of months where I'll go to a place where I know I can, where I get to know the place and actually sort of try to live like a local and then just work from there. And then the third is like a bit, sort of similar, but I feel it more as a, something recurring, like something that I already know.
So for me right now, I came back to Bali, for the next few months because I realized that. To place you already been, just takes like, you know how everything works. You have your friends there. A lot of people might there. I realized like I also need that sort of like familiarity at least once a year.
'cause otherwise, otherwise it's very, very tough. And that also plays in with the second thing, which is like, I mean, just keeping relationships, um, healthy, right? It's like it's. I think as digital nomads you kind of learn how to just be friends online. Um, at least that's how I did like a lot of, we have friends groups like WhatsApp, Taylor Graham, there's a lot of friends on Twitter now that I engage with a lot actually now met in real life, which was really nice.
But that is always like a hard thing actually keeping like being near your friends and then obviously, It also ties into actual like relationships, it's really hard to actually date as a digital nomad. I think a lot of people kind of brush it off in the beginning. But if you really, like, if you really want to have like a committed relationship, it's really, really hard.
Finding someone that is in the same position and like, you wanna go there, they don't wanna go there. You know that, that's already the hard part. 'cause if two people are nomadic, it's already a very interesting thing. And then if one person is nomadic and the other one isn't, you might want to travel again.
I haven't found this a, a really good solution to this as of now. I think eventually just settling more might
be one. I don't know how it is
for you.
Lyd: Yeah, it's interesting isn't it? I don't know if you've used Nomad List before, they have a feature where it's, they have like a section where you can like, make friends, but they also have a, like a dating side.
Dominik: Yeah.
Lyd: Holly on my podcast, and she gave loads of like, resources and she also mentioned, there was a Facebook group for sort of dating digital nomad. So I think there's platforms and things out there, but I don't know how or where people are of them or how useful they are.
But it is an interesting thing to think about because. Wanna have a relationship, but you also want to travel and you don't wanna sort of stop.
It's can be quite a complicated thing. , so I think yes, try potentially finding someone who is in the nomad space and understands what it's like and is sort of on the move as well, would probably be the best bet if you didn't wanna settle down. But yeah, it's an interesting thing, isn't it?
Dominik: Yeah, I feel like the best case is like, I, I had a friend who essentially, he moved, he's from France. He moved back to France, and then in Paris. I think he, he met. He's now girlfriend and he sort of converted her to become an A nomad. So that's like the best, probably best case. Like you go somewhere familiar, you meet someone and you just convert them.
Obviously easier said than done, but yeah, there's definitely another easy answer. I have checked out the nomad list, like dating thing, but to be honest, it felt like really. Work like it didn't really feel like it's really working. It's just like there are not a lot of people and like even if there was a match like it, it just didn't, I don't know.
It just didn't really feel like organic and I haven't heard about the Facebook thing. It sounds a bit like a boomer thing, but maybe I'm wrong just saying.
Lyd: yeah. Maybe it's not the right I'll you.
Dominik: Yeah, please.
Lyd: How do you approach work and travel? I think this would be a good point now to talk about your, , your videos on Twitter, because, in your videos you actually talk a lot about this and you know, the accommodation and everything like that
I know we've already spoken about the routine and we've sort of said how important it is to have a routine, but also not put too much pressure on it, it'd be like great to hear about sort of your, your more of your day to day, how you approach that and also, When it comes to the accommodation side of things, so for instance, I mainly stay in hostels that have coworking spaces, but then every now and then I need to mix up to have a bit of a break and I go to a hotel.
But, in your videos you sort of discuss condos and things like that, so it'd be great to hear about that and why that works for you.
Dominik: I feel like in the beginning I was also, living a lot in hostels. 'cause obviously it's the cheapest and also you meet a lot of people. So for a while this was my go-to thing and a lot of people still do. A lot of my friends still do. But for me, I realized after a while that I get very.
Exhausted mentally and physically, and hosts especially because it depends, right? If you live actually in, in a dorm with multiple people, I just, I'm at a position where I just, I can't, like I, my, my sleep is like, so important to me. And living in a dorm with multiple people is just like, it's a, it's a recipe for
like chaos
Lyd: Yeah.
Dominik: and also then, It.
Yeah. And then I realized that also, like I would call myself like a, like I would call myself an introvert in terms of my social battery lowers. The more I talk to people, you know, some people they get like really energetic. The more they talk to people for me is I wake up with a full battery.
