Is Madrid Safe? The Best and the Not-So-Good of…

Why You Should Not Be Afraid to Travel to Madrid (TLDR: It is Safe, But…)

Madrid is the capital city of Spain, located in the center of the country. It is home to a population of 6.7 million people, making it the most populated city in all of Spain. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists visit the historic city to see its many sights.

With such a large population and so many yearly tourists, people often ask the question:

Is Madrid Safe?

Despite Madrid’s dense population, it is a safe city to visit and live in. In fact, the crime rate has been decreasing over the last few years.

The crime rate in all of Spain has gone down by 10.9%, according to a government website. This is a good thing, even though the US has put Spain on a Level 2 Travel Advisory because of civil unrest and terrorism. Words such as civil unrest and terrorism might sound alarming, but crime in Spain ranks much lower than in other countries.

It is important to remember that Madrid is still a big city, and tourists can be targeted for petty thefts such as pickpocketing. Local thieves will stake out popular attractions and swipe phones, wallets, and purses from unsuspecting victims. Before you know it, someone has snatched your camera right out of your backpack.

The already low criminal activity in Madrid is rarely violent crime, making it a safe place to walk around alone or at night. Madrid greatly benefits from the money brought in by tourists, and the city and country are working hard to maintain a safe and inviting atmosphere.

The architecture of the Spanish capital reminds me a bit of Buenos Aires, in Argentina (maybe due to historical ties), although nowadays the Argentinian capital is below European safety standards.

Spain also has shown signs of wanting to continue this downward trend in crime by increasing its law enforcement by over 10,000 officers.

To put it into perspective, Madrid in Spain, a city with over 3 million residents, had 34 homicides in 2021.

So, is Madrid safe? Yes, but how does it compare to other large cities in Spain? Sometimes the way we perceive crime misleads us, like in the case of cities such as São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.

Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity Cover — Book recommended: Moving Out, Working Abroad, and Keeping Your Sanity

Is Madrid Safer Than Barcelona?

According to the 2021 Safe Cities Index, Barcelona was ranked as the 11th safest city, while Madrid was ranked as the 21st safest city. Both of these outstanding rankings show the overall safety of Spain. However, The Economist gave the edge to Barcelona.

A reason for Barcelona’s slight advantage could be that it has a smaller population size than Madrid. Often, crime rates go up as the population size increases. About 5.5 million people live in Barcelona, which is 1 million fewer people than Madrid.

Interestingly, despite Barcelona’s higher ranking in the Safe Cities Index, the consensus from people online is that Madrid is the safer city. This sentiment can be confirmed with a quick Google search.

While the outlook for Madrid and Barcelona remains positive, both cities are large, populated destinations, and it is important to stay alert no matter where you are. If a destination attracts tourists, which both cities do, it attracts thieves. So, always be aware of your surroundings.

Talking about safety, check also the 8 safest big cities in the US.

Places to Avoid in Madrid

In general, Madrid is a safe city, but there are a few places you might want to avoid at certain times of the day.

The Centro district is one of the most popular sections of Madrid that hosts many of its tourist attractions. Because of that, it naturally makes it the most dangerous part of Madrid.

If you are hoping to see the famous monuments and the main building, it will be difficult to avoid the Centro district. However, what you can do is schedule your activities during the day and avoid going there alone or at night.

Another district to be aware of is Carabanchel. It has the second-highest rate of arrests, just below the Centro district. However, most of these arrests are a result of drug possession. While high arrest rates are never a positive sign, it is reassuring for travelers that most arrests in the district are for non-violent charges.
Surprisingly, Salamanca, the wealthiest district in Madrid, has some of the highest crime rates in the city. However, the crimes that take place there are usually non-violent and unrelated to drugs. The most common arrests are for burglary or attempted burglary. The luxurious homes seem to attract thieves and robbers.

The Madrid Police make all of the data on arrests and traffic violations available.

Where Are the Best Locations to Stay in Madrid?

Malasaña is a trendy neighborhood located in the heart of Madrid and is well-known for its exciting nightlife. There are countless stores, bars, and museums in the area to choose from.

Because of this, there are still wonderful sights to see and streets to explore during the day, even though it is a popular destination for the younger, late-night crowd. Because the area is so popular, you can expect it to cost a little more than places that don’t get as much traffic.

La Latina in Madrid provides one of the most genuine experiences available. Tapas, mojitos, and other fantastic restaurants and stores abound in the historic town.

La Latina’s streets are lined with elegant terraces, and you can stroll down them and pause at any of the many bars for a quick drink or bite to eat. It is situated in the city’s center, and like Malasaa, its rising popularity is driving up prices, but you can still find affordable restaurants and lodging nearby. A must-see area of Madrid is La Latina.

Barrio de Las Letras. Famous authors from the Golden Age of Spanish literature once called Barrio de Las Letras home. In the past, writers like Quevedo and Cervantes have walked the streets of this distinctive neighborhood.

You can spend the day at the Golden Triangle of Art in Barrio de Las Letras, which is home to three renowned art museums. If you want to experience Madrid in a fresh, contemporary way, staying in this area is a wise choice.

No matter where you stay in Madrid, you are bound to have an excellent experience. It is a safe city with an endless list of museums, restaurants, shops, bars, and plazas. Just remember that anything can happen in a big city, and it’s always best to be aware of your surroundings.

Budget Travelers Digital Nomad and Expats Book — Recommended book: Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide: 50 Tips, Tricks, Hacks and Ways to Free Stuff & Cheaper Flights

Is Madrid Safe for Tourists? (Conclusion)

Yes, tourists can feel safe in Madrid. The main issue in the Spanish capital is street crime, not anything seriously dangerous like gang turf wars (and Madrid is definitely safer than Athens, in my opinion, although slightly less safe than Lisbon). But in some places, the chance of becoming a victim of crime is higher.

You should avoid staying in places like:

Carabanchel
Salamanca

Some nice and safer places to stay are:

Malasaña
La Latina
Barrio de Las Letras

So yes, Madrid is relatively safe, but here are some additional tips.

1st — If you are visiting the city, there are plenty of options in terms of luggage storage, so you don’t need to walk around with your carry-on bags. Reliable, convenient, and inexpensive luggage storage services you can find at Radical Storage.

2nd — If you are visiting some more isolated places, hire a guide. You can find some amazing guides and tours at Viator. Not only they will give you insider information about historical and natural curiosities, but they will also warn you of risky areas and keep you safe.

3rd — Book a transfer in advance (both to and from the Barajas Airport) to your final destination. You can use Get Transfer for that.

4th — If anyone stops or calls your attention to offer some service in the street, keep walking. Another good idea is to use a dummy wallet.

If you enjoyed this article answering the question Is Madrid Safe? here are a few other reading suggestions for you:

The Most Stupid Thing You Can Do in 5 European Capitals

How the Pearl of the West Can Bewilder Your Sense of Violence Statistics

Surprising conclusions about the most dangerous city in each European country.

Levi Borba is the founder of the Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks and the channel The Expat, and a best-selling author. Some of the links of this article may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction.

Digital Nomads

Is Buenos Aires safe? (Nearly everyone gets it very WRONG)

Is Crime High in Buenos Aires? Well, Yes and No.

I was talking to my Brazilian friends about Argentina a few weeks ago, and we asked ourselves how (nowadays) safe in Buenos Aires.

It is not a topic that is as widely discussed among Brazilian millenials as one might expect. Most Brazilians only think about Argentina during football games or elections (when both countries are famous for making bad choices).

While Brazil did not have an easy path over the last two or three decades, Argentina fared even worse. That, in turn, reduced Argentina’s advantage in a variety of areas, ranging from the per capita income to sewage availability in urban areas. Argentina and Brazil are not that disparate today in many ways.

Nonetheless, Argentina is far superior to Brazil in two areas: education and security.

True, Brazil narrowed the gap in both cases. In terms of education, Brazil has a literacy rate of 94 percent, up from 84 percent only two decades ago, but it is still far lower than Argentina’s 99 percent.

In terms of security, violence in Brazil has dropped dramatically over the last three years. Cities like São Paulo, for example, had their homicide rates dropped by almost 80%!

But, in general, many large cities in Brazil are still far more violent than anywhere in Argentina.

So….

Is Argentina safer than Brazil? Is Buenos Aires safer than Rio?

Absolutely yes, for both questions. Violence in Rio decreased, but it is still 3X higher than in Buenos Aires. It is also safer than Guadalajara, in Mexico, a city than can bewilder your idea about crime statistics.

However, if the question is simply:

“Is Buenos Aires Safe?”

Then I dare to say not really, and here I will explain to you why.

Is Crime High in Buenos Aires?

The homicide rate in Buenos Aires is 4.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. This is less than some of the most violent European countries, like Russia (7.3 murders per 100K residents) and Ukraine (6.2). But it is far worse than most of the other countries, like Belgium (1.7), France (1.2), Hungary (0.8) or Poland (0.7 homicides per 100 thousand people).

There are dangerous cities in Europe as well, but they are few and mostly concentrated in industrial zones inside the United Kingdom or France. Also, certain districts of European capitals like Athens may present a prevalence of petty crimes worse than many parts of Buenos Aires. So in the end, location is an important factor.

If the comparison with Europe makes Buenos Aires look violent, it may pale in comparison to the US. While the United States has a homicide rate slightly higher than Argentina (4.96 homicides per 100K people), it would be fair to compare Buenos Aires with its American, metropolitan counterparts.

And that is how the Argentinian capital starts to look safe. Buenos Aires’ 4.6 homicide rate is far smaller than Chicago (18.26), Washington DC (32.78), or Baltimore (55.7, one of the most dangerous cities on the planet). There are some very safe cities in the US, but usually, they are far smaller and in southern states.

When we talk about other modalities of crime, like theft, robbery, or kidnapping, the situation is similar: Buenos Aires is dangerous when compared to European cities, but relatively safe compared to large American cities.

But we are still missing one thing here:

Buenos Aires, like every south-American large city, is very unequal.

Here is a shocking fact: Buenos Aires has 48 barrios (local districts). During the year 2019, 16 of these districts, one-third of the total, never had a single homicide. Meanwhile, a single barrio called Barracas had 17 murder cases. To put it into perspective, Madrid, with over 3 million residents, had only 34 homicides in 2021.

Barracas has only 77 thousand residents, meaning a homicide rate of 22 murders per 100 thousand residents, comparable to very violent cities in places like Mexico, Colombia, or Brazil.

