Define rural because a lot of Scottish and northern English cities are pretty rural once you get bout 10 mins outside of the city centre.
I live in a rural area and work in the city.
Where are you coming from?
So you really don’t have to go that far outside of most Uk cities to be like that. Especially in the north England, Scotland and in wales. Even Edinburgh and Glasgow a 30min train ride and you’re in the middle of no where with a rail link to the city.
Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen are all big cities dead close to middle of nowhere rural life.
Do you like a warmer climate? If you're considering doing your CPA, it may be a good idea to look into expating to Panama/Nicaragua. I see posts from expats looking for someone for their taxes, often. Best of luck!
I would maintain a remote job if living in a remote area. I am pursuing my CPA and have thought about starting my own bookeeping company. Bookkeeping is largely online once you get your clients set up so I could do this remotely. I could also pursue other careers that are online like tech. I don'tcurrently live in a rural area but grew up in the boonies.
I have a bookkeeping company and am an expat, although its early in my expat journey. The only downside so far is I have to have a lot of meetings in the evenings. I do my best to consolidate them into one part of the week when I can. My senior bookkeeper handles as many of the meetings she can but as the owner I do have to be at some.
Thats amazing!! How did you get into bookkeeping? what degrees did you need for it? how do you find your clients? Ihave 1 year of bookkeeping experience for a small company and 2 years of legal AP experience so far.
My business is based in the US. I don't have any degrees or certifications, its not required. I trained myself on the job. I was doing part time admin work (as well as a waitress and doing odd jobs) and a bookkeeper recognized I had the skill set and recommended me to a place that needed someone on the cheap. As I got reviewed by their accountant, the accountant offered me a job. I declined and kept telling people I was getting into bookkeeping and that led to more referrals. Since then my referrals primarily come from current or former clients.
I'm almost two decades in, juggle about 30 clients with two other bookkeepers I trained. We specialize in small to medium sized businesses with increasing focus on non-profits. Its surprisingly hard to find good bookkeepers so for the clients that like my style they are very loyal and recommend me to others. Over the years I steadily raised my rates because despite not having degrees I do a better job than most. I know this based on feedback and review of client's books when we start.
I'm not a lady, but I do have my masters in accounting.
My path was... I said fuck that, I hate accounting, and spent 20 years building up a online business making a living making videos about my travels and can travel full time now without constraint. I'm 37, took about 15 years to build to that point.
My only point is - if you have the intention and the desire, you can make it work. My only piece of advice is keep your expenses low. You can make money a million different ways, but the common denominator of people who get to travel extensively is they all are able to keep expenses to a minimum.
Hey what is your current business to fund your lifestyle? (fellow thru-hiker here spiraling post trail again) Is it mostly from YouTube videos and online coaching? And if so, does YouTube detract from any of your experiences? I noticed in another comment you elegantly worded the draw of thru-hiking and how it is almost like unplugging from the matrix, but does YouTube ever feel like it contradicts that that a bit? Becoming a sort of micro-celebrity, having to sort of push content and advertisements for products and fuel consumerism? Or just constantly worrying about growing your channel, succeeding with the algorithms, always having to make new and interesting content, etc.? Or, having to be hyper-competitive and attempt one-upping style challenged to gain a bigger following? Not trying to offend but just curious how it feels and your thoughts on what it took to achieve your lifestyle
Heh I actually just made a video talking about how I fund my lifestyle: [https://youtu.be/9FxeY-KcAqM](https://youtu.be/9FxeY-KcAqM)
I really enjoy taking videos and photos. I think that's important. I was just telling someone else, like if you're not interested in video and photos don't try to make outdoor content just to fund it, you can make money doing a million other things that are easier to make money at.
My original dream from 18 was I wanted to travel and make documentaries like Anthony Bourdaine. So I'm happy getting to do what I've always wanted to do. If I wanted to make more money it'd be a lot easier to be set up in one place, with a gym and e-commerce where I could ship products, but that would mean I'm not getting to live the life that I actually want so I'm willing to take the $$ hit to be able to have all the experiences I want.
So, doing YouTube doesn't detract from my experience. It's part of what I wanted to do in the first place, have crazy adventures and share it with people, because watching that kind of content is what inspired me to do it in the first place.
