[the-dream]

I'm currently working full time at an office job and doing internet marketing stuff in my spare time but have hit the point where I kinda know what I'm doing and really want to dedicate a lot more time to my business and see what I can achieve!

I've currently got about $7k saved up and in 2014 have made an average of $850/month online. Obviously, the idea is to turn this into a lot more!

Ideally, I'm wanting to move to a cheap foreign country for a few months to really get my head down and focus on my internet marketing but also have a great time and enjoy my freedom!

I know a lot of people on here are extremely well travelled so I'd love to hear some insight on where you've been and what those places are like!

A bit about me: I'm 19 and from the UK. I speak basic French and German but am open to trying to learn a new language - obviously this would take a while though. Ideally, it would be somewhere that I can get by with English and there are other foreigners there. I don't really have any game but am not a social outcast and get on well with pretty much everybody, male of female.

I'm looking for somewhere where I can live cheaply and focus on my online stuff but also have an amazing time! Where would you go if you were me and why?

[berserk]

Hey,

The obvious one is Thailand. I'd suggest Chiang Mai because it is cheaper and less stressful. Bangkok works too, but it is a very chaotic and stressful place to live. As you're only 19, going to Thailand might be a bit of a challenge, but make some good friends and you will have a great time.

You could also consider some sort of exchange program if you're up for it? Enroll, then get the Erasmus to somewhere like Spain or Poland.

[Afarang]

Thailand may take you at 19 years old, but that's were i suggest.

nice online income you have there. I am doing a lot of stuff online, earning the same as you appox. I would suggest travelling around SEA and see where you like best.

[Frank Mackey]

Already aged 33, and with the benefit of hindsight, I would suggest to the 19 years old version of myself to enrol in an Erasmus in Poland, say for example Krakaw. Lots of nice and easygoing girls to meet, you are also close to other interesting countries in EE. The main downside is the shitty weather in Winter... But I would really not care, as long as I would be having fun

I've never been to Tailand before, so I won't be able to give advice on that one.

[libertad1312]

I am in the same situation as you. After being in most of the places that would make sense for such a lifestyle I did choose Bangkok as my base and am really happy with the decision.

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 08:52 AM)libertad1312 Wrote:  

I am in the same situation as you. After being in most of the places that would make sense for such a lifestyle I did choose Bangkok as my base and am really happy with the decision.

Sounds cool, would you be able to break down your lifestyle there and how much money you spend on things?

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 06:59 AM)Frank Mackey Wrote:  

Already aged 33, and with the benefit of hindsight, I would suggest to the 19 years old version of myself to enrol in an Erasmus in Poland, say for example Krakaw. Lots of nice and easygoing girls to meet, you are also close to other interesting countries in EE. The main downside is the shitty weather in Winter... But I would really not care, as long as I would be having fun

I've never been to Tailand before, so I won't be able to give advice on that one.

Erasmus would be amazing but unfortunately I screwed up high school so would have to go back and finish that if I wanted to go to University.

I've been to Krakow a couple of times though and really love it there, I've actually applied for a job as a pub crawl rep there so am hoping I get that!

Do you think it would be a good place to live if I had no connections and no real "reason" to be there or can you think of anything a non-Polish speaking person could do there besides work at a hotel (which I might try and do if I don't get the pub crawl job)?

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 06:36 AM)Afarang Wrote:  

Thailand may take you at 19 years old, but that's were i suggest.

nice online income you have there. I am doing a lot of stuff online, earning the same as you appox. I would suggest travelling around SEA and see where you like best.

What do you mean it might "take me" haha? I've actually read all through your blog before when I've been researching all this kind of thing and it's pretty awesome! Any specific place in Thailand you'd recommend?

[WanderingSoul]

I would go to Chiang Mai.

Tons of internet entrepreneurs, a lot from the Dynamite Circle, live in CM and work out of Punsapce co-working.

Chiang Mai is cheap, a lot of fun, and not so hectic like Bangkok. I love BKK, but I'd pick CM in your situation.

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 09:17 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

I would go to Chiang Mai.

Tons of internet entrepreneurs, a lot from the Dynamite Circle, live in CM and work out of Punsapce co-working.