To put it into perspective, Warsaw, the capital of Poland, also had 17 murder victims during the year 2019 — but Warsaw has 1.7 million people.

So, bottom line: Buenos Aires is dangerous compared to Europe, relatively safe when compared to the US or Brazil, but it is also very unequal, with some districts as safe as Europe and others as dangerous as Mexico.

Violence and crime map of Buenos Aires, 2019 (In Spanish) — Violence map of Buenos Aires. Only two “comunas” concentrated 45% of all homicides in the city. Source: Chequeado.

What Areas to Avoid in Buenos Aires

Name of the District	Number of Homicides (Year)	Pop.	Homicide Rate	Comparable Country
Retiro	14	45002	31.1	Mexico
Barracas	17	77474	21.9	Brazil
Parque Avellaneda	7	54191	12.9	South Sudan
Parque Chacabuco	4	39473	10.1	Iraq
Villa Lugano	8	114000	7	Russia
Villa Luro	2	33058	6	Ukraine
Boca	2	46494	4.3	Chile
Palermo	2	225970	0.9	Australia
Almagro	1	138942	0.7	Poland
Recoleta	1	188780	0.5	Switzerland

Homicide numbers in selected districts of Buenos Aires during the year 2019. Source: Ministerio de Justicia y Seguridad and UNODC

Buenos Aires is a lovely city with a lot to offer.

However, there are some neighborhoods to avoid, including Retiro, Barracas, and Balvanera, as well as the neighboring metropolitan cities of La Matanza and Quilmes. Because of their high rates of criminality, these are widely regarded as among the most dangerous areas in the region.

The same is true for any area that appears to be run-down or dirty — these areas are likely to be dangerous as well. If you find yourself in a bad neighborhood, it is best to stay on the main roads where you can be seen by many people and keep your valuables hidden (such as your cellphone). If someone approaches you, it’s best not to interact with them at all — avoid eye contact and simply continue walking.

In addition to avoiding the above neighborhoods and following the guidelines above if you happen to find yourself in a high-crime area by accident, there are some other precautions you should take anywhere in Buenos Aires, and more on them can be found in the final section of this article.

Best Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires

The city’s safest districts (as well as the best cities in the metropolitan area) are frequently in the north of Buenos Aires, while the south is more dangerous and violent.

From Palermo to the north there are several highly recommended neighborhoods that are considered safe and secure areas to live without fear of possible crime or violence.

In terms of safety, the best neighborhoods in Buenos Aires are Belgrano and Núñez, as well as neighboring cities in the Metropolitan zone such as San Isidro and San Fernando. In comparison to other areas such as Retiro or Barracas, these districts have a low crime and violence rate.

Belgrano is a popular tourist destination due to its gastronomical options, historical architecture, and the River Plate football club; however, it also has some lovely residential areas where families can find safe havens close to their workplaces.

However, keep in mind that some of the safest districts in terms of homicides are also among the worst in terms of robberies, since they are business districts with a large influx of people. This is the case with Palermo, where there is a lot of petty theft. Below are some tips for you to avoid this kind of situation.

What Not to Do in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a lovely city with gorgeous old buildings and excellent gastronomic options. But, like any other large city, it is not without danger. If you’re going on a trip for business or pleasure, keep these tips in mind to stay safe and avoid criminals.

1st — Avoid walking around with your luggage. Wandering around with carry-on luggage, even in the safest districts, is NOT recommended.

2nd — Know where the dangerous areas are. Remember that Buenos Aires, like most large cities in Latin America, is very unequal, so in a few meters, you can go from a developed business district to a crime-ridden neighborhood. Some areas have much more crime than others. Check the table I posted a few paragraphs before with the violence numbers in different districts.

3rd— Get smart about pickpockets. Pickpocketing is common in Buenos Aires, so be careful when carrying anything you might need on your person, such as money and passports. To avoid this risk, keep your valuables in a money belt or under your clothing whenever possible. Also, keep an eye on your belongings and be aware of your surroundings at all times — particularly in crowded tourist areas or on public transportation.

4rd — Do not use your expensive phone while standing in the middle of the street. There are numerous motorcycle thieves in the area who are experts at stealing cellphones from unsuspecting pedestrians. Remember that iPhones are worth a ridiculously high amount in Argentina, so they’re even more of a target.

5th — Don’t walk alone at night: Especially if you are a woman, walking alone at night can be dangerous in Buenos Aires. If you’re going out after dark, go with friends or take a cab or uber.

6th — -Stay away from La Boca at night: La Boca is famous for its colorful buildings, but this neighborhood is not safe. Most businesses close before dark, so it’s best to avoid the area after twilight.

How to Stay Safe in Buenos Aires

2nd — Book a transfer in advance (both from the Ezeiza Airport or Aeroparque Airport) to your final destination. You can use Get Transfer for that.

3rd — If you are visiting places like El Caminito and its surroundings, hire a guide. You can find some amazing guides and tours at Viator. Not only they will give you insider information about historical and natural curiosities, but they will also warn you of risky areas and keep you safe.

4rd — Use a money belt to carry your credit card, documents, etc. In your pocket, leave a dummy wallet with expired cards and small money, in case a robber attacks you (something that shouldn’t happen if you follow all the recommendations above).

Is Buenos Aires Safe to Live? Conclusion

When we look at the big picture, Buenos Aires is more dangerous than most European countries but safer than American cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC. It is also safer than Brazil, despite the fact that the gap has narrowed in recent years due to a decrease in criminality in Brazil and an increase in crime in Argentina.

But to talk about Buenos Aires as a single entity does not say much. The Argentinian capital, like any major city in Latin America, is extremely unequal. (Here we explain how Sao Paulo, in Brazil, has a very similar situation).

Poorer, southern districts like Retiro and Barracas concentrate crime occurrences and have violence indicators comparable to poor regions of Mexico or Colombia.

Northern districts like Belgrano and Núñez, as well as neighboring towns like San Isidro, boast European indicators of violence.

It is also worth noting that there are also safer places in Argentina, areas that are very attractive to foreigners looking to retire with low costs and high quality of life.

First, subscribe (for free) to receive my articles directly in your inbox and receive a special gift. Second, if you enjoy this article, please consider becoming a Medium member by using this link (you also support me by doing that) and enjoy access to premium, unbiased content.

If you enjoyed this article, here are a few other reading suggestions for you:

The Most Stupid Thing You Can Do in 5 European Capitals

The 10 Most Beautiful and Captivating Gardens in Europe!

THESE Are the Cheapest Cities to Fly to In Europe

Levi Borba is the founder of the Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks and the channel The Expat, and a best-selling author. Some of the links of this article may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction.

Expat Problems

Right Now, Sleeping in Warsaw Costs More Than in Monaco

Asylum Seekers in Poland, Read This Before Paying for Accomodation

I promised myself not to post any rant on Medium regarding the war in Ukraine, which is only 2 hours away from here…

On the other hand, this has nothing to do with the war, but rather with:

A few words of praise for the Polish people’s enormous hospitality in receiving Europe’s largest refugee wave since World War II.
A rant against a very small percentage of people, who happen to be entrepreneurs in the same industry as me, who are shamelessly exploiting the situation and ripping off refugees.
A very useful piece of advice for refugees and asylum seekers in Poland on how to find more affordable accommodationin if they need it.

How Many Refugees Has Poland Taken

By the 10th of March 2022, the number of asylum seekers in Poland had surpassed 1.5 million.

As Stefan Tompson, a Polish writer, explained:

Poland, a country of 38 million people, has just taken in a million refugees from Ukraine in just 10 days. To put it into perspective:
That’s like the State of California and it’s 39 million inhabitants taking in every single resident of Austin, Texas, in under a fortnight.
Or that’s like every single inhabitant of Birmingham being moved relocated to Spain with its 46 million inhabitants.

How Poles Are Helping Refugees.

People in Poland are assisting in any way they can. They opened their houses and their businesses to host refugees.

A Catholic monastery near Warsaw was quickly turned into a refugee center.
Developers turned crumbling houses into sparkling refugee lodging in only five days.
Polish volunteers are in the airports and railway stations around the clock, assisting incoming Ukrainians.

These are only a few examples. Every day, in every corner, Poles are doing what they can to help their neighbors, letting aside a complicated history between both nations, as Mr. Tompson pointed:

The generosity of the Poles is that much greater when you take into account the unaccounted history of the brutal genocide of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia in 1943, by OUN-B and UPA. But you see, the Poles’ hearts are that much purer precisely because they do not point to the unmarked graves of their murdered forefathers in Ukraine’s fields. We know that brutal history. We remember our forefathers. But now, the Ukrainians need our help, and we will help them.

The Kettle of Vultures

At the same time, a small, very small share of the people is acting like a flock of carrion birds, profiting from desperation.

Like this person, who just set up some tents in his backyard (it’s -3 degrees outside!) and is renting them out for the absurd sum of 180zl.

tent in warsaw for absurd prices after the influx of asylum seekers in Poland. — 180zl for a tent. This is more than $40. Before, this was the price of a night in a 3-star hotel, with breakfast.

40 dollars.

For one night in a camping tent.

During winter.

There are other sordid examples, like a famous international hostel chain that increased the prices of their Warsaw branch by 400%.

Hostel in Warsaw for absurd prices, after the influx of asylum seekers in Poland. — 4 beds in a dormitory room for 800zl. More than $180 per night for a mother with her 3 daughters to sleep among strangers.

They rented a bed for 40 zlotys per night prior to the conflict (around 9 US dollars). Each bed now costs 200zl.

Hotel rooms in pricey destinations such as Zurich (Switzerland) or Oslo (Norway) are less expensive than this hostel in Warsaw right now.

Even in Monte Carlo, in the tiny and hyper-rich principality of Monaco, you can find hotel rooms, with all the privacy and comfort they offer, for prices comparable to a crowded dormitory in Warsaw:

Hotel room in Monte Carlo, Monaco. — Hotel room in Monte Carlo, Monaco, for 568 zlotys per night (approx. US$130).

Consider that the average salary for a receptionist in Monaco is US$4442, while in Warsaw it is the equivalent of US$823, and you will see how some of my fellow hospitality entrepreneurs in Warsaw are taking advantage of this situation.

All this gets even more shocking when we consider that, until months ago, Warsaw was one of the cheapest capitals inside the European Union.

But…We Live in a Free Market!

One could argue that we live in a free, capitalist economy, and companies have the liberty to increase their prices.

