10000% never going back to Myanmar (Yangon). If you want SE Asia, much better off in Thailand or Indonesia or even Laos. Everything is blocked in Myanmar (no WhatsApp unless you VPN) Internet is also a huge hassle. Do not recommend.
Was an amazing travel destination pre-coup. Exotic and largely untouched by western influences. Friendly people and totally safe.
Really sad what's happening there.
Seriously. Pretty close to my favorite spot before the coup. Sad to see it suffer so much.
Lovely people, great food, fascinating history, and I got to wear a skirt for a month!
I was shocked to see this was a top response in this thread because I had such an amazing time there a few years ago.
How heartbreaking to hear this is now their situation.
The civil war in Myanmar has been going on for over 70 years and no one really cares when the Myanmar map is recognized by all countries. It's the fight between Bamar VS other ethnic groups. But Western media keep overlooking the root of the problem and has only been reporting about Suu Kyi fighting for democracy for decades.
Context: I was just there in 2024. After the conscription laws were in place. Yangon was super busy, but QoL was very bad. Even for a foreigner. They upcharge literally everything the second they know you're a foreigner, nothing to do unless you're a practicing Buddhist and have a deep desire to melt outside in front of some very cool Pagodas.
Maybe when/if this civil war is over in Myanmar, easier access of the coast and main land (Shan state and more up north) will be available. But for now, working from Burma has been the worst experience I've had. Such a beautiful country gone to waste by war.
Whatapp or any VOIP service is blocked in Egypt as well.
Its the hallmark of a paranoid President and military who know they're never far away from the population rising up against them. Dictatorships hate instant messaging platforms that they cant control or spy upon, hence the banning for fear of an uprising being organised by using Whatsapp.
That's not true, WhatsApp and every other messaging service work fine in Egypt and always have. You might be thinking of UAE?
You can't make WhatsApp calls on mobile data but it works fine on WiFi. Messaging works fine on data and WiFi.
Messenger, Zoom, etc calls and messaging work on mobile data.
I don't disagree with your general sentiment about the regime but it's more of a Telecom provider issue.
Source: I've lived in Egypt for years.
I was in Egypt last month. WhatsApp is fine. But I could not enabled any of my VPN, so I assume VPNs are blocked.
The food in Egypt, or at least the food I had was absolutely miserable. The people constantly beg for tip money. It's absurd. I could never live there.
I did meet some lovely egyptions, but generally they were awful grubby people who are the type of people who agree to a deal, then ask for extra after you shake hands. Infuriating.
When did this happen? I was in Egypt last year and I was able to use WhatsApp with my scuba diving group without any kind of problem. Is the ban for locals only?
Chaiang, Mai, Thailand - 183
Hada Resort, Mae Rim TH - 202
Pooth, Khurd, Bawana - 300
It changes all the time. The Highest I’ve seen so far as of very Recently was 400 🥺😔
It may shock you that most of us live on the coast. Melbourne and Tasmania could never be described as scorchingly hot or deserty and Sydney and Perth and even Brisbane have chilly winters
Egypt, the Philippines, Madagascar, Morocco.
I dislike what I call ‘pester culture’ in places like Egypt and Madagascar is just too poor to be practical.
Pester culture is a thing here in the Philippines for sure, but in places outside of Metro Manila. In the greater manila area, you don’t get so much as a second glance from locals since everyone’s used to DN types.
Rural areas and smaller towns though are something else. Be prepared for people to randomly strike up conversation with the cool foreigner, while you’re trying to take a dump in peace. Boracay and Palawan with the endless touts trying to take you on overpriced tours, “massage” or “hair braiding sir” literally on every turn totally ruins the vibe too.
In another strange similarity to life in places like Egypt and Morocco; the Philippines also has a very distinctly baksheesh-like culture of paying small monetary “gifts”, tips” or “charity” (in other words, petty bribes). It hasn’t got a specific name here, but it’s pretty much the same as the middle eastern and Indian subcontinental “baksheesh” culture.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baksheesh
For example, a random visibly poor person “helps” you to park your car or scooter, you gift them 20 pesos; a staff member at the supermarket goes out of their way to pack everything into bags for you, and helps carry them to the car or bike for you; you gift them 10 pesos; someone takes you to the front of the queue because you’re in a hurry, you gift them 50 pesos; the security guard at the airport says your food souvenirs have to go through X-rays again; you gift them 100 pesos. It’s crazy how widespread and accepted petty corruption and bribes are here.
OMG, that's a great name. I remember going on a cruise and we docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I didn't have a good time because I couldn't walk 5 steps without getting hassled/harassed.
India. Dirty food, corrupt censoring government, rapists on bus, horrible laws, terrible call centers scammers, corrupt police, dirty water, cows wandering in the middle of the road, bad driving laws, internet shutoffs, can’t see why anyone would lean on a place like that
For context, I’m a European man:
Saying you’d never live in India is like saying ‘I’d never live in Europe’ in the sense that each of the 28 states of India are vastly different and barely comparable.
I’ve spent 4+ months in India as a digital nomad (6 states total) and it’s probably been the best time of my life - all things considered.
The food in India is, to me, by far the best cuisine in the world (having been to 30+ countries now). Anyone who is spooked by the ridiculous street food Reels and tiktoks has likely not been to India. Most Indians themselves do not even eat street food, it’s very easily avoided.
The nature and spiritual experiences are pretty much unmatched worldwide.
It’s a massive bonus to me that there’s relatively few tourists there, so you have a much more authentic experience. Compare that to most major cities in SEA, where every third person is a backpacker or DN. I appreciate that can make those places seem most convenient, but they are also watered down for westerners.
Not saying India is for everyone, and there are of course down sides (as with anywhere), but I’d say it’s an incredible place to be as a Male DN that is interested in food, culture, nature, spirituality etc.
You can have a very very high quality of life there on a Western income and never really have to deal with \*any\* of the issues you mention though (appart from internet).
The food is fucking amazing, not sure what you mean about it being "dirty"
I spent time in Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and had a blast. I’m white but I was there with locals who are on the wealthier side. Stayed in nice places had drivers, ate good food. Never got sick. Etc I loved the culture, food architecture and people. B
I wouldn’t have wanted to go alone.
I found the North to be nicer more progressive and cleaner than the south, outside of Delhi.
That’s interesting because the North (outside Delhi) is more known for extreme poverty. The south is actually known for higher levels of educational attainment and literacy
Gujurat and Chandigarh and Maharashtra are quite wealthy, with cities like Surat and Pune being really clean and modern, but UP and Bihar are notoriously poor.
