Post: #1

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Post: #2

I cannot speak about the other places but Montreal is a Tier 1 city in Canada.
There is lots to do just dont visit in winter. It's cold as fuck there. No jokes its stupidly cold.

Post: #3

Quote:What advice would you give someone about to leave their comfortable tier 1 US life behind, for a world tour full of uncertainty and adventure?

You will quickly realize it is just a comfortable in all those cities you listed. You didn't have Mumbai or Mogadishu on your list.

Just pick one of those cities you listed and go for a month or two. You quickly realize there is nothing really that difficult about it.

The first trip is the hardest and most stressful. After that it gets so easy you don't even give it much thought.

Post: #4

Quote: looking to take a wife to raise kids with

Romania, Poland, Moldova

Then Baltics if you aren't satisfied with those three.

Then Ukraine.

Post: #5

Have you traveled much in the past?

Give it a try to be sure it's what you really want. Do one country for a month or two, then return home. If you liked it, give up your current residence and hit the road.

That first proof of concept trip gives you a chance to smooth out any issues. How you feel living out of two suitcases. Time zone difference for your work. Culture shock. What kind of drive you have in a new city where you don't know anyone.

Packing essentials -
Zero-fee ATM cards, two to three separate accounts, cards kept in different places.
All your important work and personal data backed up to the cloud.

Biggest unforeseen benefit - the women and your increased exotic capital (if you choose the right countries).

Biggest downside - probably feelings of being lonely during Christmas season if you're in a place without family or strong network. You can manage this by returning home to family at Christmas, visiting a country that doesn't celebrate it, or arranging to visit a close friend.

Books - A lot of your planned stops are in Europe. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door is still one of the best for fundamental travel skills and travel inspiration.

Post: #6

I've been living in Europe well over 10 years and no regrets. From the professional standpoint, you'll want to preserve your source of income, so you need to make sure that it will work if you are not in the US at all, or maybe once a year. Then you need to figure out what will happen if you go away for say 5 years and want to go back? Do you still want to be a consultant when you are married with kids? If you don't speak a foreign language, want to stay in Europe, and you decide you want to go "corporate" that will limit your choices. With $6K/month you can get by in any of the European cities you've listed and live well, even in Berlin you'll be doing fine. So your considerations will be more social. How will you meet people if you don't speak the language, are not working and not going out?

I would start out with Montreal or Berlin, those will be the easiest transition from the American way of living. Better Berlin because if you are based in europe you can visit the other European cities for a week to ten days at a time and see what you like. Also in Berlin, you'll be able to meet a lot of people from all over Europe, with a big Russian/Polish/ Baltic contingent as well. Berlin's not ideal for meeting people though, even Germans complain that it takes a long time.

One advantage of Berlin is that Americans can apply for a visa on the spot. If you have $20k in the bank you can qualify for a freelancer visa. German taxes are about the highest in Europe, so this will be an exploratory base. A German visa will give you about 18 months of legal residence (3 months immediate temporary visa when you apply, then a one year visa, then if you apply for a renewal and don't qualify because you never signed up to pay taxes, you'll get a three month extension to put your stuff in order).

So at the end of 12 months you can decide if you want to stay there, or apply to a visa to live in a different country (you'll be able to apply from the target country's embassy in Berlin because with a visa you have residence there, but you should count on 3-6 months to get approved and your German visa would need to be valid all that time).

Prague may be a good choice for year 2 because taxes are very low, you can get anywhere in Europe easily, and your wife candidates from Poland, Romania, wherever, will be extremely happy for an invitation to visit Prague (berlin less so).

For websites, you can check out MeetUp (don't know the address) but it will be good for professional and social networking.


I can't think of any perfect online resource for moving abroad, but in a lot of cities there is a website for expats. Prague: expats.cz, Berlin: toytowngermany.com with those you can figure out work, Visa and other stuff. There's a lot of junk posted on these sites, because people who spend so much time there are less clued in than normal, but this post is actually very useful and more accurate than average: http://www.expats.cz/prague/showthread.php?t=348131

Post: #7

Is your 6k income completely detached from being in new York, or will you take a hit by moving around?

Post: #8

Of the 6 years gaming in Santa Monica, did you meet any girls from these cities? I would imagine SM has tourists from all around the world. Maybe you met some but none were 'wife material'? I'm guessing it's always better to 'go to the source' so to speak? I'm not looking for a wife but I'm actually interested in gaming foreign tourist girls in SM using the 'better value proposition' as you mentioned in your datasheet.

