About Abroad

Spain’s digital nomad visa is finally (actually) available! So today we sit down with Laura Lleixa, Head of European Immigration at Lexidy Law, who specializes in helping foreigners obtain one of the most anticipated digital nomad visas in the world. Laura shares everything you need to know if you want to come spend a year (or more!) in España, as well as her top tips for making your application standout, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls that plagued applicants early on. We also discuss our favorite locations throughout Spain, and share why we think it’s one of the best places in the world to live and explore. 

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Grayson Harris has been traveling the world for the last few years, staying for a month at a time in various countries, and crossing off bucket list items ranging from celebrating Argentina’s world cup victory in Buenos Aires to surfing in Sri Lanka, and even introducing his dad to nomad life in Portugal. He has a long list of entertaining stories to tell, but perhaps most interesting is the fact that he managed to convert his traditional job as an electrical engineer into a location independent role that matched his lifelong dream to live on the road. Today he is living that dream and helping others at his engineering firm do the same. In this episode Grayson shares tips on how to pitch transitioning your traditional career to remote, the changes traditional companies can make to take advantage of the shift towards workplace flexibility, and his tips for aspiring digital nomads. We also talk about his current location, Peru, and trade a bunch of travel stories from around the world!

Nadia Harris, aka The Remote Work Advocate, is best known for her work as a leader in the future of work movement. A lawyer turned remote work expert, she now consults for companies around the world, helping them build company cultures and operating systems that bypass cultural and geographical barriers. What many may not know though, is that she does this high profile work as a perpetual world traveler, leaning into her experiences growing up as a third-culture-kid, and a desire to live an adventurous and fulfilling life. We dive into Nadia’s story in today’s episode, which takes us on a journey spanning Poland, Germany, France, the US, and Saudi Arabia, amongst other places.

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Serena Chiro started her travel adventures as a 17 year-old, leaving Italy for the first time to become an au pair in Ireland. From there she became a perpetual expat and nomad, living in places ranging from London to Shanghai, getting a masters degree in Scandinavia, and eventually circling back home to build Kino Italy. These days she’s leading month-long off-the-beaten-path experiences for remote workers in authentic destinations throughout Italia, avoiding the overly touristy locations like Rome, Venice, and Florence, and providing the opportunity to connect with likeminded people, both fellow travelers and locals. In this episode we dive into all things Italy, share a bit about Serena’s experiences living abroad, and discover some of the hidden gems in one of the world’s most popular destinations.

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Eleftheria Charalambous is the Head of Greek Immigration at Lexidy Law in Athens, Greece. Originally from Cyprus, she made her way to Greece years ago, and today she specializes in helping digital nomads and aspiring expats take advantage of the opportunity to come and live in this incredible country. Today we dive into our mutual love for Greece - the food, people, landscapes, history, culture, etc - but most importantly, perhaps the best digital nomad visa in the world. As we come to learn, many remote workers could easily obtain the Greek DN visa via a predominantly virtual process, stay in the Schengen and Greece for multiple two-year stints, eventually obtain permanent residency, all without having to pay Greek taxes. We dive into all of this and much more in this episode of About Abroad!

Note that this episode is for entertainment purposes only. Everyone’s immigration situation is unique and in order to properly evaluate your options, you should speak with a legal representative who specializes in this line of work. We recommend Lexidy Law, of course. Please see their details below! 

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Michelle Coulson left the office-based-rat-race in London after a realization that she had to be closer to water to live her best life. Today she lives a location independent lifestyle, recently riding her bike across Ireland, and currently globetrotting as she seeks her next homebase. As a former corporate recruiter and now the Founder of Remote Rebellion, Michelle specializes in helping other people obtain remote work - so in today’s episode, we dive into her travel adventures and share some practical tips for those seeking to follow in her remote footsteps. 

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The Netherlands “just works”, and for that reason it is (perhaps surprisingly) one of the most popular countries in the world to move to. From exciting cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, to the great infrastructure and social safety net, to the massive international community where nearly everyone speaks English - there are a lot of reasons to consider spending significant time here. But navigating the system can be challenging, and there are, of course, cultural and bureaucratic aspects of a transition to Holland that only someone who has actually done it, can attest to. So in this episode we sit down with Jelena Mikic, a Serbian expat who made that move and now helps other foreigners follow in her footsteps as the Co-founder of Move To NL.

