7 ms·

I've never once heard of someone saying that Miami (or Puerto Viejo or Florianópolis) was a good place as a nomad (not even on my radar), and I've been in the "

by reustle 10y ago

I've never once heard of someone saying that Miami (or Puerto Viejo or Florianópolis) was a good place as a nomad (not even on my radar), and I've been in the "circuit" for almost 2 years now.

bogomipz 10y ago
Agreed, putting Miami there is a bit of a joke. I am curious what is and has been on your radar for digital nomads and what you think the list should be.
- reustle 10y ago
  Pieter does a pretty good job of taking the list with his NomadList website. It's hard to say here are best cities because people have different wants and tastes. Some like beaches, some like cities, etc.
- officialchicken 10y ago
  Having been in a Miami-based startup... it's fashionable, but not technological. Just about every single tech show has a runway with DJ, and I don't mean finance. The major downside is the investment community is full of retirees who don't really make good VC's. The mayor of Miami is pushing for generating tech and startups, so at least there's a political will.
scurvy 10y ago
Brazil is an odd choice considering that a visa costs Americans $100 (last I checked).
- WildUtah 10y ago
  $130 And your air ticket is going to cost a lot more than that. The painful part is that you have to fly to a city with a Brazilian Embassy (LA, DC) inside the USA and stay there for a week while your visa application process happens.
  - 2a0c40 10y ago
    I've read somewhere Brazil visa requirements are based on reciprocity. Can it be the US demands something similar from brazilians?
    - raverbashing 10y ago
      You are correct https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visitor.html https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visitor.html However Brazil does not require an interview in person, so you can do it by mail
    - mixmastamyk 10y ago
      Yes, though because of the Olympics it has been waived this summer.
    - joelrunyon 10y ago
      Yup. That's the deal. Tried to go back when the relationship was a bit more tense (10 years ago) and got denied AND blacklisted for 5 years sad face
      - scurvy 10y ago
        I still think the numbers overwhelmingly benefit the US vs Brazil here, considering the huge numbers of Brazilians that come here to vacation (and buy a dozen iPads). Also, did they say why you were blacklisted? Was there a time where Brazilians were denied entry to the US on tourist visas?
  - defen 10y ago
    $160 now actually. There are companies that will expedite the process for you if you don't mind mailing your passport to a third party. Costs about $100 extra which is way less than what you're proposing. Also if you're from the US you can enter Brazil between June 1 2016 and September 18 2016 and stay for up to 90 days with no visa due to the Olympics - no need for Olympics ticket either.
  - scurvy 10y ago
- DominikR 10y ago
  What really makes Brazil a no go for me is how dangerous it seems to be. I wouldn't even dare going there for vacation let alone live there for an extended period.
  - scurvy 10y ago
    Only the major cities have rampant crime. Get out to the countryside, and it's a wonderful place. Even Florianopolis has much lower crime rates than places like Sao Paulo. As a tourist, you can skip Sao Paulo and not miss much. My wife is a Paulista and we fly in, see some aunties, and then GTFO for Rio or Bahia. SP is where most of the fiber landings are, so if you're in the networking business, you're probably stuck there.
officialchicken 10y ago
Same here; I've never ever once heard any of those 3 cities come up once in a conversation. Without mentioning Gran Canaria (and Tenerife) in the Canary Islands, I am suspect of the writer's actual first-hand experience as a nomad. The Canaries are incredible - great food, excellent bandwidth - although 100ms latency to US/AWS does occur every rare now and then -, surprisingly large startup/digital nomad scene, lots of co-working and housing options, etc.
joelrunyon 10y ago
I've heard Miami is okay for a base of operations. No state income tax, beach, good flight options and relatively good supply of housing (from what I've heard). Also mojitos. I wouldn't be surprised if Miami moves up the list in the next few years from the tax situation alone.
- SwellJoe 10y ago
  > relatively good supply of extremely expensive housing FTFY By US major city standards it isn't completely off-the-wall expensive (I mean, there are at least a dozen more expensive major cities in the US). But, the nomads I know tend to want to save money so they can work less. While I don't set out to find the cheapest place to park my RV, I also don't end up staying in places like Miami for long (when there are similarly nice cities for less than half the price).
  - joelrunyon 10y ago
    If you're based in Miami, you could easily save $$ on the tax situation - even if you're not there FT. I'm curious on these other similar nice cities to Miami you speak of.
    - SwellJoe 10y ago
      "If you're based in Miami, you could easily save $$ on the tax situation - even if you're not there FT." Lots of states offer no income tax. Favorites among full-time RVers in addition to Florida are South Dakota and Texas (I'm legally a Texas resident). But, yes, Florida is a great state to call home, if you travel full-time. But, Miami is an expensive city to do it in. If I were gonna live in Florida for more than a few weeks out of the year, I'd probably pick St. Pete. It's maybe the best balance of "decent city, decent prices, near the ocean" in Florida. Cheaper options exist inland, but it's still much cheaper than Miami. But, if we open it up to every state, there are tons of great cities that are cheaper than Miami. They're always smaller, and rarely on the ocean, but still provide excellent quality of life very affordably.

