4 ms·

> I travel to be integrated into the communities in which I am traveling, not to hang out with other travelers. Same here, and it seems there are very few busi

> I travel to be integrated into the communities in which I am traveling, not to hang out with other travelers. Same here, and it seems there are very few businesses catering to us. Unfortunately, I think we are in the minority so that won't likely change soon. Any advice on easing the stress of finding the next place? We use skyscanner to find cheap flights from where we are, Craig's List a ton, and then random searches online for 'furnished apartments {destination}".

jlg23 9y ago
> it seems there are very few businesses catering to us Slow travelers (to avoid the whole "digital nomad" thing) are, in my experience, most welcome, especially in family-run places: We are pretty low maintenance. > Any advice on easing the stress of finding the next place? This is how I do it: Book flight and one or two nights in a hotel (depending on duration of flight/expected jetlag). Find a better hotel locally (one I am comfortable paying and staying at for the whole stay in worst case), start local hunt for a place. I usually find something within two weeks that is a much better deal than anything on airbnb (or with any other online presence). These two weeks allow me to learn the very basics to make an informed decision: Local salaries in the area (if a cop makes $200, a lease of $800 should ring an alarm), reality about security issues (pay more for something in a gated community?), actual transportation costs (just because a taxi has to be metered by law, it does not mean it will be for you, if you stand out as a foreigner) etc.
- nabeards 9y ago
  By "businesses catering to us" I was referring to companies like Roam (or, any "hey digital nomad, come stay with us for a month away from anyone local just to be a tourist" companies), but I 100% agree with your statement that we are usually welcome by local businesses. And thank you for the description of your process, always good to get another perspective. We find ourselves working very hard to find the proper place before we arrive, and having some local time first would definitely seem to make things easier. Just have to balance that cost with our budget.
  - jlg23 9y ago
    > Just have to balance that cost with our budget. Just to give you an idea of potential savings: Including utilities and fiber optics into my house I pay $500/month (two bedrooms, fully furnished house with giant terrace) - the same is available online for $120/day. This is in southern Morocco and even the 500 I pay include a tourist penalty fee. Local cops start with a salary of $220/month...
    - nabeards 9y ago
      That's an amazing savings. We are enjoying Panamá (the country, not the city) currently with a rent of $250 per month, internet included. The challenge we are currently facing is finding a place in the US for two-three months that's actually affordable. Even the hotels are crazy expensive for short stays. It definitely seems like picking a city, getting there in a hotel, and then finding a place is a better strategy than finding something online. I've been to countless websites that return an error when I put in our target dates: 'our reservation system doesn't allow dates longer than 30 days'!?! LOL Then, almost everything for our target duration is 'vacation rental', which means they want at least $500 per week. Total side note: is there a way to get notified when people respond to your comment on HN?

jlg23 9y ago

> it seems there are very few businesses catering to us Slow travelers (to avoid the whole "digital nomad" thing) are, in my experience, most welcome, especially in family-run places: We are pretty low maintenance. > Any advice on easing the stress of finding the next place? This is how I do it: Book flight and one or two nights in a hotel (depending on duration of flight/expected jetlag). Find a better hotel locally (one I am comfortable paying and staying at for the whole stay in worst case), start local hunt for a place. I usually find something within two weeks that is a much better deal than anything on airbnb (or with any other online presence). These two weeks allow me to learn the very basics to make an informed decision: Local salaries in the area (if a cop makes $200, a lease of $800 should ring an alarm), reality about security issues (pay more for something in a gated community?), actual transportation costs (just because a taxi has to be metered by law, it does not mean it will be for you, if you stand out as a foreigner) etc.

nabeards 9y ago
By "businesses catering to us" I was referring to companies like Roam (or, any "hey digital nomad, come stay with us for a month away from anyone local just to be a tourist" companies), but I 100% agree with your statement that we are usually welcome by local businesses. And thank you for the description of your process, always good to get another perspective. We find ourselves working very hard to find the proper place before we arrive, and having some local time first would definitely seem to make things easier. Just have to balance that cost with our budget.
- jlg23 9y ago
  > Just have to balance that cost with our budget. Just to give you an idea of potential savings: Including utilities and fiber optics into my house I pay $500/month (two bedrooms, fully furnished house with giant terrace) - the same is available online for $120/day. This is in southern Morocco and even the 500 I pay include a tourist penalty fee. Local cops start with a salary of $220/month...
  - nabeards 9y ago
    That's an amazing savings. We are enjoying Panamá (the country, not the city) currently with a rent of $250 per month, internet included. The challenge we are currently facing is finding a place in the US for two-three months that's actually affordable. Even the hotels are crazy expensive for short stays. It definitely seems like picking a city, getting there in a hotel, and then finding a place is a better strategy than finding something online. I've been to countless websites that return an error when I put in our target dates: 'our reservation system doesn't allow dates longer than 30 days'!?! LOL Then, almost everything for our target duration is 'vacation rental', which means they want at least $500 per week. Total side note: is there a way to get notified when people respond to your comment on HN?