How To Work From Anywhere During The Great Resignation

4 million people quit their jobs in July 2021, breaking the highest ever record from April of this year.

Then, in August, the same number quit again - 4 million more.

In total so far in 2021, over 25 million people have quit their jobs.

What is The Great Resignation?

This movement is being called The Great Resignation, and it’s only gaining momentum.

A few months ago, this wasn’t even a term that we used. In May of 2021, Google Trends shows that just six (6) people had mentioned the term ‘The Great Resignation’. By November 2021, every major news publication and plenty of bloggers, influencers and talking heads mention this term on a daily basis. 

The search term The Great Resignation has increased by at least 15x.

What is happening out there that people (at least in the United States) are willing to quit their jobs and forgo protections like health insurance coverage? 

The Great Resignation: why now?

In the Forbes article, The Incredibly Simple Reason Behind The Great Resignation, written by multi-hyphenate CEO Liz Elting, the author breaks down the economics to explain that, as a result of the pandemic and recovery period, there are 10 million open jobs and seven million unemployed people, so the people have the collective bargaining power to demand more flexible work hours, remote work, higher wages and better treatment. 

The power to change the system comes, in large part, from the collective pause the pandemic gave us to reflect on the way we live our lives. Jonathan Caballero, a 27 year old software developer quoted in this NPR article on the subject articulated this by explaining that the pandemic changed his mindset from valuing his career to valuing his time - and that means avoiding the 45 minute commute, for starters. 

Who is resigning?

The Morning Brew podcast called Founders Journal explores these thoughts a bit further, but the answer is… everyone. Also - not who you might think.

This isn’t only a movement for untethered 22 year old software developers.

Essentially, now that we all know that remote work works, we are no longer forced to organize our lives around where our jobs are located. We can integrate our jobs more seamlessly into our lives - if we desire. 

That’s why resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees, between 30 and 45 years old. This could be due to pent up demand after staying longer at a job due to uncertainty during the pandemic. 

But it could also be that this kind of freedom is contagious and has finally taken hold.

Not just the realization that you can work from anywhere, but that you don’t have to stand for hating your job, putting up with bosses you don’t like, or commuting for hours a day just to do the work you could be doing from home. 

Working from home is one way to do that, but we can also now work from anywhere. And for some, that may be the couch, yes. Or the local coffee shop. But it might also be from the beach in Mexico, a hotel in Berlin or a second home in Thailand. 

This sounds very familiar to many of us. 

We’ve seen this before: The Great Recession

We are reaching the apex of The Great Resignation, but some of us have been living this lifestyle since the last economic disruptor - The Great Recession. Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek is the most popular of hundreds of books, blogs, and podcasts that have been promoting the Work From Anywhere lifestyle ever since the magical moment when laptops got small enough and wifi got fast enough to work from anywhere around the globe. 

I started this lifestyle in 2009

In 2009, I was freelancing as a travel writer and video producer for destination marketing organizations in London, working from my kitchen in an area of London not many expats move to called Deptford. It was one of the few neighborhoods where my partner and I could afford our own two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment and live somewhat comfortably on our mediocre salaries. The apartment had come furnished, but with the exception of the Reservoir Dogs painting on the wall near the front door, the pleather furniture and glass kitchen table were miserable to work from. And paying London rent started to seem silly, since no one I worked with ever needed to meet in person. 

I wasn’t able to shake the thought that I could be living back in Guatemala, paying $350 a month rent, earning £1800 ($2100), and living such a better life, I thought to myself. 

One year later, I did just that. We set off to Los Angeles and Las Vegas first before flying to Mexico City and traveling all of Central America by chicken bus for six months, all while working from our laptops in hostels and hotels along the way. From there, I would continue to Europe, South East Asia, North America, and South America before ending the relationship in 2014. 

That was four straight years of living as a digital nomad and seeing the world while running a blog and a freelance travel company. 

Back then, this was a very alternative way to live.

The idea of work/life balance is now mainstream.

Libryia Jones, Remote Work Expert and co-founder of Wandering Moms.

On the Season 3 launch of Adventure Calls, I talk to Libryia Jones, remote work expert who teaches how to work remotely, from anywhere around the world. 

Workers who desire to go abroad don’t have to actually quit your job and struggle to find a job in a new country. You can work remotely and take your job with you. 

You can take the same size leap (living abroad) without the same size risk (finding a job in a foreign country and a foreign language). 

When I asked Libryia how to find remote jobs, her advice was surprisingly simple. 

Step 1: Look for remote jobs 
Step 2: Apply for remote jobs 
Step 3: Differentiate whether they are work from anywhere or work from US jobs.

The underlying message is clear: if you want remote work, focus and look for it - because it’s there. 

Note: some jobs say they are remote but require you to be based in the United States, while others are remote and allow you to live anywhere. It’s very important to differentiate that, and to know whether or not you might want to take your job abroad. 

Libryia recommends three sites to start your search: 

Flexjobs.com 
Myremotework.com
Remote.co 

If you can’t find a full-time remote job, or you just don’t have the patience to wait, you can also start freelance projects on sites like Upwork.com, among others. 

Some people prefer to join programs with more support, like Remote Year and Unsettled (Season 1 podcast guest Michael Youngblood) that plan much of the experience for you, and take care of all the planning and logistics for programs up to one year!

The next step in planning your work from anywhere lifestyle is to choose the kind of ‘anywhere’ you want. 

Do you just want freedom from the commute and toxic water cooler culture? 

