An escape guide for Americans
How far can your US passport take you? Here are your options for a temporary or permanent escape.
The best books I read in 2019
To celebrate releasing the fourth edition of Moving to Canada and my 2019 Cross Border Tax Guide, here are the books I’ve found fascinating recently: Understanding Canada A History of Canada in Ten Maps It’s a challenge to find books on the history of...
Cat lady world tour
I wish I could have the tour start in San Francisco’s nascent cat museum, but alas, the fledgling museum and it’s pop-up shows seem to have fizzled out. Who’s ready to revive the project? Instead, let’s begin in Ohio. Feline Historical Museum,...
Washington DC: A digital nomad’s guide
Sure, any tourist knows what to see for a weekend in DC. But what about those of us who aren’t just any tourist? As a nomad we have time to explore, but we’re there for a lot longer than the typical tourist. While I’m free to spend an afternoon in a...
A CouchSurfer’s Guide to New York City
Sometimes the big, obvious choices are must-sees. Other times you’re better off skipping the crowds and going someplace totally weird. As a Brooklyn CouchSurfing Ambassador, I would get asked for recommendations all the time. Here are my top recommendations for what...
The ultimate guide to getting into museums for free
Forget free museum nights, go for free on your own schedule If you’re a nerd like me, museum admission fees can add up quickly. Sure, many museums have free nights. I’m sure they’re a lot of fun in some cities, but in places like New York or Toronto...
5 NYC tourist attractions you will never visit
Every time some article promises to share some hidden NYC attraction my ears perk up. And it’s just about always somewhere that requires some serious connections (or spy skills) to access. Let’s agree to stop pretending these are places tourists can go....
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn: What it’s like to actually live there
What it’s really like to live in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn New York, USA A small town in a big city The first time I stepped off the subway and walked into Ditmas Park…I was so confused. Where was I? Where had the city gone? I had no idea that Brooklyn had...
Windsor Terrace & Kensington, Brooklyn: What it’s like to actually live there
What it’s really like to live in Windsor Terrace & Kensington, Brooklyn New York, USA Family friendly neighborhoods in the city These two neighborhoods are both literally and metaphorically half way between Park Slope and Ditmas Park. It feels less like the...
NYC’s best places to work remotely (that aren’t a coffee shop)
I’m always on the lookout for spaces that are friendly to remote workers that aren’t just another coffee shop. In New York especially, it seems like every time I’m back another coffee shop has disabled their wifi to discourage squatters. It can be...
Chicago’s North Side: A digital nomad’s guide
Chicago is one of those cities I’ve been to dozens of time, but didn’t feel like I really knew at all until this past trip. I’d been there for conferences and road trips, but each time it was too short to get a real feel for the city. I spent two...
Birmingham, Alabama: A digital nomad guide
None of my friends could quite understand why I decided to go to Birmingham, Alabama. The only thing we remembered about Birmingham from school was the civil rights movement — which hardly makes it sound like a great place for a digital nomad to land. Birmingham...
The Tesla World Tour
It’s difficult to imagine what the world would be like without Nikola Tesla. He’s one of the most famous scientists who ever lived and has over 300 patents. His inventions power our lives, yet he died penniless and alone. Living in hotels all of his adult life, he...
My time with Jesus People, USA
My experience with JPUSA (Juhpoozah) started with a search on CouchSurfing. Jane had so many references, wrote a bunch of books, has gone on epic bike trips, and lives in an intentional community. Obviously, I wanted to stay with her. Sure, I may be traveling in my...
NYC’s nerdiest day trips
Want to get out of New York? Here are my favorite spots to nerd out in the tri-state area. The Edison Museum What can I add when TMBG has it covered? Although you’ll be lucky if it’s as quiet as they lead you to believe. You can even walk there from NJ...
How to find a sublet in New York City
In an era before AirBnB I was a habitual subletter. I managed to live in New York for seven years without ever signing a lease, hopping from one sublet to another and crashing with friends (or my parents) in-between. Finding a sublet in New York is more difficult than...
The best places to stay in NYC
Choosing a neighborhood to stay in for your time in New York is intimidating. New York City is huge…and expensive. If you find a great deal on a room in Midtown, by all means, book it! But be warned that if it’s cheap it’s probably microscopic,...
The toxic history of Niagara Falls, NY
Niagara Falls has millions of visitors every year, yet the cities it connects are full of poverty, crime, and desperation. Most people want to hear about the falls themselves, death defying adventures and amazing engineering. Or they want to know the best spot to eat...
Why you should stay in Jersey City when you’re in NYC
If you’re looking at that picture above and thinking it doesn’t quite look like New York, you’re right. That’s Jersey City. So many maps of New York City leave New Jersey off the map. It’s given many New Yorkers the idea that...
Red Bank, NJ: A perfect day trip
So many of the things I thought were cool as a high schooler haven’t aged so well. Just about everything. Somehow, Red Bank is still one of my favorite spots to spend a Saturday. Back in the oh so charming town of Red Bank New Jersey tonight. This place has...
Baltimore in a day
Baltimore is a pretty unique city. It’s the last real affordable city in America. It’s got a fantastic walkable downtown core, a bustling streetscape, solid transit connections, and great architecture. They call it charm city for a reason. Except for when they don’t....
Why you want the Mobile Passport app
US Customs and Border protection is getting hip with #mobilepasport, their Mobile Passport app. If you don’t travel enough for a trusted traveler program to be worth it (it’s always worth it, but to each his own) and you live in one of these cities, Mobile...
How to win the US Green Card lottery
You’ve probably heard of the green card lottery, officially called the Diversity Visa Program(DV). Each year, the US invites 50k people from countries with low rates of immigration to the US to apply for permanent resident (PR) status. Each year’s green card lottery...
Actually everything I’m packing for 52 days
Today we leave Toronto for 52 days in Europe and North America. We aim to travel as light as possible without suffering. Since we’ll both be working, certain things aren’t optional. I’m not bringing an external mouse, which I might regret. I grabbed...