The more I talk, the less it gets. And like host seemed to like overflow me with like bunch of people and I'm just like,
Lyd: Yeah.
Dominik: Uh, I, I wanna choose, this is too much. Like I just, I feel like I wanna choose when I talk and like, not like really pressured into it. And to be, quite frankly, like whenever I go to a hospital, I got really drunk and, uh, which is fun, but like, I just, it's not something I can sustain.
Lyd: I think with hostels as well, like you, well, what I've found is you constantly have to be on, like you've saying, you, you constantly have to be talking to people or Yeah, you have to be always on. Really, which it gets very tiring. Like I. I've, like I said, mainly do hostels again, just because it's cheaper and it's a great way to meet people as well, and especially if they have a coworking space, you can meet other digital nomads and it's right on your doorstep, which is perfect.
But again, when it comes to the sleep side of things, it's a bit of a killer because you, you may be in a dorm. With, um, travelers and they're like, it's a Friday night, and they're like raging and really excited, but then you are all like that person in the room. Like, oh, actually, sorry guys. I have a, I have a call at 9:00 AM in the morning and it's just like, you are that person.
Dominik: So I think
Lyd: it's interesting.
Dominik: I think when it comes to this, there's like one, one important distinction I think between a hostel and a co-living space. They sort of sometimes are intertwined. There are things like Selena, um, I think one of the most like known ones, um, like worldwide. But I think co-living spaces are a little bit more approachable when it comes to this 'cause everyone's supposed to be working there.
Um, while if you go to actual hostels, like. You're just gonna run into people that are there for probably different reasons than you are, which is just partying. Um, which is fair, but I just realized this is absolutely not my cup of tea. in the beginning you wanna meet like, well, whoever you can.
But then after a while you realize you actually want to meet like quantitative people, like more quality than quantity. And, uh, so yeah, co-living. I used to live in co-living spaces as well. Most of the time had really great experiences, um, where you just live in a room, um, and then like you share maybe like a bathroom.
It's sort of like a hostile situation, but more dedicated for, remote workers, I guess. So I did that for a while and then, 'cause you mentioned like the videos I made about the condos. I feel like it's, uh, this, this at least appears to be. Much more of a like southeast Asian big city thing. So cities like Saigon, in Bangkok, you just tend to have access to a real, to really, really cool, fancy like apartments for relatively cheap.
So you can actually like, live really, really, like, have a nice quality of life in condos and uh, really like, Live there, like live there in terms of like, you don't even have to leave there complex because there might be a sauna. Sometimes you have a swimming pool. Like there is like coffee. Like coffee, robots making your coffee.
So like you don't, even if you want to have to leave. So it's perfect to focus on work, at
least for
Lyd: Yeah. And how do you find those types of places? Is it just through Airbnb? Is it sort of word of mouth from friends who've stayed there previously?
Dominik: Like, I feel like obviously word of mouth sometimes, um, is, is really helpful. But mostly what I do is I just, um, I go onto Airbnb, I. I look for places that look sort of like how I want them to be, and then usually they are way too expensive, like way too expensive. And, uh, then I just reach out to the owner.
And like in 90% of cases, either the owner says, yeah, let's do this offhand. Um, if Airbnb is listening to this, um, obviously I'm not doing this. Um, this is all just, uh, Theoretical practice. Um, and then usually they're really down of just doing it, um, with their own system or, or, or whatever it is. Um, and then sometimes also it happens that their Airbnb is maybe managed by broker.
And then once you get contact with the broker, um, it's much easier to just do it with the broker 'cause they're already sort of facilitating it. So you can do with. A goda, whatever it is, you just find a WhatsApp line, WeChat, whatever number it is, and you just text them. And most of the cases this works perfectly fine.
Um, so that's what I do. Um, I just find really fancy places and then I reach out to them. Um, but I agree in the beginning. It's really like if you go to a new city, it's really hard. You don't know where's a good area to be. Right? Where, what kind of, what is the expected amount I should pay? Am I overpaying?
There's so many things. Um, there are a couple of things that are helpful with this. For example, Peter Levis built like he did, the guy who paid Nomad this, right? He made also a little website called Hood Maps. maps.com, which is a, it's a website that shows you, for each city the areas, like it's a crowdfunded, um, city map where you can find specific areas that people think are actually cool to visit.
It's really, really helpful. So people are like sort, selecting areas that are upcoming. Then there are some areas, for example, Bangkok has a, like a really sort of. red light district, and if you don't know, you might up, um, booking a place there because there's also a lot of, um, fancy but cheap places.