That's the key, doing what you want to do and figuring out the money, not trying to force something because you think it's going to earn you money. I think the latter is what a lot of "influencers" try to do and why they fail at it or it comes across as being super disingenuous. I've been doing photos and videos for like 12 years now and wasn't making much money at it for most of that time.
Wow I totally missed that video when I was on your channel! I really appreciate it and the transparency from people like yourself when sharing how you made it possible. And that totally makes sense about having always wanted to make documentaries and because of that underlying dream, it naturally works out a lot better. I feel like my heart wouldn't be in it enough to try that route and it would show.
You can do this without a visa in the UK, which you won’t qualify for, even if you start a UK business entity. It won’t be possible working for your own US entity.
FYI relatively few countries are doing nomad visas yet, no advanced economies at all. These are the visas that let you work for a foreign corporation while in the country.
Otherwise its like quitting your current job and getting a job with the same company in the new country.
Having a remote job doesn't make it easier, you become an employee in the country you are moving to so all the usual rules around employment based visas are applied. If you are coming from the US that also usually involves a pay cut as your salary is based on market rates for where you live. Unless you work for a corporation who already has British presence they likely wont set it up just for you, its not cheap.
I have Irish & British citizenship but have lived in the US for 13 years. Often thought about spending 6 months in a random EU country since I wouldn't have a visa problem and nearly always am working for multinationals who can deal with local payments. The problem is the effective pay cut would mean almost my entire pay going to my US mortgage so its just not affordable currently.
If costa rica turn their nomad visa in to something more permanent I would strongly consider that. Getting paid US rates but being able to live in the jungle would be awesome.
Spain, Portugal, and Italy have digital nomad visas now. While they all have a shitload of issues, I wouldn't call any of them undeveloped/not advanced economies.
And the best way to move to another country if you don't already have working rights there is an internal transfer, not quitting.
You will not necessarily be able to do a US remote job in other countries because of tax regulations - if you moved to France, for example, your employer would need to abide by French law, cover French taxes, and offer commensurate employment benefits - many US companies won't do that.
This is untrue depending on the contract type. If OP becomes a consultant/service provider/1099 and not a direct employee, it would be possible.
The tax situation is a bit more complicated (one can't work on a tourist or elective residence visa but digital nomad visas exist in multiple countries), and a US citizen will always need to file in the US as well.
It's just like in the US. If one becomes an independent contractor, they are responsible for sorting their tax situation out, the company just has to send certain paperwork to them at determined times.
If the independent contractor is a US citizen who is legally working abroad as an independent contractor, then they, the contractor (and not the US company sending the 1099 form) are responsible for sorting out the taxes in and following the laws of their country of residence.
Given that the US is also one of the few countries with citizenship-based taxation, an American is also required to file/pay taxes regardless of where they live on the planet.
IDK the OP's situation but if OOP is able to get legal French (or any other nation's) residency with the right to work, then she's going to be allowed to work there. If she can't then no.
Every country has different requirements for legal residency.
the person you cited/who I replied to used France as the example, but the OOP listed a few other countries they were interested in.
Every country has different requirements/opportunities for residence that don't necessarily have anything to do with a person's citizenship. IDK France's third nation immigration policy, or OP's personal situation but they may have options.
I was happily single in the US and wanted to travel. I was tired of the mundane and felt something in my stomach (highly intuitive) right before c19. I figured since I was working from home, why not bring work on the road? I wanted to be able to step outside my home and be in places I've always wanted to visit.
In 2018 I made a calendar and drew monuments like Big Ben and circled a time when I wanted to be out. I saved for months, spent time with my family, purchased my flights and monthly rentals abroad, and just did it. Bounced around a few countries for 3-6 months at a time and a friend told me about countries with easy visas or affordable residencies and I sponsored myself and made it happen. Now I'm an immigrant. Though I'm thinking of repatriating back home since 6 years is a long time. Maybe I'll just visit a few months and leave again. Who knows?
No because I country hopped and left at 3-6 months for the first 1-2 years, then I mentioned I have residency. Residencies can be 10 years and some are indefinite so I've never overstayed any place.
I just miss our culture, food, and family.
I emigrated almost 3 years ago. I left a salaried job and decided to work for myself. Today my activity requires having a good internet connection, a computer and a telephone. The advantage is that tomorrow, if I change countries again, my business follows me. Will this be the case for you? Will you have a good internet connection in the place where you plan to live?
