The Passport Fight You Already Lost
The visa service sent a stranger on a motorbike, and I handed him both our passports. I'd do it again tomorrow. The fight to keep your passport data private was lost years ago. The real leverage is somewhere else.
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Border Police Ask? Short Answer. True Answer. Stop Talking.
Border agents aren't your friends, but they're not your enemies either. What they are is an authority with broad discretion. The correct strategy is boring, brief, and completely honest.
You're Not Self-Insuring. You're Gambling.
"I self-insure" shows up constantly in nomad forums, usually from people who've never had a claim. Self-insuring is a real strategy. What most people are doing isn't that—it's just hoping nothing happens.
Of Course There's a Mall
More same same than different. Big companies own most of it. Maybe we're living in one big mall?
Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean the ATM Is Safe
The readers who were nervous about ATM cards weren't wrong. But they might be nervous for the wrong reasons. Here's the full breakdown — what the law covers, what it doesn't, and why the world is making this less relevant anyway.
2026 - 11 Years as a Digital Nomad Lawyer
Eleven years in. We sold the company, got on a plane, and spent a year finding out what's left when you keep subtracting: tigers in the rain, jets over Okinawa, a funeral and a kid waiting at a Bangkok gate thirty-eight hours later.
They Can Search Your Phone at the Border. Here's What That Actually Means.
Hong Kong passed a law making it a crime to refuse to hand over your device password at the border. The U.S. hasn't gone that far — yet. What border agents can actually do with your phone, and what you can do about it.
2019 - After Four Years, Our Biggest Stressor Is Being on Time
Four years in and we've mostly figured it out. The biggest remaining stressor? Getting anywhere on time. Turns out punctuality is harder when your office is a different country every few months.
2018 - Somewhere Along the Way, I Started Feeling at Home
Three years of living out of a suitcase and something unexpected happened: it started feeling normal. Not like vacation. Like home — just a home that changes zip codes.
2017 - The Gear Doesn't Matter. The Goodbyes Do.
Year two on the road. The gear obsession has faded. What stays with you isn't the packing list — it's the people you said goodbye to, and how many of those goodbyes turned out to be permanent.
2016 - One Year In, and It's Mostly a Blast
One year in. We donated most of what we owned, packed our bags, and flew away. Honest assessment: it's mostly great, occasionally terrifying, and we have no plans to stop.