Thailand entry change | DTV service | Coolmadding | Issue #0035

The biggest news in digital nomad visas for a looonnnggg time was the DTV last year. Lot’s of you have jumped on the bandwagon on what is undoubtedly a great value option if you want to visit Thailand over the next few years.

There’s still a fair bit of head-scratching when applying - and rejections or cancellations - but, there is a very viable alternative to all this hassle and wasted stress and cash that is pretty much risk-free. Read about it below.

Coming up in this issue:

🇹🇭 Get into this country without a hiccup after next week
🧴 Protect your digital footprint
🫣 Not a moniker we came up with, but a trend all the same
🎧 Cancel the noise in the best way possible
🎎 Do you know your festivals?

NEWS
New entry requirements for Thailand

We’ve mentioned this in recent issues as a point of note, but seeing some of the groups and forums there seems to be some confusion amongst nomads whether it applies to them 🤔.

If you’re on the DTV, an OA, or entering Thailand with any type of entry you MUST fill out the online TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) up to three days before travelling into Thailand.

There are more people than you’d think that think the DTV thinks they have more privilege than other when it comes to entry, immigration lines, and even 90-day reporting - or simply haven’t read all of the requirements. Or, maybe we spend too much time in these groups!

Any foreigner who wants to enter Thailand must complete the online card - a replacement for the TM6 that was paused post-Covid. Fill in the form here if you are travelling into Thailand from 1st May.

WHAT ELSE…

🛃 End of a travel rite? We’re not sure we’re totally on “board” with this, but it’ll save some trees for sure! Plans are coming to digitize all air travel.

🤖 The trend some were dreading Shopify - an advocate of remote working - are signalling a shift that many feared AI might well cause.

🍽️ Got dinner plans? Keep an eye on the Curiosity Dinner Club schedule. They’ve arranged dinners all over the world in the last couple of months.

🇯🇵 Navigating Tokyo as a nomad  Japan is blowing up for nomads this year it seems. This conversation could come to the rescue if you head to Tokyo soon.

GET CONNECTED

Find WhatsApp & FB groups in your current or next nomad destinations here:

If you are in a nomad hotspot then help another nomad out and share any communities you are in, run, or know of with this quick form.

STAY PROTECTED

If you’re going to use a VPN then it might as well be one of the fastest, and NordVPN is well-established as one of them.

If you haven’t already sorted out your VPN for your travels, then you’ll quickly realise you’ll need one…

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DIGITAL NOMAD VISAS
Saving a lot of people a lot of money and hassle

The DTV has been THE digital nomad visa of the last twelve months, and perhaps Thailand have even pulled the best ever out of the hat.

However, t’s not all been plain-sailing for everyone applying for it. We got chatting to Priscilla after the Nomad Summit earlier this year as she co-founded a solution for this and other work-related visas in Thailand - Issa Compass.

Visas and immigration are not the most interesting subjects, but vital for digital nomads. What are you doing differently from agents in Thailand?
We want to make it easier for people to get the information they need and understand what visas they are eligible for. It’s so difficult for people to find reliable information about visas, and even when you have it it’s often in dense legalese, or you rely on information translated into English when it’s not the government’s first language. It’s given rise to an industry of very expensive lawyers and agents.

It feels like you started Issa Compass out of your own need?
I’ve lived in several countries - US, Canada, Singapore - and originally from Hong Kong, and have had to go to China for projects, and experienced immigration myself. This includes not getting a work visa I needed at one time.

The Thai DTV has proven popular, but there are a lot of varying experiences of applying. So what’s your solution?
We developed an app to walk people through the application, make it transparent and be able to track your progress. It’s made it easier to understand the documents you need too. It also helps track compliance - so 90-day reporting and remaining days.

So, what’s the cost to use the service?
The app is free and you can look through all the content there. Then it’s about $100 on top of the fee for the visa - so a lot less than using a lawyer or agent - and we’ll check over everything you’ve entered before charging the fee and submitting the application. It’s very low risk for anyone wanting to try it out.

We also offer a free consultation for those who prefer to speak with us before going through the process.

There are plenty of reports of cancelled and rejected applications from what we see in groups.
It does seem to happen more than it should, but with us, in the unlikely chance that a visa is still not approved, we either refund everything - including the government fee - or reapply again at no extra cost.

What are the best embassies you are using to apply at the moment?
Right now it’s Cambodia and Indonesia. Vietnam is getting stricter.