Yes, they are, and I know this very well.

Prior to starting my own company, I worked inside airline headquarters in the department in charge of raising (or lowering) their prices: revenue management (here I share some secrets on how to buy cheaper tickets that I learned during my career).

Even at my hostel, I raise prices for dates close to major events such as a Justin Bieber concert or New Year’s Eve. This is acceptable; the additional profit from these special events should cover the losses from the low season.

But it is one thing to profit from people traveling to our city to watch a Canadian pop singer. They are already paying a small fortune for a ticket anyway.

Another thing is to profit from desperate people who have fled their homes and countries with nothing but their clothes.

This kind of behavior nauseates me. Not just as a business owner in the hospitality industry.

But as a human.

Asylum Seekers in Poland: How to Find Cheaper Accommodation

PS: Besides the advice below, it is also a good idea for any refugee in Poland to seek volunteers in the train stations and airports. Often they know where is offered free accommodation.

Public transportation is one of the things that most large cities in Poland have developed exceptionally well.

The transportation networks not only reach the majority of the city’s districts and corners, but they also have a strong presence in the metropolitan area.

In Poland, metropolitan areas are especially important. Warsaw, for example, has a population of only 1.7 million people, but when the metropolitan region is included, this figure nearly doubles.

When looking for a place to stay, refugees and anyone else should keep one thing in mind.

You don’t need to live in Warsaw, because the city itself is expensive and has a limited accommodation base.

Furthermore, using metropolitan trains, you can get to the city from the suburbs in a matter of minutes.

Here are some time estimates from cities in the metropolitan region to Warsaw Central Station (and the city center):

Piastów: 22 minutes, using the train R1. You can check the available hostels and hotels of Piastów here.
Pruszków: 29 minutes using the train R1. You can check the available hostels and hotels in Pruszków here.
Legionowo: 29 minutes by using the train RL. You can check the available hostels and hotels in Legionowo here.
Piaseczno: 39 minutes, with the train R8. You can check the available hostels and hotels in Piaseczno here.

You pay on these suburban trains 3.50 zloty per trip, which is far less than the difference in the accommodation cost in these cities and in Warsaw.

Yesterday, for example, a woman with her small daughter asked me if I had a room. I didn’t, and she got desperate for a place to sleep. The cheapest room in Warsaw was over 500zl ($115). I looked for a place in Piastów and found a comfortable room for her for 130zl (less than 30 dollars), in a little hotel called Fredry 8.

She was happy, I was happy to help, and a fellow local entrepreneur (who is not behaving in a predatory mode like hotel chains skyrocketing their prices 500%) also was happy.

During these trying times, this was a small but happy victory.

If you enjoyed this article about asylum seekers in Poland, check this one about what to do in case of war and the highlights of the manual about what to do in case of war (issued by the Polish emergency services).

First, subscribe (for free) to receive my articles directly in your inbox and receive as a special gift the digital book 20 Essential Hacks for Saving Money While Travelling.

Second, if you liked this article, please consider supporting me and other writers by becoming a Medium member. By using this link, you will directly support me with a piece of your fee; there will be no additional cost to you. Thank you a million times if you do!

Levi Borba is the founder of the Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, and best-selling author.

Expat Problems

What to Do in Case of War?

How to Prepare for War as a Civilian (Read It NOW if You Live Abroad)

Listen to “How to Prepare for War as a Civilian (Read It NOW if You Live Abroad)” on Spreaker.

I live in Poland, less than three hours from the Ukrainian border, where a war is currently raging.

Because I’m assuming you never read my bio (who reads it after all?), I start by saying that, besides being a writer, I am also the owner of a tourist hostel in Warsaw. We frequently host international backpackers and transit tourists.

But not right now. Almost all of my rooms are occupied by people who have fled the war in Ukraine, a country that, until recently, was not on the list f the most dangerous places in Europe.

Many of my guests now are women, children, and elders. Some have arrived after days of traveling through difficult border crossings, checkpoints, and congested roads.

Every day, I have to reject over 30 calls from people requesting a room because we are full and have a waiting list. It is painful to see.

Having said that, it has also been a learning experience (check here 3 incredible stories of solidarity I witnessed with refugees in Poland). I discovered what these people wished they could do before the war starts by talking to them.

Familiar with other conflicts (before moving to Poland, I lived in the middle-east, one of the most stressful places in the world), I also pondered about what to do after a war.

This small guide arose from these discussions, reflections, and research. It is also inspired by Poland’s emergency service manual on what to do in case of war. War is not exactly something new or unknown in Europe, and adult residents of cities like Sarajevo or Belgrade are familiar with this kind of violent event.

I hope you enjoy reading it.

BUT

I hope you never need to use it.

What to Do in Case of War

How to Prepare Financially for War

PS: This is not financial advice, but what I would do (in fact, I have already done most of the things in this list).

Withdraw a substantial sum from your bank account. Bank runs are common on the eve of war, and ATMs may run out of money. I’d take enough to last at least two months, if not longer.
If there are chances that your country will be directly involved, avoid keeping local currency. Why?

Because it will quickly depreciate if war breaks out. Besides, exchange houses may refuse it. This is one of the most difficult challenges that Ukrainian refugees face in Poland, as the Ukrainian currency (Hryvnia) has depreciated significantly and is no longer accepted by many exchange houses.

Change your local currency for a neutral currency (yes, I am talking about you, Swiss Franc). Be aware that this should be done before the war as rates will be high during the conflict.
Exchange hard-to-carry assets into mobile, easy-to-carry assets, like gold.

This may raise a question:

Will Gold Go Up if There Is a War

People that are used to investing in risky countries are familiar with how useful are hard assets like Gold.

Gold is expected to increase in value, drastically, before the war starts. The prices may also raise after failed negotiations and when the conflict is prolonged.

But…

Frankly, it doesn’t matter if gold prices will go up or not. In the case of war, you are not investing in gold, but using it as a value storage. You can bury it in your garden, making it much more difficult for looters or an invading army to steal it.

Besides, you cannot carry your plasma TV in your pocket when you are escaping from war. Unless you have a Gulfstream jet ready to evacuate your family like Peter Thiel.

What to do if the invasion already started.

Before the Russian invasion on February 24, foreign intelligence agencies warned of a Ukrainian invasion. While the invasion’s scale was unexpected, the invasion itself was expected.

If you find yourself in similar situations, this is what you should do:

Have an escape wallet ready, with your documents, cash, passport, and keys.
Research flight schedules and build a plan in case of emergency. Check also the train routes, as well as the fastest ways to the border in the case air transport and railways are disrupted.
If you are a foreigner, like me, contact your embassy and ask about possible contingency plans.
If your country does not have an embassy nearby, contact a diplomatic mission from another country. During the evacuation in Ukraine, for example, the Brazilian embassy in Kyiv also assisted citizens from Ecuador and Argentina.
Carry with you ALL documents that attest ownership of vehicles, land, houses, assets, and so on. This includes fiscal receipts, notarized acts, and transfer notes. This step is crucial to demand compensation once the war finishes, and is often neglected by people fleeing a country.

Many of the suggestions above are based on the assumption that you want to flee before war breaks out. My respect if you wish to remain and defend your land.

Nominate reliable people located abroad for the guardianship of your children, to protect them if the worst happens. Put their name in your life insurance policy.

Should I stay or should I flee if war breaks out?

Just remember that, in case you wish to remain, you will be helpful if:

You have military experience
You have medical or paramedical experience
You can act as a translator, with fluent knowledge of the local idiom and other multiple languages (assisting in foreign legions and so on).
You have mechanical, engineering, or logistical skills.

If you do not fit any of these cases, there is a good chance that you will not be useful during the conflict, or require training in a very limited (and often unrealistic) timeframe.

What to Do During a War

If you managed to escape the war and returned to your home country or became a refugee in a third state, the first step is to contact assistance from organizations like the UNHCR.

Store the resources (cash, gold, and other assets) that you brought in a secure place and exchange just the necessary into local currency.

Always adopt a realistic outlook. Wars have the potential to destroy the infrastructure of a country, so it is unlikely that you will return soon to your former home.

Besides, modern wars are not quick. While larger forces may conquer territory quickly, most modern conflicts are prolonged by enduring guerrilla fights. Here are how long it took some of the most recent examples:

Second Congo War: 15 years (1998–2003)
Syrian Civil War: 11 years, ongoing.
Iraq War: 8 years (2003–2011)
Afghanistan War: 19 years (2001–2021)
Yemen War: 7 years, ongoing.

Why am I telling you that? Because the sooner you accept that it may take years for you to return, the better you start to adapt to a new country.

Be kind to people that are receiving you. Here in Poland, people are doing their best, but due to the sheer volume of incoming refugees, it is difficult, and even the most dedicated volunteers are under stress.

Try to find a source of income or a job. Don’t expect to live with the same standards that you were living before, at least at the beginning.

What to Do After a War

I hope you followed the tip of keeping all your receipts and documents attesting to the ownership of your assets, right?

Once the war finishes, and you return to your country, it is time to seek compensation for everything the invaders took from you — considering that your side was the winner and repelled the invasion.

For this purpose, it will be essential that you use the documents certifying the ownership of your house, car, or anything else you lost due to the conflict.

In Poland, for example, there is even a government institute that, among other functions, assesses the war reparations that German invaders should pay for the Second World War, among other things.

Be aware that war reparations may take years, even decades to be paid, and there is a chance that it will not be you, but your kids that will receive them.

Conclusion: How to Prepare for War as a Civilian

1st Phase: How to Prepare Financially for War

Withdraw from your account a substantial amount of money. Enough to last a few months. Bank runs and cash shortages are common before wars.
If your country is directly involved, avoid keeping local currency. Swap it for the currency of a neutral country.
Convert hard-to-carry assets into mobile assets like gold, that you can easily carry or hide.

2nd Phase: What to do if war is imminent.

Prepare an emergency wallet with your documents, cash, passport, and keys.
Study the fastest possible flight and train schedules, as well as the quickest routes to the border, in the event that air travel and railways are disrupted.
If you are a foreigner, like me, contact your embassy and ask about their contingency plans for the outbreak of war.
Carry ALL documents proving ownership of vehicles, land, houses, assets, and so on. This includes fiscal receipts, notarized acts, and transfer notes.
Nominate trustworthy people in another country to be your children’s guardians, to protect them if the worst happens. Include them in your life insurance policy.

