Digital Nomads are hiring and firing their governments. This article over at TechCrunch argues that it is getting easier to be a digital nomad, as governments are competing for talent. It envisages the consequences of this war over talent, as skilled people migrate over to countries that match their preferences. It points to Japan as an example of a country that has opened up it’s visa policies to try and attract skilled migrants.
Author: brett
Head Case Luggage Covers
It looks like Firebox have a product which is essentially a giant photo of your face that you can put over your luggage. Brilliant! Who wouldn’t want to have a giant photo of themselves grinding around the luggage conveyor?
Flat Charging Cables
One tip I got from my friend Lydia travelling in Lisbon recently, was to buy these flat iPhone/iPad charging cables. They roll up and can be packed securely.
Canal Boat
Helen and I were chatting this morning and tossing around the idea of living in a canal boat. There are quite a few in the canals near our flat in London. The only problem would be winter – I think they would be hard to heat!
We have visions about taking it over to Europe and travelling the canals over there. I think that we would probably need to get something like a Dutch barge in order to do the sea passage across the English channel.
Lisbon Redux
After four days in Lisbon, I still love this city! It is a very cool place. The people are nice, it is much cheaper than the UK, the lifestyle is good. There is construction everywhere. It feels like the city is starting to really prosper.
Lisbon
I’m in Lisbon for the first time! Helen, Lydia and I flew in this morning, went to the lovely apartment we are staying in (thanks Olivier and Antonio!), and went out to explore. Lydia’s recommendation was to get an Uber from the airport, as the taxis can rip you off on the fare. This is what we did, and the cost was 12EUR to Principe Real, which was a good price. We walked around the area after we got in, and both Helen and I were blown away. What a great city!
Camera Gear
A few years ago I used to travel everywhere with a camera. I’ve had digital SLRs, and smaller compact cameras. It always used to add a ton of weight and bulk to my travelling though. For the last year or so, I’ve just been using my phone as my camera. It’s a bit of technology you always have with you, and adds no extra weight. The phone camera technology is getting to be as good as the cheaper digital cameras too.
Last night I watched episode 7 of Abstract, the Netflix Series about Design. It was all about Platon, the photographer. It inspired me to break out my Canon Mirrorless camera. I’m off to Lisbon tomorrow, so I’ll take it along. I’ve put a very small 22mm lens on it, and taken off the camera strap, so it is fairly compact now.
Up in the Air
“Meet the Man Who Flies Around the World for Free”. There’s a really interesting article over at Rolling Stone about this guy called Ben Schlappig who maximised air miles rewards to spend most of his life traveling around in First Class. He got started using a site called “FlyerTalk“, which still seems like a good resource.
I really need to be Instagramming more (if I can turn Instagram into a verb). It’s always nice checking in to the photos others are sharing.
Borders
It seems as though the advanced economies in the world are getting more concerned with their borders. At the same time, more and more businesses are encouraging remote work. The first world wants location independence so they can offshore jobs cheaply, but doesn’t actually want people to move around too much! Maybe I’m being unfair. It will be interesting to see how this evolves with time.