Welcome to Nomadic Nerd Travels
A companion site for my channel
There comes a point in life when you realize that "someday" has quietly become "if you're lucky."
For me, it started on a business trip to Spain.
I stayed a few extra days after work and had the chance to experience everyday life instead of rushing from one tourist attraction to the next. Somewhere along the way, a thought kept nagging at me:
Maybe there’s a better way to live.
Not a better vacation—a better life.
We weren’t about to uproot our kids while they were still growing up, but from that trip forward, I started planning for what life abroad could look like once they were on their own. It took a little time to convince my wife that I wasn’t completely crazy, and a few more years for the kids to fly the nest, but eventually the timing was right.
We sold the house, packed what mattered, and turned a long-term dream into our everyday reality.
I'm a software engineer and have worked remotely for years. That gave us something many people dream about but few take advantage of—the freedom to choose where we live instead of where we work.
After a lot of research, we chose Ecuador as our home base. It checked all the boxes that mattered to us: a straightforward path to residency, an affordable cost of living, beautiful beaches, excellent healthcare, and perhaps most importantly, the same time zone as much of the United States. I can spend my workday collaborating with colleagues in the U.S., close my laptop, and watch the sunset over the Pacific.
Today, travel isn't something we squeeze into vacation days.
It's simply our lifestyle.
We spend roughly three-quarters of the year living in Ecuador while establishing permanent residency, using it as our hub for exploring South America and beyond. The rest of the year, we're off discovering new countries, cultures, and experiences—always returning to our little beach town to recharge before the next adventure.
One thing you'll quickly learn about us is that we believe travel doesn't have to mean roughing it.
We're not luxury travelers, but we're not backpacking through hostels anymore either.
Our goal is simple: travel inexpensively without sacrificing comfort.
That means maximizing airline miles and hotel points, finding incredible business-class deals, understanding which credit cards actually provide value, and making every dollar stretch further. What started as a necessity has become one of my favorite hobbies, and I'm always experimenting with new ways to travel better for less.
You'll also find plenty about one-bag and one-and-a-half-bag travel. I love the freedom that comes from traveling light, and after enough flights, trains, buses, and border crossings, I've learned that carrying less usually means enjoying the journey more.
So what can you expect here?
This isn't just another collection of destination guides.
It's about building a life where travel becomes normal.
I'll share what works, what doesn't, the technology I use to work remotely, residency and visa experiences, airline and hotel strategies, travel gear, packing tips, healthcare abroad, budgeting, and the occasional engineering deep dive into optimizing travel with technology.
Most importantly, I'll share the mistakes so you don't have to make them yourself.
If you're dreaming about working remotely, retiring overseas, becoming a digital nomad later in life, or simply traveling smarter and more comfortably, I hope you'll find something useful here.
Welcome to Nomadic Nerd Travels.
Let's see where the next flight takes us.