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Ask HN: Where do Digital Nomads with children live?

22 points by jorisboris ↗ HN
Around ten years ago Digital Nomads started to become mainstream.

By now, some of them have grown up.

Some even have children, including myself.

Hence, I’m looking for the best place to live as a digital nomad with my spouse and 2 kiddos.

Life with children makes us less mobile, we stay for multiple years rather than multiple months.

We focus more on quality hospitals and schooling, rather than jungle rave parties.

And we have higher safety standards for the well-being of our precious little ones.

I've been looking at many regions and cities, probably around 100, and made a shortlist with 8 places I find promising, mostly based on gut feel:

Da Nang, Bali, Phuket, Crete, Ibiza, Mallorca, Cascais-Sintra (Lisbon), Playa Del Carmen

All of them are close to the beach. Most of them are islands.

I started to collect data on schooling, healthcare, costs, nanny costs and safety (link below). With chatgpt it's fairly easy.

But this data driven approach doesn't scale in my mind: I could easily make a list of 100 places, but it only creates analysis paralysis.

Hence this post, I'm looking to hear real stories, from other Digital Nomads, with children, about where they live and what they like / dislike!

Many thanks!

Link to spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/108jVtQYvYhgacgXXgn23E3mjoU8eOLcypMdt0Th-ArY/

39 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 90.6 ms ] thread
true_religion
A normadic lifestyle with multiple people looks different from one with just a single person (or a young couple).

You need to bring your support network with you. That is: your nanny, your teacher, etc.

You can outsource healthcare, but the others require stable persons.

keiferski
I was a digital nomad for awhile but I think the limitations become apparent after ±2-3 years of being nomadic. I can't imagine that would be beneficial for children to jump around every 6-12 months and with time frames those short, you also lose out on many of the benefits of "growing up abroad." Your experience turns into a sort of placeless global knowledge worker shuffling from one rented apartment, resort town, and coworking space to the next. It's a very shallow existence.

Instead, what I would do (and what I am doing) is setting up multiple locations that you can come back to and have stability in. The ideal being a place or combination of places that have easy airline/train access to other cities + enough of local culture that appeals to you.

jorisboris
That was more or less my idea. Having a base to fall back on in Northwestern Europe close to family, and a place we actually live either in Southern Europe or (income allowing) Asia or South America.

Which multiple locations did you choose?

keiferski
I haven’t nailed down the exact spots, but I think somewhere in Central Europe and somewhere in Japan. Potentially a third spot in the American southwest.
chalcolithic
Wow, all three are totally unexpected. Could you please elaborate?
keiferski
Nothing super special. I have family connections to Central Europe and enjoy the culture/architecture/etc. there, plus it’s very convenient for accessing Africa and the Middle East. I visited Japan about a decade ago and have been fascinated with the place since, although it’s definitely more difficult to live there with only a US/EU passport. And the American Southwest has a unique landscape and abundance of natural parks that can’t be found in any other developed country, save maybe Australia.

IMO the digital nomad mentality is the absolute wrong approach. If you can work remotely, that means you can live just about anywhere on Earth. That means you should find the environment(s) that appeals to you, not go to the “nomad friendly” places like Chiang Mai or Bali.

plz-remove-card
> somewhere in Japan

This is incredibly more difficult than it seems at first glance, having worked remote in asia for several years. I've visited Japan plenty of times but staying there (legally) longer than the permitted 90 days (for US citizens at least) is a challenge. I've looked at every way possible and for me, the only way would be to work for a Japanese company (huge pay cut.) If you've got enough money you could try creating a company in japan and availing the relevant visa but it's region specific, you have to have a physical office and at least one employee IIRC.

codegeek
I am not a digital nomad but as a parent of 3 young children, I cannot even imagine doing something like this especially for a long period. So tough for kids. I think some have done it but stopped after 2-3 years. It must be extremely difficult to do it.
matt_s
Also not a nomad but have done a major move with school aged kids and it has a noticeable impact on them. It was rough and they really missed friends and family and familiar places. I can't imagine doing that every few years, especially once they've bonded with others. Then there's the physical part of moving which is different for 4 people vs. 2 - so much stuff with kids - bikes, toys, clothes, etc.

My advice would be to think about it in case you change your mind about the nomad part - you don't want to be settled and discover you now need to move because of a situation like bad schools, elderly parent, not safe etc. Maybe another way to state it is to find places that have potential for a decade or two because as you raise children your thoughts and opinions about things change.

[dead] ezedv
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tredre3
Please stop posting GPT comments.
AnimalMuppet
Are you trying to be a nomad? Or are you just trying to be an expat? That is, say you decide Ibiza is the best place. How long are you going to be there? Five or ten years? Or are you going to move on to Crete after three months?

If you're going to be there for several years, then yes, look at schools. But if you're only going to be there for three months, then I strongly suggest that you think again about what you're going to be doing to your kids. Switching schools every three months is horrible for your kids. It disrupts their education as well as their social life.

So maybe a bigger question: How much are you factoring your childrens' well-being into your planning?

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jorisboris
The plan is to stay 5 years in the same place.

I feel more a nomad, rather than an expat. Expats are imo paid by their company to go work in some other place (full expenses paid). Nomads make their own choices. But it seems most of the world has a different interpretation.

Maybe I'll adopt the "slowmad" title.

Am4TIfIsER0ppos
5 years? That sounds less nomadic than the average army posting. Although the people I've seen move through my neighborhood were all officers.
herbst
Switzerland :) given its where I started before I went nomading. However it's the place I will always come back to especially because of quality of life aspects. From all the places I have been to, all the places I would want to show my kids, I couldn't imagine raising a child anywhere else.