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Nick Hahn has been leading remote teams for two decades at companies like IBM, Invision, and Meta - but like many people, now that he has location independence, he’s starting to map out a long term move abroad with his partner and their three children. Today Nick and Chase sit down to reflect on their recent experience traveling together in Greece, as well as Nick’s family’s recent “summer test run” of a life abroad, and all the push/pull factors, concerns, and plans, associated with moving their family to a foreign country. Finally, we also dive into the concept of citizenship by descent via Italy and Hungary, which can provide many non-Europeans with a path to long term residency in Europe. 

Connect with and follow Nick here: 

Charles Kergaravat traded his thriving financial career in Manhattan for a more balanced life abroad in a region of France often not visited by the masses, but lacking little in terms of natural beauty, culture, and lifestyle. Today he joins About Abroad to share his perspective on making that leap, the pros/cons of life in the US vs France, and fully immersing in a foreign country. We also chat about Brittany, an incredible coastal area in northwest France that has become his home away from home, and how the local language and celtic influences have become a core part of what he loves about his new life. These days Charles is thriving as the Chief Marketing Officer at a successful startup, which reminds us that success is no longer limited to major cities like NYC, Silicon Valley, or even Paris. 

Dan Brotman obtained four citizenships by the age of 36, but that’s far from the most interesting aspect of his journey. Dan’s travels have taken him through countries such as North Korea and Afghanistan, allowed him to vote in foreign countries ranging from South Africa to the US, serve in a foreign military, and later fly helicopters with his previous sworn enemy. A fascinating discussion that takes us around the globe and eventually lands in Canada, where we chat about the new Canadian digital nomad visa and the launch of Rootless Mobility.

You asked for it, we delivered! Today we’re launching our very first live Q&A-only episode, in which we’ll answer real questions from real listeners, relating to the topics we love to chat about on About Abroad. Questions cover topics such as global mobility, expat life, remote work, digital nomadism, current events, van life, and some of our highs and lows from Chase’s personal experiences abroad. 

Cara Benecke is a German living abroad in Spain, raising a family with her husband and two kids in Seville. She’s spent nearly 10 years of her life now living outside of her home country, learning multiple languages and lessons along the way. Today she stops by the show to share some of her insights on life abroad from the perspective of a world traveler and a parent. We also spend some time reflecting on Chase’s recent stint in Germany, comparing and contrasting some of the pros and cons of immersing in both the Spanish and German cultures, and what we miss when we’re away from “home”. Finally, we spend some time on the topic of workations, and how Cara and her team are enabling work from anywhere in the world at WorkFlex. 

Lona Alia is well known as a leader in the tech and future of work space for her role as a Founder, Y Combinator Alum, and leading the Revenue team at the fully remote travel insurance company, SafetyWing. But she’s also a globetrotting mother of two who splits her time between Miami and Albania, with a lot of slo-mad travel built in along the way. Today we dive into Lona’s story and learn from her experiences leading a traveling family while building a highly successful career. We also touch on Chase’s upcoming first trip to Albania, discuss some of the reasons why this is such an incredible country to visit, and share some of Lona’s favorite Albanian destinations and tips.

Michelle Maree is the Founder & CEO of The Nomad Escape, specializing in bringing online professionals together offline, in incredible locations around the world. Originally from the Netherlands, Michelle currently lives abroad in Madeira, and has made other long term stops in South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia, amongst other places. Today she shares her personal story with us, which includes an incredibly inspirational rags to riches component, and fills us in on some exciting opportunities they’re curating for remote workers to connect, learn, and grow together, in some awesome international destinations.

Mandy Fransz is the founder of Remote Workers Worldwide, the world’s largest online community of remote workers connecting nearly 100,000 people who are passionate about making remote work, work. She’s also an expat living and traveling abroad, and currently planning a move to Portugal where she plans to set up a (tiny) homebase and a tiny house village for remote workers. Today we dive into her personal journey and touch on a variety of topics ranging from European van life to the future of work and her favorite spots in Portugal, amongst many others.

