Thoughts on Moving Country

I mentioned recently that Agi and I were leaving Bangkok and moving to Poland. Working remotely is great because we don't need to worry about our income but it's not all easy. Here are a few thoughts about what to consider when moving country.

Finding Accommodation

Unless you are the kind of remote worker who travels constantly you will need to find somewhere more permanent. Of course, you could opt to stay in hostels or Airbnb places but you're going to get a much better place at a lower price if you can find somewhere to rent for a while.

This is one of the big differences between Thailand and Poland so far. When we arrived in Bangkok and wanted to find somewhere to live we called a few agents. The next day we saw 5 apartments. We liked one and the deposit was paid, contract signed and keys handed over within a week. This is a symptom of the fact that Bangkok is a buyer's market. There are more apartments than people to rent them. As a result, a lot of apartments are sitting empty, meaning you can move in quicker and also negotiate a discounted rent.

Poznan on the other hand is a seller's market. When we arrived we found a decent number of apartments advertised for rent. Not as many as Bangkok but still a pretty good selection. We arranged viewings and found one we liked very quickly. However, there are not lots of apartments sitting empty waiting for you to saunter up and take your pick. Also the landlord would not budge on the price.

The apartment we chose was still occupied and would come available a month later. It's not that unusual but, if you have just moved to a new country, then you will need to pay for a hotel or something. If you work for a large company then they usually pay for your accommodation during this period. As a remote worker, and especially a freelancer, no one is going to cover this cost for you. This wasn't a huge problem for us because we were able to stay with Agi's parents until the moving date.

Take a look at where you want to move before you do so and find out about the rental market there. Are there a lot of apartments available? How long will you have to wait? Where can you stay in the meantime?

Moving Money

I talked in my Brexit post about the best ways to access your money when you are travelling. I would like to add a point about opening bank accounts. I have experience opening, or attempting to open, bank accounts in Thailand and Poland.

Thailand was extremely confusing because the information available online was... what's the word for it? Wrong. The staff in the bank itself had no idea what was and wasn't possible. I was told foreigners cannot open bank accounts, I was told you need this piece of paper, that piece of paper. In the end it was really easy. I took my passport to the bank and they opened the account. They didn't think they could... there was confusion and hand waving... they had to check with a manager... but it turned out they could!

Poland is actually a lot easier but you need to have a Polish ID number. Everyone has to register their residence in Poland. Foreigners automatically get an ID when you register. I am going through the process of this at the moment and I will get my number eventually but I can't get a bank account until I do.

Again, do some research before you move and find out what the requirements are. There may be things you can do up front to make the process smoother.

Brexit for Freelancers

If you, like me, are a UK citizen then the past week or so has been very interesting. You know, in the manner of the old curse; may you live in interesting times. I voted to remain and that put me in the (slight) minority. If you are a UK freelancer / remote worker who likes to travel then this has been a nerve wracking time. Here are a few of my thoughts on Brexit for freelancers.

Travel

For me, the number one issue is what will happen to my ability to travel. At the moment a British passport is amazing, it gets you in pretty much anywhere with limited hassle. On top of that is the right to move and live freely within the EU. Agi and I recently left Thailand and decided to try Europe for a while. Great timing!

What does the future look like? At the moment no one knows, which is a real bummer. In all likelihood nothing will change for the next 2 years at least. After that? I honestly don't believe British citizens will suddenly need visas to enter Europe. I expect we will retain the right to free movement and probably free residence.

If you can, now is a great time to get an Irish passport. Ireland is staying in the EU for sure so if you want to stay then that's a good option for you. My family are Irish but several generations back so it's not an option for me :( My mum is Scottish though so maybe Scotland can withdraw from the UK, rejoin the EU and offer Scottish passports. It's possible!

(Actually, Agi and I are getting married next year so I'm hoping I can ride the coattails of her Polish passport as a spouse.)

Money

Since the announcement of the referendum result the UK pound dropped to a 7 year low. Now, if you get paid in US dollars (which most Upwork users do) and live in the UK this is actually great news. Suddenly your dollars get you a lot more pounds, hooray!

If you live elsewhere and still use a UK bank account then now is a great time to get a bank account wherever you are. This is good advice anyway because withdrawing money from a UK bank account overseas incurs charges. It becomes especially good advice now as your pounds are worth so much less. Get a Polish, Argentinian, Thai or whatever bank account and transfer your money from Upwork, Paypal, wherever directly into it.

If you're constantly travelling then there's not a lot you can do. I know, I have travelled extensively and I wept when I looked at the ATM charges afterwards.

In the long run the pound will probably bounce back but it is worth it to take some action now.

Just a few thoughts on the situation for UK freelancers. Do you have any tips? Please let me know.

We've Worked in... Italy

Another week, another big race for Agi. This time the North Face Lavaredo Skyrace in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy. Agi and her friend wanted to run this race so we were off to Italy!

We've Worked in... Italy

We started in Poland where we were staying with our friends. We drove from Poland into Germany, south through Germany, across a small sliver of Austria and finally into Italy. I had never been to Austria before and the scenery around Innsbruck was some of the most amazing I have ever seen; sweeping valleys and rugged peaks. Among the hills we could see gorgeous little churches that almost looked too perfect to be real.