Also tax is fair here, I couldn't imagine any other place in Europe for my businesses.

zerr
How is the freelancer visa situation?
herbst
If you have enough money saved or a fixed income you are welcome to try. That's the short version of the visa situation.

I think it's about 25k you need to have as a single person to get a working visa but don't quote me on that.

jorisboris
Switzerland has been high on my bucket list!

Two things hold me back:

1. Seems purchasing a house starts at around 1 million usd, even somewhere in the middle of nowhere 2. It's so safe and organised, my kiddos would grow up too untroubled and carefree :D !

thiago_fm
Those two things looks like a prison for yourself.

First of all, why do you need to buy, or even live in a house? This is Europe. You can rent, invest the rest and you don't need 5 bathrooms or a garage for two cars, much less a huge ugly green field between your house and your neighbours.

2nd. Why do you want your kids to be afraid of living on their own earlier in life? It's much more like the opposite, if you want your kids to have a terrible mental state, keep them locked at home and drive them everywhere (typically to Mc Donalds or Shopping Malls, both very artificial places).

If you want your kid to mature and not be forever a child, you better let them have the freedom to go to school alone, take buses and trains.

Just look how in the US there are Americans in their 30s that can only go anywhere by car with a GPS and are unable to walk by foot or deal with people of different backgrounds, that might speak different languages.

I find it astonishing when I see them here in Europe, they barely know how to look at a train table or do very simple tasks and consistently need assistance or attention. And can only communicate in English and fail to even deal with people in a situation that they don't speak their language or share their same cultural values.

janosdebugs
I recently did a bit of digging, and one thing that needs paying attention is CPS jurisdiction. If you stay in a place long enough, the local CPS may, depending on local laws, gain jurisdiction over your kid. If you didn't follow the rules around schooling, etc, you'll have to deal with a whole lot of trouble up to and including temporarily or permanently losing custody, even though you and your child aren't even citizens of the country.
chalcolithic
Choosing between Phuket and Mauritius ATM, I'd love to find a likeminded community. Most nomads are (understandably) childless.
mahesh_rm
Do you have any resources about digital nomad life and bureaucracy in Mauritius?
chalcolithic
Not really, I'm mostly lurking in Russian-speaking Telegram channels. The visa for nomads there is pretty straightforward (basically 1.5k usd per adult + 0.5k per kid income requirement) and it's definitely more expensive than Phuket, but other than that my knowledge is very sparse
jorisboris
I've been looking into Mauritius as well. My gut feel told me it's kinda a "sleepy island" rather than a bustling destination for expats. If I remember correctly one of the indicators was the lack of highly regarded international schools. It's a combo of superficial research and gut feel so I might be wrong here.
chalcolithic
TBH it popped on my radar because both Russia-Ukraine and possible China-Taiwan wars can go nuclear, and if they do - Southern Hemisphere will have a much better fate. What schools are on your list, btw?
WoodEye
What’s your definition of “better fate”? You’ll be in a foreign country with no network/resources and when the global supply chain shuts down most people everywhere will starve.
chalcolithic
No nuclear fallout to speak of (you can go outside and it's safe, unlike in Northen Hemisphere). Much milder temperature drop. Covid era taught me how to stay put really long, so I'm gonna be prepared. Southern Hemisphere has plenty of cultivated land, so I only need to hold out until trade routes are somewhat restored. (From that point of view it's better to be in South America, but given their crime rate I'd rather be somewhere else during that time)
defrost
I won't quibble with your if the world goes nuclear scenario here but I would ask; how lnog can Mauritius self sustain without outside trade for fuel and food reserves?

It's an island that grows some food, of course, but how much relative to the population?

chalcolithic
It definitely is not self-sufficient when it comes to food. But trade routes are pretty low tech things, we've been having them for thousands of years, I expect them to reappear quite fast.
bnchrch
For any Canadians reading this thread who don't have the ability or want to leave Canada my partner and I did a similar search inside the country.

In general we landed in Mid to North Vancouver island. Specifically the Comox Valley, and we can't recommend it enough.

1. Mild temperatures

2. Green grass in the winter

3. International Airport

4. Family orientated

5. On the ocean

6. 15 minutes to a large lake

7. 15 minutes to world class mountain biking

8. 20 minutes to a ski hill

9. 30 minutes to some wonderful hiking/climbing.

Though, I wouldnt mind a few more restaurants open past 8pm.

jorisboris
Those were the type of answers I was looking for, thanks for sharing!
thiago_fm
Children need time to develop connections and build social relationship with other kids.

I believe by moving around too much, even changing schools can be bad for them. I'd first look into getting some help from a professional educator or psychologist to assist your family in this subject, so if you really must keep being a digital nomad, you reduce that impact for them somehow.

Being a good parent isn't easy, even if they seem to enjoy moving around, that can have a bad impact on them later in their lives, creating developmental issues.

artur_makly
Buenos Aires ( the Paris of Latam ) and Bariloche ( the Swiss Alps of S.America )

Why? $1 = $1000 pesos

Top Tier Private British School = $500

2000sq ft house = $1500

Dinner for 4: $50

Tango, nightlife, EST timezone*

kids become bilingual

been here 16yrs.. originally from NYC. it’s a game changer.

jorisboris
Buenos Aires has been on my list.

I have never been there so I don't know but in general I feel big cities are not an ideal place with children, we prefer to live in a house, with a garden, and (ideally) close to the beach.

I think the beaches in BA are a 4 hour drive?