Beach Commute - Digital Nomad Experts

By Beach CommuteSociety & Culture Places & Travel

Beach Commute - Digital Nomad Experts episodes

December 02, 2021Hallucinogenic alcohol and feeding muskrats in Prague | Ep 20
7 days in Prague as a digital nomad
Have you ever thought about visiting Prague, either for vacation or to live for some time as a digital nomad?
Or are you curious to hear what it’s actually like to visit Prague?
If so, this episode for you…
Jeff and I both recently spent 7 days in Prague on our Euro adventure, and we're here to share the secrets & recommendations that we came across.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Whether or not we recommend Prague as a long-term digital nomad location or vacation spot

Our absolute FAVORITE part of Prague that you WON’T find on any to-do lists (I stumbled upon this accidentally, and loved it so much!)

How Prague has changed dramatically since 2004

Why Prague has such a special place in Jeff’s heart (it may or may not have taken his travel virginity…and he has a cobblestone to prove it)

How Jeff wound up eating a 10 course meal at a Michelin star chef’s house with traditional czech food (and the website that YOU can use to find experiences like these where you travel almost anywhere in the world)

The best, off the beaten path activities and adventures to go on while in Prague (hint: NOT your typical castle tours)

Our tip to find the most local experiences wherever you travel

Why you may love Prague if you’re a beer aficionado

What type of food you can expect to find in Prague

The best neighborhood to stay in if you go

The secret spot one hour outside of Prague that rivals Horseshoe Bend in Arizona
If you’re interested in getting a remote job that you can do while traveling the world, so that you can visit places like Prague (or anywhere on the globe!)...check out our guide for the 7 most common jobs that digital nomads do.
41 min
November 23, 2021Traveling during Covid times as a digital nomad (what you must know) | Ep 19
Traveling during Covid times as a digital nomad (what you must know)
These days, we get questions every single day about what it’s like to travel right now in the time of Covid & how to navigate rules and policies...this episode is long overdue!
You’ve been asking us about the different rules and regulations in each country, how to get the latest policies for each location, entry requirements and allowances, traveling vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, and so much more.
In this episode, Jeff, Diego and Marisa got together to answer all of your questions about what it’s like to travel right now during Covid, and how to navigate the confusing logistics that are constantly changing everyday.
You’ll learn…
How to plan your travels when rules and regulations are changing in each country so often (how far in advance to plan...or not to plan)

Why online information about entry and quarantine requirements are NOT always accurate...and 3 tips to find the MOST up to date information for your trip

Why it’s important to research regulations for both the country you’re coming from, AND which country you’re a resident of (both may have implications for whether or not you’re allowed to enter a country)

All things testing for entry requirements...how to know which test(s) you need, where to find testing sites abroad (it’s not where you’d think!), which tests are the least expensive, and how to get the fastest turn-around times for your results

How to find out different entry requirements for flying vs. driving across a land border

How to be mindful of the local communities you’re traveling to during this time, and precautions to take in order to avoid passing on Covid while traveling

Our experience on the ground during Covid times in countries such as Mexico, South Africa, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia and more

Why you can’t plan your travels far in advance the way you used to (and why we don’t like to as digital nomads, regardless)
Helpful resources:
Travel requirements for each country: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php

This resource is NOT always 100% accurate so we suggest following the protocols we share in this episode to ensure you have the most up to date information. But this website is a great place to start!
Note: This episode was published in Nov, 2021. Please be mindful that policies and information about Covid-19 and travel are constantly changing, but regardless, this episode is a great guide if you are thinking about traveling again, what to expect, and how to find the most up to date info.
48 min
November 11, 2021Becoming a digital nomad at 50 years old (interview with Palle Bo) | Ep 18
In this episode, Marisa interviews Palle Bo, a 55-year-old digital nomad from Denmark who began traveling the world 5.5 years ago when his kids left for University.
Palle lived in the same small, rural part of Denmark for the first FIFTY years of his life, never really leaving. Yet, in the last 5.5 years since he reinvented his life as a digital nomad, he’s now traveled to over 97 different countries.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How it feels to be “a bit older than most other digital nomads who are traveling” (his words, not ours)

Why he chose to travel after a divorce, and how his kids (now 24 and 27 years old) played a role in the timing of his nomad life

How a trip to Cape Town sparked his desire to become a digital nomad full time

How he planned out every detail of his first years of nomad before even leaving, and why he completely ended up changing his plans just one week into his journey

How he chooses which destinations to travel to next, when he can go anywhere in the world at any time