Post: #9

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Post: #10

>>1. Would you suggest making Berlin home base for someone new to the EU over Poland?
2. Does it make sense to apply for the Visa in Berlin if I'm not sure I'll be staying more than a month or 2? Or just go straight to Poland if that's the real pot of gold?<<

I read your datasheet and i would say one man's pot of gold may be another man's wasteland. If you can roll in LA competing for money chicks with guys that make 3-4 times what you do and you know about 'suit game' you may do better in a place where the Polish chicks like you want to meet have already gone to find you. In Prague one trophy wife style girl told me that girls in Prague think Americans who move to Prague must be losers if they came there rather than live in the US. Of course they are able to recognize exceptions.

I was thinking of Berlin as a base. You don't need to get a visa unless you will stay in Europe more than 180 days. On my first trip to EE i was in Warsaw, Krakow and Prague. I cleaned up in Warsaw like never before, but I didn't want to live there. I didn't even get a number in Prague, but that's where I moved. I like a bit more Cosmopolitain places. Consider all aspects and believe in your game.

Post: #11

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  So here's my status;

• over the party scene - looking to take a wife to raise kids with
  

I caution you here. I was married for 6 years. Your craving for sexual variety may not subside with even the most stunning and compliant of creatures. Don't just lock down the first amazing woman you come across as you may find, with that bank roll, you are a wealthy man in some of the countries you visit. A wealthy man has many, many appealing options even outside the "party scene".

Will you be able to resist when her sisters, cousins, friends, friends of friends etc, etc, etc come after you? Year after year, wave after wave of tasty pussy perusing you with the subtlety of a falling piano. Trust me when I tell you that financial success and that ring on your finger will bring them out of the woodwork.

Think hard about who you are and what you really want. Play for a good while before settling for just one. Be sure. Because if you're wrong...

Post: #12

for what are you waiting? you are in the perfect situation, couldn't be any easier for you. your kids can't get any better education than this. i did the same with not even one of your monthly salaries and it was probably the best decision i have ever made.

- travel light. the less you own, the easier your life will be
- regret? you will loose friends, but guess this is part of life. make an arrangement to call your buddies at a set time/date
- start with the "easier and safer" locations from your list like montreal, berlin and tel aviv. you don't want to get your family mugged in rio or having big problems with the language barier in eastern europe on the first days
- don't make plans ahead, they won't work anyway
- set a goal to learn something special at every new location

Post: #13

My whole 9 month journey hasn't had posts about everywhere yet, but I will share a few things.
If you're already posting about it here... you know the time is right already

Based on your locations I recommend Montreal, Talinn, Poland
Berlin would be hit or miss. English was very common there.

- Expect to overspend your budgets by at least 20-40%
- Pack less than what you think you'll need
- Book short stays beforehand with AirBNB and book longer things once you get there
- Pack a Multivitamin and take one when you remember to. Nothing sucks worse than being laid up on your trip being sick alone in a foreign country in a hotel room.
- Pack some "travel sickness" antibiotics like Azithromax, good for the shits, food poisoning, or putting your dick in the wrong hole... a travel shots doctor can probably prescribe you some.
- Pack some disgestive enzymes (Acidophilus), take these when you take Antibiotics or questionable food


No one is going to hold your hand when you are away. When you travel any personal problems back home you take with you. On vacation, you can be the best version of yourself if you choose to. Whatever you do you just do it and no one will care if you fail or give you props for it if you succeed since they're caught up in their own life and bullshit. If you leave where you're living your family will miss you but you'll probably hear from your good friends maybe once every couple months. When you die, you can't take it with you, it's only money.

Post: #14

(08-04-2013 01:51 PM)rvlefty Wrote:  - Book short stays beforehand with AirBNB and book longer things once you get there
- Pack a Multivitamin and take one when you remember to. Nothing sucks worse than being laid up on your trip being sick alone in a foreign country in a hotel room.
- Pack some "travel sickness" antibiotics like Azithromax, good for the shits, food poisoning, or putting your dick in the wrong hole... a travel shots doctor can probably prescribe you some.
- Pack some disgestive enzymes (Acidophilus), take these when you take Antibiotics or questionable food

Exactly the kind of tips I'm looking for. Specific, practical. Thank you!

Post: #15

(08-04-2013 05:15 AM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  

(08-03-2013 09:07 PM)Leo Wrote:  Of the 6 years gaming in Santa Monica, did you meet any girls from these cities? I would imagine SM has tourists from all around the world. Maybe you met some but none were 'wife material'? I'm guessing it's always better to 'go to the source' so to speak? I'm not looking for a wife but I'm actually interested in gaming foreign tourist girls in SM using the 'better value proposition' as you mentioned in your datasheet.

