Everything is a Hidden Gem, Amigos
Of course, the title is sarcastic. I’m writing after meeting my threshold of reading bullshit from travel blog websites. Quantity over quality seems to be the mandate when it comes to travel blogs. I had read articles about the untold safety throughout South America, the emergence & new beginnings on the continent on Africa and the carefree attitude one can take with travel to Central Asia. Of course, these regions are infamously known for political instability, violence, disease & reliance on *all* imports, corruption & scams.
Notwithstanding the very interesting “plays” or opportunities in all these places, the above is largely true. I don’t even wish to pick on any places in particular. Rather, I want to address the tone by which the articles out there speak a sort of child-like naivety that the world is all timeshare properties, chauffeurs, and friendly tourist guides.
While the luxuries can be found, the reality is that most of the world is riddled with poverty, criminal organizations, scams, corruption, dysfunction & vastly undeveloped territory–and I suspect it’s getting worse. Most of the world are structured where ignoring nonsensical fantasy & lies or acts of independence carry stiff penalties. When it comes to Africa, pretty much the entire continent is always on the verge of perpetual collapse. The on-the-ground experiences from the locals can attest that you need not go far to find serious trouble without even looking for it.
Before the world decided to shut off in 2020, I reckon most travellers spent their 2-3 weeks vacation on resorts or lavish hotels in a handful of countries. Although, the worldwide working from home move suddenly became possible to do the same job thousands of kilometres away. Many people with this ability, with an ounce of freedom and a sprinkle of curiosity took this opportunity to work from anywhere but their dusty computer desk.
This has allowed travellers to extend a little further and go to areas that they wouldn’t normally if they were confined to a 2 week vacation time allotment. The result has helped Mexico, Costa Rica, Turkey, UAE, Croatia & Eastern Europe as a whole. Whoever welcomed tourists during the past 3 years deserved the spoils in my estimation. Despite mass corporate layoffs, many people are still able to work from home (wherever that may be).
You Smell That? I Smell Money
Many who make their living on telling you where to go, where’s low on tax, where’s the next-big-thing for travel bugs, are simply motivated by making money–quantity of headlines vs. quality of care. Quantity catches more eyes than quality, they receive more ad revenue at the end of the day. Having travelled and spoken to many around the world—there are real dangers that lurk for the inexperienced or ignorant.
I’ve done a good deal of time studying criminal networks in various locations (because it’s interesting to me–don’t get any assumptions) & it’s important for one to be more skeptical & critical of the advice of mainstream vlog guides, offshore service providers or travel blogs. These situations are complicated, unpleasant and are bad for business so they rarely get discussed in full. While I think it’s smart to think about having a Plan B option, I think it’s even smarter to avoid unwanted situations.
I’ve also spent a good deal of time throughout Latin America and if you’re in a scenario where you have to ‘do’ anything, from flights, to registering, to signing up, to modifying a form, to receiving customer service, you are quickly reminded that you are in a bureaucratic 3rd world country. This may come contrary to the stress-free cocktail on a beach retire here advertisements you see so often. Not to mention the professional scams that exist (& I mean professional)
The Ol’ Shift N’ Grift
You may be familiar with Nomad Capitalist on the internet. They have lots of great content, no doubt. Although, as of late, their internet viewership seems to be dwindling, their redundancy is evident & content is contradictory if not straight up incorrect as some clever folks have pointed out. What’s interesting is that the commenters on the videos tend to joke how often they are pro-Georgia. “Pay 45,000 USD to just hear that ‘You should move to Georgia!'”
In some way it’s become their staple–the relocation assistance who are associated with recommending Georgia. I’ve been to Georgia. I’ve talked to many people in Georgia. I’ve talked to foreigners in Georgia. It has a place in an international portfolio but is not for everyone. Georgia to Nomad Capitalist is just dollar signs. It seems innovating or clever to a newcomer of the offshore space. It’s far enough away so most of a Western audience wouldn’t have been as to create a mysterious allure of insider information. Although in reality, it’s a country that I predict will enter a war soon (see my article). Nomad Capitalist could give a ****.
Closing
The average travel bug or offshore world newbie is faced with two problems when searching for helpful advice. Firstly, information is brief that lacks depth, character, detail, truth, however unpleasant any of it may be. There’s a complete lack of investigation into what they’re offering to your eyes. Secondly, money makes people do funny things. Most are consumed by the notion of quantity over quality or they are simply marketing their brand at your expense. If people are buying your snake oil, you tend to keep selling snake oil to people.
Having said this, it’s wrong to believe that your neighbourhood, town, or country is “best” and will remain so for the next 100 years… so I am certainly not suggesting to not travel, not relocate, not reduce tax legally, not experience new places–there are plenty of opportunities for you & your family! Rather, I want to write that when doing so, don’t let your guard down and know what you’re getting yourself into (especially in the 3rd world).
My recommendation is try to learn about the details of the place, its history, its crime (where & why), it’s state differences, it’s currency & visa requirements, etc. Don’t go soft on the world!
If you’re interested in moving from your country check out my CHECKS article & contact On The Ball or our specialized subsidiary Open Door Consultancy.
#StayOnTheBall
