What I have been brewing for a couple of months is a travelling plan. This time isn’t to DC but to Istanbul and wherever the situation leads me to. So, yes, I’ll be embarking on a digital nomad lifestyle—my daydream is getting real. It’ll be a new adventure to unknown territories in many ways. Why do I do this to myself, leaving the comfy Bangkok again?
Even though Thailand is one of the best countries in the world for digital nomads with its culture, cost of living, location, infrastructure, etc; the issue is that it’s my home. A year in Bangkok is a long time for me. A big concern is the vicious loop of excessive drinking and weeds with less exercise. Admittedly, I have lost self-discipline to the temptations. The drive is just to get out of my comfort zone while exploring more of the world.
At the moment, there’s no reason for me to get back to the headquarter in Washington DC. Gratefully, the colleagues are OK with the remote work in different time zones. Those years of travel back and forth between the two capitals broke me financially. DC isn’t a cheap city. Plus, I got enough juicy experiences there. Being in the most powerful city in the world during the time of the previous US President was just priceless. Now, it’s time to move on.
The thought of moving on to other cities was actually seeded in late 2019. But before I could come up with any ideas to be where, when, or even how; COVID-19 triggered the lockdown. You know…2020! Fast forward a year, the intention was to be in Bangkok for six months while looking for ways to go somewhere else. But as the Delta variant swarmed in, travelling wasn’t such a good idea. You know…2021!
The idea of going for a digital nomad just came up last December. It’s definitely the fruit of those two years of stagnation. It let me really think it through. Meanwhile, the new norm of a flexible workplace handed me the opportunity to pursue this journey.
Why Istanbul? Affordability, good transportation, diverse cultures—classic criteria for digital nomads. Clearly, it’s a city I’ve never been to. The challenges will be greater than a more familiar place in Asia. But my gut feeling directs me so. I don’t know how it’s gonna play out. Well, neither did I when taking the plunge in DC in 2015. It taught me well. That is the point. Go to the unknown and learn something from it.
Now I see Bangkok as the home base. I come back to retreat and recharge so that I can embark on the next adventure. I’m sure I will discover something from this one and certainly will share them.
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