Quote: (11-21-2010 08:28 PM)subutai Wrote:
To give you an example of my experiences, I've often strolled through beautiful little alleys in small, forgotten cities in Eastern Europe, locked eyes with a beautiful girl, and ended up having a romantic evening with her followed by sex. Totally spontaneous and something that makes you feel alive the next day.
In Germany, more often than not, my evenings ended with me sitting on a cold U-bahn train with a bunch of drunken Turkish guys, munching on a doner kebob wondering what I was doing wrong.
I don't know what ethnicity you are, but aside from the high level of xenophobia, I hear great things about Vienna.
It sounds like you know enough about Europe, and the rest of the world, that you really don't need much advice in terms of where to live.
To summarize: Your income isn't where you want it to be, and you are looking for a discussion that either:
1. informs on how to make more income while living in desirable places
2. informs about desirable places, that meet your qualifications, that don't require much income.
Reply:
1. The mobile lifestyle is something that a lot of guys on this board have figured out, and a lot of us are working on. The methods seem to be very varied. I think pursuing this strategy, rather than merely a cheap place to live, is much more sustainable, realistic and long term lower risk than merely looking for a desirable place that matches your current income (for reasons I'll go into next). But it will take a lot of work on the front end (likely years), and a little creativity. My best advice is to become an expert in an area (like your friend who made his money in insurance) and then higher profit and lower risk opportunities will become more obvious to you. Without a specific area of expertise, you are swimming in the same knowledge pool as everyone else out there. The competition is greater and the profits smaller. Take some time, go back to school if necessary or become certified in something. Preferably something for which jobs are plentiful. Work in it a while, and then reevaluate for potential automated businesses within the field. I love playa_with_a_passport's post as well. I especially agree with the government job route. Look into Federal government job fields, particularly. Business is risky, and you don't hear about the multitudes of failures. Only the winners. But the truth is that a lot of business ideas, even after years of work, fail. Or the successful ones eventually fail after years of success. Having a skill that qualifies you for a high paying job is smart risk hedging.
2. I think that looking for a place to match your income is fine for the short term, but entirely too risky for the long term. The past 15 years have taught us that the economics of any given location can change quickly. With the world becoming developed and populated at the rate that it is, you never know what quaint little forgotten towns in EE are going to become excessively expensive in the medium term future. Second, most desirable places are expensive. They are expensive because they are desirable. The benefit is that there is more of an economy there to make money in. Try surviving at more than subsistence level, within the local economy, in the cheapest of cities. Its going to be a struggle because the economy is small.
Given that even a place like Berlin is too expensive or undesirable, I second my recommendation of Belgrade or another city in the region or east of it. Also, Lithuania or Latvia. Furthermore, if you like EE, then why not go to where you know and like? If you can't find a cheap EE city that meets your needs, then you probably should start thinking about a cheaper continent.