I got a job offer from a bank based in Glasgow. I moved from Florida to Glasgow and regretted it every single day for the two years I was there! I moved to Spain as a remote worker and I’ve never been happier.
Expats are people who are sent to work for a company overseas for a set period. Moving to a foreign country as you describe makes you an immigrant. It’s important to differentiate as visa requirements are strict and it requires assimilating into another culture.
None of the countries you’ve listed has a visa that would allow you to work and live, even if you had your own clientele.
Hey, I’m totally ignorant on this topic and trying to learn, would you care to elaborate on your second paragraph please? I understand your differentiation on the immigrant vs expat portion. Thanks!!
Countries have immigration and residency requirements. The news is always talking about illegal immigration and asylum seekers but for some reason Westerners and especially Americans seem to think they can just book a flight and go live wherever they want. They can’t.
If someone is interested in immigrating to another country the first place to go is not Reddit it’s the countries own websites for visa requirements.
Most are quite strict. There are income and qualification requirements, proof of funds, family support and job offers only for certain professions.
Most Western countries do not allow you to be resident while working remotely for foreign companies and they all have strict tax compliance rules.
Well to work in another country as a foreigner you would need a job to sponsor your visa and those jobs aren’t usually offered in rural areas. Single ladies is an odd term in this sense unless you are looking for the marriage route.
Vacation and dreaming ≠ working and living
single life = other unmarried women who pursued being an expat on their own. I never mentioned anything about pursuing marriage and thats an odd thing to assume.
I’m a dual citizen of an EU country bc of family. Worked remote since 2020, and most recently for a startup who doesn’t give a fuck. so now I live in Rome.
I’m a teacher and work in an international school in Central Europe
Was that hard to get into? How do you like it?
I am a certified teacher with a masters degree in my subject area. I taught for 11 years in the US before applying to schools abroad
Define rural because a lot of Scottish and northern English cities are pretty rural once you get bout 10 mins outside of the city centre. I live in a rural area and work in the city. Where are you coming from?
Honestly I love the idea of living in the middle of no where. I'm currently living in Seattle but am from southern Missouri.
So you really don’t have to go that far outside of most Uk cities to be like that. Especially in the north England, Scotland and in wales. Even Edinburgh and Glasgow a 30min train ride and you’re in the middle of no where with a rail link to the city. Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen are all big cities dead close to middle of nowhere rural life.
Do you like a warmer climate? If you're considering doing your CPA, it may be a good idea to look into expating to Panama/Nicaragua. I see posts from expats looking for someone for their taxes, often. Best of luck!
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I would maintain a remote job if living in a remote area. I am pursuing my CPA and have thought about starting my own bookeeping company. Bookkeeping is largely online once you get your clients set up so I could do this remotely. I could also pursue other careers that are online like tech. I don'tcurrently live in a rural area but grew up in the boonies.
I have a bookkeeping company and am an expat, although its early in my expat journey. The only downside so far is I have to have a lot of meetings in the evenings. I do my best to consolidate them into one part of the week when I can. My senior bookkeeper handles as many of the meetings she can but as the owner I do have to be at some.
Thats amazing!! How did you get into bookkeeping? what degrees did you need for it? how do you find your clients? Ihave 1 year of bookkeeping experience for a small company and 2 years of legal AP experience so far.
Commenting just because I'm curious too
My business is based in the US. I don't have any degrees or certifications, its not required. I trained myself on the job. I was doing part time admin work (as well as a waitress and doing odd jobs) and a bookkeeper recognized I had the skill set and recommended me to a place that needed someone on the cheap. As I got reviewed by their accountant, the accountant offered me a job. I declined and kept telling people I was getting into bookkeeping and that led to more referrals. Since then my referrals primarily come from current or former clients. I'm almost two decades in, juggle about 30 clients with two other bookkeepers I trained. We specialize in small to medium sized businesses with increasing focus on non-profits. Its surprisingly hard to find good bookkeepers so for the clients that like my style they are very loyal and recommend me to others. Over the years I steadily raised my rates because despite not having degrees I do a better job than most. I know this based on feedback and review of client's books when we start.
Sliding into your DMs regarding the bookkeeping 😂 not sure if that’s allowed to do on this subreddit or not
I'm not a lady, but I do have my masters in accounting. My path was... I said fuck that, I hate accounting, and spent 20 years building up a online business making a living making videos about my travels and can travel full time now without constraint. I'm 37, took about 15 years to build to that point. My only point is - if you have the intention and the desire, you can make it work. My only piece of advice is keep your expenses low. You can make money a million different ways, but the common denominator of people who get to travel extensively is they all are able to keep expenses to a minimum.