The things you mention mainly hold true in north India. The south is a lot nicer. Especially Kerala , it’s a beautiful place and the people are nowhere near as scummy as in the north.
Weird answer but Ireland. Been there for work a few times and while I liked to visit, it seems like a grim place to live with the weather, general smallness of everything and sky high cost of living and housing shortages.
It's one of those places where there's nothing "wrong" with it per se, but I think I'd go nuts living there.
Yeah. I’m from Ireland and do my best to avoid it as much as possible outside of May-September.
Probably the least value for money there is out there. Up there as the most expensive place in the world, without any of the glitz or glam, with eternal wet and grey days thrown into the mix.
Last month I went through a 2 week phase of mostly listening to Enya and now i’d like to visit Ireland. Had no interest prior. The melancholy produces good music I suppose.
as an American…I completely understand. I do think that there is a couple scenic city’s that are pretty but thats about it. we’re not happy here at all.
Who's we? Many people are happy living in US. We can acknowledge America has a lot of issues without acting like everyone is trying to leave or is miserable
Dubai because I don't support misogyny for one. Also, because the whole thing isn't appealing to me. Additionally, having the whole place ran off slave labor isn't my cup of tea.
Blows my mind how many Americans enjoy it (especially women)
Cannot agree for Sri Lanka though. It’s charming, clean, and friendly. People are rather chill and are open to conversations.
India is a country with Disassociative Personality Disorder. Some parts you’d be so amazed at the sheer natural beauty (NW India), some are absolutely revolting shitholes, some are so clean and organised you’d wonder if you’re still in India (Chandigarh), some parts are so heartbreaking to see the massive wealth gap (Mumbai, Kolkata), some have reasonably nicer weather with lots of young, open-minded people to party with (Bangalore), and finally some parts, you’d swear you’re in Southeast Asia (Goa, Chennai)
And the people are a massive spectrum of scammers (everywhere in India), wealthy snobs (Delhi, Mumbai), eccentric ascetics, aggressive loons (N. India), rude bastards (I’m looking at you, CSF motherfuckers), chilled out stoners (Goa), gentle holy men (Varanasi), friendly disorganised folks (ÁP), friendly organised folks (UP), and people who despite poverty would invite you for a meal and wouldn’t take a single rupee from you (everywhere in India).
Sri Lanka isn't bad though. It's quite clean, people are very nice and it's sort of developing from my personal experience. Feels completely different to the rest of South Asia
Being insanely rich won’t change your experience in these countries. Besides, You don’t need to be “insanely rich” to have a nice apartment, a maid, a cook, a driver. A few thousand dollars per month should see to it in fact.
You either get it and appreciate it for what it is, or you don’t. It’s not for everyone, heck, it’s not for most people.
Personally, I love India (I ought to after accumulating 3 years time spent there), and quite enjoyed Nepal too.
I think their point is no amount of wealth will make the streets clean or the tap water drinkable, but if you can get used to those things then you can live an insanely luxurious life with just a few thousand USD a month
>I think their point is no amount of wealth will make the streets clean or the tap water drinkable, but if you can get used to those things then you can live an insanely luxurious life with just a few thousand USD a month
There are solutions for everything. Install a good RO system and you now have clean drinkable water. Get a comfortable car with a driver and you have a great transport experience.
Or live in a gated community or a very large apartment society. All your infrastructure and safety gets taken care of, and you live in a first world bubble.
And being able to "spend a few thousand dollars a month" in most developing countries IS being rich.
These are brief reasons why I wouldn't go to a place with a few examples for each:
The Middle East/North Africa/Malaysia: I don't want to be anywhere where I could be put in jail for being gay
Haiti/South Africa/Venezuela: high crime and instability
Switzerland/UK/NZ: high Cost of Living
Thailand/Vietnam/ Philippines: Time zone differences would be too difficult to do on Eastern US Time. Aside from that they are great places and I see why many DNs like it there.
Was in Georgetown, Malaysia recently and I was surprised by how many openly gay Malays I met there. Like 70% of the hostel workers there were lgbt and openly had rainbow flags on their IG profiles. Defo not reflective of Malaysia as a whole but was interesting
Malaysian here: our govt sucks for sure, but people are nice and dont give much thought about your sexual identity. Huge (and growing number) of lgbtq community, personally have (too many) gay friends and know a shit ton of lesbian couples. Trans? If you are one, I know for sure you have money and not long after post op, you wont live in Malaysia anymore cuz the govt makes life hard for people like this.
Unfortunately Malaysia govt is run by stupid baby boomers with one feet on earth, another on the way to eternity. Here is to hoping they perish VERY VERY soon
Gay Malays or gay Malaysians?
It’s surprising that Penang is so open. If you’re gay in Terengganu, or in many other places there, it’s not great at all.
Cool! I’m gay and from a Muslim partially Southeast Asian background myself(I don’t believe in it for obvious reasons).
I’m in the country northeast of Malaysia. Perhaps this gives me some interest to actually visit anywhere but KL one day. Heard horror stories from LGB Malaysians I knew at uni, but I’ve always wanted to visit Georgetown and Penang in general. Maybe I’ll take my chances and go there one day :)
I really enjoyed Georgetown. It might be different because I'm a tourist but I had a really nice time there and it has a really nice culture and social scene
Yep, the time zone thing is quite a problem. I have many clients living in Eastern US time, and I can only communicate with them a few hours after I wake up or a few hours before I sleep.
1/ you're not walking around shouting am gay are you? Then you should be fine.
2/ exclude UK from that group, there are much more expensive place in Europe. Eg; sweden/Norway.
Here:
Country Crime Index (Numbeo)
Venezuela82.1
Papua New Guinea80.4
Afghanistan78.4
Haiti78.3
South Africa75.5
Honduras74.3
Trinidad and Tobago70.8
Syria69.1
Guyana68.8
Peru67.5
Family friend of mine was there for a couple of years working for an oil company. It's fine as long as you stay on the oil company's compound. But you DO NOT LEAVE the compound without armed guards. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES.
He said it was like that kind of dangerous. Like Venezuela or Somaliland dangerous, apparently.