Darren Murph literally wrote the handbook on building remote teams, was named the “Oracle of Remote Work” by CNBC, holds a Guinness world record, and was included on the Forbes Future of Work 50 list, amongst many other accolades. He is currently VP of Workplace Design and Remote Experience at Andela, and via his various speaking and consulting projects, he’s become the de facto global expert on remote work. But Darren’s identity stack goes well beyond his remote work prowess, and in this episode we dive into how his experiences as a world traveler helped shape him into the leader he is today, first as an individual, then as a couple with his wife, and now as a father with their son. We also reflect on our time together at Running Remote in Lisbon, and discuss some of the emerging future of work trends on both a micro and macro level.

Allison Baxley is the Founder of Renovating Life, a blog dedicated to helping people follow in her steps and make the move abroad with a family. Two years ago she and her husband and two children moved from the US to Cascais, Portugal, and today she checks in to share more about the transition. We also dive into the visa options for those who want to move to Portugal, including the D7 and the new Portuguese digital nomad visa. Finally, we talk about The Portugal Plan, an upcoming summit Allison is launching alongside 45 other people who will be sharing their insights on moving abroad to Portugal.

Nienke Nina is the host one of the top digital nomad podcasts, the author of a book on digital nomading, a digital nomad coach and workshop facilitator - and as you might have guessed, a full time digital nomad herself. Originally from the Netherlands but currently living in Brazil, she realized she had a passion for world travel at an early age, and has since found a way to bake exploration into everything that she does. Today we dive into her personal story, as well as learn about moving to Brazil from the perspective of a foreigner, with some practical tips and must-dos along the way. 

Lily Bruns joins us on the show today to dive into all things digital nomad visas. Over the past year or so she’s been researching all the emerging nomad visas around the world, and has developed a working database of each of them, as well as an upcoming white paper which will outline everything you need to know about the best options for nomads and world travelers. From immigration, to taxes, to applications, and everything in between, Lily is a true pro on all these nomad visas - and she shares her knowledge with us today! 

Rolf Potts is the author of one of the all time great travel books, Vagabonding, as well as his latest creation, The Vagabond’s Way, alongside a variety of other travel books and articles, as well as his podcast, Deviate. As one of the world’s best known nomads, Rolf stops by today to share his perspectives on the past, present, and future of global mobility, and long the way we touch on subjects ranging from digital nomad visas, to the best walking cities in the world, and visa hopping through Asia. 

Countries around the world have recently started providing financial incentives to lure location-independent workers across their borders - but little did we know Italy put this into place decades ago! Today, Paolo Rigo, the CEO of Studio Rigo - an international tax consultancy in Verona, Italy - joins Chase to dive into a program that allows foreigners to move to Italy and reduce their taxes by 70-90%. Imagine living in one of the most popular destinations in the world, and saving money in the process! They also share some of their favorite locations in Italy and discuss why Verona is one of the country’s somewhat undiscovered hidden gems. If you’re considering moving to Europe, or have ever dreamed of living la dolce vita in Italy, this episode is for you! 

Today the tables have turned as Chase is interviewed by his friend, Matt Bowles, who is the host of the world famous Maverick Show. Matt has been traveling the world and interviewing location independent entrepreneurs for years, so if you’re interested in hearing a bit more about Chase’s journey then this is the episode for you! And if you love what we’re exploring here on About Abroad, then you’ll really love The Maverick Show, so we highly encourage you to check Matt and his show out via the link below: 

Lauren Razavi is the Executive Director of Special Projects at the fully remote company SafetyWing, and leads the charge for the Plumia project, which aims to build a global border pass and eventually, a country on the internet. She’s also a former writer for The Guardian who is set to release her first book, Global Natives, any day now (pre-order available!), as well as a world-renowned author, speaker, thought leader in the future of work space. Today Lauren stops by to share what the future can look like as we continue to embrace location independence and global mobility.

Johannes Voelkner is an OG digital nomad who has gone on to build Nomad Cruise, Nomad Safari, and Nomad Base - all three providing incredible experiences and opportunities for perpetual travelers to find their tribe abroad. Today we dive into Johannes’ personal story, touching on his early motivations to create these projects and the roots of his success building passive income and location independent businesses. We also dive into past experiences aboard Nomad Cruise and Nomad Safari, and what you can expect from them in 2023 and beyond.

