Let me preface this right off the bat: I love my country. I love the ideals it was founded on. I love the way the American people doggedly march forward to perfect those ideals and dismantle where we’ve gotten it wrong. I love how the American people will not be beat. I love that we’re loud. I love that, when something threatens our home, we come together like brothers and sisters.
The US has a lot of faults, I won’t deny that. But our faults are not faults that do not exist elsewhere. Everywhere in the world you will find racism, patriarchy, misogyny, violence and every other brand of hate you can manufacture. What you won’t find are our ideals and spirit. And where you do find them, you will usually find they started with us.
That said, I believe our country has been hijacked. It has become so corrupt that our government (left and right) no longer represents those ideals and it no longer represents the American people. The media, as a right hand of that corrupt government, have sown division so great that many Americans no longer feel safe at home. And it has pinned the American people down with inflation, a corrupt healthcare system, heavy taxation and every other way that they have burdened the working class to the point of breaking.
We are breaking. And I know of no other way to beat the system right now than to take advantage of this moment in time and escape from it.
You can use parts of it to your advantage and escape from the parts that don’t serve you. Here’s how I would do it again, if I had to:
1.) Find your skill. Most people have something they are really good at. Or some area they have a lot of experience in. This is your ticket. Whether it’s having run a bakery or working in HR for 10 years, you can take that skill and find a way to turn it into remote income. This is key. Yes, you could find work in another country but it will serve you more to keep a US income. On average we make more money. If you’re smart, you can use our tax system to your advantage a pay less. (Consult an expert.)
2.) If you really don’t have a skill, learn one. I do two things: Medical Billing and teaching people how to do medical billing. You can copy my model by either applying your skill and turning into remote income (medical billing) or teaching people how to do the skill that you have (teaching people how to do medical billing).
3.) While you’re figuring out income, start researching digital nomad life. Join FB groups, follow digital nomad creators on TikTok, etc. I promise you, it’s not as hard or as expensive as you think it is. Factually, it’s cheaper than living in the US.
All that debt you think you need to pay before you go, most likely, can be paid down faster abroad. Let me give you some quick examples of rent amounts I have paid in other countries:
Mexico: $400/mo
Albania: $370/mo
Italy: $750/mo
Croatia: $1,100/mo (this was through airbnb, which is why it was more expensive)
Not to mention, groceries are cheaper, taste better and aren’t trying to poison you.
Health Insurance, through Safetywing, is $42/mo if you are 39 and under.
The US is designed to keep you working as hard as possible for as long as possible. By leaving the US, but maintaining a US income, I believe you are actually able to get ahead. Or at the very least, stop drowning.
4.) Start going through your belongings and get rid of what you don’t need. This can be a long process and I think it’s best to take your time.
Get a storage unit and start putting things away. Leave space in the front of it for clothing and things you want to easily access.
Or throw it all away and never look back. Up to you.
5.) Decide what to do with your car. You can sell it, find someone to help you Turo it and make some additional cash, or store it. Don’t store it unless you plan on make significant trips back to the US. Cars don’t like to sit and it doesn’t make sense to keep that expense if it’s cheaper to rent during your return trips.
6.) Stop telling yourself “someday” and start now. Even if it’s small things, like taking one drawer at home and going through it, those small steps will get you there faster than you think. “Someday” really means never. The only way is to just decide you are doing it and start.
7.) Get good tax advice. Being out of the US opens up a new world for taxes and you have lots of options to minimize your tax bill. But only if you know these options and plan.
8.) Figure out your travel style. Decide if you want to travel more frequently and use tourist visas or if you want to call another country home and stay there. I slow traveled, staying about 3 months in a location at a time, until I decided where I wanted to call “home”.
9.) Research visa options. Every country has its own options for you. Some countries have specific digital nomad visas. Do you leg work and then, and this is important, compare this against the tax situation. You may find the country you want to live in doesn’t work for you tax wise, or vice versa.
Keep in mind, you can always start on a tourist visa situation and then figure it out after some time traveling. That’s what I’ve done.
10.) Find community. Becoming a digital nomad can feel very overwhelming. Finding others who are doing it helps a lot. Realizing there is no one specific way to do it will open a world of possibilities. Establishing community now will help you not feel so isolated once you leave.
Leaving home can be heavy and having a community of people doing the same, or at least a few friends, helps a lot. There are more of us than you may realize and it’s not a difficult as you might think.
I hope this helps get the wheels turning. If you found this helpful, please share this post. More similar content is coming and I want to help empower as many people as possible.
Thank you and I’ll see you abroad. <3