The secret he discovered as to why digital nomads feel like they live a fuller, longer life compared to those who don’t travel

Why he and his children have an even better relationship now than when he lived with them back in Denmark, and what it was like when they visited him in North Korea, Japan and South Africa

The reason he may get a permanent house 15 years from now (and no earlier), and why he never wants a big house again

How he finds community while traveling solo

Two ways he’s booked months of free accommodation while on the road, and why traveling has actually been LESS expensive each year than living in the countryside of Denmark

The two major pieces of advice he has for someone who is considering living the digital nomad life (we love these!)
Links mentioned in the show:
Palle’s podcast: “The Radio Vagabond”

Palle’s website: www.theradiovagabond.com

7 most common remote jobs for digital nomads (www.beachcommute.com/7jobs)

Learn how you can get a remote job: www.beachcommute.com/gre (Go Remote Employment Course)
56 min
November 01, 2021Visiting every single country in the world (to do it or not) | Ep 17
Visiting every single country in the world...yes or no?
In this solo episode, join Marisa as she shares what sparked her desire to visit every single country in the world...and why she has been seriously questioning this goal over the last 2 months.
If there’s anything in your life that you feel like you should be doing, even though you’re not genuinely excited about it, we feel confident that you’ll gain a lot from listening to this episode.
In this recording, you’ll learn…
Why Marisa decided to visit 10 different countries in Eastern Europe that she wasn't super excited about, instead of spending 2 months island hopping through the beautiful beaches in Greece (which is one of her favorite countries)

Why a moment sitting in a basement apartment in Latvia served as a breaking point, and led her to seriously question her decision to travel to every single country in the world

Why Europe is her least favorite continent to travel to, and which 2 continents she loves the most

The one huge life lesson it took Marisa visiting over 70+ countries to learn...(save yourself time, and learn from Marisa’s mistakes)

How Covid has impacted the destinations Marisa is traveling to right now

The 4 coaching questions Marisa asks herself when making a decision, and how you can apply these questions when making any decisions in your life as well

Why, in the past, she hasn’t gone back to destinations that she loves...even though she wanted to

What Marisa’s travel schedule looks like over the next 8 months

How to recognize actions you're taking in life because you feel like you “should” (rather than what you genuinely desire to do), and how to shift this action (even when you feel guilty about it)
We hope you love this episode.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
7 most common careers that digital nomads do

Go Remote Employment Course

Wifi Tribe
33 min
October 27, 2021The 7 unexpected downsides of traveling quickly as a digital nomad | Ep 16
The 7 Unexpected Cons of Traveling Quickly as a Digital Nomad
Marisa just wrapped up a trip visiting 10 different countries in Eastern Europe over a period of only 2.5 months.
After a month in Bulgaria, she traveled a bit quicker through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Spain.
While social media tends to showcase the positive highlights of travel, here at Beach Commute, we love to share the real ups AND downs of travel, and everything in between.
So, in this episode, Marisa shares the honest truth of how difficult it was to travel this quickly while also working full-time.
In this episode, you’ll learn…
The 7 specific hardships of traveling quickly as a digital nomad

Why Marisa sometimes travels quickly from country to country, and why Jeff and Diego almost never do

The most recent times Marisa woke up and didn’t know what country she was in

3 reasons why Marisa occasionally travels quickly, even though it’s difficult to do while working (and why she’s planning to do less of it moving forward)

Why Marisa sometimes chooses to live in or visit countries she’s not that excited about (why?!)

Why working while traveling quickly is completely different than traveling as a backpacker or full-time traveler (and how traveling quickly can take a massive toll on your creativity and work productivity)

The 4 aspects of fast travel that can have a HUGE effect on your physical health

Marisa’s favorite, unexpected benefits of staying in one location for at least 3-4 weeks (or longer), and what you may miss out on when staying in one location for only a short time

Why it’s harder to build a community when you’re traveling more quickly
If you have a dream of living as a digital nomad (and/or visiting many different countries in your lifetime), then this episode is for you! You'll find out if the pros of traveling quickly (and visiting many different destinations) outweigh the cons…
And what to consider when traveling quickly while working a full-time job.
Links mentioned:
www.beachcommute.com/7jobs
www.beachcommute.com/gre
23 min
October 21, 2021Electronics & gadgets you need for your travels as a digital nomad | Ep 15
Having the right gadgets and electronics is so important when it comes to working successfully as a digital nomad while you travel to different countries all over the world.
But don’t worry...we’ve got you covered!
In this episode, Jeff, Diego and Marisa talk about all of the electronics, tools and gadgets to purchase ahead of time so that YOU can successfully work remotely from whichever country you choose.
By the end of the episode, you’ll learn...
Why Marisa recorded this episode from a bathroom floor (and why she dragged Jeff down a creep alleyway to record this episode while they were together in Romania)