As far as tourists go, the ones I've gamed and hooked up with in Santa Monica were from all different places, mindsets and qualities. Can't really generalize them.

Leo, you will likely find it difficult to "target" tourists vs locals once you're day gaming 3rd street promenade, because girls could be from anywhere on the approach. Sure there are clues such as how they dress, but I still get surprised to find out a girl is Canadian or Russian for example, when I thought for sure she was a native. And vice-versa.

Quote:Posted by Tigre - Yesterday 12:56 PM
Have you traveled much in the past?

Give it a try to be sure it's what you really want. Do one country for a month or two, then return home. If you liked it, give up your current residence and hit the road.

That first proof of concept trip gives you a chance to smooth out any issues.

This is great advice, but if I don't do this now, I never will. Having 3 american girls in rotation at any given time who I'm not that into, and cannot see a future with, has kept me here for too long. Need to break the cycle full stop.

I read Why can't I use a smiley face?. Rooshs best writing. Inspired me man. I had a fight club moment. I don't own things. My things own me. Don't need it anymore. Don't want it. It's all listed on Craislist as I type this. Guess I've made my decision, for better or worse.

Have done SE Asia, Tokyo, Australia and Mexico, but mostly for business with little time to game. I have never been to Europe! Believe it or not, part of me was "saving it" for some crazy reason.

Quote:Posted by christpuncher - Yesterday 01:19 PM
Is your 6k income completely detached from being in new York, or will you take a hit by moving around?

I expect to be earning close to the same as here in the states. Luckily there's demand for cloud computing all around the globe right now. Then again, I'm not sure I'll be as interested in hustling much after going nomad...

Quote:Posted by JohnQPublic - Yesterday 01:17 PM
One advantage of Berlin is that Americans can apply for a visa on the spot. If you have $20k in the bank you can qualify for a freelancer visa. German taxes are about the highest in Europe, so this will be an exploratory base. A German visa will give you about 18 months of legal residence (3 months immediate temporary visa when you apply, then a one year visa, then if you apply for a renewal and don't qualify because you never signed up to pay taxes, you'll get a three month extension to put your stuff in order).

I appreciate the detailed response JohnQ. At this point, I'm leaning to hitting up Montreal this month, followed by either Berlin or Poland Aug 1st in time for the girls return home from holiday.
1. Would you suggest making Berlin home base for someone new to the EU over Poland? 2. Does it make sense to apply for the Visa in Berlin if I'm not sure I'll be staying more than a month or 2? Or just go straight to Poland if that's the real pot of gold?

Cool beans bro. Thanks for the response & explanation. I wouldn't be 'targeting' them per se. Just don't want to eject automatically if they're a foreigner/tourist.

You're a step ahead of me. I think I'll give SM/LA a try for about 5 years then think about going abroad. Happy trails.

Post: #16

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  What advice would you give someone about to leave their comfortable tier 1 US life behind, for a world tour full of uncertainty and adventure?

Do it. Run away and never look back! This is your life, Man - for all we know, it's the only one. With $6K per month online, you have the whole world at your fingertips. Any man with two balls and half a brain would love the type of freedom you've created for yourself.

Bravo.

Specific advice? Take it slow! Let all the fools who travel for cool points whirlwind the world while you actually take the time to get to know a place. Give every city you post up in at least a month of your time and even then you'll only catch a blink of it.

Working on the road or in some fantasy destination is hard, and the hardest thing is staying productive. Good, productive habits are insanely valuable to anyone living this life. I know this because I don't have them at all and I'm always broke even though I make $60 - 100 an hour when I do work. LOL

Get up and work out every day and try your hardest to maintain a regular schedule and then take weekends off to enjoy your new location. I cannot recommend Eben Pagan's "Wake Up Productive" course enough (though I've never been productive enough to finish the course haha) - you can hunt it down free online.

If you're anything of a writer, keep a journal! It will be awesome to read through someday and if you're decent at it all you can turn it into a travel memoir someday and self-publish on Amazon. I'd say failing to keep a regular journal is one of my biggest regrets with all the adventures I've had - even though someone gave me this same advice when I first set off to Asia.

As you can see I'm often shit about listening to my own advice.

Sometimes you will romanticize the life you had back home and think about returning to it. I've done this before and I was horribly miserable. Most people back where I'm from live depressing, uneventful lives. You talk to them about their lives and they have no hopes or ambitions and most are miserable.