3rd Phase: What to Do During a War (as a refugee)

Modern wars are not quick, taking years or even decades during their guerrilla phase. Therefore, try to settle in and adapt from the very beginning.
Contact assistance from institutions like the Red Cross, Caritas, or UNHCR.
Be courteous to those who are receiving you. If you feel homesick, take a look at this article about how to deal with it.
Try to find a job or a source of income. Do not expect to live up to your previous living standards, at least not at first.

4th Phase: What to Do After the War

Use the documents you kept all this time to demand war reparations from the invader.

If you enjoyed this article about what to do in case of war, check this one about how to make a plan B when you live abroad. If you are an asylum seeker in Poland, read this article.

First, subscribe (for free) to receive my articles directly in your inbox and receive as a special gift the digital book 20 Essential Hacks for Saving Money While Travelling.

Levi Borba is the founder of the Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, of the channel The Expat, and best-selling author.

Cultural Shock

Moving Away from Home

The Best Lessons I Learned about Moving Away from Home (After Doing It 14 Times).

Moving away from home is not an unknown subject to us. My generation moved from one place to another more than any other in history.

While our parents and grandparents (the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers) stayed in the same area for an average of 4 to 6 years, Millenials move every two years.

For many of us, moving away from home is an exciting time in our lives.

It gives you the chance to start over. However, it can also be one of the most stressful times in your life depending on where you are moving to, who you are moving with and why you are moving in the first place.

I compiled this article with some of the best tips and insights I learned after fifteen years away from my hometown and 14 moves across three continents. Things like:

Why is moving away from home so hard?
Pros and cons of moving out of your parents’ house
Can I afford to move out of my parents’ house?
How to handle the anxiety about moving away from home?
How to cope with moving away from family and friends?
Other recommended reading for anyone planning to move far away and start a new life.
The steps I will recommend, from the decision until the ride to the airport.

As with everything in life, context is important, and that is where we begin.

I want to move out of my parents’ house!

Many of us will say this phrase at some point between our adolescence and our early thirties. Some people carefully plan this moment, while others do it on the spur of the moment when an opportunity appears on the horizon.

But when we take the time to breathe and analyze carefully whether it makes sense, there are a lot of things at stake.

We frequently overlook or ignore factors that are extremely important later in life.

In this article, I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of moving out of your parents’ home. This is a decision I made when I was 18 years old, and I have seen many friends and relatives do the same since then.

Many were satisfied with the results, but some had regrets.

Why is moving away from home so hard?

First off, you should feel proud of yourself for even considering this challenge.

Not many people dare to step out of their comfort zone and test themselves in new situations. It’s normal to have these thoughts — don’t worry!

One of the main drawbacks is that you will miss your family, friends, and loved ones. You will miss family gatherings and having dinner with your parents. Maybe you are too young and you don’t want to be far away from them or maybe they simply don’t want to let you go.

Another drawback is that you may not know how to take care of yourself in some aspects and it may be difficult for you at first. For example, if your family has always cooked for you and has helped you with everything in the house, it may be difficult for you to prepare something other than fried eggs.

Also, many times living on your own can be more expensive than living with your parents because you have to pay rent, food, bills…

If all of these reasons are making you think twice about moving out, I have a word for you:

You are right.

Think twice. Even thrice. But don’t let the difficulties stop you. Use them as a guide to self-improvement and getting completely ready to move out, not as an excuse to cancel your plans. I will help you in the next paragraphs and with many useful links.

Remember that moving away can be very rewarding.

You will develop skills that no one taught you before and become more independent and autonomous. You will make new friends and open doors for massive opportunities.

All that starts with a plan, and like in every plan, we need to assess the pros and cons.

Pros and cons of moving out of your parents’ house

Benefits of moving away from home:

You get to learn how to fend for yourself and manage your money (both income and expenses).
You will learn (or should learn unless you want to live in a squat) how to cook, clean, and take care of your living space. Maybe you will learn how to fix a leaking sink — it’s not that difficult.
There will be silence and privacy (maybe not if you are a student sharing a dormitory).
You will have space for yourself and friends to hang out.
You’ll be able to set your own schedule, so you won’t have to compete with your brother over who gets to use the shower first.

Cons of moving away from home:

You have to pay for everything, including rent, food, utilities, insurance, and so on. Your paycheck may not be as large as you think it is once you look at all the bills that need to be paid. According to Forbes, in 2021 the cost of moving out increased 15%.
You must deal with any repairs that may emerge. If something breaks, such as the stove or washing machine, you must pay for its repair or replacement unless it is covered by insurance or a warranty agreement.
If you are moving to a distant place, you will miss your old town, your friends and your family. A lot.
If you are going to live in an unfamiliar place, there will be a learning curve until you adapt to the local way of life. You will eat at bad restaurants, take the wrong buses, and so on during this time. It is an inconvenient period, may cost you extra money, and can take weeks or even months.
You will need to adjust to a new climate, and I mean literally new climatic conditions. For example, olive-skinned Latin Americans like myself may require special supplements during the winter in Europe. Here I explain how Vitamin D helped me to survive the European winter.

Can I afford to move out of my parents’ house?

Even if you’re not sure where you’ll be living, estimating the basic costs of living on your own will help you determine if you can afford it or not. The main expenses you should evaluate are rent, food, utilities, transportation, and furniture.

Rent cost

This is your biggest monthly expense, and it depends on where you live and how much space you need. A small studio apartment in the city is more expensive than a large two-bedroom house in the countryside. However, you must ensure that wherever you live, the rent is within your means. Move into an apartment with a roommate or two if possible to reduce your monthly expenses.

Food expenses

Food is probably the second-largest expense after rent, so consider your budget carefully — especially if you’ve been living at home and eating most of your meals there. Americans spend an average of $550 each month on food, according to the most recent data. Eating out frequently can add up quickly, so plan accordingly.

Utility bills

You need utilities like electricity, water, heating, and internet to live comfortably, and there’s no getting around paying for these items every month. In some cases, they are included in your rent payment; if that’s not the case, ask if there are any utilities that are included (such as water). This will help reduce your monthly spending.

Depending on where you move, prices may require a habit change. For example, a shower will cost in Poland 6 times more than in Brazil.

Transportation costs

Transport costs can add up quickly — especially in big cities like London where the Tube or buses can be costly. While it’s not necessary to have a car in every city it’s often essential in smaller places. Here I wrote about the considerations to have in mind before buying a car.

Furniture and other expenses.

When you live at home, your parents are responsible for furnishing the place and purchasing new appliances when necessary. When you move out, those costs come out of your pocket — and they can be significant if you don’t shop around for the best deals.

In another article, I compared the cost of living for a single person in 6 different European capitals. The results are surprising.

Anxiety about moving away from home

Anxiety about moving away from home is normal. Whether you’re moving to a new city, state, or country — or just to a new apartment across town — it’s completely natural to feel nervous and excited at the same time.

Here are some ways to ease your transition:

Connect with others.

If you move in with a roommate or group of roommates, try to strike up friendships with them. If you’re living by yourself, seek out social groups in your area that interest you, such as meetups for your favorite hobby or book club gatherings.

Establish a routine

Maintain structure and routine. Have a regular schedule for sleep, meals, and study. This can help to mitigate feelings of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.

Talk to the grocery store cashier.

Take some time to explore your new city and make a point of trying something new each week — a new restaurant or coffee shop, for example — but don’t be afraid to set boundaries that make you comfortable. Asking about the new place to the grocery store cashier or other people you meet at random can speed up your adaptation.

Try to understand the cultural differences of your new place.

I am a big fan of the 6-dimension model created by Dr. Geert Hofstede breaking down the cultural differences into 6 major areas. His team analyzed multiple countries in the world to better understand cultural differences. So far, their conclusions match almost perfectly my own experience living in Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

Don’t be afraid to get embarrassed.

The joy of embracing (and occasionally failing) a new idiom and discovering a new place in the world is priceless. When I first moved to Poland, I faced three comical situations that taught me that being embarrassed isn’t all that bad.

How to cope with moving away from family and friends

In order to cope with leaving your family and friends, you must remember that you are doing this for a reason. It may be for your education or your career, but you must have a goal and stick to it. Keep that in mind when you are dealing with loneliness or homesickness abroad.

Why are you moving away?

There are different types of expatriates, something that is also valid for anyone that is moving out within a country. Understanding which type you are will help you to understand what you need and what you should avoid.

How to Prepare for a Mov Ahead of Time

You can start preparing yourself for moving away well before the day arrives. For example, staying in close contact with your loved ones through social media or by visiting before moving may make it easier for you to adjust once you have left. Start planning visits to see your family and friends as soon as possible so that you know you will be able to see them again later on.

Keep In Touch

Regular communication with loved ones is one of the best ways to cope with separation. If possible, try talking to your family and friends in person at least once each month by scheduling a visit or inviting them over for a weekend stay.

This will also avoid you to feel guilty later if the worse happens. This is a lesson I learned the hard way.

Take advantage of technology — but don’t get enslaved or restricted by it.

You might not be able to see your family and friends as often as you’d like, but there are many ways to stay in touch using modern communication devices such as smartphones and computers. Video chat applications such as Skype, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts are great for keeping in touch visually and can make you feel like you’re together even when you’re far apart.

Whenever possible, use apps that allow you to communicate visually or audibly, as written messages lack depth and dimension. Besides, excessive text messaging is making us dumber.

Moving away from home — Additional reading

I made a lot of mistakes when I left my country nine years ago to become an expatriate. Errors that could have been avoided if I had only known a few things.

Instead of giving up, I learned by experience during my relocations to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, which forged a better version of myself.

This guide’s tips and methods assisted me in getting promoted, increasing my earnings, finding my wife, and starting my own business.

These rules are universal; they worked for me in South America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, and they will work for you as well.

I wrote a guide with the best countries to start a new life abroad with no money. There you will discover what you need to begin a new life in places like Chile, Qatar, or Poland (I lived in all of them), among many others.
Here is a list of 9 books to read before moving abroad, with useful tips and ideas to improve your daily life far from home.
Sometimes it takes time for someone to find work in a new city, therefore in this article, I give you an idea about how to make money after moving out to a new place.
Here is what you should do if you moved out and war erupted somewhere nearby.

Conclusion: How to Move Away from Home

I moved away from my parents’ home when I was 19. Since then, I moved another 14 times — meaning, almost one time per year. Sometimes, it was because I wanted, others, because I needed due to do my career and later my businesses.