Do you want to travel full time as a digital nomad? 

Do you want to settle down for longer periods of time in one place abroad - and become an expat? 

Let’s look at all three of these decisions: 

1. Working from anywhere in the United States
   This is incredibly liberating and allows you to explore the US as a traveler, and possibly sneak in a couple of weeks of work while abroad on an extended or extra vacation. This would come with  no tax implications that surface when you are out of the country for several months per year. This is ideal for anyone who isn’t looking to move abroad. 

2. Becoming a digital nomad with your remote job 

   First, very importantly, make sure that your job is the kind of job where you can work from anywhere, not just anywhere in the United States. This is important because your company is legally required to stay tax compliant, and if their employees are filing income taxes that in any way indicate they are living abroad, they need to know and be accounting for that from day 1. 

Next, let’s define what a digital nomad is:  someone who travels year round, staying for days, weeks or months, in various locations around the world. Usually, the digital nomad stays - at maximum - for the length of the tourist visa they acquire on arrival (the stamp you get in your passport). You are on a tourist visa and can not overstay that visa, so you hop to the next country after that. Or you might just spend a week in a country and move on. It’s entirely up to you!

In terms of visa and tax compliance, the digital nomad lifestyle is almost entirely a gray area, because nations haven’t caught up with the flexibility of life working from anywhere with a laptop. 

First, as a digital nomad, you are on a tourist visa, which also doesn’t technically allow you to be working. Technically, in order to work in any country where you are not a legal resident, you must acquire a work visa, no matter what country you ‘move to’. 

The argument can be made (and most nomads would argue) that the nomadic life means that you are not ‘moving’ anywhere, nothing is permanent and you are working a job or on a business outside of the country.

However, most countries require taxes on any income earned inside their borders, and if technology and tracking were somehow easier, this would be much easier for them to enforce and collect. 

One way around that is through the honor system that some countries are putting into place with Digital Nomad Visas. 

Essentially extended tourist visas, a Digital Nomad Visa allows you to stay in a country and legally work with your remote job  for up to a year or two years. You pay taxes in the host country, file in your home country. You wouldn’t have access to the public healthcare system there, but you would be able to rent a longer term apartment rather than Airbnbs. 

Countries offering Digital Nomad Visas: 
Thailand
Estonia
Antigua + Barbuda
Spain 

Top tip: hire an international expat tax consultant to make sure you are above board with this. If you need further help settling in, consider hiring a relocation consultant. 

• International Expat Tax Consultant: Cloud Expat Tax 

• Hire a relocation consultant from the 2022 Global Relocation Guide.

3. Become an expat abroad while working from ‘home’ 
Up until very recently, if you wanted to move abroad with your company, you would have been considered a corporate expat. The company would have paid for you to be relocated to do an in-person job at a branch of the firm abroad - heading up a new division in a corporate office or improving conditions in a factory. This type of corporate relocation still exists, of course, but there are now plenty of remote employees who can just pick up and go for themselves. 

Not all countries have adapted to this new normal and for some, the digital nomad visa is the best you can get while having your feet planted firmly in two worlds. 

However, there are benefits to settling more permanently elsewhere, and so you might want to consider countries that offer what they call self-employment visas or non-lucrative visas, where you work in one country while living in another. 

This is probably the hardest to pull off right now, but the advantage of expat life over that of a digital nomad is one of formal stability. As a digital nomad, you are not interested in formally settling in - you won’t rent a long term apartment, pay utilities, get cable or a local Netflix account, you won’t get on the public healthcare system or get a local drivers license. 

As an expat, these are the things that it takes to settle in and really, legally, live somewhere. Renting or buying a home, getting a local license, perhaps your kids will go to school locally, for example. You can also stay beyond a timeframe of 90 days (the usual tourist visa), create a circle of friends, and make a life for yourself. 

The future of work is changing dramatically, and the countries that can be nimble, and create new adaptive visa and immigration policies will see the benefit of this new Work From Anywhere culture. 

As an individual, you just have to decide which of those avenues feel the best for you. 

Either way, you no longer need to be chained to a desk or a commute. You no longer have to surround yourself in toxic or banal conversations with people who bring you no joy. You no longer have to live in a town just because that is where you got a job. And you no longer have to keep or leave a job just because you need to move to another city. 

Ready to stay inspired? 

Head over to wherever you listen to podcasts and listen to the first episode Season 3 of Adventure Calls - How To Create Freedom Through Remote Work, with Libryia Jones.

Listen here

Want to move abroad?

Pick up a copy of How To Move Abroad And Why It’s The Best Thing You’ll Do. 

Need help figuring out how to relocate abroad? Pick up a copy of the 2022 Global Relocation Guide and connect with curated, vetted relocation specialists in countries around the world.

A podcast saved my life

Season 3 of the Adventure Calls podcast launches next week, and if you read the post called How I Got Here: The Evolution of My Dreams, you’ll know that I started two other podcasts in the last decade before getting to this point. Both were about telling stories of the impact of living abroad in the lives of incredible Americans.

What I managed to avoid talking about was WHY podcasting has always been so important to me.

Podcasts saved my life

Back in 2011, I had been a digital nomad for a year and an expat for 11 years total already. In some ways, I was a wild animal who did as she pleased. In other ways, I was very alone in the world because even my closest friends held very different world views than me. And how could they not have different views to me (and such similar views to each other).