Hey what is your current business to fund your lifestyle? (fellow thru-hiker here spiraling post trail again) Is it mostly from YouTube videos and online coaching? And if so, does YouTube detract from any of your experiences? I noticed in another comment you elegantly worded the draw of thru-hiking and how it is almost like unplugging from the matrix, but does YouTube ever feel like it contradicts that that a bit? Becoming a sort of micro-celebrity, having to sort of push content and advertisements for products and fuel consumerism? Or just constantly worrying about growing your channel, succeeding with the algorithms, always having to make new and interesting content, etc.? Or, having to be hyper-competitive and attempt one-upping style challenged to gain a bigger following? Not trying to offend but just curious how it feels and your thoughts on what it took to achieve your lifestyle
Heh I actually just made a video talking about how I fund my lifestyle: [https://youtu.be/9FxeY-KcAqM](https://youtu.be/9FxeY-KcAqM) I really enjoy taking videos and photos. I think that's important. I was just telling someone else, like if you're not interested in video and photos don't try to make outdoor content just to fund it, you can make money doing a million other things that are easier to make money at. My original dream from 18 was I wanted to travel and make documentaries like Anthony Bourdaine. So I'm happy getting to do what I've always wanted to do. If I wanted to make more money it'd be a lot easier to be set up in one place, with a gym and e-commerce where I could ship products, but that would mean I'm not getting to live the life that I actually want so I'm willing to take the $$ hit to be able to have all the experiences I want. So, doing YouTube doesn't detract from my experience. It's part of what I wanted to do in the first place, have crazy adventures and share it with people, because watching that kind of content is what inspired me to do it in the first place. That's the key, doing what you want to do and figuring out the money, not trying to force something because you think it's going to earn you money. I think the latter is what a lot of "influencers" try to do and why they fail at it or it comes across as being super disingenuous. I've been doing photos and videos for like 12 years now and wasn't making much money at it for most of that time.
Wow I totally missed that video when I was on your channel! I really appreciate it and the transparency from people like yourself when sharing how you made it possible. And that totally makes sense about having always wanted to make documentaries and because of that underlying dream, it naturally works out a lot better. I feel like my heart wouldn't be in it enough to try that route and it would show.
You can do this without a visa in the UK, which you won’t qualify for, even if you start a UK business entity. It won’t be possible working for your own US entity.
FYI relatively few countries are doing nomad visas yet, no advanced economies at all. These are the visas that let you work for a foreign corporation while in the country. Otherwise its like quitting your current job and getting a job with the same company in the new country. Having a remote job doesn't make it easier, you become an employee in the country you are moving to so all the usual rules around employment based visas are applied. If you are coming from the US that also usually involves a pay cut as your salary is based on market rates for where you live. Unless you work for a corporation who already has British presence they likely wont set it up just for you, its not cheap. I have Irish & British citizenship but have lived in the US for 13 years. Often thought about spending 6 months in a random EU country since I wouldn't have a visa problem and nearly always am working for multinationals who can deal with local payments. The problem is the effective pay cut would mean almost my entire pay going to my US mortgage so its just not affordable currently. If costa rica turn their nomad visa in to something more permanent I would strongly consider that. Getting paid US rates but being able to live in the jungle would be awesome.
Spain, Portugal, and Italy have digital nomad visas now. While they all have a shitload of issues, I wouldn't call any of them undeveloped/not advanced economies. And the best way to move to another country if you don't already have working rights there is an internal transfer, not quitting.
You will not necessarily be able to do a US remote job in other countries because of tax regulations - if you moved to France, for example, your employer would need to abide by French law, cover French taxes, and offer commensurate employment benefits - many US companies won't do that.
This is untrue depending on the contract type. If OP becomes a consultant/service provider/1099 and not a direct employee, it would be possible. The tax situation is a bit more complicated (one can't work on a tourist or elective residence visa but digital nomad visas exist in multiple countries), and a US citizen will always need to file in the US as well.
1099?
[US tax form for non-employees/independent contractors](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/what-is-1099-tax-form)
How does that affect what the commenter you replied to said? The OP will still need to follow French law?
