How to settle in, anywhere, fast

After digital nomading since 2019 and living in 12 states, I’ve come up with a system that makes it much easier to get settled into a new location. It saves me a few days when I first arrive (and am most likely tired and stressed from the flight and TSA/customs abuse).

How to do this for a given location should be reusable public information, but I’m not aware yet of a good place to host it online at scale (DN World seems to be the closest), so for now, here is the methodology.

Decide what matters most to you when you move somewhere

Come up with a set of questions that are relevant to you when you move somewhere. Here’s my current set:

1. What is the best area for me in that place? Here, describe what you’re looking for. Some examples:
   • “authentic” vs. “cosmopolitan” feel — in most “authentic” areas you won’t meet many other DNs or expats, but costs tend to be lower
   • walkability vs. quietness. For example in Medellin there was a very quiet, safe and upscale area (Loma Verde), but it wasn’t as close to shops, gyms and restaurants as El Poblado. On the other hand, El Poblado can be very noisy at night.
   • nightlife vs. access to good gyms — in Cancun if you want cosmopolitan nightlife, the only option is the Hotel Zone, but it has no good gyms; those are found in downtown, 15–25 minutes drive. A car drive or messing with the public transit can be serious hindrances to going to the gym daily if that’s a goal you have.
   • do you need a coworking space within walking distance?
2. What are the transportation options? If public transit is inefficient, Uber works in many, but not all places, and there are often cheaper or faster local alternatives (e.g. Bolt in Europe, Lyft in the US). In some places (Silicon Valley, for example), Uber is so ridiculously expensive that you’re better off renting a car. For longer term, Look at Turo, Rentamile, or local rental car options, including through Uber/Lyft/Careem/other local rideshare providers, but have parking cost and difficulty in mind.
3. What are the e-commerce options? What’s the local Amazon equivalent?
4. What are the restrictions on shipping (e.g. need the local equivalent of a Social Security Number in Brazil) and how can you bypass them? (e.g. deliver to an office/coworking space/hotel/fellow nomad/acquaintance)
5. What’s the groceries situation? Local grocery stores, vs. deliveries. What can be delivered? Some cities have delivery services (e.g. Postmates, Deliveroo, Rappi) that can bring you anything from a given store, which makes your location a bit more flexible.
6. If you’re on any diet, or just pay attention to what you eat, what is the organic/healthy/upscale/vegan grocery store chain (think Whole Foods or Trade Joe’s vs. 7–11 or Wal-Mart in the US)?
7. Where can you find specialty products youneed? Random examples:
   • kale (very hard to find in Bucharest or Rio de Janeiro)
   • protein powder and other gym supplements (surprisingly hard to find in Medellin)
   • string cheese (again, surprisingly hard to find in Medellin)
   • ready-prep healthy meals, e.g. minimally processed meat without nitrites and nitrates (uncommon in Bucharest, vs. anywhere in the US)
8. In that general area, what are the top 1 or 2 hospitals that aren’t tourist traps? You hopefully won’t need this information, but better be prepared than scramble finding a good hospital in an emergency.

Then, get answers

Many of these questions can be answered with the help of free online resources like Google Maps, and nomad sites:

• NomadList — overview, demographics, cost of living
• Digital Nomad World — has city guides
• HoodMap — neighborhood maps, often tongue-in-cheek or obscene, but useful to figure out the good/bad areas. Example: Medellin
• Agoda —start booking an accommodation in a city, and it will suggest popular neighborhoods and what makes them so (e.g. “foodie heaven” or “nightlife”
• Kayak has a neighborhood heat map.
• Google Maps colors light orange areas with high foot traffic.

You can also find locals who can answer these questions. Where?
• the local Facebook groups, but if you have a lot of questions, that might be too much to ask all at once
• pay a virtual assistant in your target location via Upwork, Fiverr, or a similar freelance site, to answer all your questions at once.

That’s basically it! Do you have any other tips? Leave them in the comments below!