I made the same mistake and then I went to Hood Maps and I looked at the area and it literally just said like, Thailand's biggest red light district stay away. And I was like, oh,
no. I made
Lyd: you were right in the center of it.
Dominik: I was right in the center. And so yeah, that's a really great resource
Lyd: That's great.
Dominik: There's another couple of tips, like a friend of mine came up with this idea of essentially looking at the density of Starbucks in a specific location.
So the idea is if you wanna find the city center, it's really hard. Um, but if you look at like on the on on Google Maps, where are the most Starbucks next to each other? Where's the most dense Starbucks place? That's also usually a good indicator where, a good place where the, where a good place to like.
Live nearby. I guess maybe you don't wanna live in the city center of that, um, for obvious reasons, but that's also interesting, interesting proxy you can
use.
Lyd: Have you got any advice for a budding digital nomad? I know we've actually covered, you've got, you've shared quite a bit of advice, which is great, but if there was one piece you had to, give someone who was looking to start their digital nomad journey, what would it be? I.
Dominik: I think the first most important thing I noticed with a couple of people I met throughout my nomad journey, especially when I come back home to Austria and meet friends that also sort of wanted. Start being a digital nomad. It's the notion of if you wanna start being a digital nomad, you don't have to give up everything in, in, in the first few, like tries of being a digital nomad.
Like a lot of people think, oh my God, like I have to give up like my, I have to give up my lease. I have to sell my car. I have to. Uh, break up with my girlfriend or boyfriend, and then I start my digital nomad journey. But like, like with everything in life, you can just test it out, right? Just test the water.
So maybe go for a month, see how you like it, and then worst case, after a month, nothing happened, right? So you just return and maybe you had a great trip and it just wasn't something for you or. You would absolutely fall in love with the whole traveling and like being somewhere new, learning new cultures, new people, and you're like, alright.
Now it feels much easier to give up everything, or like most of it and just actually take, um, take the leap and do it. So the til are, you don't have to like start out cold Turkey with like doing everything at once, giving up everything just. Do it step by step. And one more thing, 'cause that's really important.
Get an
insurance. Like, I cannot stress this enough. But I made a lot of people that just don't give a damn about insurance and I just, I just cannot understand how, how you cannot do this. Like get a, if you start out, get a travel insurance, Get a travel insurance. And then there's also, if you become an actual like perpetual digital nomad, look into expert insurances, like insurances that cover you like throughout the world.
If something would happen for like more like. More severe cases if you would get cancer, you know, all that sort of stuff. Um, look into this. 'cause this is like the most important thing, is your health. And, uh, a lot of people, for whatever reason, neglected. And I just, yeah, I cannot fathom how people do this, but yeah,
that's,
Lyd: That's a very good point that I think people sort of just forget about as well, like and now because digital nomad has sort of blown up, there's actually lots of different insurances specifically for digital nomads, which is great because like the traditional insurances, it's like you. In this like specific country and if you leave like it no longer works and it only last 30 days, which is obviously a nightmare if you're nomad.
So yeah, very important thing. You never know.
Dominik: If anyone has any questions about this, I'm more than happy to share, like all. The knowledge I have about this. 'cause I, I, like, in the beginning, nobody, nobody was talking about this. So I had to like, like go into like the depth of all this and like really figure out how it works. So yeah, if anyone has some questions or if you have a question, I mean obviously more than happy to share.
I.
Lyd: Yeah, that would be amazing. That was great. I think, yeah, it's an important piece to have in your digital nomad puzzle. It's so, it's not something you wanna sort of leave and wait for something to happen. So I think that's a really good shout. And um, sorry, I'm just jumping back to when we spoke about you.
Slow mad. So you, your idea was sort of staying in a place for two plus months, when it comes to sorting out visas, have you ever had any like real problems? Have you had any like nightmare stories? I know sometimes I've been out visas in the past and they've sort of, not plan, but have you. Any tips and tricks that come with uh, out.
Dominik: I feel like in most cases you would be fine. Now this obviously depends a lot, on where you are from initially, right? Um, so for me, being Austrian, having an Austrian passport, which is one of the best you can actually have in the world, it's very easy for me in most cases, even though for whatever reason, whenever I go to the Philippines, I get, and Vietnam, I get screened.
Like as I, I would be like the biggest criminal, um, in the entire digital no sphere. I don't know why, um, never had any issue in Thailand, for example. But I do get some, the occasional screenings and, um, I, I wonder why. Maybe I just look suspicious. I.