Living as an expat had long since liberated me from the notions of normalcy. The obvious path - grow up, go to college, get a good job, get married, have kids, and retire - was set among thousands of other ways to live, based on the people I met on the road, who had gone against the grain and lived entirely different lives to that.

Those people had impacted me so deeply, living their lives on boats crossing the Pacific Ocean or in vans driving from Alaska to Argentina, or backpacking on buses around the world.

The thing is, almost all of them were broke.

I didn’t know they were broke, because i had always had been, too. But I lived by the skin of my teeth, blind to a world of success I had never considered an option. I knew so little in that regard that I was starting a business but had never heard the word ‘entrepreneur’. I had dreams, but no one to show me they were possible. And most importantly, I wanted to achieve an inner calm, but didn’t have any idea that was even a thing people actually achieved.

And then I discovered podcasts.

Successful people achieving greatness were suddenly piped into my ears, revealing assumptions about the way life could be that existed outside any concept that I, or any of my people had ever known.

I started with the Smart Passive Income podcast with Pat Flynn, and an oldie called Internet Business Mastery. There was Entrepreneur On Fire, too. I discovered that my dreams were achievable, as long as there were goals attached.

Most important of all was the Tara Brach podcast. She became my spiritual guide, a gateway to meditation, and the permission to walk a journey to healing I never knew possible.

These were private conversations, for my ears only. I didn’t have to watch them like TV shows with anyone else on the couch. I could listen in my down time, doing dishes, working out, dreaming bigger than I ever thought possible.

I was HOOKED.

Ever since that time in my life, I’ve never stopped consuming podcasts. And I’ve also never stopped wanting to create them.

I started Break Free in 2011 and the Postnomadic Project in 2017.

I learned so much from both - what worked and what absolutely didn’t. When I launched Adventure Calls in 2020, I knew one thing: I was never going to the let this show go. We can see how it evolves, how it changes, but I finally know my mission.

It is my mission to give you exactly what you need to get inspired, get informed and get moving on the international lifestyle you’ve been dreaming of. I know the power of podcasts, and I use this power to bring your awareness to insanely inspiring folx like…

• Libryia Jones: the Remote Work Queen who will free you from your 9-to-5 j-o-b.

• Traveler Charley: a non-binary queer Latinx finance coach that will help you take your financial power back and live anywhere you want in the world.

  Travis and David from Cafe Con Leche Travels: the couple who shows you just how easy it is for a queer, interracial vegan couple to live a life of fulfilling adventure in Mexico.

And just wait until you see what Season 3 is about to bring! You’ll see that…

Living abroad is life-changing.

Living abroad is life-defining.

Living abroad is life-enhancing.

Living abroad is 100% doable.

In fact, it is the MOST accomplishable of the huge dreams you might have. Want to be a millionaire? That takes years of hard work (doable, but takes time).

A rockstar? We’re talking 10,000 hours of banging away on your guitar.No matter what is stopping you emotionally, mentally, even practically, from following your call to adventure, Season 3 is meant to be something that you listen to with your headphones in, focused on yourself and your dreams.

Want to live in a Spanish village on the beach and drink wine and eat tapas looking out at the ocean?Well now that’s something you can accomplish by next spring! (you can start with this post on How To Move To Spain in 2022)

Here’s to getting real about big dreams.
Follow the Adventure Calls podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts and get ready for Season 3 launching next week!

Follow on Apple // Google // Spotify // listen on jessicadrucker.com

How To Move To Spain in 2022

This post originated as an interview with Jess Gaspari of Adler + Marlow travel agency and relocation provider in Spain during the Adventure Calls 2021 Global Relocation Conference. 

Jess Gaspari is originally from Philly and has been loving and living in Spain since she moved there for the first time in 2007 as a study abroad student. Today she helps others discover their love of Spain at Adler & Marlow,  the bespoke travel agency that curates carefully tailored, exclusive travel plans for all types of travelers, including longer-term expats. Relo, Adler + Marlow’s relocation services arm, combines the local expertise of Adler & Marlow with trusted legal partners to make your transition to the Spanish way of life easy, exciting, and like no other.

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Why do Americans want to move to Spain in 2022? 

Spain is one of the most popular countries in Europe for Americans to move to for a variety of reasons. First, many Americans have their study abroad experience in Spain, which connects them for life to the country. Americans also tend to speak Spanish as their second language, or at least feel comfortable hearing it compared to more ‘foreign’ sounding languages, so the familiarity factor is an incentive. 

Lastly, Spain is an affordable European option with beautiful weather and friendly visa opportunities. Those last two, the weather and the visa opportunities really set Spain apart from most other countries in Europe. 

The pandemic changed the world of work, which allows even more people to work from wherever they want - whether that’s through remote work or finally taking the leap to live abroad. Spain is adjusting their visa options to reflect this new world. Read on for the new visa that Spain is making available.

Top tips for moving to Spain in 2022

During our interview at the Adventure Calls 2021 Global Relocation Conference, Jess provided some key pieces of advice on moving to Spain. 

Tip 1: Opt for the easiest visa first 

How you enter the country - the visa you enter  on - is not usually the one you stay on. You need to find a visa that will get you over and stable, and then go from there, advises Jess Gaspari of Adler + Marlow.  Most visas in Spain are good for a year, and then once you pass the year mark, it is easier to renew that visa to get to the three year mark and it is at that point that you can start to explore converting that time into a residency visa. 