10 Steps to move out

Decide where you want to live
Contact locals via social media or other means to learn about prices, lifestyle, and potential issues.
Save enough money to pay your bills for the first month (at least).
Get a job (or a paid internship if you are a student and have time for it). Every time I moved, I used Linkedin to find a new job.
Know how much you can afford to spend
Prepare a backup plan in case things don’t go as planned (Eg: expenses X percent higher than what you expect). Here I explained how to make a plan B when moving out.
Plan your move and hire a moving company if necessary. Prepare your documents and sign the rental contract early.
Use the signed rental contract to set up internet, water, and other utilities.
Schedule a medical checkup, and a blood exam. In your new place, doctors may not have access to your medical history. This is one of the untold but crucial life-saving tips for moving out.
Pack your belongings.

First, subscribe (for free) to receive my articles directly in your inbox and receive as a special gift the digital book 20 Essential Hacks for Saving Money While Travelling.

Levi Borba is the founder of the Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, and best-selling author.

Digital Nomads

4 Tips to Moving Out and Living on Your…

When Moving Out in 2022, Carry These Tips with You

Congratulations! They awarded you a master’s scholarship on the opposite side of the continent. Or maybe you just read an email with a fantastic career offer overseas. These scenarios are occurring more often than ever among millennials. But what happens when you move far away? Here are some tips for moving out in 2022.

How Often Do Millennials Move?

According to a study involving 1000 adults made by Porch.com and published by Housingwire, Millennials, on average, move every two years, Baby boomers, every four years, but Gen Xers remained in the same area for almost six years.

While mortgage rates remain low, Millennials are not purchasing houses as early in life as previous generations, which they attribute to school loan debt and other expenses piling up. They are also the generation that goes from the suburbs to the city and back again.

Here is one thing: I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm (and I promise to give you all the answers to the questions later), but:

Even minor activities, such as purchasing a monthly transport ticket, may cause trouble when you live far from home.

You may enter either a spending frenzy fueled by lower prices or a feeling of being ripped off by larger expenses.

Then you become ill and find out that your new health insurance doesn’t cover even simple checkups.

Maybe you’re taking a long-term medication (as anti-baldness drugs like finasteride) and it’s over 300% more costly where you moved. When I relocated to Poland, this was my case.

Adapting to a whole new culture already requires a lot of work and might be stressful. Why not make your life simpler and prevent the issues listed above?

Many years ago, I left my tiny hometown, which smelled like orange cake. I made many mistakes when moving to different continents. I’ll teach you how to prevent these blunders and save hundreds, if not thousands, of bucks.

Tip 1 – Remember the questions to ask before moving out

New places may provide new possibilities, jobs, and friendships. But it also can be costly and bring headaches.

So, before you move to another place, ask yourself these questions (and here are a few more others):

1 — Does it fit my budget even in a pessimistic scenario (eg: unemployed for a few months)?

It seems simple, but the thrill of relocation may cloud your financial judgment. Credit card, mortgage, and student loan payments should not exceed 36% of your annual income.

2. Is it worth relocation to your job, and what are the other professional opportunities there?

Examine similar jobs’ salaries in your new city, since management and remuneration vary.

3 — When is the best time to move?

I moved during winter in Poland and I almost freeze my fingers assembling furniture since I still didn’t have heating. Check your local conditions.

4. How will you get around?

You can use the subway in London to go nearly anywhere, but not in Sao Paulo. Before you move, consider the price, availability, and convenience of public transit, as well as the costs and bureaucracy of automobile registration.

7. Is the local culture suitable for you and would you be happy there?

Every city has its own flavor, and it’s vital that your new home feels like home. If you’re unhappy in your present city and want to move somewhere better, think about why you’re unhappy and what makes the new area appealing.

9. What are your backup plans?

A move may be a mistake. Relationships end, jobs are lost. So save money or have a backup plan in case the new city doesn’t work out.

Tip 2 – How to Estimate Your Living Expenses and Plan the Perfect Budget

Numbeo and Expatistan are two outstanding websites that I have been using since I moved out of my country a decade ago. Both sites create large pricing databases of everything by combining user-generated material and online cooperation.

Users enter the prices for each item (from food to housing and transportation) in their respective areas onto the websites. The tool’s accuracy improves as the number of consultations increases. Numbeo contains about 6 million values spread throughout around ten thousand cities on the earth. Expatistan provides information on the cost of living in over 2,000 places.

Using those methods, I can verify Doha is 99% more costly than Warsaw. This is consistent with my experiences of paying exorbitant rates for a drink in the Qatari capital.

With this wealth of information, it is simple to compare living expenses between your current location and your previous one. You’ll find out whether your budget allows you to enjoy a thrifty, easygoing, or opulent lifestyle.

If you are a remote worker and want to make the most out of your income, check this article with 8 great cities for remote workers where you can save money and enjoy life.

Tip 3 – Make all the pre-departure appointments.

A buddy in the medical field once told me how crucial it is to have access to a patient’s historical information. He meant former exam scores, diagnoses, and comparable data.

As a result, even if you are moving to a nation with universal healthcare, such as Canada or the United Kingdom, schedule an appointment with your local doctor and dentist.

This is important if your location has expensive medical bills (yes, this is about you, America). Nobody wants to hear bad news from a doctor, but you’ll want to know if there’s an issue before you leave and have to utilize your foreign health insurance.

Dentist fees are lower in my own country than in Europe. As a result, whenever I visit my parents, even if just for a short period, I attempt to arrange a visit to the dentist. He can conduct minor repairs and alert me if anything is wrong.

Make a consultation with your dentist, a medical examination, and a blood test. Check to see whether your immunization card has been updated. These aren’t the most entertaining aspects of a trip, but they may save you money and perhaps your life.

Tip 4 – Examine prescription drug costs.

There aren’t many things cheaper in my own country (Brazil) than they are elsewhere. There is one item, though, that is substantially cheaper in Brazil:

Drugs. Medical drugs.

(And beachfront apartments, but this is a subject for this article here).

The reason for this is that the government encouraged the formation of national laboratories producing pharmaceuticals with expired patents, also called “generic drugs”. A generic does not have a brand name; instead, it is named by the active component. The most crucial aspect is that it may be half the price of its branded equivalent.

I use a generic drug called Finasteride. It prevents hair loss, and Hollywood celebrities such as Bradley Cooper have been using it for quite some time. The monthly cost of using finasteride in Brazil was roughly 30 Brazilian Reais, around US$8. When I went to Poland, I didn’t check the prices before boarding the plane. I grabbed my one-month package, as well as my prescription (as it was required), and relocated to Europe.

After the first month, I needed to purchase more. When you stop using finasteride, your hair falls out again. In Poland, finasteride is available under the brand name Propecia (the same as in other markets like the USA).

The cost of a month’s therapy was (hold your seat): 180zl. 43 dollars, which was 537 percent of the price in Brazil.

When I stopped taking it, my hair began to fall out. Fortunately, I had a vacation to Brazil planned for a few months later. Following a visit to my dermatologist, he prescribed finasteride as a continuous-use medication, enabling me to purchase and transport more boxes to Europe.

I still have my curling, black as obsidian hair on top of my head. Victory.

Tip 5 – Read This Book Before Moving Out (Click Here)

Conclusion of Tips for Moving Out and Living on Your Own

1 — Ask the proper questions before moving (see list above).

2 — Visit Numbeo or Expatistan to compare the pricing and living expenses of your future and current cities.

3 — Make an appointment with your doctor and dentist for a general checkup.

4 — Check beforehand the prices of any medications, treatments, or therapies that you need. Ask your doctor for a prescription if required by the local legislation.

5 — If your destination has a different language, hire a sworn translator to translate the prescription. This will come in useful if airport security stops you because of medicaments. Otherwise, you run the danger of being mistaken for a drug dealer or smuggler. Never, ever travel with medicines unless you’ve double-checked that they’re completely legal in your destination.

And the most important of all tips for moving out: be patient. It takes some time for you to settle.

Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity: 11 secrets to make your expat & digital nomad life better than you imagine

If you liked this article about tips for moving out in 2022, take a look at these below:

Save Money on Travel — 4 Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will Laugh at You)

5 Tips for Moving to Europe — Crucial Advice for Anyone Coming from a Warm Country

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Levi Borba is the CEO of expatriateconsultancy.com, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, and best-selling author. Subscribe to my articles (for free) and receive (also for free) the ebook “The Blueprint for First-Time Business Owners”.

Digital Nomads

4 Living Abroad Tips

10 Tips on Adjusting While Living Abroad

It is simple to make plans for good times. However, to prosper, you must first survive. So to brace yourself for the nasty stuff, I will give you here 4 tips for living abroad.

The years 2020 and 2021 were full of surprises. But 2001, 2007, and at least a dozen other years in the previous century were comparable. More will follow.

I’m telling you this to emphasize why you should never let your guard down.

Perhaps the most crucial recommendation of all is to not anticipate normalcy.

(But this advice is not helpful, differently from the tips for living abroad below).

I’ll give you four tips in the following paragraphs. All of these are simple to implement, yet incredibly useful in unforeseen scenarios.

These living abroad tips will increase the speed with which you flee from a collapsing environment, minimize the expense of that same escape, or just avoid possible conflicts in your new location.

1 – Always have an escape plan on hand.

Assume you need to depart from the city. Now.

This is a valid situation, but most expats and digital nomads would rather not even consider it. Still, it happens, and they attempt to address it on the fly, even if it may cost many times as much as if they had prepared.

I’m referring to situations in which an emergency occurs and you need to leave the region promptly, within a couple of hours.

It might be because of the death of a loved relative from your homeland.
It might be because of a sudden shift in the sociopolitical atmosphere.
Or even a chaotic sanitary situation, such as the 2020/2021 pandemic.

Regardless of the cause, you should be able to fly (or move) away as quickly as possible if necessary.

In my instance, I know that if a severe emergency occurs before 14:00 every day, I may purchase a trip to Amsterdam in the late afternoon and fly from there to Brazil. There is also an option through Paris, and both would let me arrive on the opposite side of the world the following morning.

Creating an escape plan has a beneficial side effect: You may also check the prices for buying last-minute tickets. For example, I found some time ago that last-minute flights to my parent’s state are on sale during certain times of the year.

Establish your escape route and keep it in mind in case of an emergency. And, if you need it, here are some more airport tricks to save money on airline tickets.

2 – Consider your options carefully before purchasing a vehicle.