Communities around the world are starting to compete for remote workers by offering wild incentives to make the move to a new town. They want you to bring your remote salary, and in exchange, they offer you a better quality of life, lower cost of living, a community that wholeheartedly wants to welcome you, cash (sometimes $10,000+!), and a range of additional benefits - from courtside seats at the local basketball game, to “rent a grandparent” programs to provide free childcare. Make My Move’s COO stops by today to dive into this concept, discuss some of the most interesting towns and incentives offered, and how you can take advantage of this opportunity.

Jason Moore is the host of Zero To Travel - the leading travel podcast in the world - as well as founder of his latest endeavor, Remote Norway. An American expat and lifelong world traveler, Jason has been calling Norway home for many years. Now he’s helping facilitate incredible remote work experiences for groups and teams who want to come and experience all that Norway has to offer. So today we dive headfirst into Norway, from the standpoint of a remote worker wanting to temporarily enjoy the natural beauty, to the perspective of someone calling it their new home away from home.

Maris Kohv is the Founder & CEO at Minoma, formerly known as Borderless Retreat. Her journey has taken her from a deskbound job as an architect, to a worldwide leader in the mindfulness + nomad space, who now spends her time curating retreats around the world in exotic locations. Today Maris shares her personal story, and along the way we touch on how Minoma is helping remote workers and digital nomads find purpose and community via mindfulness and travel. Finally, we spend some time exploring some of her favorite destinations, and do a deep dive on the emerging hot spots to visit in Morocco.

Ali Greene is a longtime digital nomad, a well-known thought leader in the remote work space, and now the co-author of her newly published book, Remote Works. Over the years she’s lived as a nomad, a slo-mad, and an expat, and claims the most important inflection points in her career came during her times abroad. She now weaves her work into her traveling lifestyle, and currently joins me from France while taking a break from Spain, and is mapping out her next few months to visit many other far off places. In this episode we dive into her experiences building communities around the world, hosting retreats in French castles, and making friends in various foreign corners of the world - amongst other topics!

Kristi DePaul has been living abroad in Israel for the past eight years, raising an interfaith family, exploring the Middle East, and building her company, Founders, to sustain her location independence. As a non-Jewish person living in Israel, she provides an incredibly unique perspective on one of the most talked about countries in the world. Today we dive into her experience immigrating to Israel, trade visa stories and advice, and touch on some of the ups and downs of opting for a life overseas. She doesn’t shy away from the hard questions, embracing the fact that conflict is a part of life in this region, while also sharing some of the perhaps unknown hidden gems one can find in Israel.

Jan de Jong is a serial entrepreneur from the Netherlands who made a life for himself in Croatia over the past 15 years. Croatia has become his home, and alongside building his businesses there, he also recognized an opportunity to help boost the country’s economy via the rise of remote work. He has gone on to co-found the Digital Nomad Association of Croatia, and played a key role in assisting the government with the creation of the widely praised Croatian digital nomad visa. Today we dive into Jan’s story, the visa and association, and why remote workers are flocking to one of Europe’s hottest destinations for digital nomads.

Daniel Thompson is the founder of Noma Collective and a true global citizen who spent his youth moving around the world, and today curates experiences for digital nomads who want to explore the world - without the headache, and with their tribe. In today’s episode we dive into “Noma” and how it intersects with the evolution of today’s remote worker, providing a stepping stone for those that want to use this new found freedom, but aren’t quite sure where to begin. We also touch on life in Belize, where Daniel has been living the past few years, as well as the coming phases of digital nomading, and how we start to weave our families and financial stability into this lifestyle.

David Comfort used to work on Wall Street and has enjoyed life in Southern California, but he traded all of that in to chase a dream to live a more well balanced life in Costa Rica. He has since developed Rise Costa Rica, an 800 acre community of expats coming from all corners of the world, with schools in place for their children, a coworking space, activity center, and a thriving social scene and support network. Having gone through the moving abroad process himself, and helping dozens of others follow in his footsteps, we dive into some of the practicalities of moving to Costa Rica, as well as touch on why this country has become one of the most attractive places in the world for expats and digital nomads.