Tip 2: Don’t let lack of language hold you back 

Is it easier to move to Spain if you speak Spanish? Yes, of course. It is easier to understand paperwork, procedures, to meet people, and to feel confident in your decisions. However, there is no language requirement attached to many visa applications, meaning you don’t HAVE to speak Spanish on arrival and you can learn it after you get there. So just get to Spain first, if that’s your dream, and learn Spanish while immersed in daily life. 

In Barcelona and Madrid and in most of the bigger cities, you can definitely get by without speaking Spanish. Things have changed a lot in the last ten years, kids are learning English earlier and earlier in schools, the increase in tourism in Spain forces people to get better at English.

The difficulties come when you are needing to fill out official paperwork in official offices. Make sure you bring a fluent Spanish speaker any time you are signing something in any official capacity.

Tip 3:  Salaries in Spain are relatively low.

If you move to Spain and look for employment at a Spanish company, no matter what the industry, salaries tend to be generally low. While this can be a disadvantage for those earning an income in Spain, that also means that the cost of living in generally low, and those who can earn an income outside of Spain while living within the country can afford a very comfortable lifestyle. 

How is it possible to work in one country and live in Spain? 

Actually, that’s is, in a way, what Spain wants you to do right now. 

Getting a visa to live in Spain in 2022

Let’s go over three common visas that Americans can get in 2022 that are exciting for digital nomads and entrepreneurs. Stay tuned at the end for one more KEY tip and one visa that is slowly being phased out as an option, as well. 

Visa 1: The Non-Lucrative Visa 

As it sounds, this visa is open to foreign nationals who will not be earning an income while living in Spain. In a way, it is like an extended, legal tourist visa. While you can not earn income in Spain, you can live in Spain as a resident, your children can go to local public school, you qualify for the healthcare system, and more. This visa is great for anyone looking to take a gap year, a sabbatical, or has retirement or other income in their home country that can keep them afloat while living in Spain.  

For reference, one year in Spain might cost  around EUR 26,000 for one person. For a couple, that would likely be more like EUR 40,000. 

See more information about the Non-Lucrative Visa here.  

Read about the experience in acquiring the non-lucrative visa from one of travel’s most intrepid adventurers, Wandering Earl.

Visa 2: The Self-Employment Visa 

This visa is for those who already have an established business or freelance career with thriving international clients. Although there is a lot of paperwork involved in making this happen, you essentially have a visa to run your business from Spain, as long as 80% of your clients are not Spanish companies. 

Find out more about the Spanish self-employment visa here.

Visa 3 (coming soon): The Digital Nomad Visa 

Spain is developing a digital nomad visa for foreign workers who work for non-Spanish companies, while living in Spain. This is a great option for people who might lean toward the non-lucrative but want to work. This income will be taxed in Spain, but at only a rate of 15% income tax. This is less than you might be paying at home, and less than you pay on other visas in Spain. You can also claim your paid income tax against the foreign tax credit back in the US and not pay any extra taxes in the US. 

Read more about the new Digital Nomad Visa here.

Visa 4 (being phased out): the Spanish Golden Visa 

The European Union has been unhappy with the Spanish-led Golden Visa option for awhile now, and this will be phased out in 2022 in Spain and Portugal. Up until now, you could invest EUR 500,000 into a real property and be granted residency in Spain, and therefore the EU. But this residency for purchase might make the country money in the short term, but it is being discouraged for the long term. 

Read more about the reduced number of Spanish Golden Visas here.

You have to apply for an official visa to stay in Spain

In many countries, you are able to stay for the length of your tourist visa, leave for 72 hours and return with a fresh new tourist visa. And in the past, you may have been able to float under the radar without an official visa in Spain, but today, there is no working under the table for cash, or even just floating through working online as you go. Everything is digital and much better regulated, so before you decide to move to Spain, you’ll need help with your relocation needs. 

Apply for your Spanish visa in your home country

You will have to apply for your visas from your home country (or current country of residence if you are a legal expat in another country). If you are based in the US, that is the Consulate General in Washington or a local consulate. ​​

Number 1 piece of advice for moving to Spain:

It is the best piece of advice that Jess Gaspari gave us because it helps future expats avoid one of the most frustrating aspects of moving abroad: The Catch 22. 

No country has streamlined the process of moving abroad. This means that there are often times where you have to get one document in order to get another, but you can’t get the first without a second. And somehow, you’re racking your brain to figure out how to get one without having the other, which you need to get the first one. It can be mind boggling. 

TOP TIP: Get your Spanish social security card from the Consulate in your home country. 

When moving to Spain, you need a social security number for identification and tax purposes. It is a bit of an issue trying to get an appointment in Spain, because offices tend to be overwhelmed. You can get an appointment at the Spanish consulate in your home country and apply for a temporary number. That is highly, highly recommended if at all possible. It will save you a lot of time once you are there. You eventually apply for a permanent number, but having the temporary number can help you because you need it to get an apartment, but you can’t get an apartment without the number. Catch 22. The same can often go for work - you have to prove employment to get a number, but you need a number to get a job. That’s why, if you can set this up in advance, you will make your life much easier on arrival. 

Catch 22s and loopholes are really tough with immigration processes worldwide, and so this is a great way to avoid a common one in Spain. 

Read more about Spanish social security numbers here.

Interested in moving to Spain? Reach out to Adler + Marlow on their website / LinkedIn / @adlermarlowtravel on Instagram.

Get help turning your dream into your reality in 2022.

Want help finding a relocation consultant to move abroad? 