Before we get started, let’s clarify that you don’t always need a vehicle. In certain places in South America or the Middle East, having a car (or living with someone who has one) is a must, but not in Eastern Europe. At least not in the major cities, and certainly not for the majority of the population.

This is one of the key arguments I make in my second book, Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads, and Expats: The Ultimate Guide: 50 Tips, Tricks, Hacks, and Ways. It is also widespread concern among my consulting firm’s clients.

I mentioned the Middle East in the previous paragraph because there was no underground (or subway, as Americans call it) in Doha while I lived there.

The oppressive heat for three-quarters of the year and the lack of sidewalks made walking a struggle. So driving to work was unavoidable.

But I still didn’t want to purchase a car. I wasn’t even sure I’d remain in Qatar long enough to recover my expense. What if I left months later and needed to sell the car quickly for a ridiculous price?

The answer to this problem was in the next door. Literally. I agreed with my roommate in which I paid for a portion of his gas and he drove me to and from work. I just utilized ride-sharing apps to go to other destinations.

The monthly cost of this arrangement was far less than the cost of purchasing an automobile. If you don’t have a roommate with whom to negotiate this kind of agreement, there are still options that will save you money.

The first option is to rely on ride-sharing apps and taxis. In Chile, I could walk to work, and public transportation was readily accessible, as it was in Poland.

So, when I needed a ride, I used any phone app to hire a driver. Because my use was intermittent, the cost was less than that of auto insurance. For this reason, using ride-sharing apps like Lyft or Uber will most likely save you money if you are not a frequent driver.

Another option is to just rent a vehicle (one of my favorite tools for that is RentalCars).

When you rent a car instead of purchasing one, you will enjoy several advantages that most expatriates overlook:

Often there is no need to pay for insurance.
Not paying for administrative processes such as document transfers or inspections.
Not paying for repairs (unless specified in the rent agreement).
Not losing with depreciation. After three years (assuming 16,000 kilometers a year), a standard vehicle will be worth over 40% of its original price. In other words, you will have lost around 60% of its value at a rate of 20% each year.
When going on vacation, you may return the automobile instead of paying for rental during your absence. You may also sublet it if your lease permits it.
Some rental businesses provide free tire and oil change.
Some automobile rental firms pay the government taxes associated with car ownership.
If you need to leave the area for an unforeseen cause, you don’t have to sell your automobile at a loss. This is often one of the most significant losses I’ve seen expats face while leaving the Middle East for unexpected reasons. If your employer completes your contract, you may have as little as one month to depart, which is sometimes insufficient time to locate a buyer at a reasonable price.

When someone states that paying for a vehicle rental is a waste of money, they often overlook all the preceding reasons. Renting, rather than purchasing, may save money in various situations.

3 – Prepare a basket for your “next visit home.”

If you already live abroad, you likely have a collection of miscellaneous objects that are worthless where you reside but necessary for your next trip home:

Keys to your parent’s home.
Adapters for power outlets
International currency
Passes for public transportation
Cables and chargers
Local documents, such as a health insurance card or a driver’s license.

Even if they aren’t helpful right now, it’s best not to throw them away. You will need them the next time you visit relatives and friends. To prevent losing it, make a compact basket or box containing everything you’ll need while traveling back home (or the place that was your home).

If you need to make an emergency trip, documents, keys, and cash are already assembled and quick to get to the airport.

4 – The first word you should learn in any language when living abroad.

Long-term travelers are classified into two groups. The first are individuals who never learn a single word of the idiom of their new country. They rely only on the assumption that people will speak English, and they believe that there is no need to say Thank You in the local language.

The second kind is individuals who just know a few words (or, for some brave and daring, more than a few). They often start with the equivalents of Hello, Bye, and Thank You. While the significance of those terms cannot be overstated, they are far from the most crucial item to understand at first.

Knowing how to say “Hello” in Russian (Privet) may not help you avoid a problem in Russia. It’s wonderful to know how to say Buenos Dias (“Good Morning” in Spanish), but it’s unlikely to save you from getting into a fight on the Mexican buses.

If you trip on someone’s foot or mistakenly touch someone else’s baggage at the airport, there is one expression that may save your skin. It is:

I’m sorry.

The amount of problems prevented when you learn how to apologize in your new idiom is astounding. In the subway, I saw folks upset because a pedestrian accidentally bumped them with a bag, realized what had happened, and then went without saying anything. He probably didn’t even know how to pronounce it, but…

First, learn how to say “I’m sorry.” It may already be beneficial at passport control when the border officer inquires about your lodging reservation and you realize you forgot to print it.

Image of a map to illustrate an article about 4 living abroad tips for Expatriates. Image by un-perfekt from Pixabay — Below is the summary of our (often ignored) 4 living abroad tips for Expatriates

4 Living Abroad Tips: Conclusion

1 – Always have an escape plan on hand.

2 – Consider if renting is not more economical than buying a car, especially when you are not sure you will remain in the new country long enough.

3 – Always have a “next visit home” basket ready.

4 – Learn how to say “I am sorry” immediately after arrival, on your first day.

Check also:

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will Laugh at You)

Tips and Crucial Advice for Anyone Moving from a Warm Country to Europe

Shock! The Cost of Living in London vs Other European Capitals

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Levi Borba is the CEO of expatriateconsultancy.com, creator of the channel The Expat, and best-selling author. Subscribe to my articles (for free) and receive (also for free) the ebook “The Blueprint for First-Time Business Owners”.

Cultural Shock

Two Fine Benefits of Living Abroad (Hint: They Will…

Discover how to start a life abroad while buying tomatoes.

I don’t like to waste the time of my readers, therefore here are two of the finest benefits of living abroad, things that I learned during almost a decade as an expat:

Two untold but splendid perks of expatriate life are:

1 — To meet friendly grocery shop cashiers or old ladies in the doctor’s waiting room.

2 — To harness the incredible power of getting embarrassed.

Now that you know the short answer, you can either go back to your episode of The Voice, or understand how it works in the next paragraphs (and thank me later).

How to start a life abroad while buying grocery

Picture your first week in a new country.

You’re still not in your permanent house, but in accommodation, until you determine which part of town is best for you.

So you set up a meeting with a local realtor to examine what reasonable and comfy options are available.

On your way to the meeting, you buy a sandwich and a coffee to go. With a hesitant grin, the young cashier urges you to be patient while she learns her new profession.

You enter the metro and seat beside an empathetic 60-year-old lady. She asks the time. You respond to her and grab your phone to see whether someone from the foreigners’ group on Facebook replied to your inquiry about where a young man like you should reside.

When you get to your final stop, you notice the old lady has left.

You walk a couple more miles and arrive at the realtor’s office fifteen minutes early. You sit at the reception on the left of a man with his child. You smile and pick your phone to finish reading the responses to your question in the Facebook group.

When it is time for the meeting, the real estate agent brings you into his office to show you all the “incredible” possibilities you must see.

That’s when you understand it’s an expat scam. There are a lot of them. There’s nothing better than an immigrant desperate to find a home, a car, or insurance. For a skilled salesman, it’s easy money, so he’s more likely to show you deals that pay the highest commission for him.

Sadly, the worst solutions often pay the highest commissions. The cheerful and educated salesman has an added incentive to sell whatever crap he has to some naïve foreigner.

Not all professions with titles like advisor, agent, consultant, expert, etc. are swindlers, but there is a good chance.

So who should you trust if not them?

Some might seek answers about their new country in their company’s human resources department or university student section. Someone will occasionally aid, but they will often be too busy with their own chores to assist you. To help you is not their primary role.

Some will seek assistance from other foreigners, which can be problematic because many of them are still recent in their new country and may not know all issues.

So who’s left? Who else should you hear?

The answer belongs to our unsung heroes: the common folk!

The shy young clerk at the grocery shop. The old lady who sought to chat with you about the weather. The father whose child wanted to play with you in the waiting room.

What were you doing when those possibilities to discover more about your new home arose? You took out your phone to seek advice from strangers who may know less than you!

In every big city, you may ask questions to anybody you meet. Be it at the checkout or a non-touristy metro station. Take risks. Worry not about the language. You will have some excellent stories to tell.

It’s only through talking to locals that you learn about genuine problems and how to deal with them.

You will learn to adapt to the environment, avoid common pitfalls, and master the necessary street savvy. If you pay attention, you may even pick up on the emotional subtleties forming your new home’s culture.

Pay attention to your surroundings instead of your phone’s dark screen, even if you are reading this article on it. Screen time is hurting our social abilities. Don’t miss an opportunity to chat. Rather than relying on Facebook updates, go on an adventure.

You may get invited to parties or discover a new gastronomic treat. Kimchee became one of my favorite meals after a chance encounter.

Just ask the metro woman if it will rain today (and ask which transport is quicker if a storm happens). Ask the parent with the child about upcoming sports events. Ask the grocery shop girl about her new neighborhood and leave a coin in her tip bucket.

What are you waiting for?

Yes, sometimes you may get embarrassed. Some people may think that you are flirting with them. But here lies the second finest among the benefits of living abroad. The most difficult to explain (but I will try).

Check also: 5 Tips for Moving to Europe

The most indescribable among the benefits of living abroad

I started studying Polish a year before I arrived in Poland, intending to run a backpacker hotel.

After a year of adjusting to life as a foreigner in Poland, I could have a rudimentary conversation on my own.

I learned Polish conversationally using the approach described in this article. Buying a cereal bar in a convenience store was difficult at first.

And that was great. It is a chance for personal growth — and laughs. Here are 4 situations that I used to make my point.

Check also: How to Successfully Move Abroad: solve your doubts here and reduce the anxiety about leaving home

That day I was a Golden Retriever.

I was returning home after an afternoon in Lodz, Poland’s third-largest city.

There was a gas station nearby with a well-stocked convenience shop where I could get some food after a long day of volunteer work.

As a poor college student, my grocery basket had only sausages and juice, but I craved a cereal bar.

I discovered it in a blue, little rectangular container with a wheat image. It looked like a cereal bar, so I grabbed it and put it in my basket with the rest.

The cashier’s queue was short. When Smartphones were not in every pocket, I opted to read the cereal bar’s ingredients. While bringing it closer to my eyes to view the little characters, I noticed a strange fragrance.

The cashier was young, and young Poles can speak English — Poland has one of Europe’s best educational systems. So I asked him what flavor it was.

He didn’t know, since it was dog food.

I had time to return it to the shelf, even though I was so hungry I could eat the whole snack without a bark.