Chiang Mai is cheap, a lot of fun, and not so hectic like Bangkok. I love BKK, but I'd pick CM in your situation.

Yeah that's the place that keeps coming up again and again wherever I look and definitely looks very cheap! Have you been there before and is it a young place at all because all the people raving about it seem to be 30-40somethings?

[samsamsam]

(04-02-2014 06:36 AM)Afarang Wrote:  

Thailand may take you at 19 years old, but that's were i suggest.

That sounds like a line from Hangover 2.

[jamaicabound]

(04-02-2014 06:18 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

I'm currently working full time at an office job and doing internet marketing stuff in my spare time but have hit the point where I kinda know what I'm doing and really want to dedicate a lot more time to my business and see what I can achieve!

I've currently got about $7k saved up and in 2014 have made an average of $850/month online. Obviously, the idea is to turn this into a lot more!

Ideally, I'm wanting to move to a cheap foreign country for a few months to really get my head down and focus on my internet marketing but also have a great time and enjoy my freedom!

I know a lot of people on here are extremely well travelled so I'd love to hear some insight on where you've been and what those places are like!

A bit about me: I'm 19 and from the UK. I speak basic French and German but am open to trying to learn a new language - obviously this would take a while though. Ideally, it would be somewhere that I can get by with English and there are other foreigners there. I don't really have any game but am not a social outcast and get on well with pretty much everybody, male of female.

I'm looking for somewhere where I can live cheaply and focus on my online stuff but also have an amazing time! Where would you go if you were me and why?

Congrats on doing it and making money on your own. If you have more time to dedicate you can probably up that to a more liveable income though in many places thats more than enough to get by comfortably.

If you don't mind my asking without giving away your niche or secrets are you into pay per click, pay per action, adsense, amazon, sell ebooks?

I started to try starting blogs and websites and doing the affiliate marketing things 4 or 5 years ago. I built it up and was making maybe $350 a month focusing on 1,2, maybe 3 quality sites I put a lot of unique content and work into. No matter how much I worked I couldn't up it so instead of focusing on quality I went for quantity and starting creating new sites about action camera reviews and stuff basically any niche I reasearched that seemed low competition, decent paying keywords, again no matter how many more I created seemed like I topped off at about $350.

A few years ago I started an ecommerce business that has really taken off so thats my main focus but I like many revenue streams and still try to maintain my sites and blogs a bit. Now maybe making $150 a month pretty passively rarely updating articles but I can't see taking time away from my ecommerce business making 15k or more a month to maybe get my sites up to $350 again. I do plan on quitting my job in the next year and then would have time ot run my biz and focus on some otherthings so would love any advice you can give.

As far as your request for locations. You looking to stay in teh states or move out of country? Do you like beaches, cities, etc? If you like beaches there's some really cheap places to live near Galviston, Crystal Beach, as well as FL on the gulf. You could probably live in a small stilt house on the beach for your money. Out of country I havn't done nearly as much travel as others on here but Playa Del Carmen though can be expensive can be done cheaply like $300 a month for a decent place with most utililties, internet etc included. You can have decent wife. Keep in mind wherever you go must have good wifi so you can make money and work on your sites/business. Nicaragua can be good but not sure about wifi. Costa Rica. I'm sure many will suggest asia, not my thing but alot love asia.

[berserk]

(04-02-2014 10:16 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 09:17 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

I would go to Chiang Mai.

Tons of internet entrepreneurs, a lot from the Dynamite Circle, live in CM and work out of Punsapce co-working.

Chiang Mai is cheap, a lot of fun, and not so hectic like Bangkok. I love BKK, but I'd pick CM in your situation.

Yeah that's the place that keeps coming up again and again wherever I look and definitely looks very cheap! Have you been there before and is it a young place at all because all the people raving about it seem to be 30-40somethings?

I know there are some young guys up there and at least some who started biz at your age. 19 is young to move to Thailand in any case. If you did some exchange program or study abroad you'd have better help to get settled from a uni.

[bacon]

What kind of chicks(race) do you like? What kind of weather do you prefer? Is there any culture you really find interesting?

Because wifi is reliable in most of the world even in the developing world so there are literally countless countries you can pick from with sizeable expat/english speaking groups within the population.

Search a cost of living thread to get an idea what it costs to live in places your curious about.