They really are stuck in a ratrace - but the worse part at least for the people I know is that there's no pot of gold waiting at the end of their rainbow that they're suffering for either. They're just suffering to get by. They're just suffering to exist. It depresses me just thinking about it now.

I also notice that when I'm home I start to care about different things and my priorities shift. I become too materialistic and start acquiring shit I don't need. Consumerism is very contagious.

Don't go back home. I mean, try to visit once a year if you can, but don't return to your old life. Once you're free, stay free. There's no going back - living abroad will change you forever.

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  When did you know it was the right decision for you personally to go nomad?

When my younger brother went abroad in high school, I first started thinking about adventures overseas. Then I backpacked around Europe for a few weeks in my early 20s, and I was instantly hooked. From that point on, it became a fascination for me and I constantly thought of how I could make it a full-time reality.

My original plan was to get wealthy enough to go do it, but I had a couple big failures business and life-wise. Finally I decided I didn't want to wait my whole life to have the money, and being stuck at home working some dead-end job or on some new business idea became like a torture to me. Like every single thing I did was just something else in the way of me and my dream of having freedom of location. My greatest fear became that I was going to keep putting it off for a vague future and never actually make it happen.

Then I read "The Four-Hour Workweek" and that was really my tipping point. I realized other guys were out there in the world living the life I wanted by working online, and I simply decided that if they could do it than I could to - though I had hardly any familiarity with the internet or computers. When I left, I had a pocketful of cash and determination. Nothing more. In about a year, the pocketful of cash was almost gone and I had nothing to show for it but a torn-up liver. LOL So I sat down and got to work.

Flailed at first and made some affiliate commissions, but I needed it faster, so I hired some guy for $200 a month to show me the ropes of filling my pipeline full of freelance writing work. In three days, the ball was rolling and I've made my money online ever since.

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  What was your biggest unforseen benefit?

Cool question - had to think about it for a sec.

I guess my biggest unforseen benefit is more related to my business and my location-independent status than anything else. The benefit is that I realized that I'm not only free of the responsibilities of having a location-fixed job and keeping up a location-fixed home, but I'm also free to take on other responsibilities when my family and friends need me.

For instance, I was in Laos about a year and half to two years ago, and my friend came down with cancer and was given a few weeks to live. I hopped on a plane and flew home to be there for him. Then I was about to leave the states again and received news that my 7-year-old niece had gone missing - later they found her drowned in a nearby lake. Horrible, shocking event to say the least.

But because of my freedom I was able to instantly change my plans and drive home to be with my brother. We ended up renting a house together so I could be there for him. I think the older I get the more I'll respect this fluid nature of my life because it will allow me to be there for the people I love when they need someone most.

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  Saddest regret?

Sometimes you feel like you miss out on a lot by not being home. You think about that sometimes and you feel yourself growing apart from some of the most important people in your life.

You won't get those years back, and one of the biggest regrets of the dying is not spending more time with the people they love. I think about that sometimes, but whenever I locate around family again in America, it doesn't seem to make as much of a difference as it seems like it does when I'm gone. People seem so caught up in the ratrace and struggle to just maintain a first-world life that they barely seem to notice each other's existence, and I find it really depressing.

So I guess I've decided that I'm not missing much and that when I do regret not being there it's more of a fantasy that I've built in my head. Yeah, some of those people will be gone forever if they don't see you on a regular basis, but the important ones will always stay in touch.

A plus side to it is that when you do see the people that never leave your life completely, it tends to be a very rewarding experience. In some ways, the distance draws you closer because you appreciate each other so much when you do meet.

Still a bit of a toss-up though.

If possible, make calls home once a week to touch bases with people. It's a lot more enjoyable and more appreciated than emails and Facebook messages.

Another regret or painful thing about this life is that you meet people all around the world, and if you move often you'll miss some of them as much as you miss people from back home. It's almost like living in a perpetual state of homesickness. I feel like my life is spread across the world sometimes, and always wanting to be everywhere at once is an itch I'll never be able to scratch - barring becoming rich and having my own private jet.

Damn, that would be nice...

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  Book suggestions?

Vagabonding
The Four-Hour Workweek
The Alchemist

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  Online travel resources?

Wikitravel has become my favorite for quick travel info.
Rooshvforum
Skyscanner for plane tickets.

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  Packing essentials?

As little as humanly possible. If you think you need it or might need it, you probably don't. Only pack it if you KNOW you need it and will without a doubt use it.

Get a Kindle if you don't have one already though - priceless.