If you’re planning on applying for the DTV, using the Issa Compass app is a no-brainer. It’s free to use, and for a very reasonable fee - that is guaranteed for you to get a 5-year visa if you qualify (which they will help you determine) - it will quickly clear up a lot of the confusion thanks to lots of poor interpretation and guesswork we see on the groups and forums right now!

You can get a free consultation with Issa Compass or go straight to downloading the iPhone app (Android users can just drop us a message through the website).

We love to feature nomads and what you do that can help the rest of us. Fill out this form and tell us about your thing!

POLL

We're going to float some questions pulled from Nomadicards for the next few weeks, and we'd love to hear if you have a longer-form answer to start some conversation. Click on Tell us more to, well, tell us more!

If you haven’t heard of Nomadicards, you can download a pdf set on their website, or perhaps find a deck at a nearby coliving space. Thanks to Francesco for sharing his work with nomads!

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DESTINATIONS
Are you a digital “cool”mad (it’s ok, it’s not a thing)

Part of the attraction of being a digital nomad is that we don’t follow the vacationing crowds when we don’t want to. While a lot of you are following the sun, that doesn’t mean you go to the hottest places year round - on the contrary, perhaps.

We’ve not heard of “coolcations”, but there is a trend for some demographics to shun the hot European summer spots around the Med. They’re apparently picking slightly cooler northern European spots like Estonia and Scandinavia.

CNBC got a bit deeper into this here, but watch out if you’re already nomading in these places…there might be a new wave of visitors in your secret spots!

BRAIN FOOD

Books - If you’ve a train trip planned, what better to read than a book set on a train?

Health - How old are you, really?

Watch - Are you a luxury or basics coworker? Hear from a higher-end operator.

Write - The best book-writing software, if you’re planning on penning one.

If you have any recommendations we can share here, let us know.

MAKE DIGITAL NOMAD LIFE EASIER
Resources that are actually helpful

Check out our new resources page for the longer list and a range of discounts across useful digital nomad products, services and events. Here are a few notable deals for retreats or getaways coming up:

• The legendary Nomad Cruise has only a few tickets for the June cruise left... or go big with the US-Australia cruise later this year!

• The next The Nomad World event is in the Algarve at the end of May.

• Bansko NomadFest is in June and tickets are now available. €25 off with code TDNBANSKO.

Other popular products or services right now:

• Global Nomad Pass - get deals around the world and support local businesses while you’re at it. 10% OFF with this link.

• GetNomad is a global eSIM provider. Get 10% off clicking here.

• Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

• 73% off and free months when you sign up to NordVPN with this link.

• Blotato - social media AI designed by one of AI’s big thinkers.

• SafetyWing are now their own provider of digital nomad insurance, streamlining their claim processes.

Check out new resources page, which includes resources for finding cafes to work from, VPN deals, Nomad insurance and tools and services for your business.

We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

THE LIST
An earbuds-only, best for listening list

We featured headphones in general a couple of weeks ago as it ranked high in a poll of kit you guys value the most. It had a couple of earbuds in it, but several of you said that they only use earbuds. So, here’s a list from a publication in the know of noise-cancelling earbuds:

1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds - well, they’re Bose 🤷‍♀️

2. Apple Airpods Pro 2 - incredible functionality, if you use Apple stuff

3. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds - a more affordable version of #1

4. Nothing Ear (a) - they look cool, decent quality, and not so pricey

5. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 - great for music, unsurprisingly

6. Anker Soundcore Sport X20 - great for workouts, and running through airports

See the breakdown from Rolling Stone Magazine.

TRIVIA
Where is this weird festival?

With the infamous Songkran in Thailand now over for another year, can you pick where these other festivals are located?

1. World El Colacho (Baby Jumping Festival…yes, that’s right!), June

2. International Hair Freezing Contest

3. Kanamara Matsuri (or Penis Festival to most)

4. Battle of the Oranges

5. Cheese-rolling Festival

6. Underwater Music Festival

Answers below.

COFFEE BREAK

📧 History - On this day in 1500, Brazil was discovered.

🎮 Game - Survival chess.

📺 Watch - We’ve all seen clever drone use, but this is pretty cool even for NYC.

WHAT DID YOU MISS?

If you are new to The Digital Nomad - or just want to go back and read a previous issue - then you can find them all here.

ANSWERS

1. Spain. 2. Canada. 3. Japan. 4. Italy. 5. England. 6. U.S.