Lyd: Just giving off.
Dominik: I'm just giving off the vibe of like, I don't know. But yeah, actually like everything as of now went really smooth.
Um, in most cases you can stay, like, usually it depends on the visas. Like you can stay for 30 days. I. Most countries can stay at least 30 days without any issue. And then you can do visa runs where you just leave the country and come back in again. Um, and most countries you can just do this perpetually, sort of.
Um, but then if you do wanna stay a bit longer with a little bit of. More, I would say comfort. For example, in Bali you can get a, um, like a 60 day visa, which just costs a bit of money, and then you can, but you can extend this for like two times for another 60 days. So in the end, you can live six months in Bali without leaving, without doing a visa run.
Um, you just pay a little bit of money and sort of the same exists in like other countries as well. It's definitely in the beginning a bit hard to like sort of like find out all of these things. Um, so for example, a couple of my friends asked me about Thailand. Um, so what I just did is like, I wrote like a little notion document.
It's not, um, it's not ready yet, but I just try to like, dump everything I know about it in this notion document. So I just can't like, tell people a little bit about how to, how to get started. 'cause in the beginning it just, yeah, you're like, you arrive, you're like, Hmm. And now
am
Lyd: at, at the beginning it can be quite overwhelming, but if you spec, if you have to go to like the immigration office or anything like that, and then with the language barrier and you're, you're sort of going through the internet and different, sources are saying different things, it can be very overwhelming.
And then once you're sort of like, You've done it a few times, you know how it works. You know what's like right and wrong, but, uh, yeah, it's, it's hard to find, , like a one place on the internet where that has everything you need for sort of figuring out visas. But that's great to hear that you've not really had any visa nightmares.
Dominik: Yeah, no, luckily, I, uh, I, I try to, like, when it comes to visas, I'm just a bit too. Too cautious. 'cause I just, I, I, I really don't want to like, mess with like countries and like getting kicked out.
Like that's not,
Lyd: Yeah, I think that's the right
approach.
No, that's, you don't wanna ruin it for yourself.
Dominik: But then again, I think like, especially if you travel through Southeast Asia, you have to realize that things work just a bit differently than back in like Europe or North America, where there's a lot of gray areas you can get yourself in, um, in the i in the positive way. But you just need to know, like you need to get a feeling of how like, um, it, for example, what I'm talking about is like it now, it, it, um, now it's not the case anymore.
But like years ago you could overstay your visa in Thailand, for example, and it would cost you less than actually getting another visa. And the, the immigration wouldn't care. So you could literally overstay pay a little bit of money, but it would be cheaper than all your other options. So the people that actually know about this, um, which is overstaying and just pay a little bit of money, but for example, in this case, Thailand actually.
Um, cracked down on this 'cause they realize like a lot of people abuse it. So now you actually, you get like a band where you cannot enter the country again. However, there's like, in every Southeast Asian country things like this exist so little bit, but word of mouth asking more like, um, advanced digital noms.
Like they might know some hacks you wouldn't really think are actually, possible. And so, yeah, that's a, that's say also something to, to keep in mind. Always ask your more, more knowledgeable digital
nomad friends. cause they might know a hack.
Lyd: Yeah. They've lived through it. They know, they know how it works. Have you been to South America yet?
Dominik: Not yet. It's, it is like
very big on my list.
Lyd: yeah, because the majority of countries here, you can stay up to three months without a visa, so Sounds right up your street.
Dominik: Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. I, I told myself that I wanna learn a bit Spanish before I
go. Did you
Lyd: highly recommend. When I first arrived in Argentina, I didn't know any Spanish. I didn't do it at school, and I'm like the classic English person who's just rubbish. Um, so when I first arrived in Argentina and I'd just come back from Southeast Asia and like the culture shock was massive, it was completely different.
So that me a few days to get my head round, I realized. I to learn Spanish quick. I had started doing lingo before Argentina, but.
Dominik: Mm-hmm.
Lyd: Barry, it's
Dominik: absolutely. Use less conversations
for day to day.
Lyd: It's great for the vocab, but it more conversational, sort of,
it lacks a bit for me, but it is great. I stayed in a hostel and met loads of people and I realized that a lot of them were doing, So I signed up,
signed up for a Spanish course, and I ended up doing two months, of Spanish lessons in Argentina and they were absolutely brilliant, but I highly recommend if you, if you are looking to come to South America to get some, get some Spanish learning in.
