The American Dream as it exists today is a hamster wheel grind that keeps roughly 60% of the population living in poverty. The minimum work week consists of 40 hours, overtime is often mandatory if you want to retain your position, and the threat of being downsized in favor of someone who is willing to do your job for half the pay is constantly hanging over your head. The hope is that one day, when you are around 65 years of age, you will finally have enough money saved up to be "allowed" to retire, at which point you can kick your feet up and enjoy a life of relaxation and luxury. But until you reach that point, you have nothing to look forward to other than a continual grind of 8 hour work shifts, barely managing to pay your bills on time. And, if you are like most Americans, you are actually juggling your bills and paying alternating ones late each month so that you can just manage to squeeze by.
For many, there is nothing to look forward to other than a long, dark tunnel of never-ending tedium, working the same eight to ten hour shifts day in, day out, with maybe Sundays off, over a period of 40+ years until they are finally 65 years old and "allowed" to retire. These are the average, everyday living conditions of people in the United States.
This is the American Dream as it exists today. And it is because of this nightmare reality that more and more web-savvy individuals are looking towards the borders beyond the United States for their next Big Break. For these intelligent few, the horizons beyond are beckoning with the lure of a location independent lifestyle as an international expat, roaming the planet while working on the Internet and taking advantage of the lowered cost of living in countries around the world. This allows them to bypass the debt and credit necessities of living back home and instead transport themselves into the world of debt-free living where their money is going three to four timers farther than it ever would in their home country.
This is the primary allure of being an expat. Digital nomads can exist anywhere there is an Internet connection. Expats can be writers, artists, designers, analysts, social media managers or any type of job that exists in the digital realm. They can also be pensioners. The only real criteria is that you have some form of monthly income of around $1,000 per month. While that $1,000 per month might not get you much back home, in places like Mexico, Thailand, Bulgaria, Italy, Colombia and beyond, that $1,000 is the equivalent of $3,000 to $4,000 per month.
Almost every country around the world has the flexibility to allow expats to pursue the location independent lifestyle, because they usually only have a per month requirement for income and then a couple of weeks of waiting for your application to be approved. As long as you can provide proof of income or pension on a monthly basis, you are good to go. Usually this is around $1,000 per month for countries like Mexico, Colombia and Bulgaria, for example, and once you prove to the government that you make the minimum you can move ahead into the international expat existence. You won't need a 30 year mortgage where you are going, because the sky is very literally the limit when you can make $4,000 or $5,000 per month on your average salary but only need to use $1,000 per month on your actual cost of living.
For many, there is nothing to look forward to other than a long, dark tunnel of never-ending tedium, working the same eight to ten hour shifts day in, day out, with maybe Sundays off, over a period of 40+ years until they are finally 65 years old and "allowed" to retire. These are the average, everyday living conditions of people in the United States.
This is the American Dream as it exists today. And it is because of this nightmare reality that more and more web-savvy individuals are looking towards the borders beyond the United States for their next Big Break. For these intelligent few, the horizons beyond are beckoning with the lure of a location independent lifestyle as an international expat, roaming the planet while working on the Internet and taking advantage of the lowered cost of living in countries around the world. This allows them to bypass the debt and credit necessities of living back home and instead transport themselves into the world of debt-free living where their money is going three to four timers farther than it ever would in their home country.
This is the primary allure of being an expat. Digital nomads can exist anywhere there is an Internet connection. Expats can be writers, artists, designers, analysts, social media managers or any type of job that exists in the digital realm. They can also be pensioners. The only real criteria is that you have some form of monthly income of around $1,000 per month. While that $1,000 per month might not get you much back home, in places like Mexico, Thailand, Bulgaria, Italy, Colombia and beyond, that $1,000 is the equivalent of $3,000 to $4,000 per month.
Almost every country around the world has the flexibility to allow expats to pursue the location independent lifestyle, because they usually only have a per month requirement for income and then a couple of weeks of waiting for your application to be approved. As long as you can provide proof of income or pension on a monthly basis, you are good to go. Usually this is around $1,000 per month for countries like Mexico, Colombia and Bulgaria, for example, and once you prove to the government that you make the minimum you can move ahead into the international expat existence. You won't need a 30 year mortgage where you are going, because the sky is very literally the limit when you can make $4,000 or $5,000 per month on your average salary but only need to use $1,000 per month on your actual cost of living.
About the Author:
Residency as an expat is one of the first items on your agenda when you decide to live in Mexico as a digital nomad, because while you can stay for six months on a passport you want the ability to live wherever you want and rent apartments at local rates.
