Georgia Travel Guide

Value: 5/5

Livability: 3/5

Nightlife: 2/5

While a popular tourist destination among Russians and Turks, many Westerners are not very familiar with Georgia. The country is located in the Caucasus region, tucked between Russia and Turkey. Georgia has an extremely liberal border, allowing citizens from most nations to enter without a visa and stay for an entire year straight at a time.
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Bratislava, Slovakia Travel Guide

Value: 3.75/5

Livability: 3/5

Nightlife: 2/5

Bratislava is only a 1 hour train ride for Vienna, and worth a weekend visit. The city’s old town can easily be explored in just one day. The city primarily only has nightlife on the weekends, being pretty quiet in the evenings during the week. While Bratislava is nowhere near as magnificent as Prague, its lack of rowdy tourists is a plus. Continue reading

Tirana, Albania Travel Guide

Value:  5/5

Livability: 2.5/5

Nightlife: 2/5

Tirana is city which is definitely off the beaten path for most travelers. However, if you desire to visit, it is reachable via buses departing from Macedonia and Kosovo. Tirana is a very affordable city, and I was able to rent a magnificent 2 bedroom apartment for the week that my friend and I spent there. I knew Tirana was not going to be like most other cities, when a waiter in a restaurant asked if I wanted some cocaine to go along with my cappuccino, and then was surprised when I told him that I only wanted coffee. Clearly the business of this particular establishment was not limited to the culinary arts. However, that cappuccino may very well been the best I have ever tasted. Continue reading

Top 5 Cities in Eastern Europe for Digital Nomads

As a digital nomad, location independence allows one to optimize their cost of living by moving to a new location. But not all cities are ideal for those who are looking to live cheaply while building a new online business. However, Eastern Europe provides many locations where one’s income can go a long way. This list is based on the places where a person can get the most for their money when it comes to affording a good quality of life. Factors taken into consideration include the cost of rent, food and a night out, as well as how comfortable a city it is to live in and its overall vibe.
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Saint Petersburg, Russia Travel Guide

Value: 3/5

Livability: 4/5

Nightlife: 4/5

Saint Petersburg is the most “European” of Russian cities; architecturally looking a bit like Paris, while its canals will remind one of Amsterdam. The city’s deep underground metro lines span great distances to connect the city center with its suburbs. The metro costs about 50 US cents per ride, and during rush hour arrives as frequently as once every minute. The cities affordability to travelers has risen considerably in recent years because of the depreciation of the local currency. Continue reading

Moscow, Russia Travel Guide

Value: 2/5

Livability: 3.5/5

Nightlife: 3/5

I visited Moscow for a week in December, and experienced the famous Russian winter. It was colder than -20 degrees Fahrenheit some evenings, temperatures at which my cell phone and other electronics decided that they would quit working. It quickly became clear to me why both Napoleon and the Nazis had issues. Continue reading

How to Leverage Currency Exchange Rates to Live Like a King.

The English economist Adam Smith wrote in his 1776 book The Wealth of Nations:

 

“Every man is rich or poor according to the degree in which he can afford to enjoy the necessaries, conveniences, and amusements of human life.”

 

While the obvious translation of this is that the more that you can afford, the richer you are, one does not necessarily need to earn more money to become richer. Instead, one could simply place themselves in an environment where they can more easily afford the necessaries, conveniences, and amusements of human life. Continue reading

How to Study in Germany Tuition Free

As an American, I completed my entire Master’s Degree in Germany tuition free. Actually, if you count the fact that I was awarded an academic scholarship after my first semester, then I was literally paid to study in Germany. My classmates included international students from China, Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico, Egypt, Ethiopia, Romania and Russia. Many of whom also were on scholarships which covered their living costs for the entire duration of their studies, plus airfare. Continue reading

How to Best Protect, Manage and Access your Money While Traveling Abroad

In this article I am going to explain how I maximize security and eliminate fees when accessing my funds while traveling abroad. By linking a PayPal account with both my primary savings/checking account and a separate Charles Schwab checking account, I eliminate a single point of failure from leaving me stranded somewhere. You can open both PayPal and Charles Schwab accounts free of charge.
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Pristina and Prizren, Kosovo Travel Guide

Value: 5/5

Livability: 2.5/5

Nightlife: 2/5

Kosovo is one of the world’s newest countries (that is, if your nation recognizes it). The citizens of its largest cities (Pristina and Prizren) are primarily Albanian, and thus Albanian is the language spoken in these cities. However, if you venture to some of the mountain villages, you will hear the people speaking a dialect of the Serbo-Croatian language. Continue reading

Lviv, Ukraine Travel Guide

Value: 5/5

Livability: 4/5

Nightlife: 3/5

If you live in the the city center, Lviv is a completely walk-able city. I personally love living in a city where everything can be reached by foot or frequently running public transportation. Lviv is also a very cheap place to live. It will be hard to find another city in Europe where you can get as much bang for your buck. Continue reading

Budapest, Hungary Travel Guide

Value: 4/5

Livability: 3/5

Nightlife: 4/5

Budapest was once two separate cities split by the Danube river. I recommend staying on the “Pest” side of the city, since it is not only cheaper, but also where all the nightlife and attractions are. However, I do recommend visiting the Buda side, and climbing up its hillside so that you can get a view of the Pest side from across the river, such like the one shown in the photo below. Continue reading

Vilnius, Lithuania Travel Guide

Value: 3.5/5

Livability: 3/5

Nightlife: 2.5/5

Rank wise, Vilnius falls in the middle between its sister Baltic cities: Riga and Tallinn. While Vilnius has a small city feel like Tallinn, it is not as charming. While its low prices are similar to those in Riga, the nightlife is a full point lower. Thus if you are only choosing one destination to visit in the Baltic states, I would not recommend that it be Vilnius. Vilnius does not excel enough in one area to compensate for its lack in others. However, if you are passing by, its still worth checking out. Continue reading

Skopje, Macedonia Travel Guide

Value: 5/5

Livability: 2.5/5

Nightlife: 2/5

Skopje is like a miniaturized Belgrade with a bit of Las Vegas and Disney World thrown in. Either in an attempt to define their cultural identity, or perhaps done solely to embezzle money, the government has built a comical amount of statues and monuments around the city. The biggest statue being that of Alexander the Great in the city center next to a dancing water fountain. Continue reading