Um, Because lots of people, if you stick to the big fifties, people do speak English, but it's not like, um, Southeast Asia or like Bali for instance, where a lot of people speak English. It's, you've really sort of, yeah, gotta do some learning, um, with the languages over here, which is brilliant as well
Dominik: yeah, I wanna emphasize like, I feel like as a digital nomad, this is something very close to my heart. I feel like as a digital nomad, you're not a tourist, right? So whenever you go to a place, I find it very important that you learn at least like the basics of a language. Because it's such a big difference in terms of showing your, um, respect to the people that are living there.
If you just like, I mean, it can be as simple as learning how to say hello. Thank you. Goodbye. How are you?
Lyd: exactly. Just the basics.
Dominik: four things. Yeah. Makes such a big difference. And like, I, I, Meet like so many digital nomads that live like, like maybe even years in a place and they don't even speak a single word. And I'm like, I just dunno.
Show a bit of
respect for the culture.
Lyd: I agree. I
Dominik: you will also feel, yeah, you will feel the, um, you see I'm passionate about this, but you will, you'll see that like locus are so happy if you just make an effort, even if it's just to say hello. So might as well take
advantage of that.
Lyd: definitely. And it makes you feel a lot more, part of the place that you are in and you feel more embedded into that place as well, which is really nice. I know, I think it's a shame when people don't even bother because they, you, you should, you should wanna get in there and learn and, you know, converse with the locals and all of that.
So, yeah. I completely agree with that as well. So we're coming to the last few questions. Can you have it all? Can you have.
Dominik: I mean, I feel like as a, like if you're an entrepreneur, I think now there is like a difference in, in between like actually being, I. Employed in the digital nomad and, uh, entrepreneur or freelancer and the digital nomad, which I'm the letter. Like I cannot talk for the former. I think that there is not really like, yes, absolutely you can, like you can have it.
'cause I think you, if you are your own boss, quote unquote, you can. Dedicate specific time for doing things that you actually like, really enjoy doing besides obviously working. Um, and like honestly, being a digital nomad and having your own company is like one of the best things I think you can do because, for example, if you travel to different places, Let's say you do some sighting, you can actually do the sighting when it's the least busy time of the day.
Otherwise, a lot of people, they go to sites on like the weekend when there's like huge crowd, a lot of cues, and you're just gonna be miserable and like losing a lot of time while if you're. If you can dedicate your time a little bit more flexible, you're like, you know what, I'm gonna go there on Monday, 8:00 AM nobody's gonna be there and you will have the best time of your life.
So I think you can have it and uh, but then again, obviously I think one thing it's important to stress out is that you will have to find a routine and sometimes it will feel very weird. For me it sometimes feels weird when you're inside a coworking space you have an amazing view of like palm trees, maybe the ocean, but then you sort of realize I'm still stuck in front of my computer and I am not out there in the ocean right now surfing.
'cause I'm actually have to get some work done. That's an important thing also to just embrace, , you will be stuck in a routine, which is normal, but then think about it, if you do a nine to five, somewhere in like rainy London where you are forced to be in a cubicle, it's still better than that.
Right? So
Lyd: Oh, a hundred percent.
Dominik: yeah, I think there's definitely, you can, you can
find a balance.
Lyd: I know, and I think that's sometimes if I'm having like a bit of a tough time with being a digital nomad, I think where would I rather be? Would I rather be back? In London where it's rainy and it's cold and it's dark all the time, and I'm working for somebody else. Or would I rather be in Argentina where I've just done a tango class and now I'm just doing a bit of work, like doing a, and then I'm like, oh yeah, life is good.
Dominik: Yeah, I
totally agree.
Lyd: Yeah, it's remembering those little things, isn't it? amazing. It'd be great to find out more about what you have coming up, what are you currently working on, and where are you gonna be in the next few months?
Dominik: Sure. Um, right now I feel like my most, I dedicate most of my time to the product that was like the most successful already two years ago when I started being in digital that actually allowed me to go travel. I. Which is called Help kit. Help kit. So it's essentially a tool that turns notion pages into a professional help center or documentation site.
So the idea is like, it's a very niche product. People call it like a micro software as a service, I guess. It's making a bit more money than a micro product, I guess now, but like still the idea is that. You can keep all of your documents in like this note-taking c m s color tool called Notion. And then you use your, essentially you use help kit to create a really beautiful professional help center out of it.