Coming into Italy we started climbing up into the mountains and the gorgeous scenery continued. We arrived in Cortina D'Ampezzo after a mere 15 hours driving. The town is located in a valley so there are amazing views in every direction. We were staying in a lovely apartment in a traditional alpine style house. The views from the balcony were amazing.

Agi and I did some work when we arrived to make up for the day we lost on the road but we were tired so it was just triage. The next day we woke up and started work. Our friends walked with their kids down to the local bakery and brought back fresh pastries and coffee. It's a hard knock life.

In the afternoon we all went to Falzarego Pass and took the cable car up the mountain. You can see the view at the top of this post. I have never seen views quite like it. The mountain peaks are stark rock which look like fantasy fortresses built into the hills. The valleys are lush green forests and meadows. The weather was astonishing with bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Agi and I walked down the mountain with our friends' daughter. I got sunburned but it was a lovely afternoon.

Agi and her friend ran the Cortina Skyrace in the evening, a 25km trail run through the mountains. They had a great time and completed the race in 3h28m, just beating the 3h30m cut off time. I was exhausted after our long walk in the afternoon and Aga went to run a half marathon!

The next morning was more work before taking the kids to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the afternoon. We went for another fantastic walk along the valley. We took tons of pictures. It's hard to take a bad photo in this region so I don't know how to choose amongst them! I will share one m0re panorama:

Another great trip enabled by freelancing. Get in touch if you would like to know how to have more trips like this.

Freelance Money Management

I have been freelancing for a while now and things are going well. I thought I would share some thoughts I had recently about ways to manage your money and make life easier as a freelancer.

When I first started as a freelancer I was working for very low hourly rates just to get started. You can read the full story here. When there was a quiet week that just meant I couldn't save anything or, worse, I had to dip into my savings to get through. Over time my rate increased (see my post about this here) and I was able to start saving more. Despite this I am still quite careful with my money; some may say stingy!

I do worry about what would happen if the clients I have suddenly disappeared. This has happened in the past, clients get busy themselves and don't have time to delegate work to me. They still want to work with me, they just don't have any spare time. There's nothing you can do in this situation, no work = no money.

Agi and I love to travel and I talk about it on this blog. We don't do things on a shoestring because we aren't as young as we once were! That makes me sound really old but it's true. We don't enjoy sleeping in dorms or travelling for hours and hours in cramped buses. However, we try to make sensible choices about how to spend our money.

Transport on the road offers a plethora of options. I mentioned we don't like buses very much but sometimes they are the only option other than an expensive plane. My preferred option? Take the train if possible. I love train travel. It's cheap, you aren't trapped in your seat and you can see the countryside. Also, if you can get an overnight train then that saves paying for one night's accommodation. We recently travelled from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Air Asia offer cheap flights but the train was still half the price. I used my phone as a mobile data point and we even did some work on the way.

Food is another big one. I don't know about you but I tend to eat at least daily. When you're in a strange place it can be tempting to always eat in restaurants. If you're in South East Asia or somewhere similar then restaurants are really cheap but you can still save money. I love eating out but when you go out for breakfast it is very tempting to have a bacon sandwich or something similar. This takes up valuable working time and adds to your waistline! Agi and I always try to buy some muesli from a shop. We keep it in our room, borrow bowls from the kitchen and have a quick, cheap breakfast. This helps maintain a routine, prevent overeating and save money.

These are a couple of the things we do to save cash for the lean times. We love the freelancing lifestyle and want it to continue. I would hate to be forced to find a job because I spent too much! Get in touch if you have any good money saving ideas.

Home Again, Home Again

As I have mentioned, we left Thailand recently. We have been visiting friends and family in the UK. Working freelance is great because we can be flexible with our hours and make time to see people.

We have been staying with my parents in the South West of England. They live in a wonderful little country town surrounded by fields and farms. As we have been out of the UK for about 2 years Agi and I have been experiencing the English countryside with fresh eyes. Everything is so green and fresh.

Unlike Thailand, it's possible to go for a walk here without sweating profusely. We have been taking advantage of this fact by going for walks in the afternoons. It's been a while since I went walking in the English countryside and I'd forgotten that cows like to chase you. I went walking one afternoon, happily listening to a podcast. I couldn't hear anything, but something made me turn around to see bout 20 cows running across the field towards me. I picked up the pace and jumped over the stile. I took a photo of the crowd that gathered. I think a zombie infestation wouldn't be dissimilar.

We mentioned our walks to our parents' 80 year old neighbour and he invited us on one of his walks. Just a short, 6 mile one; not like his "real walks". He does 10 miles every Sunday!

Being freelancers we could take the morning off so we went out with my dad and our neighbour. It was a fantastic walk. The area is truly beautiful. One place in particular struck me as something out of an Enid Blyton book. There was a small valley carpeted with buttercups. A small river snaked across the meadow with a beautiful wooden footbridge across it. I didn't take a photo because I'm an idiot. Agi made a friend though:

One of the reasons we have come back to Europe is because both of us want to be closer to our parents. Yesterday they wanted to go for a walk at the coast with me. Again, freelancing to the rescue! I could easily put my work on hold and go for a walk with the folks. We went to a nearby beach and had a walk with the dog followed by coffee and cake at a cafe on the cliffs. You can see a photo at the top of this article. Lovely!

All of this flexibility is enabled by freelancing. Get in touch if you'd like to know how to make your transition to freelancing.