The day I accidentally informed three girls that I was mentally challenged

Warsaw has a street called Ulica Nowy Swiat, which means New World Street. Like other European cities, it has well-preserved, historical sections with fancy boutiques and ice-cream stands.

A strip club is in one of the street alleyways. Since most pedestrians avoid busy areas of the street, the club sends a few girls to approach single males and invites them out for a drink with pretty ladies.

On a chilly winter afternoon, I rushed through this area, late for an appointment. Suddenly, a brunette asked if I wanted to go to the adjacent pub (which is, in reality, the strip club). They usually have an umbrella. This looks like a call sign.

Since I was already late and had no time to invent other justifications to not visit the bar, I just wanted to say that I was already late.

My idea was to say Sorry (Przepraszam), but (ale) I am (jestem) late (opóźniony).

What I truly said?

Sorry, but I’m mentally impaired. All because of a typo (late is actually “spóniony”).

The girl laughed and let me go. A few months later, I used the identical term (opózniony) wrongly. When my wife corrected me, I remembered the umbrella-girl’s laughter.

The good part? Umbrella-girls are persistent in bringing customers to the “bar”, however, once I mistakenly announced my condition, she didn’t try again.

The day I just wanted to ask a father about his son’s age.

Here, every adult who comes to a hotel check-in with a child must be a parent or have written consent from the child’s guardians. Years ago, I was working at the reception when a father and his son arrived. I’d say he was 15 or 16, but he could be older.

I wanted to ask if his son was a minor (in Polish, niepelnoletni). So I questioned the father whether his son was “niepelnosprawni”.

Suddenly, the man’s face went sour. Something was wrong. It seemed like those seconds that are amplified by a factor of ten.

Lucky for me, the man recognized my foreignness and inquired, “Do you mean niepelnoletni?”

I responded sure and apologized for any errors, while the father checked his son’s age and IDs.

Later, I checked my words. The word I wrongly used (niepelnosprawni) meant disabled.

The doctor and my little leg

Food is one the best ways to learn body parts in a foreign language (this is not valid, however, if you are a vegetarian).

That’s how I learnt Polish terms for breast/chest, knees, and neck (by learning how to cook pork knee and neck). By asking for chicken thighs, or “udko kurczaka in Poland, I learned how to speak thigh (udko).

So, I woke once to go to the bathroom, but I felt a terrible pain in my left thigh and almost fell on the floor. My wife advised me to go back to sleep. The p ain persisted even after hours of sleep, so I visited an orthopedist.

He inquired what was wrong.

“Boli moje udko”, I said, meaning “m y thigh hurts”.

“Udo?”, said the doctor.

I thought I misheard something. Maybe he simply said udko softly. So I repeated yes, “udko”.

The orthopedist was puzzled. I couldn’t understand it. This is a simple sentence and I thought I said it correctly.

I was really not.

I later learned that udko is the diminutive for Udo. In another word, udko means “tiny leg”.

It’s hardly surprising that a 97 kg, 1.83 m tall former high school handball fullback says his small little leg hurts.

But you know what?

One thing I realized: being embarrassed while attempting to learn Polish in public let me forget my fear of trying new things, of being exposed to the unknown, to ridicule, to be deemed odd.

The benefits of living abroad, the joy of adopting (and occasionally failing) a new idiom, and discovering a new place in the actual world are priceless.

Get out there, since a universe awaits.

And I’m sure you’ll have some hilarious, amazing moments.

If you enjoyed this piece about the benefits of living abroad, here are some other articles for you:

8 Great Cities for Content Creators Where You Can Save Money and Enjoy Life

If You Are Single, This Is the Cost to Live In These 6 European Capitals

The European Capital Where You Can Live With Less than $400 Monthly

Moving Out, Working Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity: 11 secrets to make your expat & digital nomad life better than you imagine

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month.

Business in Europe

Tips and Crucial Advice for Anyone Moving from a…

5 Tips for Moving to Europe

In Europe, there is a sizable amount of expatriates from warm places like Australia, Latin America, or the southern regions of the USA. Among them, issues like cultural shock, accommodation, or homesickness receive attention enough. But there are tips for moving to Europe that are almost unheard of.

Things like the “temperature” hindrances are hardly discussed — and here I am not only talking about the weather but also temperament.

The problem is that those forgotten matters affected most, if not all, Latin Americans living in Europe. While some of these issues have inexpensive and easy answers, the lack of attention about them results in us, immigrants, discovering the solution only after having problems.

To be frank, the tips that I will write below may not apply to sun-balmy places like Portugal, Spain or Greece. But if you are moving to countries like Germany, Sweden, or even the UK, keep reading.

These 5 tips for moving to Europe are based on my personal experience as a Brazilian in Poland. They are some of my most valuable insights on moving away from home, and I believe they will be beneficial to you as well.

1 — The king of the supplements for cold weather: the winter vitamin

On average, people that live near the tropics, like Latin Americans, have darker skin tones than most Europeans, particularly those from the continent’s northern and eastern regions.

Darker skin is a convenient adaptation for anyone living in sunny areas such as Brazil’s northeast or the Andean altiplano. Darker tones filter out more of the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. They have more melanin, which means they are more protected from sunburn and other problems caused by excessive sun exposure, such as skin cancer.

The issue is that the same UVB rays that cause cancer are also responsible for breaking down cholesterol in skin cells, providing energy for the human body’s vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D is essential for good health, and a lack of it can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, depression, and immune system problems.

During European winters, the sun is a rare visitor, and days are much shorter. In December, for example, the sunset in Warsaw is around 15:30, and the sky can be cloudy for weeks. In the winter, the total amount of sunlight per month is less than 30 hours. To put it into perspective, there isn’t a single month in Buenos Aires or Mexico City that has less than 130 hours of sunlight.

People in countries such as Poland and Estonia have very white skin, which filters fewer UVB rays. So, even with a small amount of sunlight, they get enough UVB to get the vitamin D they need.

That was not my case. I have olive skin, and I spent my first year in Poland constantly feeling ill and getting sick. I went to the doctor, and he ordered an exam, which revealed that I was severely deficient in vitamin D.

My problem of fatigue and constant sickness was solved after I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements during the fall and winter — something that costs me less than 8 euros per month.

2 — Try a bicycle or rollers-skaters to go to work.

With a few exceptions, such as Santiago, Chile, most cities that I lived in outside Europe are not bike-friendly and have inadequate public transportation. Others, such as the Brazilian capital (and planned city) Brasilia, have plenty of cycling routes, but the climate makes riding a bike to work or school unappealing — unless the person doesn’t mind arriving swimming in his sweat.

Things are different in Europe. Yes, the climate in the northern regions is still unfavorable for riding a bike to work during a few months of the year, but for the rest of the year, even in a city as cold as Helsinki, cycling is an excellent mode of transportation. When you consider the safer traffic, the flat topography of most capitals, and the high cost of fuel, it’s easy to see why so many people use bicycles to get around.

You don’t even have to own a bicycle. Large European cities frequently provide bike-rental services, where you pay a nominal charge to ride from one location to another. In Warsaw, this service is known as Veturilo, and the first 20 minutes of renting are free. I went riding one of Veturilo’s bikes when I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning. It was a wonderful morning trip that cost me one zloty (less than 30 cents of euro).

As a bonus, it will assist you in absorbing some UVB rays for Vitamin D synthesis (see point 1 above) and staying in shape!

3 — Avoiding long showers to help your skin (and pockets)

Water prices — not bottled water, but the water used for showering, flushing, and so on — in countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina are significantly lower than in Europe. Water will be far more expensive in middle-income nations such as Poland and Hungary than in Chile, for example.

In Poland, a 10-minute shower with 120 liters of water will cost 1.5 zlotys or 30 cents of euro at the current exchange rate. This is merely the cost of the water; it does not include the cost of heating or other charges. This price would be far higher in Germany, the United Kingdom, or France. The identical 10-minute shower in So Paulo, Brazil, will cost 29 cents of Real, or less than 5 cents of Euro. Showering once a day in Poland will cost you 108 euros, compared to 13 euros in Brazil.

We shower a lot in hot countries. However, I would not recommend continuing this practice in Europe. This will not only save you money, but it will also benefit your skin, because frequent and hot showers cause dry skin and hair, according to American Academy of Dermatology researchers.

4 — To have a better life in Europe, learn the language and use it to understand the ethos.

Learning the language of your new nation will open up a whole new world to you.

You’ll be able to say “Thanks” or “Please” when shopping at the grocery store or ordering at a café.

Better than that: you will also notice the nuances that shape people’s humor and behavior in their daily activities. Understanding local jokes and insults can give you a good notion of what is humorous and shocking in your new neighborhood.

Lera Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist, confirmed in her studies that language shapes the way we think. As a result, learning the local language allows you to think like a local, increasing your chances of success (or at least survival) in your new nation. What could be a greater incentive than this? Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian philosopher, wrote:

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”.

An easy way that I found to learn new idioms is to frequent language exchange groups. Not only will you be able to speak with people in your new location and learn their idiom, but they will be delighted if you offer to teach them your language.

5 — The meaning of a smile varies according to the country

Smiling may appear to most of my people to be a minor gesture. Born in the Brazilian countryside, I learned early on that smiling at people on the street was not unusual. I’m not referring to Joker-style frightening laughter, but to those courteous demonstrations of goodwill that are accompanied by a nod. On a good day, we salute our neighbors, coworkers, and anybody who crosses our path.

The same was true for the first nation I lived in after leaving Brazil, Chile, as well as other countries I visited in the area.

However, I later moved to Poland.

On a certain day, as usual, I greeted one lady that worked with me. Cheers Dominika, everything fine?

She said yes and asked if I was fine too. I answered, “Everything great!”

Then she asked me: So, why are you smiling? Some good news?

After the surprise of hearing such a question, I said, “Oh, not really. But nothing bad happened either”

I’ve been paying closer attention to the facial expressions of individuals around me since that day. This led me to the conclusion that paying attention to physical and behavioral details is beneficial while adjusting to a new culture. — something that I wrote about in my book Moving Out, Working Abroad, and Keeping Your Sanity.

People in Poland do not smile unless they have a compelling reason to do so. A similar trait I saw in other Slavic nations I visited. To mention a few, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Russia.

I’m not implying that Slavs are always pessimistic or gloomy. A happy young couple chatting during a walk or a father playing with his daughter are likely to chuckle or perhaps giggle. Outside of such occasions, though, their facial expression is serious.