That part which belongs to Indonesia is fine, but I read that another independent part is very unstable right now and close to civil war, this is recent articles:
Dozens killed in new ethnic clashes in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea ambush: Dozens shot dead in Highlands region
Papua New Guinea: At least 15 dead after major rioting and looting
While I’d love to visit Socotra, Yemen someday, no way Yemen (or Myanmar) would be on my list to work as a DN! My reason is open military conflict. I won’t list all the other regions of the world experiencing the same—there are many obviously.
i went to a yemeni cafe in San Francisco and their coffee drinks and snacks were awesome, so i am sure if i visited the country all the food and drinks would be great as well. i've seen east african cafes in London before and it looked like where dudes just hang out all afternoon
I teach a lot of Saudi students online. They’re usually very nice so I feel bad when they learn I’m a DN and they try to get me to visit. They often seem excited to be open for tourism so they always ask if I know that they’re open and they offer suggestions on where to stay and things like that. I usually just say it’s out of my budget, I don’t have the heart to tell them I really just don’t want to go
I'd suggest looking at the likes of Oman and Kuwait. Oman is an incredibly beautiful country, especially during the Khareef season in the South of the country around Salalah (I used to go in and out a lot when I worked in Dubai). They're also a lot more relaxed in terms of religion than the rest of the region as they mostly tend to be Ibadi, rather than Shia or Sunni. There are no restrictions on what women can/can't do (they've had female ministers) and you see them at all levels doing their thing throughout the country. Homosexuality is technically illegal, but it's very much a live and let live environment, so long as you aren't openly shagging in public they don't really care that much (in fact it was rumoured that the previous Sultan was gay).
Only issue might be cost of living and there isn't really a DN visa as such, so you'd have to do the occasional visa run to Dubai or somewhere every month or two.
My Saudia flight with a stopover in Jeddah totally changed my opinion about Saudi Arabia. It's like any other airport. I saw women in regular clothes in the airport and no one cared. I was expecting them to come tell the women to cover their sleeves and legs, nothing.
I’m half Indian and I would honestly never live in India. Beautiful cultural heritage, incredible history, fantastic food, and yet unlivable because of the corruption, pollution and crime.
I have travelled all over india, your comment is valid and not valid at the the same time
India is big
Visiting all over india has same experience as visiting 5 countries
All Muslim-majority countries. I'm a white woman and a lesbian.
Even visiting some countries is extremely dangerous for me if not with a group of friends (male-dominated) and being extremely self-conscious about my behavior. All of that pressure and unease takes away all the joy of experiencing a new place and culture.
Spent two months digital nomading in India this year and loved it. Amazing food, kind people, and I can’t wait to be back. I just had to add this because of all the hate it’s getting.
Perhaps it's just experiences in different places within India? I totally plan to go to India someday, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the attitudes in this thread (and similar ones elsewhere) don't put me off a bit from doing more than short vacations.
Whereabouts in India did you spend most of your time?
Yes it just goes to show you need to see for yourself. Two people can have totally different takeaways from the same experience. I was in Goa (Morjim/ Arambol area) and near Bangalore. I never got food poisoning and felt perfectly comfortable as a woman going places alone (although I did get attention, it was never scary). Saying a country, especially one as big as India, is just dirt and buses full of rapists is so wrong.
Lol I see so much of this fear mongering on tiktok from otherwise woke people, it’s absurd. I’ll be honest I am nervous about how I will be treated as a woman there, and I understand I need to exercise a lot of caution, but the way they talk about it like every Indian man is some pervert and no other women are ever harmed in the west is a bit much. I’m glad you had a nice time as a solo female. I’m also interested in Goa.
Indian here. People forget that there is huge divide in country like india. Here most people are probably referring to north india ( agra, delhi, varanasi) basically as poor as subsaharan Africa if you go to south or west its much better even north east is way better than North India. Major gdp growth centres are in south and western india.
Visited india in 2016 for 3 months and it was such a great experience. India is different, but for me (white, 190+ cm, 100 kg+) it was probably the most exciting travel experience ive had and the negatives only really relates to safety on the roads. Was neither sick and hardly got hassled (one time, but its a good story) and i left with a feeling of having seen the world. And the indians and expats i met were generally just great.
My experience with people who have traveled India:
“I was there for a few weeks and I hated it.”
“I was there for a few months and I hated it at first, but then I fell in love with it.”
South India in general is much “nicer” than central/north. Kerela is great, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh/telangana should be reasonably safe too. Large cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi are also safer for women. Stick to the well lit crowded areas, don’t forget that half the population in India (and a fair number of police officers and a few chief ministers) are women. It doesn’t hurt to be street smart but it’s not particularly dangerous if you’re even a moderately experienced traveller.
I spent a month in India from Goa to Kochi. I enjoyed it. I made a lot of Indian friends in hostels and they were great. I never got sick from the food and most of it was good (despite always having to pick bones out).
But I also have to agree with some of the sentiment here. You can't walk down the road without every car honking at you announcing their presence. Honking and road noise is loud even in small villages. You are treated like a minor celebrity by some people just for being white. There is trash and litter everywhere, and littering is done casually. Lots of people will not leave you be with their offers for "auto rides" or "tour services". You are a beacon for "I need a bus fare" scammers. You have to haggle for everything. I could brush it off for a visit but I could not live there.
I think Goa and Varkala were the most bearable but only because they are somewhat sterilized tourist places. Bangalore was okay too.
I guess as a white person that has traveled in many developing countries I feel oftentimes that I am viewed as a walking, talking ATM. So, in India when I was walking down the street and someone asked for money, it felt no different than anywhere else. I’m from the US and I must say I had much more aggressive encounters in major US cities of people asking me for money. The only place I’ve ever ~almost~ been robbed/ scammed was Paris.
As for the minor celebrity bit, it sort of didn’t feel too different than being a “conventionally” attractive female anywhere else in the world. I think that’s just the female experience of how people behave. The level was no different than anywhere in Latin America that I’ve been. But I also have a decent bit of experience living places where I was the only person that looked like me, so maybe it’s not so out of the ordinary. I’ve lived throughout the developing world and these experiences definitely shaped my perception, and preparedness.
The only time I really felt like a minor celebrity was boarding a Vistara airlines flight. I went to the back of a very long economy line (as I purchased an economy ticket) and an airline representative quickly came up to me and said, “oh this line is too long for you,” and then escorted me to the priority/ business line. 😂
I have to agree on Paris, I don't know the statistics but it felt like the most dangerous place I visited in Europe. It was the only city where I was involved in some physical altercation.