by reustle 10y ago

I've never once heard of someone saying that Miami (or Puerto Viejo or Florianópolis) was a good place as a nomad (not even on my radar), and I've been in the "circuit" for almost 2 years now.

bogomipz 10y ago

Agreed, putting Miami there is a bit of a joke. I am curious what is and has been on your radar for digital nomads and what you think the list should be.

reustle 10y ago
Pieter does a pretty good job of taking the list with his NomadList website. It's hard to say here are best cities because people have different wants and tastes. Some like beaches, some like cities, etc.
officialchicken 10y ago
Having been in a Miami-based startup... it's fashionable, but not technological. Just about every single tech show has a runway with DJ, and I don't mean finance. The major downside is the investment community is full of retirees who don't really make good VC's. The mayor of Miami is pushing for generating tech and startups, so at least there's a political will.

scurvy 10y ago

Brazil is an odd choice considering that a visa costs Americans $100 (last I checked).

WildUtah 10y ago
$130 And your air ticket is going to cost a lot more than that. The painful part is that you have to fly to a city with a Brazilian Embassy (LA, DC) inside the USA and stay there for a week while your visa application process happens.
- 2a0c40 10y ago
  I've read somewhere Brazil visa requirements are based on reciprocity. Can it be the US demands something similar from brazilians?
  - raverbashing 10y ago
    You are correct https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visitor.html https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visitor.html However Brazil does not require an interview in person, so you can do it by mail
  - mixmastamyk 10y ago
    Yes, though because of the Olympics it has been waived this summer.
  - joelrunyon 10y ago
    Yup. That's the deal. Tried to go back when the relationship was a bit more tense (10 years ago) and got denied AND blacklisted for 5 years sad face
    - scurvy 10y ago
      I still think the numbers overwhelmingly benefit the US vs Brazil here, considering the huge numbers of Brazilians that come here to vacation (and buy a dozen iPads). Also, did they say why you were blacklisted? Was there a time where Brazilians were denied entry to the US on tourist visas?
- defen 10y ago
  $160 now actually. There are companies that will expedite the process for you if you don't mind mailing your passport to a third party. Costs about $100 extra which is way less than what you're proposing. Also if you're from the US you can enter Brazil between June 1 2016 and September 18 2016 and stay for up to 90 days with no visa due to the Olympics - no need for Olympics ticket either.
- scurvy 10y ago
DominikR 10y ago
What really makes Brazil a no go for me is how dangerous it seems to be. I wouldn't even dare going there for vacation let alone live there for an extended period.
- scurvy 10y ago
  Only the major cities have rampant crime. Get out to the countryside, and it's a wonderful place. Even Florianopolis has much lower crime rates than places like Sao Paulo. As a tourist, you can skip Sao Paulo and not miss much. My wife is a Paulista and we fly in, see some aunties, and then GTFO for Rio or Bahia. SP is where most of the fiber landings are, so if you're in the networking business, you're probably stuck there.

officialchicken 10y ago

Same here; I've never ever once heard any of those 3 cities come up once in a conversation. Without mentioning Gran Canaria (and Tenerife) in the Canary Islands, I am suspect of the writer's actual first-hand experience as a nomad. The Canaries are incredible - great food, excellent bandwidth - although 100ms latency to US/AWS does occur every rare now and then -, surprisingly large startup/digital nomad scene, lots of co-working and housing options, etc.

joelrunyon 10y ago

I've heard Miami is okay for a base of operations. No state income tax, beach, good flight options and relatively good supply of housing (from what I've heard). Also mojitos. I wouldn't be surprised if Miami moves up the list in the next few years from the tax situation alone.

SwellJoe 10y ago
> relatively good supply of extremely expensive housing FTFY By US major city standards it isn't completely off-the-wall expensive (I mean, there are at least a dozen more expensive major cities in the US). But, the nomads I know tend to want to save money so they can work less. While I don't set out to find the cheapest place to park my RV, I also don't end up staying in places like Miami for long (when there are similarly nice cities for less than half the price).
- joelrunyon 10y ago
  If you're based in Miami, you could easily save $$ on the tax situation - even if you're not there FT. I'm curious on these other similar nice cities to Miami you speak of.
  - SwellJoe 10y ago
    "If you're based in Miami, you could easily save $$ on the tax situation - even if you're not there FT." Lots of states offer no income tax. Favorites among full-time RVers in addition to Florida are South Dakota and Texas (I'm legally a Texas resident). But, yes, Florida is a great state to call home, if you travel full-time. But, Miami is an expensive city to do it in. If I were gonna live in Florida for more than a few weeks out of the year, I'd probably pick St. Pete. It's maybe the best balance of "decent city, decent prices, near the ocean" in Florida. Cheaper options exist inland, but it's still much cheaper than Miami. But, if we open it up to every state, there are tons of great cities that are cheaper than Miami. They're always smaller, and rarely on the ocean, but still provide excellent quality of life very affordably.