You might love living in Thailand, I do, but then again I also love asian women, hot weather and spicy food.

[w00t]

Im pretty much in the same situation as you (only 10 years older)... and Im going to Thailand in October for the same purpose.
Work on my online stuffs (and bang my brains out).

Rio mentioned Chiang Mai which is a great suggestions as its full of online hustlers.

Youll have a blast man Ive been to Thailand at 19 and I can only recommend you to go. Dont listen to the naysayers.
I wouldve KILLED to live in thailand at 19 with an online income.

[Silq]

Hi,
I haven't been to South East Asia but I would recommend Medellín, Colombia. Very cheap to live and if you like latins, this is the holy grail.

[dodol]

Chiang Mai would be a good choice. The weather from Dec-Feb is quite nice. I think you need a motorcycle to really enjoy that city though, and it probably won't end being very much cheaper than Bangkok.

Penang could be another option. I believe it's cheaper than CM when you consider transportation and visa costs. It's more difficult to find housing without long term commitments there though.

On co-working, you might want to consider getting a Regus membership if you decide to stay in a city where they have an office. They offer a more private workspace than most co-working offices, and it's also cheaper. Bangkok has several of these, CM doesn't have any yet. (I hope they open one in the future)

So... my recommendation would be Bangkok.

[LeightonBlackstock]

Get your arse to Thailand!

19 years old, Dear Lord you'll have fun. And at that age you're probably used to living off like £100 a week anyway so you'll manage on 850 dollars a month (that's actually only your minimum anyway, right?). At that age I was still happy getting drunk in shitty student bars and living in my shitty student house my friends (I've lived in a few questionable places in Asia but my fuck was it better than sharing a student house)

But to stress, at your young age, 850 dollars a month IS enough here. I could manage on 850 dollars a month here if it REALLY came to it. I break even on double that now but at age 19 I would have absolutely had a good time on 850 dollars. (Check http://afarangabroad.com/. His blog is really good for young people on a budget who want to up-and-move to Thailand. He posts here now, probably my second favourite blog after English Teacher X)

You can get a one-room here for 5,000 a month. Hell I know of one for 4,000 half-way down the On Nut Soi.

Even aged 21, jumping country was bloody fun as hell. I can still remember that strange amazing feeling when I woke up in South Korea after the 35 hour journey. I cannot describe that weird feeling in words, it only exists in my brain.

You have your 'ticket', now get your arse out of Britain! And if you're gonna pull $850 this month for sure, book the ticket tomorrow!

[Frank Mackey]

(04-02-2014 09:13 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 06:59 AM)Frank Mackey Wrote:  

Already aged 33, and with the benefit of hindsight, I would suggest to the 19 years old version of myself to enrol in an Erasmus in Poland, say for example Krakaw. Lots of nice and easygoing girls to meet, you are also close to other interesting countries in EE. The main downside is the shitty weather in Winter... But I would really not care, as long as I would be having fun

I've never been to Tailand before, so I won't be able to give advice on that one.

Erasmus would be amazing but unfortunately I screwed up high school so would have to go back and finish that if I wanted to go to University.

I've been to Krakow a couple of times though and really love it there, I've actually applied for a job as a pub crawl rep there so am hoping I get that!

Do you think it would be a good place to live if I had no connections and no real "reason" to be there or can you think of anything a non-Polish speaking person could do there besides work at a hotel (which I might try and do if I don't get the pub crawl job)?

you would do just fine, there should eb a foreign community living there, and the Polish ppl, and in particular the girls, are usually very welcoming to foreigners. if you apply for a job there, expect to have a miserable salary, unless if you work for a foreign company/provider.

[SpecialEd]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Bulgaria. Its dirt cheap and a lot closer to the U.K than Thailand. Sofia has free fast WiFi everywhere. For a small country, there's a lot to do. Beaches, skiing, hiking, etc its all there.

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 01:28 PM)LeightonBlackstock Wrote:  

Get your arse to Thailand!