Pick up a copy of the 2022 Global Relocation Guide. 

Get the book

How To Move Abroad And Why It’s The Best Thing You’ll Do

Contact me for customized coaching

How I got here: the evolution of my dream from 2012 to now.

“Your startup disk is almost full.”

This popped up while I was working a few weeks ago, and I knew it was time to start deleting old files. I discovered a large group of folders from my previous computer - the one I had while I was traveling as a digital nomad. I was so surprised by what I found!

Read on to discover my story on how my dream to help people successfully move abroad has actually been brewing since at least the year 2012.

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Life speaks to you in whispers

Oprah Winfrey says that life is always speaking to you in whispers.

Call it your inner voice, or your intuition; some people call it your inner knowing. Everyone has this, but we don’t listen to it. In fact, we don’t even hear it, and when we do hear it, we tend to disregard it if the messages we hear are not in alignment with popular opinion or the way others say that life should be.

I have no actual data, but I’d guess that anywhere between 80-95% of people don’t honor this voice over the outside voices of society telling us how to live our lives within the current system.

What I thought my calling was

That’s me in Chile in 2013, 3+years after living on the road.

Until recently, I always thought that my calling was to travel and live abroad. After all, I moved abroad for the first time at 19 years old and loved it so much that I ended up living abroad for nearly 15 years straight after that. I lived in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Germany and England from 1999-2010, and then traveled as a nomad for four years from 2010-2014.

I was definitely following a call to adventure, but it was only the preamble to my true life’s work.

That did come until when, in 2014, my life on the road came to an abrupt and unexpected end. I wasn’t quite sure where I fit in the world. I moved back ‘home’ to Chicago, became VP of Content Strategy at a travel tech startup, met my future wife, moved to Brooklyn, worked as a digital content strategist and then a director of tourism and hospitality for one of the most popular areas of Manhattan.

One day, I had lunch with a PR Director of a hotel in my district, and she told me that she was moving to Austria with her Austrian boyfriend and they were getting married. She was moving in three weeks, and did I have any advice?

Advice? About living abroad successfully? Me?

Um… YES.

I talked her ear off for an hour, and then started writing her an email on the subway home that day. Then I moved that email into my notes app because it had gotten really long.It got so long over the next three weeks that by the time her goodbye party came along, I had a going away ebook to give her.

Weird gift, right?

Um… YES.

But I describe it like this: the book literally fell out of me. I couldn’t help it.

And I ended up turning that into my first standalone book: How To Move Abroad And Why It’s The Best Thing You’ll Do.

I started coaching expats, working on consulting projects and I launched the Adventure Calls podcast. This year, I published the first of an annual Global Relocation Guide, to connect expats to relocation experts to ease the transition so you can be a successful expat abroad.

A successful expat…

I’ve been dreaming of this since 2012

I wrote that line about a ‘successful expat’ in some marketing copy for the guide and realized - no, I REMEMBERED - something that I hadn’t thought of in the years where I was trying to figure out my next steps in life.

In 2012, I launched a website called The Successful Expat or thesuccessfulexpat.com. It’s no longer working, but all the content that I now talk about was written for the site back then. I remembered this and went back into my old documents and I found all the files and folders, created in 2012. At the time, I didn’t have the bandwidth to launch it right, and I didn’t have the business sense to know what to do with the idea.

I had a long conversation with someone who I thought was an older mentor type, and he talked me out of it over tea and Tom Kha soup in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it once someone ten years my senior with ‘corporate experience’ told me it wasn’t going to make me any money. I had ‘only’ been a teacher, gotten a masters degree in Media + Culture Studies, worked in travel PR and then launched and monetized a travel blog in 2010. He had worked in the ‘corporate world’ and for me, at the time, that somehow meant that he knew more than me.

I also launched a podcast in 2011 while traveling through Argentina, Chile and then Europe. It was called Break Free and it was all about women who traveled full time while running a business.I quit after one season, because podcasts were hard to produce and I felt ‘silly’ pursuing something that took up so much time when I should be ‘crushing it’ with my ‘online business’ as a ‘digital nomad.’

This was a time when Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek had taken over the world that I paid attention to, and between that book and Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income, I let go of my area of interest in exchange for ‘crushing it’ with my travel blog at the time. I ended up surrendering the business to my ex during our 2014 breakup.

In 2016, I was determined to create a side hustle to set myself free of the ‘corporate job’ I found myself trapped in back home in the United States. I launched The Postnomadic Project, and the Postnomadic Podcast, where I talked to... you guessed it… Nomads who were successfully running businesses while living as nomads or abroad, or re-pats who had returned home, but could attribute their success directly to the experience gained while living abroad.

(My podcast evolution: first, Break Free in 2011; then, the Postnomadic Podcast in 2017; finally, the Adventure Calls podcast 2020-current)

I had about 7 full interviews go live, and was so proud of the concept, the website and branding! It was the first time I worked with a real designer and a real web developer to create a real project. I stayed up late, work up early, and tried to get something off the ground.

But this was also the year that my dad tragically passed away and Trump was elected within the same month, and my company hired a new president who felt, quite honestly, like a small version of Trump, too. I was flattened and crushed.

Six months later, as I built out the project slowly but unsurely, my now-wife proposed, we planned our wedding for the same year, and I got a new corporate job that felt like a new lease on life.

I launched a newsletter for a while called Extra/Ordinary, about ordinary people doing extraordinary work abroad.