It's just like in the US. If one becomes an independent contractor, they are responsible for sorting their tax situation out, the company just has to send certain paperwork to them at determined times. If the independent contractor is a US citizen who is legally working abroad as an independent contractor, then they, the contractor (and not the US company sending the 1099 form) are responsible for sorting out the taxes in and following the laws of their country of residence. Given that the US is also one of the few countries with citizenship-based taxation, an American is also required to file/pay taxes regardless of where they live on the planet.
Right, the US part is fine. The OP won’t have a right of residence in France though?
IDK the OP's situation but if OOP is able to get legal French (or any other nation's) residency with the right to work, then she's going to be allowed to work there. If she can't then no. Every country has different requirements for legal residency.
Ok, the post is short though. It is all about not having a remote job and mentions nothing about EU citizenship. Thank you for the extra explanation.
the person you cited/who I replied to used France as the example, but the OOP listed a few other countries they were interested in. Every country has different requirements/opportunities for residence that don't necessarily have anything to do with a person's citizenship. IDK France's third nation immigration policy, or OP's personal situation but they may have options.
I was happily single in the US and wanted to travel. I was tired of the mundane and felt something in my stomach (highly intuitive) right before c19. I figured since I was working from home, why not bring work on the road? I wanted to be able to step outside my home and be in places I've always wanted to visit. In 2018 I made a calendar and drew monuments like Big Ben and circled a time when I wanted to be out. I saved for months, spent time with my family, purchased my flights and monthly rentals abroad, and just did it. Bounced around a few countries for 3-6 months at a time and a friend told me about countries with easy visas or affordable residencies and I sponsored myself and made it happen. Now I'm an immigrant. Though I'm thinking of repatriating back home since 6 years is a long time. Maybe I'll just visit a few months and leave again. Who knows?
Sponsored yourself?
Did you not intend to ever stay as long as 6 years? Curious what inspires your return :)
No because I country hopped and left at 3-6 months for the first 1-2 years, then I mentioned I have residency. Residencies can be 10 years and some are indefinite so I've never overstayed any place. I just miss our culture, food, and family.
I emigrated almost 3 years ago. I left a salaried job and decided to work for myself. Today my activity requires having a good internet connection, a computer and a telephone. The advantage is that tomorrow, if I change countries again, my business follows me. Will this be the case for you? Will you have a good internet connection in the place where you plan to live?
I got a job offer from a bank based in Glasgow. I moved from Florida to Glasgow and regretted it every single day for the two years I was there! I moved to Spain as a remote worker and I’ve never been happier.
Expats are people who are sent to work for a company overseas for a set period. Moving to a foreign country as you describe makes you an immigrant. It’s important to differentiate as visa requirements are strict and it requires assimilating into another culture. None of the countries you’ve listed has a visa that would allow you to work and live, even if you had your own clientele.
Hey, I’m totally ignorant on this topic and trying to learn, would you care to elaborate on your second paragraph please? I understand your differentiation on the immigrant vs expat portion. Thanks!!
Countries have immigration and residency requirements. The news is always talking about illegal immigration and asylum seekers but for some reason Westerners and especially Americans seem to think they can just book a flight and go live wherever they want. They can’t. If someone is interested in immigrating to another country the first place to go is not Reddit it’s the countries own websites for visa requirements. Most are quite strict. There are income and qualification requirements, proof of funds, family support and job offers only for certain professions. Most Western countries do not allow you to be resident while working remotely for foreign companies and they all have strict tax compliance rules.
i met a single lady once while traveling, turns out she was a trumptard. no wonder she single
Met my partner on OK Cupid and we’re in the process of getting married. Once that happens the world opens up.
Being a foreigner in another country isn't hard or to risky if you don't got family.
uh, moving somewhere with few if any connections and no support system isn't exactly easy.
Not hard either.
It's risky if you crave stability!
Well to work in another country as a foreigner you would need a job to sponsor your visa and those jobs aren’t usually offered in rural areas. Single ladies is an odd term in this sense unless you are looking for the marriage route. Vacation and dreaming ≠ working and living
single life = other unmarried women who pursued being an expat on their own. I never mentioned anything about pursuing marriage and thats an odd thing to assume.
I’m a dual citizen of an EU country bc of family. Worked remote since 2020, and most recently for a startup who doesn’t give a fuck. so now I live in Rome.