19 years old, Dear Lord you'll have fun. And at that age you're probably used to living off like £100 a week anyway so you'll manage on 850 dollars a month (that's actually only your minimum anyway, right?). At that age I was still happy getting drunk in shitty student bars and living in my shitty student house my friends (I've lived in a few questionable places in Asia but my fuck was it better than sharing a student house)

But to stress, at your young age, 850 dollars a month IS enough here. I could manage on 850 dollars a month here if it REALLY came to it. I break even on double that now but at age 19 I would have absolutely had a good time on 850 dollars. (Check http://afarangabroad.com/. His blog is really good for young people on a budget who want to up-and-move to Thailand. He posts here now, probably my second favourite blog after English Teacher X)

You can get a one-room here for 5,000 a month. Hell I know of one for 4,000 half-way down the On Nut Soi.

Even aged 21, jumping country was bloody fun as hell. I can still remember that strange amazing feeling when I woke up in South Korea after the 35 hour journey. I cannot describe that weird feeling in words, it only exists in my brain.

You have your 'ticket', now get your arse out of Britain! And if you're gonna pull $850 this month for sure, book the ticket tomorrow!

Ahh sounds amazing, thanks for the motivation! Yeah I live cheaply now and have no problem living cheaply haha. Where in Thailand specifically would you recommend?

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 01:09 PM)dodol Wrote:  

Chiang Mai would be a good choice. The weather from Dec-Feb is quite nice. I think you need a motorcycle to really enjoy that city though, and it probably won't end being very much cheaper than Bangkok.

Penang could be another option. I believe it's cheaper than CM when you consider transportation and visa costs. It's more difficult to find housing without long term commitments there though.

On co-working, you might want to consider getting a Regus membership if you decide to stay in a city where they have an office. They offer a more private workspace than most co-working offices, and it's also cheaper. Bangkok has several of these, CM doesn't have any yet. (I hope they open one in the future)

So... my recommendation would be Bangkok.

Do you think CM would still a good choice for July to October because that's the kind of time I'm thinking of going?

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 02:18 PM)Frank Mackey Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 09:13 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 06:59 AM)Frank Mackey Wrote:  

Already aged 33, and with the benefit of hindsight, I would suggest to the 19 years old version of myself to enrol in an Erasmus in Poland, say for example Krakaw. Lots of nice and easygoing girls to meet, you are also close to other interesting countries in EE. The main downside is the shitty weather in Winter... But I would really not care, as long as I would be having fun

I've never been to Tailand before, so I won't be able to give advice on that one.

Erasmus would be amazing but unfortunately I screwed up high school so would have to go back and finish that if I wanted to go to University.

I've been to Krakow a couple of times though and really love it there, I've actually applied for a job as a pub crawl rep there so am hoping I get that!

Do you think it would be a good place to live if I had no connections and no real "reason" to be there or can you think of anything a non-Polish speaking person could do there besides work at a hotel (which I might try and do if I don't get the pub crawl job)?

you would do just fine, there should eb a foreign community living there, and the Polish ppl, and in particular the girls, are usually very welcoming to foreigners. if you apply for a job there, expect to have a miserable salary, unless if you work for a foreign company/provider.

Ok thanks! Sounds stupid but I wouldn't want a full time job for money earning, more so just to make some friends and settle in haha.

[the-dream]

(04-02-2014 12:34 PM)bacon Wrote:  

What kind of chicks(race) do you like? What kind of weather do you prefer? Is there any culture you really find interesting?

Because wifi is reliable in most of the world even in the developing world so there are literally countless countries you can pick from with sizeable expat/english speaking groups within the population.

Search a cost of living thread to get an idea what it costs to live in places your curious about.

You might love living in Thailand, I do, but then again I also love asian women, hot weather and spicy food.

I'm young and haven't really experienced many cultures so am open to anything! I've only been outside of Europe once which was to the USA for a week. I do love Europe but it would probably be more interesting to go somewhere else!

In Europe though, I've been considering Krakow and Berlin (both which I've visited a few times with my friends and have loved for a holiday). Berlin would be the easy option but isn't majorly cheap and I think I'd be a lot better off going somewhere majorly cheap like Krakow or Thailand for now.

Obviously I don't have much experience of the world though so am looking for advice from people who do!

[Espresso]

OP,

I recall another poster here who was in various places in SEA recommended Siem Reap in Cambodia for this very thing: getting work done, living on the cheap, and still being able to have lots of fun on weekends. Can't remember who it was though! Haven't been there myself.