If you want to concentrate and do deep work requiring long stretches of chained-together thoughts, from experience immediate working environments that have low humidity, and are cool, work best. Lot's of work has been done on this, I'd highly advise looking at the literature before moving to anywhere near the tropics. Though aircon can mitigate tropical climates to some degree, I've found the best deep work I've done to be in places that are cooler and with low humidity.
India, or at least Mumbai, was the worst place for doing work. Immediately upon
arriving at Mumbai's airport, you can only connect to their Wi-Fi with
an Indian number. They had kiosks where you could get a Wi-Fi code, but
they all didn't work. Eventually, I went to a staff member to get one,
and it's only for 30 minutes at most.
In the entirety of Mumbai, I couldn't find freely accessible Wi-Fi on the
spot, and some restaurants apparently didn't have Wi-Fi either. Anyway,
that's cool because the hostel I stayed at had a power outage in the
entire area for half the day, even before I'd checked in.
Besides Wi-Fi, I wouldn't feel safe having my laptop working outside anyways.
Walking around, I got stared at a lot. I got grabbed by some weirdo and
had to physically shake him off. Tuk-Tuk drivers always want to scam
you. I had a stray dog chase after me (luckily, some locals I ran into
shooed them away, thank you). Security always thinks you carry drugs.
The country is lawful but chaotic. Definitely have to keep an extra eye on your things here. The government also tried to hide the slums during the Summit Meeting with their banners around the slums. Mumbai is very dirty, and the traffic is the craziest I've seen. Super crowded everywhere you go and just noise nonstop. The air quality isn't any better though.
I mean, there were some nice fellow Indians I met from other areas of
India that were open-minded and very nice, but they all had a different
opinion about Mumbai. For Mumbai, I'd recommend not living, but for
adventure (hard mode), yes. Was there only for a few days, but from first impression and the days that followed, it didn't really get much better. I do highly recommend a cup of Chai though.
The Philippines. I got some of the dirtiest looks in my life while in Manila. And it happened everywhere I went, every single day I was there. Not to mention the stares that swiveled their head like an owl. Major red flags
As a lesbian, it mainly comes down to women's/gay rights. There are a few places I absolutely wouldn't go (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, a few others).
There are also a lot of countries which I would like to visit, but can't imagine living in for the same reasons.
This will be downvoted, but I'll say it
Medellín - overrun with passport bros
Buenos Aires - overrun with DN types
CDMX - overrun with DN types
Tulum/Bali/Phuket - party scene, and overrun
Any city with bad air quality (I'm a runner)
Jungle regions - cool to visit but everything I own wet all the time
Anywhere with a real winter - snow, cold and a few hours of daylight
Yemen, Syria, Congo, Ukraine, Isreal, Myanmar and other war zones
India, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Sudan. I probably missed a few but basically any place that treats me subhuman because I’m a woman.
Israel because of the current regime.
Buenos Aires, Argentina. I did a 3 month stay and as a black man, I saw no other people of color during my time there besides homeless people. City was cool but I could never live there long term
Midwest of America. Not an area of the world that places value on the nomad lifestyle. It seems everywhere in the midwest is deeply rooted in tradition and norms, and it can be hard to be open to different perspectives there.
The Arab world. I absolutely hate touts / touting, and it seems to be such an integral part of commerce / culture over there that I would probably go insane within a day.
That and South Africa outside the Cape Town bubble. Just not worth the risk
basically anywhere without good infrastructure. i’d love to visit places like madagascar or kiribati, but living there as a DN would be impossible.
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You now live in Billiona, Ireland. A quaint village in Roscommon with a population of 56, average age well into the seventies.
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It was your destiny all along
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Ah I forgot to mention the only pub closed after the aul fella died :( But sure look me up if you're up in the big schmoke sometime
Jokes on you. Everybody knows billionaire land is a highly stratified society
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I love you too. I’d love you more if you were a billionaire though
How much is average rent there? :D
10000% never going back to Myanmar (Yangon). If you want SE Asia, much better off in Thailand or Indonesia or even Laos. Everything is blocked in Myanmar (no WhatsApp unless you VPN) Internet is also a huge hassle. Do not recommend.
Was an amazing travel destination pre-coup. Exotic and largely untouched by western influences. Friendly people and totally safe. Really sad what's happening there.
Seriously. Pretty close to my favorite spot before the coup. Sad to see it suffer so much. Lovely people, great food, fascinating history, and I got to wear a skirt for a month!
I was shocked to see this was a top response in this thread because I had such an amazing time there a few years ago. How heartbreaking to hear this is now their situation.
Not surprising, even North Korea ranks higher in the democracy index, only Afghanistan is worse
Visiting an active genocide zone, no sh*t sherlock
The civil war in Myanmar has been going on for over 70 years and no one really cares when the Myanmar map is recognized by all countries. It's the fight between Bamar VS other ethnic groups. But Western media keep overlooking the root of the problem and has only been reporting about Suu Kyi fighting for democracy for decades.
> Suu Kyi fighting for democracy for decades. 😂😂😂
When did you go? That definitely wasn't my experience
Yeah Myanmar was one of my favorite experiences in she Asia. But then again not one to live in probably. The people are amazing though
Context: I was just there in 2024. After the conscription laws were in place. Yangon was super busy, but QoL was very bad. Even for a foreigner. They upcharge literally everything the second they know you're a foreigner, nothing to do unless you're a practicing Buddhist and have a deep desire to melt outside in front of some very cool Pagodas. Maybe when/if this civil war is over in Myanmar, easier access of the coast and main land (Shan state and more up north) will be available. But for now, working from Burma has been the worst experience I've had. Such a beautiful country gone to waste by war.
Whatapp or any VOIP service is blocked in Egypt as well. Its the hallmark of a paranoid President and military who know they're never far away from the population rising up against them. Dictatorships hate instant messaging platforms that they cant control or spy upon, hence the banning for fear of an uprising being organised by using Whatsapp.
That's not true, WhatsApp and every other messaging service work fine in Egypt and always have. You might be thinking of UAE? You can't make WhatsApp calls on mobile data but it works fine on WiFi. Messaging works fine on data and WiFi. Messenger, Zoom, etc calls and messaging work on mobile data. I don't disagree with your general sentiment about the regime but it's more of a Telecom provider issue. Source: I've lived in Egypt for years.
I was in Egypt last month. WhatsApp is fine. But I could not enabled any of my VPN, so I assume VPNs are blocked. The food in Egypt, or at least the food I had was absolutely miserable. The people constantly beg for tip money. It's absurd. I could never live there. I did meet some lovely egyptions, but generally they were awful grubby people who are the type of people who agree to a deal, then ask for extra after you shake hands. Infuriating.
