Travel Gadget Organizer/Residency by Investment/Bizarre Burmese City
Nomadico issue #144
A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.
An Inexpensive Travel Organizer
When I first started using an organizer pouch with pockets for my cables, plugs, and chargers, I noticed I had a lot fewer “Where did I put my ___?” frustrations on the road. I use it for adapters, power banks, a portable mouse, and more. The one I’ve had for 12 years is falling apart though so I picked up this Bagsmart organizer for less than 10 bucks. The 2-sided one is enough for me, but there’s also a thicker version with more pockets for a few dollars more.
Thailand Legalizes Same-sex Marriage
Last year Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to announce it would legalize same-sex marriage and last month the first ceremonies began. There are still some hurdles to overcome for these couples to fully gain equal rights, but it’s a welcome move from only the third Asian nation to do so, after Taiwan and Nepal.
A Clear Investment Path to Residency in Europe
While other European countries have walked back their “golden visa” program that brought in foreign real estate investment, Greece has formalized their residency by investment program in a way that is more likely to make all sides satisfied. It has set up a tiered structure where Athens and overtouristed islands like Mykonos require an investment of 800K euros. For islands that could really use the influx of cash, however, the required investment is 400K euros. Plus there’s a lower 250K provision for commercial renovations, like converting an abandoned warehouse for residential use. See the details here.
A Lawless New City on the Burma Border
Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for a bizarre long read from reporting by a BBC writer invited on a press junket to…a newly built city in the middle of nowhere. It has risen from empty fields in a non-governed part of Myanmar on the Thai border, developed by a Chinese criminal now sitting in a Thai jail. It’s apparently a center for telemarketing crypto scams and illegal gambling, with security and worker kidnapping provided by a Burmese crime warlord. Definitely the strangest travel article I’ve read this year. (Found via Future Southeast Asia)
02/20/25
