[HN Gopher] My 3-year experiment as a digital nomad
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       My 3-year experiment as a digital nomad
        
       Author : justswim
       Score  : 85 points
       Date   : 2024-01-03 20:31 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.kapwing.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.kapwing.com)
        
       | Ciotti wrote:
       | This is pretty cool. I enjoy my routine so I could probably only
       | enjoy this for a smaller stretch of time, but I'd like to try
       | someday.
        
       | lp4vn wrote:
       | It sounds pretty nice but also exhausting to be honest, I don't
       | think a lot of people would be able to have that lifestyle.
        
         | Throw839 wrote:
         | It is very easy lifestyke, just use a van with proper
         | equipment, not freaking tesla.
        
         | davio wrote:
         | My wife and I worked 150 days in an RV last year and both agree
         | it's easier to be on the road than at home. The small space
         | living forces both minimalism and being outside.
        
           | wesleytodd wrote:
           | Of the past three years we have spent about half of it (full
           | time for the first year and a min of 4 months each year
           | since) traveling with our daughter in a 40ft fifth wheel. The
           | small space has been even more impactful with a small child,
           | it was GREAT! Between waking up and being able to walk her
           | out to the beach, or when it is rainy not having a mess of
           | toys all over a house, lots of things balance out the effort
           | invested in the traveling portion. Especially when you get a
           | rhythm with it like we did while we were full timing.
        
         | hot_gril wrote:
         | I used to travel a lot while working, and yes it sucked unless
         | I was not really paying attention to my work. What I'd rather
         | do is stay in some other place for 1-3 months at a time, which
         | is what actual nomads did.
        
           | ghaff wrote:
           | When I traveled a lot for work I was mostly doing some small
           | percentage of my immediate day job that needed to be done. I
           | certainly didn't try to do what I'd have been doing were I in
           | the office all day.
        
       | mrb wrote:
       | " _With the extra weight, a charge will only last about 60 miles,
       | rather than the standard ~300 it normally gets_ "
       | 
       | A 5-fold difference?! Towing a trailer makes the Tesla use 5
       | times more energy per mile!? This can't be right... Author must
       | have a trailer loaded with a literal ton of cargo.
       | 
       | Edit: a Tesla Model Y is 4200 lb. The trailer is about 3000 lb
       | empty (thanks LukeShu), say worst case 4200 lb loaded with cargo,
       | so at most the weight difference can account for a doubling of
       | the energy per mile. It seems hard to believe drag alone can
       | account for another 2.5x increase in energy per mile, which is
       | why I think there must be even more cargo. If not, I guess for me
       | this highlights how good the aerodynamic design of the Model Y
       | must be. This also means the author could get a significant range
       | increase simply by choosing a better trailer with a lower drag
       | coefficient. Or my preference would actually be getting a vehicle
       | designed for that lifestyle in the first place, an actual camper
       | van. One could even use the comfortable driver seat as the office
       | chair, instead of transporting an actual office chair. Swivel it
       | toward your desk behind it and, bam!, instant office desk:
       | https://www.thewaywardhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sw...
        
         | asynchronous wrote:
         | As a Tesla owner this makes sense. The cars are highly
         | optimized to stock configuration. Doing any sort of extra load
         | or mods quickly diminishes range.
        
         | jdminhbg wrote:
         | > I have a kitchen, a full bathroom with a shower, two beds,
         | and even a whole office space inside the trailer.
         | 
         | With all that plus the extra drag, I'm not too surprised.
        
         | LukeShu wrote:
         | The trailer itself is about 3000 lb. (2023 version of that
         | trailer: https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/ozark/1530VBK/6564 IDK
         | what model year OP's is). Plus lotsa added drag.
        
         | Throw839 wrote:
         | A literal ton of cargo in a trailer is nothing extraordinary.
         | Did you ever lived on a farm?
        
           | whalesalad wrote:
           | ya but not when your tow rig is an EV SUV
           | 
           | a heavy duty diesel tow pig usually has an auxiliary fuel
           | tank in the bed and can do 1000+ miles in one go.
        