Why electronics have made living as a digital nomad more feasible than ever (and the tools we HIGHLY suggest you bring with you to successfully work remotely in foreign countries)

The 3 BEST back-ups for solid wifi in almost any country, and how to have internet instantly when you land in a new country

The pros and cons of using Google Fi for cell service

The importance of unlocking your phone before leaving your home country

The smallest gadget that makes the biggest difference for safety, logistics, transportation AND work (it will save you in a bind)

The ONE gadget we recommend never traveling without

Whether or not we each travel with a second laptop, and why traveling with just one laptop is “flirting with disaster” (according to Jeff)

The reason you NEED a universal charger (and what it is)

The laptop accessory that over 2/3 of digital nomads travel with (and why!)

How to travel with an extra monitor for higher productivity (if you want)

Our #1 tip to NOT have your backpack or purse stolen while working in a cafe (and the surprising electronic accessory that saved this from happening to Diego)

Why Marisa travels with more than 4 pairs of headphones
Resources mentioned in the show:
Click here to view our list of all electronics mentioned during the episode

Click here to download our list of the 7 most common jobs that digital nomads do

Click here if you want to get a remote job that you can do while traveling the world
43 min
October 14, 2021From FBI agent to digital nomad (interview with Wade Sellers) | Ep 14
Wondering how Wade went from serving in the US military to working for the FBI to living as a digital nomad in Bali? If so, you're going to love this interview!
In this episode, Marisa interviews her good friend, Wade Sellers, who she met 3 years ago on a Nomad Cruise from Spain to Portugal.
Wade is a "non-digital nomad" turned "digital nomad" turned "non digital nomad again" turned "current hybrid nomad" with a home base now in New York. He's the perfect example to show that there's no one way to live digital nomad life, and how your desires can change over time (plus, Wade is full of energy and an A+ story teller!).
In this episode, Wade shares his detailed journey about...
How he spent time in Kuwait and Cuba while serving in the military (and what he really thought of this experience)

How he landed a job with the FBI, and how a polygraph test gave him an even higher top secret security clearance while fighting cyber crimes

How a drunk night at a karaoke bar in Tennessee at Christmas time turned into a job offer to work on spy planes in Afghanistan working only 9 months of the year and making $160k

How surviving a rocket attack led to questioning his life choices...and the one question his friend asked him that changed the course of his life forever

What's been THE SINGLE HARDEST thing he's every done in his life (hint: it doesn't have to do with the FBI or the military)

How (and why) he built the world's first cannabis scanning app, and also helped create apps for cops to help stop human trafficking

Why he spent 9 HOURS making a 4 minute YouTube video that landed him his dream job (and what that job was)

Why he later got hired at Go Pro even though he was one of the LEAST qualified candidates

The spam email that changed his life while he was eating pizza in bed and watching YouTube videos to escape his life (hint: it led to his decision to book his first ever one way flight and live as a digital nomad)

Where he booked his ONE WAY ticket to on a complete whim using credit card points (and why he ended up staying in this location for 9 months!)

Why he says "The American dream is only but one dream..." (and how he learned while traveling that most people don't actually want this dream, and what they want instead)

Why he ended up finding (and loving!) having a home base in NYC after traveling all over the world (and what that means for his nomad days)

If this isn't enough, this interview took place on Wade's actual birthday...so you get "an extra punch" of his (already very high, amazing) energy! You're in for a real treat 🤗
Enjoy!

Websites:
Want to know the 7 most common jobs for Digital Nomads (hint: Wade has done TWO of them): www.beachcommute.com/7jobs
Want to learn how YOU can land a remote job like Wade? Check out our Go Remote Employment online course: www.beachcommute.com/gre
1 hr 12 min
October 07, 2021The 12 best locations for the semi-experienced digital nomad | Ep 13
In this episode, Jeff, Diego and Marisa share in detail about 12 destinations that are GREAT to live as a digital nomad...IF you’ve got a bit of experience under your belt with this lifestyle already.
(Note: if you're ready to book your FIRST trip as a digital nomad, check out episode #10 for our recommendations on the top 6 starter locations).
Listen to the episode now to find out the names of the 12 destinations below:
The beautiful beach town in Brazil with stunning views, and great surfing and windsurfing

The surf town in Costa Rica which has amazing, jungly beach vibes and all the healthy cafes you could desire (but it’s a little tricky to get to)

The idyllic caribbean island in Panama with scuba diving and a real-life one-legged pirate who runs quad biking tours through the jungle and beaches

The up-and-coming Mexican beach town with killer sunsets that’s about to explode as a tourist destination (get there before it does!)