Then, one year later, that friend told me about her move, a book fell out of me, and there was nothing I could do but follow the whisper that has been speaking to me now for almost a decade.

I heard the whisper that had been there all along

I could have ignored these urges, ignored the side hustles, slept in, counted my attempts at building a business as failure after failure. But instead, I kept listening, I kept trying, no matter what. Only now, in hindsight, do I see the thread that ties all of this together. Along the way, I had to just keep running, even though I couldn’t see the road in front of me.

I now know that my whisper wasn’t just about me traveling and living abroad. I didn’t work as a teacher AND get a Master’s in Media and Culture Studies AND live abroad AND live as a nomad AND try time and time again to launch businesses because it was all about me.

My mission is to help 1,000,000 Americans go international by 2030.

I followed my call to adventure not just around the world, but into a world of entrepreneurship, one of big, hairy, audacious goals.

I am already on my way to accomplish this by:

1. Writing books and guides that remove the barriers that keep people stuck,

2. Growing the Adventure Calls podcast so that reaches the ears of thousands - and one day, millions - of future expats,

3. Maintaining a safe space for queer expats with my Facebook group (Queer Expats),

4. Personally coaching hundreds of expats

5. Growing a consulting business that helps companies create safe spaces so that their employees can be successful expats.

I’m still on my way, but that’s because I never gave up. It’s all a work in progress.

So whatever you do, don’t dull your shine. Keep pushing.

Follow your whisper and see where it leads.

There is an impact that only you can make in this world.

How To Move To Antigua + Barbuda in 2022

This article on How To Move To Antigua and Barbuda is taken from a summary of a conversation during the instagram Live 2021 Global Relocation Conference with Jovanna December of Relocate Antigua, a relocation company founded in 2017 with the vision to assist clients looking to invest in, visit or relocate to the beautiful island of Antigua and Barbuda. The company handles the full relocation process from visa and immigration to real estate search, job search, and settling in services. 

Does moving to a Caribbean island sound like a good solution to all of your problems right now? Then read on for more about the beautiful island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, and how to move there in 2022.

About Antigua and Barbuda

Just under 100,000 people live on Antigua + Barbuda, two islands that make up this Caribbean nation. Antigua is larger, more populated and home to the capital city of St Johns.

Why do people relocate to Antigua + Barbuda?

Of course every move is a personal decision, but there are a few major reasons why people from around the world relocate here. Not only are there 365 beaches - one for every day of the year - but it is a beautiful, welcoming island that is relatively safe. 

Antigua + Barbuda has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.

The cost of living is about 20% lower than in the United States, which is actually high compared to other countries in the Caribbean. There is a strong mix of history, natural beauty and the ability to live an adventurous lifestyle. 

Who relocates to Antigua + Barbuda? 

Expats settling from the US, Canada and Europe (mostly Spain), as well as Nigeria and other Caribbean countries all come to Antigua + Barbuda. The motivations of moving here, like the beaches and laidback lifestyle, mean that you tend to see families, influencers, honeymooners, digital nomads, retirees and also property investors and startup founders. 

What are the most popular visa types? 

In addition to the Tourist Visa on Arrival which gives US citizens up to 180 days in the country to visit as tourists, there are two main types of visas that people use to relocate to Antigua + Barbuda: the NDR Visa and the Citizenship by Investment Visa.

The Antigua Nomad Digital Residence Visa
For those who would like to stay on a more permanent basis, the Antigua Nomad Digital Residence Visa, or the NDR Visa. This visa encourages digital nomads and work-from-anywhere folks to relocate to Antigua for one year, up to two years, as long as they are employed in their home country and can work remotely. Programs like this have sprouted up around the Caribbean since the pandemic hit, to encourage North Americans and Europeans to work from the beach for a year. This isn’t as much a residency visa as an extended tourist visa that allows you to work (from a different beach every day of the year!). 

The NDR visa is only good for two years, and then you have to travel back home, and if interested, come back again for two years. You can bring your spouse and your children can go to the public schools as well as private schools on the island. 

See more about the Antigua Nomad Digital Residence Visa and reach out to Relocate Antigua for any questions.   

The Antigua Citizenship by Investment Visa Program
The second visa type, which has been around since the mid-1990s, is the Citizenship by Investment Program visa. This allows foreigners to qualify for citizenship by investing a certain amount of money into the country of Antigua. There are several programs within this option, but the most common is the real estate investment option, known widely as a ‘Golden Visa’ option. 

Foreigners must invest at least $400,000 into a real estate property, plus be able to pay the processing fees (starting at $30,000) and due diligence fees (this varies per property). Two parties can invest $200,000 minimum each on a jointly owned property and be awarded citizenship as well. 

Read more about the Citizenship by Investment Program and reach out to Relocate Antigua with any questions.

What are the pros and cons of moving to Antigua + Barbuda?

Pro: An active lifestyle

With so many beaches and adventure activities like hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and others, life is lived outside. This lifestyle feels healthier, both mentally and physically. 

Pro: Safety

Crime is relatively low here, and foreigners tend to feel very relaxed and safe while living on the island. 

Con: A government-sanctioned anti-gay stance 

Antigua might not feel so safe for queer expats. This isn’t to say that everyone on Antigua + Barbuda is anti-gay, but it isn’t a queer-friendly country, either. With anti-lgbt laws in place, such as 15 years in jail for ‘buggery’ or same-sex intercourse, plus zero rights or recognition for queer marriages, Antigua joins its Caribbean colleagues in the rankings as some of the least friendly LGBTQ countries to relocate to in the world (Jamaica was ranked the least friendly country for LGBTQ travelers in the world in various years).  More information about LGBTQ Antigua + Barbuda can be found in this study here and the Wikipedia entry here.