People may misinterpret joyful expressions. Smiling during a formal talk may be interpreted as not taking it seriously. My wife’s grandmother once felt I didn’t believe her story because I had a smile on my face.

In other cases, folks may assume you’re a moron or have a psychiatric condition., as a Russian proverb says:

Smiling for no reason is a sign of stupidity.

Which side is correct? The slavs that need a reason to smile or the Latin-Americans that need a motive to not do so?

Likely both. That is why humor is one of the 4 dimensions of cultural shock.

Conclusion: 5 Tips for Moving to Europe

1 — Darker tones of skin filter out more of the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and can cause a lack of Vitamin D during the European winter. A lack of Vitamin D can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, depression, and immune system problems. Take a supplement.

2 — Biking is an excellent model of transportation in Europe due to the mild climate during spring, summer and fall. Large European cities frequently provide bike-rental services.

3 — Avoid showering more than once a day, and take a colder shower. This will also benefit your skin, as frequent and hot showers cause dry skin and hair.

4 — To have a better life in Europe, try to learn the language and use it to understand the ethos. Understanding local jokes and insults can give you a good notion of what is humorous or not in your new neighborhood.

5 — Smiling during a formal talk may be interpreted as not taking it seriously. People may misinterpret joyful expressions as stupidity.

Do you have other tips for moving to Europe? Share with us in the comment section!

If you liked this article, check these selected for you:

The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Europe in 2022

Shock! The Cost of Living in London vs Other European Capitals

The Best Countries to Start a New Life Abroad With No Money

If you wish to become a Medium member and have access to articles like this, check this link. It is only $5 per month and will support writers like me.

Digital Nomads

4 Insider Tips on When to Find Cheap Flights

When Is a Good Time to Find Cheap Flights (Proven and Tested)

The airline industry is by far the sector with the most refined mechanisms for pricing and customer segmentation. For this reason, instead of asking yourself how to find cheap flight, you should seek when to find cheap flights, an here I will tell you why.

Companies in this market use advanced statistical tools to determine the willingness to pay from the passengers and which extras (also called ancillaries) have the best return.

Therefore, the fact that on some flights you need to pay for a glass of water and in others you have wine for “free” is probably a result of mathematical models — the precision of these models is open for debate.

Some of the greatest airlines on the planet (including the one that I worked for) sponsor a research consortium in the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). There, they develop the advanced science behind their practices. Everything aimed to help airlines survive in a hyper-competitive market while remaining profitable.

But if you — the passenger — understand their methods, you can pay less for your next flight.

Much less.

Or at least have some nice perks.

4 of these hacks are below, and many others you can find in my book Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide.

Before starting, a quick but necessary context from the science behind airline prices, or Revenue Management.

What Does Revenue Management Mean?

Revenue Management (RM) is a set of techniques where historical data are the input on equations to forecast consumer behavior. Based on those forecasts, RM optimizes product availability and price with the ultimate goal of maximizing revenue.

TL;DR: smaller prices when the demand is low, bigger prices when the demand is high (it is not always like that, but this is a good simplification).

Revenue Management is the reason that flight prices change so frequently. How each company applies this science can be the difference between bankruptcy and profitability.

During the last forty years, RM soared in popularity among airlines. It was a matter of time until other industries adopt the same methods. Now you can find revenue management departments in sectors like:

● Hotel and Tourism

● Rail and bus transportation

● Concerts and Festivals

● Theatres, Stadiums and Sport Events

● Restaurants

● Cinemas

When you hear about a festival promoting cheaper early bird prices, or a cinema charging less for Wednesday tickets, this is RM. All those industries use Revenue Management because they have a limited number of seats/rooms/tables to sell, and as a result, they need to market it for the optimal price to avoid empty places. Remember what I said above, that you should not ask how to find cheap flight, but when to find cheap flights?

You will not find a paper company using RM because if they have a period with lower demand for A4 sheets, they will just make less of it, or produce more if the demand is higher.

But why all this context is necessary?

Because RM Will Tell You the Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets

And, as a rule of thumb (there are a few exceptions), RM favors anticipation.

Passengers purchasing their tickets earlier provide the company time to better plan their future moves. For this reason, they offer better prices with considerable anticipation. Airlines are often trying to stimulate early buying.

Not only airlines but any industry that uses revenue management. Here, do a test: search for train or bus tickets with DB (Germany), Amtrak (USA), or FlixBus and find out how prices probably will get more expensive if you look for a ticket for this week instead of 1 month ahead. The same happens with major hotel chains.

You may also find exceptions with touristic packages and hotels in large cities during the low season. In their cases, often prices will be better at the last minute. This provides excellent opportunities for tourists.

With airlines, events, festivals, or football games, it is a safer bet to simply buy earlier.

Besides how many days before the flight/concert/game you are buying your ticket, RM also considers the variable of from where you are buying.

Revenue Management systems will attribute to you a willingness to pay based on your place of origin. Remember: it is not bigotry, it is statistics.

So if you are buying an airline ticket from Los Angeles (USA) to La Paz (Bolivia), there is a chance that the airlines will show different prices for an IP from Bolivia and another for an IP from the USA.

With that in mind comes our first hack.

How to Use a VPN to Get Cheaper Flights

It is common for airlines to offer different prices on the same flight — all depending on where you are from.

There are a few ways for airlines to define your location:

Credit Card
IP
The language that you used to navigate their page.

Years ago, a scandal erupted in Brazil when passengers realized that switching the language of an airline reservation page they could access much better prices.

Nowadays, changing the idiom will rarely work — still, it is worth a try. A better alternative is to research flight tickets as a VPN user.

What is a VPN User?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. . You can become a VPN user by purchasing a subscription from a VPN provider (there are some free providers, but their quality is not at the same level). This is a way to change your IP to another location. If you are booking a flight from Canada to Argentina, and live in Montreal, try comparing the prices while using a VPN that gives you an IP from Argentina. Always use a secure network to avoid information leaks.

Besides the IP, there is one more way for airlines to identify you and offer not-so-good prices: they send cookies that are stored by your browser.

Don’t be fooled by their tender names. Cookies, in this case, serve to sour purpose: companies can use it to check how many times you searched for the same flight. If you seek a destination often, airlines will know you need it. So, they may increase the price the next time you look for it.

But how to avoid cookies? The next hack will do it for you.

Incognito Mode Flights

To avoid cookies and not let the airlines know how badly you to fly to a specific destination during a certain period — a piece of information that they may use to give you more expensive prices — activate the incognito mode of your browser.

In Incognito, no cookies and site data are saved on your device. This will prevent their tracking. Voilà! With Incognito mode, you became invisible to them.

Now you can search for the ticket combination you want, as many times as you wish, without airlines increasing prices just because they know how badly you want to fly to that place in that week.

Why (Not Always) Are One Way Flights More Expensive — And How You Can Benefit from It

Airlines seek to stimulate clients to purchase round-trip tickets (where you travel from A to B and then back from B to A).

They do it to reduce the number of passengers flying from A to B and then take another company to fly back from B to A. Revenue Management managers call that flight imbalance, and it is very undesirable from a financial perspective. Therefore, they stimulate round-trip tickets by presenting lower prices for them in comparison with two one-way tickets.

BUT

This is not valid for most low-cost airlines, because they are not worried with flight imbalance in the same way as national carriers, such as United or British Airways. Low-cost airlines have smaller airplanes that switch between multiple destinations. For this reason, selling one-way tickets is not an issue for them.

It means a fine opportunity to enjoy a flexible itinerary by flying with one-way tickets, hopping from one destination to another. You may even find situations where two one-way tickets with low-cost airlines are cheaper than a round-trip!

Flight imbalances may also give you another benefit. Check this next tip.

How to Book Cheap Flight Tickets by Using Imbalanced Dates

This is a fascinating trick I learned during my time inside airline headquarters.

When a big event (like the Super-Bowl or the Olympics) or a holiday (like Carnival in Venice, Italy) approaches, airlines allocate extra airplanes to those cities, and tourism agencies organize charter flights. They do this because the demand is higher and passengers are willing to pay a higher price.

For anyone willing to travel on big dates, it can be expensive.

BUT

Remember about the flight imbalance? It gives to flexible travelers a significant advantage.

To explain how, first remember that every time an airplane flies, it generates expenses for the airline. Fuel, for example, may represent almost 40% of all company expenses. Therefore, an aircraft should be as full as possible to offset the flying costs — fuel, pilot and cabin crew salaries, landing and takeoff taxes, etc.

Even with expensive prices, it is easy to sell a ticket to Venice during Carnival. It is also easy to sell a flight to the host city of the Olympics. All the extra flights tend to depart full on the way to Venice or to the Olympics.

But an airplane will not stay grounded in the airport during the entire Olympics or carnival, waiting to bring back the same passengers that flew in that direction.

The airplane must return from Venice or from the Olympics to its base, and this return will also have fuel or crew salary expenses. If it departs empty, it will lose a lot of money. This is the problem generated by the Imbalance: a flight with a huge demand in one way, but minimal demand on the way back.

Since one passenger is better than zero, airlines offer promotions and special prices to anyone willing to fly in the opposite direction.

Here is where your opportunity lies. Here is when to find cheap flights.

Example: The Winter Olympics of 2022 starts in Beijing on February 04. Airlines and tourism companies will offer flights to the Chinese city departing from all over the world. You can expect a salty price to go to Beijing before or at the beginning of the games. In the other hand, a flight departing from Beijing on 04 or 05 of February probably will have very low prices, because the number of people willing to fly out of the city during the games is not even near the number of people flying into the city. To not have empty airplanes on the way back, airlines will offer great discounts. If you doubt, I am willing to make a wager.

Bottom line: If your city is hosts a large event or holiday, to travel out from there during this day (and return to your city when everyone is leaving it) may save you a significant sum of money.

Conclusion on When to Find Cheap Flights

Be an Early-Bird with airlines, but look for last-minute packages with travel agencies.
Use a VPN to get cheaper flights
Research ticket prices with your browser on the Incognito mode
Buy Imbalanced flights.

Were you familiar with any of these hacks? I prepared another article with some additional tips to save money at airports — it is worth taking a look if you would like to save some serious cash during your next holiday.

Living in a Stressful City? Consider the 8 Least Stressful Places in The World

The Best City for Digital Nomads and (Some) Expats! Forget Chiang Mai!

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Levi Borba is CEO of expatriateconsultancy.com, creator of the channel Small Business Hacks, and best-selling author. You can check his books here, his other articles here, or his Linkedin here.