Um, that's like the gist. That's what I'm working on the most. Been working on this for two years now. Um, it's going really great. Um, Despite, like besides that, I'm slowly venturing into a lot of like cool new side projects. 'cause I'm realizing like I, I love to build new stuff. Um, I'm working on like multiple side projects sort of all the time, but now I'm finally have a bit more time to like dedicate a bit of my time.
So right now I'm working on, bringing back an, a very old side project I built called film types.com. It's essentially for people that still shoot analog film, like 35 millimeter, all that kind of stuff. Um, essentially it's like a directory of like helping people how to
shoot film. That's like a really passion project. that's a, that's a passion product I'm working on. And, uh, a lot of other things you can find out on Twitter. I don't wanna, I don't wanna go into too much detail and one thing that is close to my heart, I did start like, like vlogging a bit. Right now just on Twitter, I might upload it on YouTube one day.
But the idea is just, I wanna share a bit more of my, like my digital nomad journey on video. 'cause I get obviously much more visual to do that and easier for me to do. And so yeah, I've been doing this trying, I like just share my life a bit more on, in like video form. And, uh, one thing I realized is I'm working on like, there's this, um, really, really cool, um, Austrian born, but I think he used to live in Germany.
Um, designer called Tobias Van Schneider. And he made this really, really amazing book that helps you to move to New York. Um, really great. I, I never, never moved to New York, but I bought the book 'cause I absolutely loved it. And I'm currently thinking about doing the same thing for Bangkok as a starting point.
Um, just as a sort of, um, guide that helps you get into like this routine flow state, like as fast as possible. Um, but it's just a little side project idea I have because so many people ask me like, I go to Bangkok and now like, how do I get like comfortable in like a week? And like that can be really hard.
So yeah, that's on my mind. And other than that, I'm living right now, I'm back in Bali. I used to be in Vietnam now for a bit. Before that in Bangkok, before that, in in Portugal. And now I'm gonna be a bit in, in, in Bali again, seeing my friends. And, uh, it's insane how much new like restaurants and cafes got built in the past six months, um, since I left insane.
It definitely doesn't get boring here.
Lyd: no, no. Well, I might see you there soon. I fly to, Bangkok in November. My brother lives there. So I'm gonna hang out with him for a bit. And then my aim is to get back to Bali. So,
Dominik: Yes. Yes.
Come to Valley.
Lyd: Yeah, it's the best. And then we just have a few quick fire questions, before we wrap up. So, your favorite country you visited.
Dominik: Japan.
Lyd: Yeah. Favorite dish you've eaten.
Dominik: It's Indonesian dish.
Lyd: ooh, I'm gonna have to try that. Where's the weirdest place you've worked from?
Dominik: Like a construction site in a rural Bali where I thought it's like amazing to work outdoors, but it got so hot that I. Like I couldn't, but yeah, it was like beautiful view with rice fields, like really, really digital nomad like, but it just got so hot and I realized like digital nomads usually don't work
like outdoors.
Lyd: No. Yeah, there's a reason for that. They go outside, get the picture, and then go back in.
Dominik: Yes, exactly. Probably. My dating life right now.
Lyd: Mm, need to get on the apps.
Dominik: Yeah. Well,
Lyd: the, the one thing that you miss, uh, from back home, normal life, uh, when being a digital nomad.
Dominik: um, I feel like, I mean, that sounds maybe weird, but it's like this, This hooker feeling, you know, like this feeling that you have when it's very cold outside, you're at home. Um, the term obviously originally is from like Northern Europe, but like even in Austria at like when it's like January it's really cold, you're indoors, you have like, everything.
It's like really, really cozy. Um, I do miss that like, 'cause I, I, I absolutely usually hate the code, so I try to stay away as best as I can. But as, as weird as it sounds, but sometimes now I'm actually missing this feeling. Now I'm just like, every day is sunny or sometimes rainy, but like I miss like this feeling.
So yeah, that's
definitely something.
Lyd: I get what you mean. Like last year when I was, yeah, in Asia, obviously it's always warm, but then you can crank up the AC so then you get freezing, but you don't really need jumpers or anything like that. And I really missed having a jumper. Missing the fact where you can layer up and get cozy. You don't really have that over there.
So yeah, I get, I completely get that feeling. Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Dominik, for coming on. It was great to find out more about you, what you have going on, and just hear about your sort of insights and your tips and everything like that. I'll include all your links in the episode show notes.
Thank you to everybody for listening, and we'll see you again very soon.