The small Mexican city that has incredible (and cheap!) authentic food (Jeff proclaimed “You’ll have the best meal here of your entire life!”)

The awesome Greek Island that has a connotation of being a vacation stop for the older generation, but blew Diego away as a great digital nomad spot

The island in Spain with a bustling town and beautiful Mediterranean ocean views

The mountain town in Bulgaria where nomads come for a weeks, but stay for many months (and where you can get a great apartment for $350 USD)

The beach town in India which “feels like Bali in the early days” (and why you may not yet feel safe here)

The amazing hippie mountain town in Thailand, which has a record for the most winding roads to get there (it’s not yet overrun with tourists because it’s quite difficult to get there)

The island is Thailand which is super cheap, and known for its awesome scuba diving and spiritual energy

The little beach town in Vietnam where people accidentally find themselves staying for many months longer than intended
In this episode, we talk about what makes these 12 destinations slightly more difficult compared to the top 6 starter locations.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Give us a comment if you’ve been to any of these locations, and let us know what you think.

Ready to get a remote job? Click here to download and get our guide sharing the 7 most common jobs that digital nomads do.
52 min
October 01, 20217 essential steps when arriving to any new destination | Ep 12
Taking the leap to become a digital nomad can feel both overwhelming and scary.
In addition to figuring out what to pack, getting travel insurance, and what you’ll do with your belongings at home…
The unknown of arriving in a new place can often prevent people from taking the leap before even getting started.
So, to help you…
In this episode, Marisa, Jeff and Diego talk through the 7 MOST IMPORTANT steps to think through in the days leading up to your arrival, and the steps we highly suggest taking right when you land in a new place…
In order to successfully travel without dropping the ball at your job.
During this chat, not only will you laugh along with 3 friends, you’ll also learn:
Diego’s secret tip to find a place you’ll LOVE living for a month, without having to commit before seeing it in person

How to find the safest (and least expensive!) transportation from the airport to your hotel or airbnb

Why having cell service right away is a MUST (and how to do it)

Why you should NEVER EVER exchange money at the airport, and what to do instead to get local currency right away (which is super important)

Why Marisa laughed at Diego and Jeff for prioritizing their need for “specialty coffee” and “craft beers” when they first arrive in a new destination, and the first thing she searches for instead

Jeff’s #1 tip to find healthy food and groceries right when you arrive to a new destination

How to keep up your exercise routine in your first few days in a new place
We hope you enjoy the episode, and find it helpful as you enter into YOUR journey as a digital nomad!

Links mentioned during the show:
Hotelstonight.com

Airbnb

Go Remote Employment Course

7 Most Common Jobs For Digital Nomads
37 min
September 22, 2021 9 reasons why I loved Bansko, Bulgaria as a digital nomad | Ep 11
After spending 3 weeks in Bansko Bulgaria as a digital nomad, Marisa records this episode to share the 9 reasons she loved her time there and why she’s sad to leave.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why digital nomads LOVE this surprising little ski town in the summer (and why they end up staying far longer than they intend)
Whether or not Marisa feels safe living in this town
Marisa’s #1 favorite part of living here (compared to New York City)
The cost of living here compared to other locations in Western Europe
Why not speaking the language is a fun challenge for Marisa
Why she’s not as excited to go to the next location (and where she’s headed to next!)
Why it’s hard to find all of the amazing destinations nearby (and why that has surprisingly turned out to be a good thing)
Whether you’ve never heard of Bansko, Bulgaria before, or you’re considering adding this to your list of destinations to get to soon, you’ll love this episode to get a feel for what it’s like to live in this little mountain town as a digital nomad.
Links mentioned:
7 most common jobs that digital nomads do: www.beachcommute.com/7jobs
Go Remote Employment Course: www.beachcommute.com/gre
31 min

About Beach Commute - Digital Nomad Experts

From the publisher's feed

Beach Commute: Whether you are currently a digital nomad or aspiring to become one, this is the podcast for you. We talk all things remote work and travel, including how to get a fully-remote job, how to become a digital nomad, how to optimize your experience as a current digital nomad, and top travel destinations and personal experiences.