         | xp84 wrote:
         | Also:
         | 
         | > _Recently, I was hopping back and forth between Grand
         | Junction, CO and Moab, UT--a distance of 113 miles. I had to go
         | about halfway, stop, unhitch the trailer, then go back and
         | charge the Tesla up again before finishing the trip. It makes
         | travel days very slow._
         | 
         | I'm sorry. I could never be that committed to the ideology of
         | EVs to do something that preposterous even once. The second I
         | realized that was what would be needed, either the trailer idea
         | would have to go, or the Tesla's being traded in for like, a
         | Ford Ranger.
        
           | readthenotes1 wrote:
           | Well, he could get a Ford ev truck and make that commute in
           | the spring and fall
           | 
           | https://youtu.be/76l6lJhrgbc?feature=shared
        
           | petsfed wrote:
           | That sticks out to me too. You're already _very_ constrained
           | about where you can go because you need charging stations.
           | But to then shrink that  "only routes with chargers at least
           | every 50 miles" wipes out huge portions of the US, or you
           | have to resort to stupid hacks like the above.
           | 
           | And honestly, I'd be very wary about dropping my trailer in
           | like Cisco or wherever. Its not quite the San Rafael Swell,
           | but the Colorado Plateau is rather famously deserted. If my
           | entire life was in that trailer, I'd really hesitate to drop
           | it in a place that has signs that say "next services, 70
           | miles".
           | 
           | At what point do you accept that your EV ethos is
           | incompatible with the rest of the lifestyle you want to lead?
           | Either the lifestyle needs to change or the ethos does.
        
             | fragmede wrote:
             | Or we applaud the author for his commitment to the ethos.
             | Lesser men would give up and get an ICE, so the author's
             | dedication to EVs is commendable.
        
               | ace2358 wrote:
               | Let's not, maybe. This person is cramming a 4d tesseract
               | into a 2D circle hole. There is very little to praise
               | about this ethos, it's simply more consumerism, not
               | environmentalism.
        
               | haliskerbas wrote:
               | Heaven forbid individuals use the right tool for the
               | right job.
               | 
               | Meanwhile we fund governments and corporations to be
               | careless about any ethos except profits.
        
               | hot_gril wrote:
               | Lesser men would stay in a normal house and not use
               | energy to move it constantly.
        
             | autoexecbat wrote:
             | Perhaps they could also put a gas/diesel generator on the
             | trailer, and use that to charge the car when not driving
        
           | thomastjeffery wrote:
           | The route from Grand Junction to Moab is an infamous decline.
           | It's pretty trivial to believe the greatest inefficiency is
           | drag. The second worst would be traffic.
           | 
           | I'm definitely surprised that they wouldn't recoup most of
           | the energy loss through regenerative braking, though.
        
         | mmcclure wrote:
         | We got a very small, teardrop trailer as a gift from a relative
         | a couple of years ago. It's awesome, but I was absolutely
         | floored at how badly towing it killed our mileage in a Y. We
         | went short distances so I wasn't too scientific about it, but
         | I'd wager it cut our range in at _least_ half.
         | 
         | Our friend borrowed it to take a small Uhaul trailer to pick
         | something up from family and had a similar experience. At one
         | point he called us asking, cryptically, "how low was safe to
         | plan to get to a charging station." Turns out he was on a
         | longer stretch between chargers that he'd handled fine on the
         | way out, but, like the author, ended up having to leave the
         | Uhaul and come back for it on the way back.
        
         | tacker2000 wrote:
         | Yes this is true. I once saw a TV show where they tested the VW
         | ID (SUV type) with a normal caravan/trailer and they had over
         | 50% less mileage.
        
           | lini wrote:
           | Perhaps this YT video[1]? Range goes from 231 miles @ 60mph
           | (best case) down to 100 miles @ 60mph when towing a small
           | caravan.
           | 
           | [1]: https://youtu.be/mmQJUW-VyRY?t=1162
        
         | quartz wrote:
         | Re: drag having such a large impact-- the aero wheels alone
         | account for a 3% range improvement [1]. Everything about a
         | tesla optimizes range, so it's probably extra-impacted by
         | anything that doesn't (like a big trailer).
         | 
         | I also wonder if the regenerative braking is less efficient /
         | engages less often when dealing with larger weight.
         | 
         | [1] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30169467/tesla-
         | model-3s-a...
        