Pro and Con: The pace of life 

One of the most notable differences to life in North America or Europe is the pace of life on the islands. At first, the slower lifestyle is welcome and allows visitors and new residents to decompress. However, when something really ‘needs’ to get done, or is expected to be completed in what would be considered a timely manner, the slow pace can feel really frustrating. It is important to remember that as the expat, you are the one who has to adjust your cultural clock to the local ‘time’. 

Pro: Cost of living 

While Antigua + Barbuda is not one of the cheaper island nations in the Caribbean, it is still about 20% less expensive to the United States.  On average, one-bedroom city center apartments average $1,000 / monthly, while outside the city is $700. Utilities  and other bills are relatively similar. 

Food can either be a part of a low budget, or can start to run up your budget if you rely on international cuisine. Antigua is fairly international, and you can get comfort foods from home (like pizza and pasta), but a local diet of rice, veggies, fruits and local meats will be much more budget-friendly. 

Use a website like Numbeo.com to compare the cost of living between Antigua and the United States. 

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Adventure Calls Move Abroad Checklist here.

A note on health insurance 

Taking a risk with your health is never advised, even for the most daring adventurer. If you are a digital nomad (like with Antigua’s NDR Visa), you will need digital nomad-friendly travel insurance. If you plan on more permanent relocation, travel insurance with medical coverage is vital for up to a year while you settle in abroad. 

SafetyWing and World Nomads both have created an insurance hybrid. 

Top Travel Insurance Recommendation: SafetyWing.

I’d recommend SafetyWing for its flexible cancellation policies and direct communication with hospital billing departments rather than dealing with out-of-pocket payments and reimbursements while abroad. Meant for true nomads, an official home address is also not required.

For more information on SafetyWing insurance, visit SafetyWing.com.

Runner Up Insurance Recommendation:

World Nomads was one of the first insurance options on the scene for nomads and is still an excellent option, especially if you’re more adventurous or a nomad with a lot of electronics and gear.

For more information, visit WorldNomads.com.

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How To Move To Italy in 2022

This article summarizes an interview with Global Mobility Specialist Damien O’Farrell, during the Adventure Calls 2021 Global Relocation Conference.

Watch the interview.
Listen to the audio.
See the full line up of interviews here. 

Damien O’Farrell is a Global Mobility Specialist who has been living in Italy for over 30 years. Through his global mobility programs, he assists C suite executives, VIP talent, and individuals relocating to Italy, plus cutting-edge spousal support, expat coaching and entrepreneur mentoring with a focus on building and growing a successful business in Italy. Essentially, Damien acts as a one-stop-shop for destination services, including home search, utilities, the immigration, and the expat coaching, as well as relocation strategy. 

Your strategy in moving to Italy in 2022

Strategy? 

Yes. Let’s start the discussion about How To Move To Italy by talking about strategy. It’s important to know WHY you want to move to Italy, so that you know where to move, what visas are available, how long you can stay, when you can apply, and more. 

For example, If you just know you want to move to Italy, but you don’t really know where, answer these questions: 

Are you looking to build your career? Then you might consider moving to Rome or Milan, aka Tier 1 cities.

Are you looking for a slower, more relaxing lifestyle? Maybe even to retire? Then you might consider slower, sleepier cities or towns, aka Tier 3 cities. 

You have to know your ‘why’, because If you move to a small Italian town because that is your dream, you aren’t going to be able to build a career in fashion, for example, since that would happen in Milan. If you want to launch a business, you need to be where you can network with like-minded individuals. 

As you will see below, you will also really need to know your ‘why’ because you will have to work hard before you move to Italy to apply for the ‘right’ type of visa that aligns with your dreams. 

A word of caution as we wrap up this section on strategy, the number ONE reason why self-initiated expats (ie, not corporate expats who are relocated by a company) leave Italy has to do with finances: not making enough money to make a life work. Finding rewarding work in Italy can be difficult, and salaries tend to be on the low side. So, if you are looking to find a ‘regular’ job, you might feel that you can’t exist for very lng on that. Retiring or running your own business might be an entirely different matter. 

How to get a visa to live in Italy for a non-EU citizen 

If you are a citizen of the European Union, you don’t need a visa to move to Italy. You can move and live freely within all of the countries in the EU. Non-EU citizens have to go through official immigration channels to live anywhere in Europe (or anywhere out of their home countries in general). 

Tourist visa for shorter visits
This is the first visa you probably have already gotten if you have ever been to Italy, and the one you get whenever you land there on vacation. If you have a strong passport that doesn’t require any advance paperwork (US, Australia, Canada, etc) you are able to visit Italy for up to 90 days in any 180 day period as a tourist. Other nationalities might be required to apply for tourist visas in advance of their visit. 

Beyond the tourist visa
If you want to more officially move to Italy, then you want to apply for a different type of visa to actually immigrate to the country. 

You have to go back home. Or at least back to the country where you currently have residency. Visas aren’t processed in Italy. They are processed in Italian consulates, and you have to apply to the consulate that has jurisdiction over where you have residency. 

Available visas for your move to Italy 

Inter-company transfer: If you work for a multinational company that relocates you, you will likely get a work visa through your company that is valid for one to two years. The immigration process may or may not be handled by your HR team entirely. 

