/// ALL BRIEFINGS · DATED · SOURCED · DOWNSIDE-FIRST ///
NOW BOARDING: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR NEXT DESTINATION.
Nomad Desk answers the five questions of every long stay — can I go, when, how do I stay connected, what will it cost, how do I move — one briefing page per destination, plus three live tools built on real data. Updated like a departures board: when a rule changes, so does the row.
◉ INTERACTIVE · VISA CHECKER
Can I go? Check any corridor
Pick a passport and a destination. Answer is from a fixed snapshot of the open Passport Index dataset — a starting point, not legal advice.
Select a passport and destination to see the entry status. No JavaScript? The full matrix is below.
Full visa matrix — every corridor (15 destinations ×4 passports)
| DESTINATION | US | UK | CA | AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 90d | 90d | 90d | 90d |
| Portugal | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Thailand | 60d | 60d | 60d | 60d |
| Mexico | 180d | 180d | 180d | 180d |
| Spain | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Italy | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Indonesia | VOA | VOA | VOA | VOA |
| Vietnam | e-visa | 45d | e-visa | e-visa |
| Turkey | visa-free* | 90d | 90d | VOA |
| Greece | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| South Korea | 90d | 90d | 180d | 90d |
| France | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Germany | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Croatia | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S | 90d S |
| Georgia | 360d | 360d | 360d | 360d |
S = Schengen 90/180 rule · * = dataset states visa-free without a day count. As of 2025-01-12. Verify at each destination authority.
⌗ INTERACTIVE · ESIM PRICE EXPLORER
Cheapest data, by country
Airalo prices for the 12 countries we have a guide for. Click a header to sort. Prices from the Airalo feed, checked 2026-07-18.
| CHEAPEST MONTHLY PLAN | PLANS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | $1.20 | 5 GB · 30 d · $11 | 17 |
| Thailand | $0.55 | 5 GB · 30 d · $8 | 19 |
| Mexico | $0.90 | 5 GB · 30 d · $13 | 31 |
| Spain | $0.78 | 5 GB · 30 d · $9 | 18 |
| Italy | $0.70 | 5 GB · 30 d · $12 | 18 |
| Vietnam | $0.98 | 5 GB · 30 d · $11 | 18 |
| Indonesia | $0.98 | 5 GB · 30 d · $13.5 | 18 |
| Turkey | $0.69 | 5 GB · 30 d · $10 | 18 |
| United States | $0.84 | 5 GB · 30 d · $13.5 | 31 |
| United Kingdom | $0.78 | 5 GB · 30 d · $13 | 30 |
| South Korea | $0.98 | 5 GB · 30 d · $11 | 19 |
| France | $0.71 | 5 GB · 30 d · $11 | 12 |
∿ INTERACTIVE · BEST TIME BY MONTH
When should I go where?
Pick a month to see where it's prime, mixed, or worth skipping. Every verdict is pulled from that destination's own best-time briefing.
- JapanGO: MAR APR MAY OCT NOV
- BaliGO: MAY JUN SEP
- GreeceGO: MAY JUN SEP OCT
- ItalyGO: MAY SEP OCT
- Mexico CityGO: JAN NOV DEC
- PortugalGO: MAY JUN SEP OCT
- South KoreaGO: MAY JUN OCT NOV
- SpainGO: MAY SEP OCT
- TaiwanGO: JAN FEB MAR APR OCT NOV DEC
- ThailandGO: JAN FEB NOV DEC
- TurkeyGO: APR MAY SEP OCT
- VietnamGO: MAR APR
◉ NOMAD VISAS COMPARED
The four we track, side by side
Numbers match each country's nomad-visa briefing. See the nomad-visa pillar for how the routes differ.
| COUNTRY | DURATION | INCOME BAR | RENEWABLE | RESIDENCY | THE CATCH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 6 months | ¥10M / yr | No | No path | Non-renewable; no residence card, no PR route. |
| Portugal | 1 yr → residency | €3,480 / mo | Yes | Yes (D8) | Income ~4× min wage, rises yearly; 4–6 mo processing. |
| Thailand | 5 yr · 180 d/entry | THB 500,000 saved | Extendable once | No path | Not a residency path; repeated 180-day border runs. |
| Mexico | 1 yr → renew to 4 | $2,600–4,700 / mo | Yes | Temp resident | No nomad visa exists; each consulate sets the bar. |
◔ COST OF LIVING
Real monthly budgets
Solo digital-nomad budgets from our line-by-line cost briefings.
Solo; rent €1,100–1,450. Lean months near €1,500, comfortable ones past €3,000. No longer cheap Europe.
See the full budgetSolo; ~40,000–68,000 THB. Condo 12,000–35,000 THB by area; the visa line adds $50–100.
See the full budgetSolo; MXN 28,000–46,000. Roma Norte rent runs double Narvarte's, a 15-minute walk east.
See the full budget▦ ALL GUIDES · EVERY BRIEFING
52 pages, one click from here
Every published briefing, grouped by cluster. This is the whole desk.
Because travel advice rots. Visa rules, eSIM prices and budgets change monthly — so every row here carries a checked-date, links the official source, and states the catch before the pitch. Built for people who don't trust anyone paid to recommend things. Including us.
Affiliate links (eSIM, insurance, visa help) pay the bills. Verdicts are locked before partners are picked — a 4/5 stays a 4/5. Read the editorial process →