         | Damogran6 wrote:
         | Towing really is an EV use-case that is no where near ready for
         | primetime. There's several Youtube channels that have spent
         | time playing with it (JerryRigEverything, BigTruckBigRV), but
         | it really is early days.
         | 
         | We have a 1 ton dually that pulls a 5th wheel when we camp.
         | Yes, we're at the far end of the camping spectrum, but it's
         | what we've evolved to over time, and it's finlly a safe
         | combindation. There is nothing that approaches a diesel pickup
         | for it's ability to haul cross country with relatively rapid
         | refuelling, and many Campers go through an iterative process
         | where their Tow vehicle isn't adequate to the trailer they were
         | sold, they upgrade the two vehicle, then outgrow the
         | trailer...rinse-repeat.
         | 
         | It's been said plenty of times before, but gas and diesel's
         | biggest problem is that they're just so energy dense and easy
         | to transfer.
        
           | blacksmith_tb wrote:
           | Biggest problem in the sense of making them oh-so-hard-to-
           | resist? Otherwise I would have thought their biggest problem
           | is emissions (CO2, and particulates for diesels...)
        
         | treprinum wrote:
         | Aerodynamics at play? Tesla is fairly good but any trailer is
         | really bad which could lead to a much lower efficiency than
         | anticipated? Also brakes might be half deployed on older
         | trailers with bad tire geometry etc.
        
         | cameldrv wrote:
         | Most of the energy from driving at highway speeds is coming
         | from aerodynamic drag, and as you say, the Teslas are highly
         | optimized, and the average camper trailer is not really at all.
         | With a gas vehicle this isn't too big of a deal because you
         | only use the camper a couple of times a year, and there are gas
         | stations everywhere, and it only takes a few minutes to fill
         | up.
         | 
         | This suggests to me that there's an emerging business in camper
         | trailers designed for EVs. Make aerodynamics a priority (which
         | also does increase costs and potentially make the living space
         | a less useful shape). There are also trailers starting to
         | emerge that have batteries in them. I've seen some where you
         | can charge the car from the trailer's battery (not sure if they
         | work while the car is moving though), and there are even a
         | couple where the trailers wheels are driven, but I'm not sure
         | how much of that you can really do and keep the vehicle stable.
        
         | hot_gril wrote:
         | I have no experience with EVs, but one other thing to check
         | would be the gearing on the Model Y. I know electric motors'
         | torque curves are forgiving enough not to need more than 1-2
         | gears, but maybe that changes with a heavy load uphill.
        
         | SkyPuncher wrote:
         | Frontal Area is an absolutely massive factor.
         | 
         | We have a 6x12 trailer that we've done a minimal RV conversion
         | on. It rings in at 1300lbs empty. Maybe 1500 loaded. However,
         | it's 6.5 feet tall.
         | 
         | Towing that cuts our SUVs fuel economy from 25 mpg to 10 mpg at
         | highway speeds. In the winter, we've had it drop as low as 6
         | mpg.
        
         | JoshGG wrote:
         | Some thoughts:
         | 
         | - aerodynamics make a huge difference. Even in a light trailer.
         | Especially if it has a significant frontal area. That's for
         | sure.
         | 
         | - towing a trailer may reduce energy recovery from regenerative
         | braking.
         | 
         | - when towing, power requirements on the motors and batteries
         | may move them away from optimal efficiency and design points
         | (that's a guess).
         | 
         | - the model Y is probably not significantly more aerodynamic
         | than comparable sized car models. But it's a lot more
         | aerodynamic than a trailer.
        
       | tayo42 wrote:
       | Still car limited. I like doing work-cations but I have a similar
       | issue with the working space. A real chair, external monitor, key
       | board is really essential for work more than a week. Flying
       | anywhere with that is unrealistic.
       | 
       | Ive never seen an airbnb or vrbo listing with office equipment in
       | it. Would be cool and useful. It would probably get robbed
       | though. My wife and I usually go through tons of listing photos
       | looking for an somewhat adequate working space.
       | 
       | Im curious how other software people do it.
        
