After what feels like a decade of pushed-back warnings, the “Real ID” requirements are now a reality at US airports as of today. A passport works fine and all states are now compliant with new drivers’ licenses issued, but if your license is old enough, you may not have the little gold star in a corner showing you’re good to go. So that piece of plastic won’t cut it for domestic flights anymore. You’ll need to obtain a separate ID with better security or renew your license to update. See the details here.

Conferences for Remote Workers and Owners

I’m currently attending the Dynamite Circle Mexico conference in Playa del Carmen, a get-together for remote-first companies and entrepreneurs. They also run one in Bangkok each year and various regional ones organized by locals. I’m rubbing shoulders with quite a few millionaires at this one but there are more casual options filled with solopreneurs like the Bansko Nomad Fest in June that I’ve attended twice, the Nomad Cruise Summit at Sea, and Nomad Summit (next one in Chiang Mai in January).

South From Cancun by Train

To get to Playa del Carmen for this event I’m at, I got back on the Maya Train to ride a section of it that wasn’t open when I was in the area a year ago. There’s a free shuttle from the Cancun airport to the nearby train station, then a pleasant train ride of less than an hour that avoids the swarms of tourist and worker traffic on the main highway between the two places. The fare is around $12. The one big drawback is that the Playa del Carmen train station is way out of town and requires a bus ride (another 3 bucks) to get into the city itself. You can also only buy tickets a week out or sooner at the official website. The train continues on down to Tulum and Bacalar Lagoon.

Digital Nomad Visa Income Requirements

How much income do you need to show to qualify for a digital nomad visa? According to this rundown for Europe, you may need to prove as little as €1,220 per month in Finland, but €7,075 in Iceland. Most are €5K or less, based on some multiple of the local minimum wage, not actual living costs—it’ll cost you far more than that income requirement to live in Finland. The best combo of low requirements and low costs is Montenegro, included in my book about living abroad for less, but with a monthly requirement of €1,400. In bargain-priced Albania the requirement is only €9,800 per year.

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