Category: Location flexibility

Location-flexible living in the U.S. — deciding where to live next year

On By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Living in the U.S., Location flexibility, Minimalism2 Comments

Now that I’ve lived in Oaxaca for a few months, I’m starting to think about future locations. I’m glad I came here this year and I haven’t ruled out returning at some point, but I think I’d like to try some U.S. locations in 2014.

For a summary of what it’s been like living here, see my last post: Living in Oaxaca, what it’s like for me.

I now have a renewed appreciation of the convenient infrastructure of the U.S. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

  • drinkable tap water
  • reliable internet
  • convenient shopping (i.e., Trader Joe’s)
  • speaking in my native language
  • paying for most things with credit cards (so I can earn more frequent flyer points… see my post about “travel hacking“)
  • a good selection of indie films (one of my favorite things to do for fun)
  • discounts on electronics, and being able to have things shipped cheaply from Amazon
  • being able to stream Netflix or Pandora without needing to use a VPN service. (I use and like Tunnel Bear, but it can slow down your connection).

Continue reading “Location-flexible living in the U.S. — deciding where to live next year” →

Books and blogs that inspired me to quit my job, work online, and move to Mexico

On By Nicole HennigIn Living abroad, Living in the U.S., Location flexibility, Mexico, Minimalism, Travel, Work & money1 Comment

Books, simple living
Before I became location-flexible, I spent a few years thinking, dreaming and reading about it. I’ve always loved reading about other people’s experiences for inspiration.

At first it didn’t seem possible to find a way to live without my salary. I had some income from side businesses, but not nearly enough to live on. It looked like I had only two choices: stay in the rat race and continue to earn a good salary and benefits, or quit my job and become a bag lady, struggling to make ends meet. Continue reading “Books and blogs that inspired me to quit my job, work online, and move to Mexico” →

Managing your money while living abroad

On By Nicole HennigIn Living abroad, Location flexibility, Work & money

Here’s something  people ask me when they hear about my location-flexible life outside the U.S. How do I handle money? How do I get paid, use my checking account, etc.?

Well, it turns out, it’s fairly easy. The most helpful thing was finding a checking account and a credit card with no international transaction fees. Those can add up fast! Using those, combined with direct deposit or Paypal for getting paid makes it work.

Checking & savings accounts

Charles Schwab ATM card
Charles Schwab ATM card

I use Charles Schwab Investor Checking as my primary checking account. It’s a free account, with no minimum balance and no fees of any kind. It’s associated with their investment accounts, but you don’t need to keep your investments with them to use their checking. The best thing about it (besides the fact that it’s free and earns interest) is that they reimburse you for all ATM fees, anywhere in the world. So at the end of each month you get a credit for all the fees. It also has free bill-pay! Continue reading “Managing your money while living abroad” →