         | bethekind wrote:
         | Wouldn't this be the ideal solution for we-work? Digital Nomads
         | come and go as you please office solutions? (We-work doesn't
         | have beds and the like tho)
         | 
         | I know that most hotels have a survivable desk and chair, but
         | that probably isn't an optimal solution.
         | 
         | What would an idea solution look like? Airbnb but with a gaming
         | setup room?
        
           | xp84 wrote:
           | WeWork is great and would be far more economical than paying
           | day-pass rates _assuming (big assumption)_ you are okay with
           | working in major metro areas only. For instance there is 1
           | location in Sacramento and nothing else in Norcal outside the
           | _immediate_ Bay Area. For me I kind of like cities, but I
           | suspect the author of this piece would feel pretty hemmed in
           | by that footprint since he seems to like to actually be in
           | nature daily (which is cool!).
           | 
           | I haven't tried to do any coworking in smaller cities or
           | towns, but I guess maybe there are indie coworking spaces in
           | places like say, Santa Rosa or Auburn.
           | 
           | TBH if I was designing a nomad project for myself (and
           | wanting a significant nature/non-urban aspect to it) I think
           | i'd do a literal van and have a real desk and chair in it. 5G
           | internet isn't the greatest but I think it'd be easy enough,
           | armed with a van, to seek out places within the area I want
           | to visit with a good enough signal to make it workable.
           | 
           | (Obviously add rooftop solar panels and a Jackery or whatever
           | to satisfy power needs all day.)
        
             | fragmede wrote:
             | With Starlink it's workable.
        
             | wesleytodd wrote:
             | I full time'd for nearly a year with just three cell
             | devices and the Open Signal app. The only time I had issues
             | was when we watched some shows and used our bandwidth "cap"
             | on our unlimited plan and it throttled me the next morning.
             | I picked up the third device (an att mifi type thing) after
             | that and haven't had a problem since. The only restriction
             | was that we check cell coverage where we were planning to
             | stay before booking if I was going to be working and
             | without easy access to a coffee shop or RV park WIFI.
        
           | zztop44 wrote:
           | Most coworking spaces or serviced offices don't have external
           | monitors included, unfortunately. And of course, you're then
           | limited to cities and have to commute.
           | 
           | Airbnb but with a gaming room (or two?) and fast internet
           | sounds ideal for my needs.
        
         | zztop44 wrote:
         | I have the exact same problem. I've tried carrying portable
         | monitors and VESA mounts but it not the same. And it doesn't
         | solve the desk and chair problem. That's the main thing
         | stopping me and my wife spending half the year remote.
         | 
         | The two options I've thought of are (1) buying a couple of
         | houses in different parts of the world (maybe with
         | friends/family who want to do the same thing) (2) start a
         | specialist Airbnb-style marketplace for working-focused holiday
         | homes where desks, external monitors, chairs, cables, wifi
         | speed, etc are listed in detail.
        
           | jauntywundrkind wrote:
           | I use a x86 tablet or two and a gooseneck arm (Tryone brand
           | has been reliable) for cafe coding. 2880x1800 12" screen, but
           | I can position it perfectly floating above my keyboard
           | (Lenovo Trackpoint BT keyboard).
           | 
           | I don't find the coffee shop tables to be problematic
           | (although the gooseneck will shake some if the table doesn't
           | sit well) but yeah nicer chairs would be nice, for sure.
           | There's a lot of nice venues around me with picnic table
           | style benches, and folks doing work but usually fairly
           | hunched over: I strap a Crazy Creek camping to my pack so I
           | can lean back/have back support, and that makes a
           | surprisingly decent all-day setup of it. I'd love to see a
           | high tech version but just adjusting the chords giving you
           | adjustable lean-back is surprisingly flexible.
           | 
           | Not a huge fan of keyboard typing on the lap but parks with a
           | Moonlite collapsible chair can be fine. I'll lay my bike on
           | it's side & clamp the gooseneck to that.
           | 
           | I could probably go a couple weeks with these setups, but
           | yeah, the chair situation seems the hardest to deal with to
           | me. Portable monitors seem to have gotten a lot better
           | (thanks INNOCN &al) but mounting them still seems super
           | shaky; I wish these gooseneck arms and these panels would
           | work better together!
           | 
           | I really _really_ like the idea of the flying desk the author
           | tried out here. A good chair, a sunshade, and some kind of
           | adjustable desk would be great. An old house of mine had a
           | great umbrella and I used to love computing or gaming under
           | it while it was raining. The author complained about
           | brightness, and that seems like a very real issue, but with
           | mini-led 's we are seeing even consumer gear capable at 1500
           | nits and more. Cinema monitors are pricey and usually only
           | 1080p and 19 or 24 inches, but are built for outdoors, over
           | 2000 but. Commercial signage is often $6k+ but how awesome
           | would a 75" 3000 nit 4k display (Philips 75BDL3003H) on the
           | back of your cae with a floating desk be?
        
