Friends have been asking questions about nomading during COVID. A quick thread to cover four big ones:

- Flying/transportation risks
- Visas/restrictions
- Testing
- Insurance

/1

Airplanes are fairly safe. Cabin air replaced every 2-4 mins. But lower passenger density is better. Look for redeyes / flights that carriers are obligated to run regardless of capacity.

I just did overnight Calgary to Paris (CDG). Was ~30% full. Lots of routes like that.

/2

WestJet lets people move around without fees once aboard. All solo travellers on my flight got a row to themselves. Plus everyone had to wear a mask when not eating. Look for airlines like that.

(Note: Sleeping with a mask is hard! So account for little/no sleep.)

/3

Airports are unideal. But the three I went through were at 20-25% normal. Loads of room for distancing. Plus all have to wear mask / pass temp check to get through security. Just be prepared for limited food options.

(One upside: lines were short/fast.)

/4

While ok with off-peak flying, I’m less ok with public transport where windows are fixed shut. But I found Uber / car services fine. Only exposed to one person. Plus most mandate masks on / windows down. (Some drivers are anal about latter. If they object, I’d just cancel.)

/5

As for visas, easier for than right now. But restrictions for Yanks aren’t quite as bad as imagined.

Americans can fly into London for cheap on low-capacity flights. If you actually enter UK you have to isolate 14 days. But you can fly on to other cities right away.

/6

If you don’t like idea of nomading in UK/Ireland, one great option open to Americans is Ohrid. No restrictions there. Though if you bring neg PCR test (no more than 48 hours old) then lots of Central/Eastern Europe will let you in.

/7

Some countries also allow post-arrival testing. I got mine 12 hours after arriving in Zagreb. $100 CAD / $75 USD. Results in ~8 hours. This reduces/eliminates isolation period.

(While in isolation, lots of delivery services will get you anything you want for like $2.)

/8

As far as visas go, lots of countries will allow 90/180 days as a tourist, which you can often reset once by leaving for a weekend. While it’s hard to find specific rules about remote working, the gist I get is most countries don’t care much if your work is purely foreign.

/9

As for insurance, that’s come a long way since COVID started. Lots of travel medical and credit card policies still kinda suck. But there are better options now.

I went with @safetywing, a YC (W18) startup.

/10

Policy basics (in USD):

- $40 every 28 days
- Open to anyone under 40
- $250k coverage
- $250 deductible
- Covers COVID

Signup takes like 3-5 mins. Covers whatever country you’re in (except for US, which costs 1.75x more).

/11

Travelling is obviously still inherently risky. But there are ways to limit those risks (to a point). And for those looking to escape winter / election season, there are some amazing Airbnb deals out there.

As anyone has questions, AMA.

/12