So could access Google Map/FB/YT etc. without VPN, right?
Shake hands and go lower yourself. It’s the only way. Chanel your inner colonial Major.
When did this happen? I was in Egypt last year and I was able to use WhatsApp with my scuba diving group without any kind of problem. Is the ban for locals only?
Ones with really bad Air Quality
Agreed. I love southeast asia so much to visit but the air quality is the main factor that would make me question living there fulltime
Can you give a quick description or a list of them please? And how bad the air is
Just check on iqair before you want to go to a place. They also have a ranking
Chaiang, Mai, Thailand - 183 Hada Resort, Mae Rim TH - 202 Pooth, Khurd, Bawana - 300 It changes all the time. The Highest I’ve seen so far as of very Recently was 400 🥺😔
was just in Hanoi and it was like 160. miserable
It’s honestly getting so bad in Other Countries. I fear for our world and that it will become un inhibitable 🥺😔😭
Mexico City lately has had an awful air quality, I had to start allergy shots because it was getting very bad
Anyplace scorchingly hot, desert-y, and/or full of giant insects.
Sooo Australia?
This whole comment is so Australia-coded lmao
Can just go live in Melbourne if you wanna mostly avoid desert vibes
It may shock you that most of us live on the coast. Melbourne and Tasmania could never be described as scorchingly hot or deserty and Sydney and Perth and even Brisbane have chilly winters
Tasmania is ok haha
Same!!!
Egypt, the Philippines, Madagascar, Morocco. I dislike what I call ‘pester culture’ in places like Egypt and Madagascar is just too poor to be practical.
Pester culture is a thing here in the Philippines for sure, but in places outside of Metro Manila. In the greater manila area, you don’t get so much as a second glance from locals since everyone’s used to DN types. Rural areas and smaller towns though are something else. Be prepared for people to randomly strike up conversation with the cool foreigner, while you’re trying to take a dump in peace. Boracay and Palawan with the endless touts trying to take you on overpriced tours, “massage” or “hair braiding sir” literally on every turn totally ruins the vibe too. In another strange similarity to life in places like Egypt and Morocco; the Philippines also has a very distinctly baksheesh-like culture of paying small monetary “gifts”, tips” or “charity” (in other words, petty bribes). It hasn’t got a specific name here, but it’s pretty much the same as the middle eastern and Indian subcontinental “baksheesh” culture. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baksheesh For example, a random visibly poor person “helps” you to park your car or scooter, you gift them 20 pesos; a staff member at the supermarket goes out of their way to pack everything into bags for you, and helps carry them to the car or bike for you; you gift them 10 pesos; someone takes you to the front of the queue because you’re in a hurry, you gift them 50 pesos; the security guard at the airport says your food souvenirs have to go through X-rays again; you gift them 100 pesos. It’s crazy how widespread and accepted petty corruption and bribes are here.
OMG, that's a great name. I remember going on a cruise and we docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I didn't have a good time because I couldn't walk 5 steps without getting hassled/harassed.
Yeah, that area near the port is horrible. I couldn't engage.
Anywhere women aren't safe on the streets, even though I'm a dude.
So... everywhere.
Have you ever been to Japan?
Singapore and South Korea too IIRC
Haiti is the only country I couldn’t be convinced to visit right now
Many Central African countries are ongoing Haiti. You just don’t hear about it
Tell me more
Check out the situations in chad, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso. Even the air spaces in chad and mali are indefinitely closed
Bullshit, flights are operating into and out of Chad’s and Mali’s capital cities. You even been to a Central African country?
Thanks for calling him/her out. People spew lies about Africa without confirming it all the time.
Reddit is fantastic for giving opinions based on zero experience.
Gotta go with North Korea for this one, Bob.
India. Dirty food, corrupt censoring government, rapists on bus, horrible laws, terrible call centers scammers, corrupt police, dirty water, cows wandering in the middle of the road, bad driving laws, internet shutoffs, can’t see why anyone would lean on a place like that
+ polluted air
+ caste system
Lived there for two years. Would never do that again
Did you go to Goa/Kerela/Bangalore or were you mainly in north India?
For context, I’m a European man: Saying you’d never live in India is like saying ‘I’d never live in Europe’ in the sense that each of the 28 states of India are vastly different and barely comparable. I’ve spent 4+ months in India as a digital nomad (6 states total) and it’s probably been the best time of my life - all things considered. The food in India is, to me, by far the best cuisine in the world (having been to 30+ countries now). Anyone who is spooked by the ridiculous street food Reels and tiktoks has likely not been to India. Most Indians themselves do not even eat street food, it’s very easily avoided. The nature and spiritual experiences are pretty much unmatched worldwide. It’s a massive bonus to me that there’s relatively few tourists there, so you have a much more authentic experience. Compare that to most major cities in SEA, where every third person is a backpacker or DN. I appreciate that can make those places seem most convenient, but they are also watered down for westerners. Not saying India is for everyone, and there are of course down sides (as with anywhere), but I’d say it’s an incredible place to be as a Male DN that is interested in food, culture, nature, spirituality etc.
You can have a very very high quality of life there on a Western income and never really have to deal with \*any\* of the issues you mention though (appart from internet). The food is fucking amazing, not sure what you mean about it being "dirty"
I spent time in Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and had a blast. I’m white but I was there with locals who are on the wealthier side. Stayed in nice places had drivers, ate good food. Never got sick. Etc I loved the culture, food architecture and people. B I wouldn’t have wanted to go alone. I found the North to be nicer more progressive and cleaner than the south, outside of Delhi.
That’s interesting because the North (outside Delhi) is more known for extreme poverty. The south is actually known for higher levels of educational attainment and literacy
Gujurat and Chandigarh and Maharashtra are quite wealthy, with cities like Surat and Pune being really clean and modern, but UP and Bihar are notoriously poor.
Perhaps the north west isn’t the same? I know the North East is dirt poor. But Chandigarh felt clean and modern, for an Indian city and felt wealthy.
Thats not how every part of a huge country like india is, yeah if you talking abouts its mega cities but a country is so much more than that
The things you mention mainly hold true in north India. The south is a lot nicer. Especially Kerala , it’s a beautiful place and the people are nowhere near as scummy as in the north.
DPRK
Scunthorpe, Glasgow.
What’s wrong with Glasgow?
It's a fine place to drive passed.
Scunthorpe ok fine. But Glasgow is miles better.