         | soupfordummies wrote:
         | small external kb/mouse and then hdmi it to the TV? IDK, just a
         | thought. I'm mostly content to just use the laptop as is
         | though.
        
         | gsa wrote:
         | Airbnb has a "dedicated workspace" filter which is actually
         | worse than not having the feature. Most of the listings I have
         | come across are properties that have nothing more than a dining
         | table, often a round one and paired with really awful chairs.
         | Airbnb could _make_ it work properly, but it doesn't seem to be
         | their focus.
        
         | ghaff wrote:
         | I'm not sure how realistic a "real" office space is in the
         | general case. A digital nomad feels much more like a laptop
         | wherever you are. That's certainly been my situation when I've
         | taken multi-week business trips.
         | 
         | That seems like part of the trade off. I don't expect my home
         | office wherever I am in the world.
        
         | hot_gril wrote:
         | I use a 16" MBP without peripherals even though I'm often at
         | home. Basic wooden chair or whatever the common spaces in the
         | office have (which I'm not required to go to). Software doesn't
         | really take multiple displays, it's a distraction if anything,
         | but you do need a good laptop.
         | 
         | I've also traveled while working for some time, it wasn't
         | great.
        
       | rgmerk wrote:
       | As much as I can't stand full-size pickups, a Chevy Silverado EV
       | has the towing range to make towing the trailer a lot more
       | practical.
       | 
       | One potentially interesting option that the author hasn't tried
       | is a yacht. Anybody seen any accounts of a cruising digital
       | nomad?
        
         | mcrwfrd wrote:
         | Hundred Rabbits[0] have been an inspiration for me for a while.
         | They work from their sailboat!
         | 
         | [0] https://100r.co/site/off_the_grid.html
        
         | aiiane wrote:
         | You might be interested in Hundred Rabbits (https://100r.co/).
        
         | atrus wrote:
         | 100 Rabbits are fairly well known, and they use a boat to sail
         | around the pacific.
         | 
         | https://100r.co/site/home.html
        
         | wffurr wrote:
         | Microship is the OG digital nomad and switched from bicycles to
         | boats at some point: https://microship.com/
         | 
         | Sarah Steenland the Cruising Cartoonist has been working a
         | digital artist job and raising a family on sailboats for years
         | in the South Pacific: https://www.sarahsteenland.com/
        
         | jiveturkey42 wrote:
         | So much wasted energy from the source of generation to the EV
         | motor.. Diesel engines are optimized for towing
        
           | wesleytodd wrote:
           | We full time'd for a while towing a 40ft trailer with a
           | diesel f250. While it is obviously not "efficient" relative
           | to smaller rigs, it is way more efficient than living in a
           | house and commuting daily even with an EV. This is one of
           | those things I don't think people realize about "low carbon
           | impact living" (or whatever you would want to call it), you
           | likely get 80% there just by not heading/cooling a 2k sqft
           | house all the time.
        
           | rgmerk wrote:
           | There really isn't.
           | 
           | US grid losses are about 5% [1] and charging loses another
           | 10-15%, and the motors are at least 90% efficient.
           | 
           | Meanwhile, automotive diesel engines lose 60% straight out
           | the exhaust pipe, and that's not counting the energy required
           | to refine and transport the diesel.
           | 
           | [1] https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=105
        
       | shrubble wrote:
       | I tried it with both a van and a trailer but ultimately I found I
       | wanted 'too much stuff' around me to make it practical, like
       | retrocomputing stuff.
       | 
       | If I was younger and truly had less stuff, no reason it wouldn't
       | work.
        