(08-02-2013 09:51 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  [*]tech consulting work from home @ $6k per month, $40k liquid

Would love to see you drop a data sheet on what you do, the opportunities therein, and how a guy would get started. We need more business-centric threads on the forum and I know most of the guys here would kill to be in your position.

Happy trails!

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #17

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Post: #18

(08-04-2013 09:32 PM)Courage Reborn Wrote:  Hope that was helpful.

Right on - thanks for expanding. Some great advice.

If you're ever looking for a talented writer on a web-based project, drop me a pm. I work with some big corporates and have quite a bit of experience under my belt. Mostly web content and freelance blogging but I've dabbled in sales copywriting too.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #19

I'm a C#/SQL guy and quit my job in February 2012. Absolutely no regrets about quitting.

Here's my brain dump of how I quit and went abroad: getting off your ass and going to live abroad.

I make money from a few existing niche sites, an old software business, investment income and finding the odd gig on oDesk.

I make enough for an OK lifestyle abroad. Being a local I can find the cheapest places to eat, and I'm not a party animal (double the amount of cash you need if you are!).

If you want to live abroad for a long time, you also need self discipline. I'm currently in Bangkok and it's very easy for expats to piss their money up the wall here !

If you want to quit AND make money abroad then the #1 idea is to teach English in China. Good pay, short working hours and the hottest women on the planet make this a great option.

Alternatively IT/business guys can make good money in Singapore and HK but why swap one cubicle for another ?

One issue is that getting work visas is generally hard in any country - there's a global crackdown on immigrants stealing jobs from locals. And getting long term visas to live somewhere requires some thought as well. China is a pain in the ass, Thailand slightly better although it involved a costly visa run.

Agree that it's good to set up home in a particular city and get to know the locals. It's also better for finding long term relationships.

As to packing, yes take as little as you can. The only thing that's horribly expensive overseas are vitamins and other supplements if you need them. Just paid 240baht for some Magnesium - ouch. Glucosamine here is over 1000baht - more than 5x the price in the UK.

Post: #20

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Post: #21

What kind of women do you like? Black, white, asian, latina? This would be such a huge factor in deciding where to set up shop.

Also, your original target locations are mostly in Europe, which is great, but is also harder on your bank account compared to SEA, Africa, South America. Out in East Africa you can buy an enormous avocado for 20 cents, in the Philippines you can buy quality tomatoes for 2 cents. In Bolivia you can eat yourself a small feast for less than $1. When you're traveling for extended amounts of time sometimes you really just don't want to think about work at all, so your income can dwindle. So it's good to keep things like that in mind.

I have found that there's really only 3 essential things when hitting the road

-Essential medication from home
-Money (get your bank accounts etc all sorted so you can withdraw at ATMs worldwide
-Computer (laptop works, but I prefer a small tablet as it doubles as a kindle. Or get something like a Samsung Note which you can use as a tablet/phone/kindle all in one).

I prefer to use an old iPhone such as a 3GS which uses the old, larger sim card. When traveling these are so much easier to get a hold of than the new micro sim.

Pack whatever clothes and stuff you need, but if you have money, you can buy pretty much anything you need abroad.

I left home at 25 and haven't looked back. Leaving behind a well paying office job leaves me no regrets.

Anyway, congrats on your decision to head overseas and leave it all behind.

Good luck!

Post: #22

@ OP,

It sounds like you are in a great position to take a bite out of life.

I don't know what your game level is, but if you haven't really game/traveled much, then I recommend getting back into partying. If you've been mostly about business for the last decade, then you may want to really get your party on hard. Mini-relationships are also great too. It sounds like you want to hit central/eastern europe, plus Rio, Montreal and Israel.

Simple:

1. pipeline in advance (seems obvious but in the frenzy of getting ready for a trip it can be neglected.)

2. stay no fewer than 2 weeks in one city to get a feel for it and get some solid ROI in terms of notches. Too much fast traveling makes things more difficult.

3. Have a solid sim card smart phone. don't be stingy on this.

4. have your style in order, but pack light. eg, one pair of high end dress shoes, one casual.

5. Meet up with wings from RVF

6. use online, day, and night game for best results. also make sure to take advantage of being on foreign ground to push your approach/gaming skills. I found that while traveling my inhibitions were down enough to get better results.

If you have the cash, the time, and the mobility, then nothing is stopping you, and frankly not traveling would be a pity. Unless you have a life purpose that would be negated by constant travel, then I don't see why you shouldn't do it. Guilt, or a borderline masochistic form of workaholism could be other self defeating factors for not taking advantage of the position you're in.