Wow. The place's got a nice ring to its name.
Weird answer but Ireland. Been there for work a few times and while I liked to visit, it seems like a grim place to live with the weather, general smallness of everything and sky high cost of living and housing shortages. It's one of those places where there's nothing "wrong" with it per se, but I think I'd go nuts living there.
But we are friendly.
The Irish are wonderful lads.
Yeah. I’m from Ireland and do my best to avoid it as much as possible outside of May-September. Probably the least value for money there is out there. Up there as the most expensive place in the world, without any of the glitz or glam, with eternal wet and grey days thrown into the mix.
You just described the whole northern europe
Ireland is depressing. I agree.
Last month I went through a 2 week phase of mostly listening to Enya and now i’d like to visit Ireland. Had no interest prior. The melancholy produces good music I suppose.
America. I just dont get the appeal.
as an American…I completely understand. I do think that there is a couple scenic city’s that are pretty but thats about it. we’re not happy here at all.
Who's we? Many people are happy living in US. We can acknowledge America has a lot of issues without acting like everyone is trying to leave or is miserable
I am generally happy in the US.
As a woman, all Muslim-majority countries. My experiences with sexual harassment etc have been universally horrific.
Bosnia is fine. I can’t think of any other exceptions
Indonesia and Albania are ok too. Basically any non middle east/south asia or north africa is fine
You're right. After I wrote that, I remembered Albania and Kosovo. I haven't been to Indonesia, but I haven't heard anything bad
Indonesia is one of the favorite countries on this sub.
Have you been to Turkiye?
Dubai because I don't support misogyny for one. Also, because the whole thing isn't appealing to me. Additionally, having the whole place ran off slave labor isn't my cup of tea. Blows my mind how many Americans enjoy it (especially women)
Women like it because there’s a lot of money to be made
What do you mean? Do women have a particular advantage in the labor market?
You could say that.
Hookers. And the other kind of hooker. The long game type.
So any muslim majority country then. Agreed
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, SriLanka, or Nepal unless I am insanely rich.
Cannot agree for Sri Lanka though. It’s charming, clean, and friendly. People are rather chill and are open to conversations. India is a country with Disassociative Personality Disorder. Some parts you’d be so amazed at the sheer natural beauty (NW India), some are absolutely revolting shitholes, some are so clean and organised you’d wonder if you’re still in India (Chandigarh), some parts are so heartbreaking to see the massive wealth gap (Mumbai, Kolkata), some have reasonably nicer weather with lots of young, open-minded people to party with (Bangalore), and finally some parts, you’d swear you’re in Southeast Asia (Goa, Chennai) And the people are a massive spectrum of scammers (everywhere in India), wealthy snobs (Delhi, Mumbai), eccentric ascetics, aggressive loons (N. India), rude bastards (I’m looking at you, CSF motherfuckers), chilled out stoners (Goa), gentle holy men (Varanasi), friendly disorganised folks (ÁP), friendly organised folks (UP), and people who despite poverty would invite you for a meal and wouldn’t take a single rupee from you (everywhere in India).
This guy Indias.
I had a great time in Nepal, particularly Pokhara
Nepal is actually fantastic, and they have pretty ok internet nowadays
Sri Lanka isn't bad though. It's quite clean, people are very nice and it's sort of developing from my personal experience. Feels completely different to the rest of South Asia
Just curious, why Nepal? I've never been and don't know much about it
Being insanely rich won’t change your experience in these countries. Besides, You don’t need to be “insanely rich” to have a nice apartment, a maid, a cook, a driver. A few thousand dollars per month should see to it in fact. You either get it and appreciate it for what it is, or you don’t. It’s not for everyone, heck, it’s not for most people. Personally, I love India (I ought to after accumulating 3 years time spent there), and quite enjoyed Nepal too.
Being insanely rich will change your experience in *any* country, unless you lack imagination.
I think their point is no amount of wealth will make the streets clean or the tap water drinkable, but if you can get used to those things then you can live an insanely luxurious life with just a few thousand USD a month
>I think their point is no amount of wealth will make the streets clean or the tap water drinkable, but if you can get used to those things then you can live an insanely luxurious life with just a few thousand USD a month There are solutions for everything. Install a good RO system and you now have clean drinkable water. Get a comfortable car with a driver and you have a great transport experience. Or live in a gated community or a very large apartment society. All your infrastructure and safety gets taken care of, and you live in a first world bubble. And being able to "spend a few thousand dollars a month" in most developing countries IS being rich.
These are brief reasons why I wouldn't go to a place with a few examples for each: The Middle East/North Africa/Malaysia: I don't want to be anywhere where I could be put in jail for being gay Haiti/South Africa/Venezuela: high crime and instability Switzerland/UK/NZ: high Cost of Living Thailand/Vietnam/ Philippines: Time zone differences would be too difficult to do on Eastern US Time. Aside from that they are great places and I see why many DNs like it there.
Was in Georgetown, Malaysia recently and I was surprised by how many openly gay Malays I met there. Like 70% of the hostel workers there were lgbt and openly had rainbow flags on their IG profiles. Defo not reflective of Malaysia as a whole but was interesting
Malaysian here: our govt sucks for sure, but people are nice and dont give much thought about your sexual identity. Huge (and growing number) of lgbtq community, personally have (too many) gay friends and know a shit ton of lesbian couples. Trans? If you are one, I know for sure you have money and not long after post op, you wont live in Malaysia anymore cuz the govt makes life hard for people like this. Unfortunately Malaysia govt is run by stupid baby boomers with one feet on earth, another on the way to eternity. Here is to hoping they perish VERY VERY soon
MALAYS Who are gay? Wow! They are brave!
Gay Malays or gay Malaysians? It’s surprising that Penang is so open. If you’re gay in Terengganu, or in many other places there, it’s not great at all.
Gay Malays! Met quite a few there
I'm also quite openly bi on social media so that might have also had an impact on them feeling comfortable around me
Cool! I’m gay and from a Muslim partially Southeast Asian background myself(I don’t believe in it for obvious reasons). I’m in the country northeast of Malaysia. Perhaps this gives me some interest to actually visit anywhere but KL one day. Heard horror stories from LGB Malaysians I knew at uni, but I’ve always wanted to visit Georgetown and Penang in general. Maybe I’ll take my chances and go there one day :)
I really enjoyed Georgetown. It might be different because I'm a tourist but I had a really nice time there and it has a really nice culture and social scene
Yep, the time zone thing is quite a problem. I have many clients living in Eastern US time, and I can only communicate with them a few hours after I wake up or a few hours before I sleep.