         | devoutsalsa wrote:
         | I spent 4 years traveling as a digital nomad where literally
         | everything I owned fit into a carryon suitcase and a backpack.
         | You'd be surprised what you can get rid of.
        
           | ghaff wrote:
           | In general if you're traveling, you're not bringing much in
           | the way of non-essential physical gear like retro computing
           | equipment. Maybe it's more than a couple of bags especially
           | if you're camping but you're probably not carrying a home lab
           | with you unless you have a trailer dedicated to that purpose.
        
       | cwiggs wrote:
       | Very cool stuff. This type of life is why I originally got into
       | tech. Few thoughts:
       | 
       | - I wish this guy had a personal blog that I could subscribe to.
       | I like that post, but I could care less about the rest of the
       | blog posts on his employers site.
       | 
       | - I'd be interested in why he has stuck with a Model Y, seems to
       | not be a good fit. I'd love to see him switch to something better
       | (probably an ICE even though I know tech people love EVs).
       | 
       | All in all kudos to this guy for all the work he has put in to
       | make this life work, love the iterative approach.
        
         | davio wrote:
         | That hitch mounted floating office is hilarious. I'm in the RV-
         | based remote work universe and I've never seen anything like
         | that.
        
       | Aperocky wrote:
       | Even the good old steppe nomads did not uproot their yurts all
       | the time, usually just a few times per year or at the far end a
       | dozen times a year.
       | 
       | This is rather more like full time traveling setups.
        
       | 627467 wrote:
       | Was he really sleeping in a model Y over multiple days?
        
       | dollyworld wrote:
       | really cool photos of AK and CO. surprised OP didn't get more use
       | out of the Tesla display
        
       | Animats wrote:
       | Kapwing. Hm. Bing search for "Kapwing layoff" returns this, from
       | Glassdoor:
       | 
       | "Kapwing Reviews: What Is It Like to Work At Kapwing?
       | 
       | Oct 18, 2023 * I joined a company in August, but soon after, they
       | started big layoffs. My team was scattered, and my boss, who was
       | supposed to find me a project, didn't. Four ...
       | 
       | But the link from Bing doesn't lead to that review. It shows only
       | three reviews, two of which are from the CEO (!).
        
         | callalex wrote:
         | Glassdoor is in the same category as Yelp: less than useless
         | because of all the lying.
        
         | puttycat wrote:
         | Is there a reason you insist on Bing? (asking honestly)
        
       | lifeisstillgood wrote:
       | The issues of finding shower and basic amenities in / near work
       | spaces is, I think, a growing issue for commuters as well as
       | nomads - basically most of us will be doing some form of mixed
       | remote / office work. And trying real hard to give up petrol
       | cars. Just being able to cycle / run some of the way, train or
       | otherwise some of the way is a real freeing option
        
       | karaterobot wrote:
       | Feels like the Tesla is the weird part of this. I suppose that
       | having an electric vehicle was important for philosophical
       | reasons, or he just thought they were cool, but they aren't the
       | most practical choice. Today, there would be a few more options
       | for a vehicle you'd want to live out of even with the restriction
       | that it had to be all-electric. The E-Transit, or even the F-150
       | Lightning come to mind, but I bet there are even better ones.
        
         | flashback2199 wrote:
         | F-150 Lightning is no better for pulling a trailer.
        
           | karaterobot wrote:
           | Seems like it's almost twice as good, given the weight
           | estimates I see in this thread (~115 vs. ~60 miles)
           | 
           | https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-f150-lightning-
           | elect...
           | 
           | But I was really talking about the car camping phase of his
           | experiment--the part where he's living out of his car, not
           | the towing part. I didn't make that clear enough in my
           | comment.
        
             | flashback2199 wrote:
             | Ratio. I'm pretty sure I've seen it has a roughly equally
             | large decrease in range as a percentage.
        
         | paxys wrote:
         | Agreed. It's weird to live this way with a Tesla and a storage
         | trailer and then having to find charging spots and shower at
         | gyms. There are plenty of vehicles that are specifically built
         | for this lifestyle.
        