Italian company hire: You can apply for Italian jobs and be hired by an Italian company. This might be a bit more difficult, but if you are skilled in Italian and a type of skill that an Italian company is willing to hire outside the European Union for. 

Side note: Being a native English speaker is no longer a skill that is likely to get you a visa. 20 years ago you could have moved to Italy and gotten a job teaching English, but today, the internet has disrupted the need for in person teaching by a native speaker. Now Italians, and anyone else, can hire a teacher online and there aren’t many roles on the ground for this. 

Retirement visa aka Elective Residency Visa: If you want to move to Italy but not work, you can apply for this visa meant for retirees, but open to all with a consistent monthly income from outside of Italy. You have to show income, not savings. It doesn’t matter how much you have saved in the bank, but rather how much money you can prove you get on a monthly basis. 

Prior to 2021 you were not able to convert this retirement into another type of visa, but the Italian immigration decree now says that you can, in certain circumstances, convert an Elective Residency Visa into a work permit as long as you have a job offer from an Italian company. This is great for those who move to Italy, make connections and actually do find a job opportunity. Otherwise they would have had to move back to their home country and apply for the job. This way you can convert your visa into a work visa - as long as you have an official job offer from an Italian company. 

Student Visa: There are two types of ‘students’ under this visa type. You can be a higher education student (aka college) or a continuing education student (studying the Italian language, taking an art class, etc). The continuing ed student can study in Italy for one to two years, and even work up to 20 hours per week. This visa is usually good for one year and extended to two, but no more than that. There is no permanent student lifestyle with this visa. 

Pursuing a higher ed degree will allow you to secure a visa for your entire education, and then you have up to a year to find a job in Italy, as Italy wants to keep the talent educated here in the country.

The Investors Visa:  In Italy, you can invest anywhere from €100,000 - €250,000 in a startup or other company. This is for a very specific type of expat, and is not a Golden Visa. Italy has no ‘Golden Visa’ opportunities, meaning that you can not invest in property as a way to achieve residency the way that you can in Portugal, Malta, Spain, Cyprus or others. You can buy property in Italy, but you can only live there for those 90 days out of every 180 days, or six months per year. 

Self-employment visa: This is a challenging visa to obtain. When applying for this visa, you have to present a business plan that shows that you have been doing that business in your country of origin, and how you plan to bring that to Italy.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: What do I do when my visa runs out in Italy? 

Can I switch from one visa to another visa while living in Italy? If you are going to switch visas, from one type to another type, you typically have to go back to your home and apply again at your local consulate. There are a few cases, such as extending your student visa until you find a job or converting your retirement visa into a work visa, where this can happen all while maintaining residency in Italy, but otherwise, you usually can’t convert visas without leaving the country. This can be a bit disruptive to your lifestyle, obviously, and so needs to be known and planned for. 

FAQ: Am I guaranteed an Italian visa if I fill all the requirements?

Unfortunately this isn’t an exact science. There is a lot of variance from one consulate to another, and one bureaucrat to another. You can be exactly the same on paper as another person, couple or family and the visa type, length or approval might not be the same. Just because one person gets approved doesn’t mean someone else’s will. 

FAQ: What kind of jobs can I get in Italy? 

Italy wants to monetize its immigration. Retirement visas are seen as a strain on the public healthcare system, and are increasingly difficult to acquire. English teaching jobs are harder than they used to be as well. Jobs in the tech and medical sectors are on the up and up.

So if you are moving to Italy and looking to become a  member of the workforce, it is important to skill up in the areas that Italy is looking for, or get creative on other routes and visa types. 

FAQ: Can I work remotely in Italy?

If you are a non-EU citizen arriving on a tourist visa, you can only stay in Italy for up to 90 days in any 180 day period. There are no digital nomad-type visas that allow you to work remotely for a year or two while living in Italy. Countries like Spain have a Non-Lucrative Visa which allows you to work your remote job while living legally in Spain.

FAQ: What if I overstay my visa?

In short, get on a plane and hope that nobody notices that you have overstayed. Then go back to your home country and start the process correctly, rather than staying illegally. If you have overstayed your visa and fly through a major transport hub like Zurich, Frankfurt or Amsterdam, you will very likely get caught for overstaying.

By the end of 2022, the European Schengen Area will have the ETIAS platform, which is like the equivalent of the American ESTA, and will make it very difficult to overstay unnoticed.

ETIAS, or European Travel Information and Authorization System, is a visa waiver program that will be needed to enter a Schengen member country. All travelers entering on a tourist visa on arrival will be expected to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization prior to arrival.

Five Italy Influencer Recommendations

1. Kylie Flavel’s Dream of Italy YouTube Channel

2. Shannon Acton’s Bargain Homes Abroad 

3. Italian Cheap Homes

4. Sean Carlos, American Realtor in Italy. 

5. The Bittersweet Life podcast  

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Get personalized help with your move

Damien O’Farrell is a relocation specialist available to help you move to Italy. You can find him at his website, www.damienofarrell.com, or by joining his Facebook group Ultimate Italy. 

Contact me for expat coaching.

Damien is also included in the Adventure Calls 2022 Global Relocation Guide, a one stop shop for connections to relocation experts in Italy and around the world. Emails, phone numbers, websites, bios, headshots, links and more.

No matter where you want to move in the world, there is a relocation specialist who knows the ropes and can help you settle in safely and securely abroad.

Get the 2022 Global Relocation Guide

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