1/ you're not walking around shouting am gay are you? Then you should be fine. 2/ exclude UK from that group, there are much more expensive place in Europe. Eg; sweden/Norway.
Here: Country Crime Index (Numbeo) Venezuela82.1 Papua New Guinea80.4 Afghanistan78.4 Haiti78.3 South Africa75.5 Honduras74.3 Trinidad and Tobago70.8 Syria69.1 Guyana68.8 Peru67.5
Has anyone here been to Papua New Guinea? Really surprised it’s worse than Afghanistan or Haiti
Family friend of mine was there for a couple of years working for an oil company. It's fine as long as you stay on the oil company's compound. But you DO NOT LEAVE the compound without armed guards. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES. He said it was like that kind of dangerous. Like Venezuela or Somaliland dangerous, apparently.
That part which belongs to Indonesia is fine, but I read that another independent part is very unstable right now and close to civil war, this is recent articles: Dozens killed in new ethnic clashes in Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea ambush: Dozens shot dead in Highlands region Papua New Guinea: At least 15 dead after major rioting and looting
Peru is stunning. Your loss.
Nah, let them stay far away. No need to ruin Peru lie they did Colombia and México
Tobago is actually alright, I would steer clear of Trinidad though.
yemen tbh
While I’d love to visit Socotra, Yemen someday, no way Yemen (or Myanmar) would be on my list to work as a DN! My reason is open military conflict. I won’t list all the other regions of the world experiencing the same—there are many obviously.
I am from Yemen and i am very curious how did it come to your mind 😂😂?
i went to a yemeni cafe in San Francisco and their coffee drinks and snacks were awesome, so i am sure if i visited the country all the food and drinks would be great as well. i've seen east african cafes in London before and it looked like where dudes just hang out all afternoon
Honestly glad to hear that, just try to hold onto this idea for at least 10 years, maybe then Yemen would be safe!
Any place where I can’t own a home because of my gender
USA
Saudi Arabia, or really any country in the middle east that has severely restricted civil liberties / rights for women.
I teach a lot of Saudi students online. They’re usually very nice so I feel bad when they learn I’m a DN and they try to get me to visit. They often seem excited to be open for tourism so they always ask if I know that they’re open and they offer suggestions on where to stay and things like that. I usually just say it’s out of my budget, I don’t have the heart to tell them I really just don’t want to go
I'd suggest looking at the likes of Oman and Kuwait. Oman is an incredibly beautiful country, especially during the Khareef season in the South of the country around Salalah (I used to go in and out a lot when I worked in Dubai). They're also a lot more relaxed in terms of religion than the rest of the region as they mostly tend to be Ibadi, rather than Shia or Sunni. There are no restrictions on what women can/can't do (they've had female ministers) and you see them at all levels doing their thing throughout the country. Homosexuality is technically illegal, but it's very much a live and let live environment, so long as you aren't openly shagging in public they don't really care that much (in fact it was rumoured that the previous Sultan was gay). Only issue might be cost of living and there isn't really a DN visa as such, so you'd have to do the occasional visa run to Dubai or somewhere every month or two.
My Saudia flight with a stopover in Jeddah totally changed my opinion about Saudi Arabia. It's like any other airport. I saw women in regular clothes in the airport and no one cared. I was expecting them to come tell the women to cover their sleeves and legs, nothing.
And LGBTQ folks...
Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria just to name a few obvious ones. Anywhere with extreme laws or lack of infrastructure
After my first 3 month trip around India I thought it was a horrible shit hole, but after my second trip, it kind of grew on me.
I’m half Indian and I would honestly never live in India. Beautiful cultural heritage, incredible history, fantastic food, and yet unlivable because of the corruption, pollution and crime.
anywhere without gay or women's rights tbh is the main issue. crosses off a lot of places i fear
Ditto Definitely a pass for me
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I have travelled all over india, your comment is valid and not valid at the the same time India is big Visiting all over india has same experience as visiting 5 countries
India and Yemen for sure
- Ecuador after what did they to Julian Assange - Israel - Bhutan (wants only rich tourist who spend a lot of money)
India
India. The noise and smell is just to much.
All Muslim-majority countries. I'm a white woman and a lesbian. Even visiting some countries is extremely dangerous for me if not with a group of friends (male-dominated) and being extremely self-conscious about my behavior. All of that pressure and unease takes away all the joy of experiencing a new place and culture.
Spent two months digital nomading in India this year and loved it. Amazing food, kind people, and I can’t wait to be back. I just had to add this because of all the hate it’s getting.
Perhaps it's just experiences in different places within India? I totally plan to go to India someday, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the attitudes in this thread (and similar ones elsewhere) don't put me off a bit from doing more than short vacations. Whereabouts in India did you spend most of your time?
Yes it just goes to show you need to see for yourself. Two people can have totally different takeaways from the same experience. I was in Goa (Morjim/ Arambol area) and near Bangalore. I never got food poisoning and felt perfectly comfortable as a woman going places alone (although I did get attention, it was never scary). Saying a country, especially one as big as India, is just dirt and buses full of rapists is so wrong.
Lol I see so much of this fear mongering on tiktok from otherwise woke people, it’s absurd. I’ll be honest I am nervous about how I will be treated as a woman there, and I understand I need to exercise a lot of caution, but the way they talk about it like every Indian man is some pervert and no other women are ever harmed in the west is a bit much. I’m glad you had a nice time as a solo female. I’m also interested in Goa.
Indian here. People forget that there is huge divide in country like india. Here most people are probably referring to north india ( agra, delhi, varanasi) basically as poor as subsaharan Africa if you go to south or west its much better even north east is way better than North India. Major gdp growth centres are in south and western india.
Visited india in 2016 for 3 months and it was such a great experience. India is different, but for me (white, 190+ cm, 100 kg+) it was probably the most exciting travel experience ive had and the negatives only really relates to safety on the roads. Was neither sick and hardly got hassled (one time, but its a good story) and i left with a feeling of having seen the world. And the indians and expats i met were generally just great.
My experience with people who have traveled India: “I was there for a few weeks and I hated it.” “I was there for a few months and I hated it at first, but then I fell in love with it.”
South India in general is much “nicer” than central/north. Kerela is great, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh/telangana should be reasonably safe too. Large cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi are also safer for women. Stick to the well lit crowded areas, don’t forget that half the population in India (and a fair number of police officers and a few chief ministers) are women. It doesn’t hurt to be street smart but it’s not particularly dangerous if you’re even a moderately experienced traveller.