       | adam_arthur wrote:
       | OP should try a "truck camper"... basically a living quarters
       | that sits in the bed of a pickup truck rather than towed. Seems
       | like it would be a lot more functional than his current approach.
       | 
       | Though I found the article and evolving process very interesting!
        
         | fragmede wrote:
         | Now that the Cybertruck is out, maybe!
        
           | callalex wrote:
           | The bed in the cyber truck is not big enough for one of
           | those.
        
       | atleastoptimal wrote:
       | I admire digital nomads who stay in higher income countries over
       | ones who move to the lowest COL country they can find to live
       | like artificial kings. There's a certain sociopathy to white
       | dudes who move to Thailand so they can enjoy the disproportionate
       | sway of their 160k remote job + sexual privilege.
        
         | ozr wrote:
         | That's reading a lot into nomads that go to low COL countries.
         | There are plenty of reasons to do it beyond an artificial crown
         | and 'sexual privilege'.
         | 
         | You're able to take jobs that you may enjoy more for less pay.
         | You can keep your personal burn rate lower while you're working
         | on a startup. You might even just like seeing different parts
         | of the world.
        
         | robocat wrote:
         | There's a certain sociopathy in your assumptions. Making
         | stereotypical assumptions based on someone's skin colour and
         | even worse is your condescending "poor native" take.
        
       | aaronrobinson wrote:
       | I don't understand why he didn't invest in a van equipped with
       | shower, kitchenette, bed and working area. What a restriction the
       | EV was.
        
       | dcdc123 wrote:
       | Spent three years as an AirBnB nomad with my wife. We are back in
       | our house between tenants getting ready to start out as van life
       | nomads. We've also spent months at a time overseas and will again
       | but don't want to do that full time. This article has very little
       | depth but it does give a decent high level view.
        
       | gwbas1c wrote:
       | Seems like a small RV that can tow the Tesla would make a lot
       | more sense.
        
       | paxys wrote:
       | It's refreshing to see a "digital nomad" experience that isn't
       | just moving to a cheaper fully urban area in Mexico/South
       | America.
        
       | belter wrote:
       | I am highly skeptical of this story, even if am all for the
       | principles behind the lifestyle. Issues I did not see mentioned
       | that make me skeptical.
       | 
       | Lack of Permanent Address: Difficulty in receiving mail, opening
       | bank accounts, or completing certain official documents.Lack of
       | permanent address and the legal issues that come with it. If do
       | have a permanent address then you are not a digital nomad just
       | somebody who travels a lot
       | 
       | Sleeping in a Vehicle in Cold Temperatures: Risk of hypothermia,
       | vehicle battery drain, and legal issues in areas where it's
       | prohibited.( Most of them) Sleeping in a common transport vehicle
       | (Tesla or not Tesla) under negative temperatures sounds
       | challenging.
       | 
       | Mechanical or Electrical Issues: I have heard of Tesla owners in
       | Europe at least having to wait for weeks for repairs due to lack
       | of spare parts. Due to increasd stress on the vehicle any minor
       | problem will send you out of your "home".
       | 
       | Inconsistent Internet Access: Reliability and speed issues will
       | cause work productivity and communication impact. It is already
       | challenging when travelling between business hotels.
       | 
       | Healthcare Access: Navigating healthcare provider support across
       | large distant locations.
       | 
       | Legal Issues with Remote Work: Withing the US some specific laws
       | regarding remote work for non-residents in a certain state can
       | impact your tax liabilities. Heck New York can even create tax
       | liabilities for you even if do not live or work in the USA...
       | 
       | Security and Privacy: Out in the wild outside of camping parks? I
       | see untold risks.
       | 
       | Maintaining Work-Life Balance: Blurring lines between work and
       | personal time, I would look like a load instead of a relief...
       | 
       | Equipment Safety and Maintenance: Risk of damage or theft to
       | essential gadgets like laptops and cameras.
       | 
       | Accommodation Issues: Unreliable bookings, substandard living
       | conditions, or scams.
       | 
       | Travel Burnout: Constant moving looks like physically and
       | mentally exhausting.
       | 
       | Insurance Coverage: Ensuring adequate insurance for health,
       | travel, and equipment.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2024-01-03 23:02 UTC)