Digital Nomading/Remote working

charlieharper said:
I spent most of 2018 & 2019 in Asia.

Then Covid hit.

Then mid last year started travelling again:

Here's my travel history from my Nomad List Profile.

2023
za.png
ZA
164d
my.png
MY
96d
th.png
TH
75d
uk.png
UK
14d
kr.png
KR
14d
sg.png
SG
7d
2022
za.png
ZA
276d
th.png
TH
74d
ge.png
GE
16d
my.png
MY
4d
Click to expand...

You basically stay in SE Asia as a nomad where it is max 30 days apart from Malaysia that is max 90 days. You see not horse trash in practise like you claim.

Is it correct to say the 75 days in Thailand you basically can't do consecutively but have to do other countries in between?
 
skimread said:
Is it correct to say the 75 days in Thailand you basically can't do consecutively but have to do other countries in between?
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Correct yes.
But for Thailand, can drop my immigration and for +- R1000 extend it for another 30 days which gives you a total of 60 days before you got to get out.
This applies to most nationalities, not just SA.
 
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charlieharper said:
Correct yes.
But for Thailand, can drop my immigration and for +- R1000 extend it for another 30 days which gives you a total of 60 days before you got to get out.
This applies to most nationalities, not just SA.
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That is once. Don't think they will allow that again if you border hop a day and come back. Immigration can see if you abuse the system and border guards can deny you entry. There is a reason why if you enter countries they want to see a return ticket as otherwise it is risky for them. Sure some border officials might not look but it is always a risk you take.
 
skimread said:
That is once. Don't think they will allow that again if you border hop a day and come back. Immigration can see if you abuse the system and border guards can deny you entry.
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That goes without saying. Even though I spent almost almost 5 months in total in Thailand over the past 12 months, I generally leave gaps of months in between visits. It's the safer thing to do and something to be even more mindful of considering it's an SA passport and you want to stay clean in case you want to apply for a US or UK visa in the future.
I'm super paranoid about visa-runs so I don't come and go too often. Some do and they are mostly fine. Others organise "Fast Track Entry" for like $200 to be "guaranteed" entry. I don't do that either.

I applied for a UK visa whilst in Kuala Lumpur in February and it one of the questions was literally, "Have you ever been denied entry (into any country) and if yes for what reason?".
 
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charlieharper said:
All that being said, if you wanna be a "true" nomad - which I'm not - you can still do so on an SA passport with relative ease.
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To be safe you need a support network and a bank account in your new country. If you lose your wallet or it gets stolen without a bank account in a country in the region you are pretty screwed
 
skimread said:
To be safe you need a support network and a bank account in your new country. If you lose your wallet or it gets stolen without a bank account in a country in the region you are pretty screwed
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That is what Wize bank account is there for.
I have an actual Wize card.
 
pinball wizard said:
Well, read before you attack. I think nimrod, as in the son of a motherfucker, is an acceptable retort to asswipe, which should be spelled arsewipe.
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You have no common sense?
You really think I was going to claim 80k USD salary per month?
It really was just a mistake.
 
MaisonP said:
That is what Wize bank account is there for.
I have an actual Wize card.
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How did you manage to get a Wize card. I have an Wize account but last time I checked for South Africans they don't send cards. Only certain nationalities qualify.
 
skimread said:
How did you manage to get a Wize card. I have an Wize account but last time I checked for South Africans they don't send cards. Only certain nationalities qualify.
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Remember I am based in bangkok so I selected Bangkok and they delivered my card to my Bangkok address.
 
MaisonP said:
Remember I am based in bangkok so I selected Bangkok and they delivered my card to my Bangkok address.
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Do you rent or own property? The problem with being a nomad is you don't have a fixed address and stay short term in locations.
 
skimread said:
Do you rent or own property? The problem with being a nomad is you don't have a fixed address and stay short term in locations.
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Yes I rent and have a rental contract.
But getting a bank account with Bangkok bank is very easy.
 
skimread said:
I am curious. How much is your untilities bill per month considering how humid it is there.
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I live in Park Origin Phrom Phong, it’s a 2 bedroom apartment and I run the aircon 24 hours a day 24/7, 365 and my utilities is about 4000 baht a month.
This includes my Wi-Fi, Gym at condo, pool, sauna, etc etc.
I can’t complain.
 
skimread said:
To be safe you need a support network and a bank account in your new country. If you lose your wallet or it gets stolen without a bank account in a country in the region you are pretty screwed
Click to expand...
Yea but you can minimise that risk but having backups.
I use Apple Pay and cash where I can.

Multiple bank accounts, I have three accounts with activate cards, one of them offshore that ships cards anywhere in the world. Good Luck getting a South African bank to send you a card.

My bank cards stay in the safe box wherever I'm staying.

All that being said, I think a tourist going for 2 weeks to Amsterdam or London will be equally screwed should they lose bank cards.
 
MaisonP said:
I live in Park Origin Phrom Phong, it’s a 2 bedroom apartment and I run the aircon 24 hours a day 24/7, 365 and my utilities is about 4000 baht a month.
This includes my Wi-Fi, Gym at condo, pool, sauna, etc etc.
I can’t complain.
Click to expand...
Wow small world, I stayed there for a few nights at a friend's place earlier this year en-route to the UK. That rooftop pool is beautiful.
 
charlieharper said:
Yea but you can minimise that risk but having backups.
I use Apple Pay and cash where I can.

Multiple bank accounts, I have three accounts with activate cards, one of them offshore that ships cards anywhere in the world. Good Luck getting a South African bank to send you a card.

My bank cards stay in the safe box wherever I'm staying.

All that being said, I think a tourist going for 2 weeks to Amsterdam or London will be equally screwed should they lose bank cards.
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As you say, cash is king in Asia. I will only swipe for large transactions. I don’t carry my cards with me everyware I go, but I always have loads of cash.
Lol still feels like Monopoly money that takes long to spend.
 
MaisonP said:
As you say, cash is king in Asia. I will only swipe for large transactions. I don’t carry my cards with me everyware I go, but I always have loads of cash.
Lol still feels like Monopoly money that takes long to spend.
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Yes indeed. I generally withdraw like 20-30k baht cash at a time to make it worth while.
That 220baht ATM fee on International Cards are a pain in the ass.
 
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