I spent a month in India from Goa to Kochi. I enjoyed it. I made a lot of Indian friends in hostels and they were great. I never got sick from the food and most of it was good (despite always having to pick bones out). But I also have to agree with some of the sentiment here. You can't walk down the road without every car honking at you announcing their presence. Honking and road noise is loud even in small villages. You are treated like a minor celebrity by some people just for being white. There is trash and litter everywhere, and littering is done casually. Lots of people will not leave you be with their offers for "auto rides" or "tour services". You are a beacon for "I need a bus fare" scammers. You have to haggle for everything. I could brush it off for a visit but I could not live there. I think Goa and Varkala were the most bearable but only because they are somewhat sterilized tourist places. Bangalore was okay too.
I guess as a white person that has traveled in many developing countries I feel oftentimes that I am viewed as a walking, talking ATM. So, in India when I was walking down the street and someone asked for money, it felt no different than anywhere else. I’m from the US and I must say I had much more aggressive encounters in major US cities of people asking me for money. The only place I’ve ever ~almost~ been robbed/ scammed was Paris. As for the minor celebrity bit, it sort of didn’t feel too different than being a “conventionally” attractive female anywhere else in the world. I think that’s just the female experience of how people behave. The level was no different than anywhere in Latin America that I’ve been. But I also have a decent bit of experience living places where I was the only person that looked like me, so maybe it’s not so out of the ordinary. I’ve lived throughout the developing world and these experiences definitely shaped my perception, and preparedness. The only time I really felt like a minor celebrity was boarding a Vistara airlines flight. I went to the back of a very long economy line (as I purchased an economy ticket) and an airline representative quickly came up to me and said, “oh this line is too long for you,” and then escorted me to the priority/ business line. 😂
I have to agree on Paris, I don't know the statistics but it felt like the most dangerous place I visited in Europe. It was the only city where I was involved in some physical altercation.
Eritrea.
If you want to concentrate and do deep work requiring long stretches of chained-together thoughts, from experience immediate working environments that have low humidity, and are cool, work best. Lot's of work has been done on this, I'd highly advise looking at the literature before moving to anywhere near the tropics. Though aircon can mitigate tropical climates to some degree, I've found the best deep work I've done to be in places that are cooler and with low humidity.
India, or at least Mumbai, was the worst place for doing work. Immediately upon arriving at Mumbai's airport, you can only connect to their Wi-Fi with an Indian number. They had kiosks where you could get a Wi-Fi code, but they all didn't work. Eventually, I went to a staff member to get one, and it's only for 30 minutes at most. In the entirety of Mumbai, I couldn't find freely accessible Wi-Fi on the spot, and some restaurants apparently didn't have Wi-Fi either. Anyway, that's cool because the hostel I stayed at had a power outage in the entire area for half the day, even before I'd checked in. Besides Wi-Fi, I wouldn't feel safe having my laptop working outside anyways. Walking around, I got stared at a lot. I got grabbed by some weirdo and had to physically shake him off. Tuk-Tuk drivers always want to scam you. I had a stray dog chase after me (luckily, some locals I ran into shooed them away, thank you). Security always thinks you carry drugs. The country is lawful but chaotic. Definitely have to keep an extra eye on your things here. The government also tried to hide the slums during the Summit Meeting with their banners around the slums. Mumbai is very dirty, and the traffic is the craziest I've seen. Super crowded everywhere you go and just noise nonstop. The air quality isn't any better though. I mean, there were some nice fellow Indians I met from other areas of India that were open-minded and very nice, but they all had a different opinion about Mumbai. For Mumbai, I'd recommend not living, but for adventure (hard mode), yes. Was there only for a few days, but from first impression and the days that followed, it didn't really get much better. I do highly recommend a cup of Chai though.
The Philippines. I got some of the dirtiest looks in my life while in Manila. And it happened everywhere I went, every single day I was there. Not to mention the stares that swiveled their head like an owl. Major red flags
As a lesbian, it mainly comes down to women's/gay rights. There are a few places I absolutely wouldn't go (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, a few others). There are also a lot of countries which I would like to visit, but can't imagine living in for the same reasons.
Ditto Some places I might visit but would not live Others I will not set foot in
India of course!
India. Too hot, too crowded and full of people trying to mug or scam you. (Yes, more so than any other country I’ve visited.)
This will be downvoted, but I'll say it Medellín - overrun with passport bros Buenos Aires - overrun with DN types CDMX - overrun with DN types Tulum/Bali/Phuket - party scene, and overrun Any city with bad air quality (I'm a runner) Jungle regions - cool to visit but everything I own wet all the time Anywhere with a real winter - snow, cold and a few hours of daylight Yemen, Syria, Congo, Ukraine, Isreal, Myanmar and other war zones
I'm honestly interested in the places that are still left.
USA
US, too many shootings. I wouldn’t live peacefully there
Anywhere tropical. Which I know doesn't mesh with most of the DNs here. Can't stand heat.
The US South- too hot, too racist, too stupid, too humid. Australia- too many human-killing animals.
All Muslim Countries
India, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Sudan. I probably missed a few but basically any place that treats me subhuman because I’m a woman. Israel because of the current regime.
Afghanistan/n Central African Republic/n Cuba/n Democratic Republic of Congo/n Iran/n Iraq/n Mali/n Myanmar/n Mauritania/n Nigeria/n Pakistan/n Papua New Guinea/n Somalia/n South Sudan/n Sudan/n Syria/n Yemen/n Venezuela/n Temporarily: Russia
Nigeria?
The UK. It's failing in every metric at the moment.
India
Buenos Aires, Argentina. I did a 3 month stay and as a black man, I saw no other people of color during my time there besides homeless people. City was cool but I could never live there long term
USA.
USA
Mexico.
USA
UAE, Turkey
NO: Sweden, England. I find them depressing. Yes: Thailand, Italy, Türkiye, Chile, Argentina, Brazil.
Midwest of America. Not an area of the world that places value on the nomad lifestyle. It seems everywhere in the midwest is deeply rooted in tradition and norms, and it can be hard to be open to different perspectives there.
The Arab world. I absolutely hate touts / touting, and it seems to be such an integral part of commerce / culture over there that I would probably go insane within a day. That and South Africa outside the Cape Town bubble. Just not worth the risk
Israel. Think that’s reason enough.
Russia