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Balancing the desire for a fulfilling life abroad with the financial realities and career opportunities in the US requires careful planning and a focus on personal priorities.
The host, Alex, is back in California after living in Southeast Asia for a couple of years, specifically nine months in the Philippines and a year in Thailand. He has secured a new job offer in California, which he sees as a crucial step to stop depleting his savings and to work towards his long-term goal of returning to Southeast Asia. He shares his current living situation, renting a room for $750 a month including utilities, and reflects on the economic differences between the US and Southeast Asia, noting that the US is not what it used to be economically.
Alex discusses the appeal of Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines, highlighting their cultural aspects, convenience, and social atmosphere. He contrasts this with the US, which he describes as a 'live to work' culture where social life can be limited by the need to constantly work. He shares his personal experience of living on approximately $800 a month in Dumaguete, Philippines, while acknowledging that other cities like Manila or Cebu offer a higher standard of living. He emphasizes the importance of visiting different parts of a country before deciding to move, as preferences vary greatly.
The conversation touches upon various aspects of living abroad and returning to one's home country, including financial planning, career stability, and personal well-being. Alex mentions the stress associated with independence and responsibility in the US, contrasting it with the strong community support he felt in the Philippines. He also discusses future career considerations, noting the rise of AI and the potential need for universal basic income, and suggests that healthcare professions like nursing offer more stability than the tech industry. He expresses a desire to continue creating content for his channel while working, aiming to eventually return to Southeast Asia permanently through media work.
When comparing the US and Southeast Asia, the US offers greater long-term career and financial opportunities, crucial for stability. Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Thailand, provides a more relaxed culture and potentially lower living costs but may lack the same economic advantages. The choice depends heavily on personal priorities and lifestyle preferences.
Generally, living in Southeast Asia can be significantly cheaper than in the US, especially in cities like Dumaguete, Philippines, where costs can be around $800 per month. While the US offers better career prospects, the cost of living, including housing, is considerably higher. This economic difference is a major factor for many considering a move.
Southeast Asia often fosters a more social and community-oriented lifestyle, contrasting with the US's tendency towards a 'live to work' culture and potential isolation. The Philippines, for example, offers strong social connections, while the US might prioritize individual career advancement. Personal preferences, such as being introverted or extroverted, greatly influence which lifestyle is more suitable.
Financial planning is absolutely crucial for anyone considering living abroad, especially with long-term goals like returning to Southeast Asia permanently. Disciplined saving and strategic career moves are essential to avoid depleting savings, particularly when the home country's job market is challenging. It ensures you can maintain your desired lifestyle and achieve future aspirations.
The US generally provides more robust and stable career opportunities and financial prospects compared to Southeast Asia. While Southeast Asia offers a different quality of life, the US job market is often seen as more secure for long-term career growth. Fields like healthcare are considered more stable than tech due to advancements like AI.
The Philippines offers a strong sense of community and social connection, which can be a significant benefit for those seeking a less isolating environment than the US. The cost of living can also be considerably lower, allowing for a comfortable lifestyle on a more modest budget. It provides a cultural experience that many find enriching and fulfilling.
Alex shares that he was able to live on approximately $800 a month in Dumaguete, Philippines. He notes that other cities like Manila or Cebu might offer a higher standard of living. It's important to visit different areas as preferences vary greatly.
Alex is currently renting a room in California for $750 a month, which includes utilities. He mentions this as part of his new living situation after returning from Southeast Asia.
Alex reflects that the US is not what it used to be economically. He contrasts the 'live to work' culture in the US with the more relaxed and social atmosphere found in places like Southeast Asia.
0:20 Hey, what's up everybody? Feel free to jump in. I'm just going to do Q&A type stuff and give everybody a fall update. I'm back here in California and just signed a job offer. Should be starting later this week and just enjoying the fall weather. It's nice to be back in California and I'm looking forward to having that normal day-to-day schedule again.
0:57 Yeah, great question, Trucker. So, I'm actually renting a room right now and it's a solid place to live in a good neighborhood and it's economical. My rent is 750 per month including utilities. So, I don't have to pay additional on top of that for utilities. That includes electric and water. And my landlord roommate has a really nice kitchen, so I can actually cook a lot more. And it's not too far from work, like 15 to 20 minutes from work.
1:41 Yeah. So, I'm without trying to get too specific on my location, you know, I'm not right on the coast. But still, California, still very fortunate to be getting paid what I'm going to be getting paid. Which will help me to eventually return to Southeast Asia. That's a long-term goal of mine. I enjoyed over there a lot.
2:10 I think what I learned on this stint was that it's not perfect. But nowhere is perfect and you have really have to figure out what's best for you. I think overall I'm enjoying life over there more. There's a lot of things that I enjoy here, but part of it's cultural, part of its economics. I think the US isn't what it used to be as far as the economy goes.
2:42 And I don't know. I think the thing I miss the most is just having time to socialize. It's a cultural thing, but it's also economical where here, even if you're successful, you're kind of limited to hang out with other people, but you have to work all the time. So I just enjoy having more free time.
3:06 What was your average monthly cost in the Philippines? I think I spent probably like 800 a month in Dumaguete, but I had a great deal on an apartment. I found I had a friend of mine hook me up with a really great apartment at a very reasonable price. And that, you know, there's visa fees built into that, food costs built into that.
3:28 I could have gone up from there. But, you know, part of it was trying to figure out, can I live here? And I think that if you're living in Southeast Asia, you shift from tourist mode to like more normal day-to-day life. I could have spent more than that. I think I probably could have had a more comfortable life in some ways on a higher amount, but I think Dumaguete is like more of a budget-friendly city.
3:53 Where if you're looking to live a higher standard, you want to look at like Manila, Cebu, Davao.
4:06 Let's see here. Where are you intending to live in Southeast Asia, sir? Mr. Dave, I always go back to Thailand. Thailand for me has a good mix of like convenience factor, infrastructure, culture. Also, I just really enjoy Thai culture. It's not that any of the other ones are not as good. That's just like I've been to almost every country in Southeast Asia and that's the one that I find is a good fit for me.
4:35 Like Malaysia as well and I enjoy the Philippines too. But I think that I'm more introverted. This is really one of the biggest things is I'm just more of an introvert. And in the Philippines, I think it's more oriented toward really outgoing and social people. So, I think that's like a big factor.
5:04 Yeah. So, I lived in Southeast Asia for a couple of years and I recently came back here to California to work. So I'm living in California actually, but previously spent about nine months in the Philippines and about a year in Thailand.
5:21 No, I'm not. I don't think I'm with my roommates. They're pretty decent and yeah, I've had some strange Airbnb experiences. I don't blame you, Trucker.
5:36 No, here actually I met this landlord or like roommate situation through my channel. So somebody had watched my channel, watched my interviews with some other people and they said, "Hey, I've got like a room for rent and I can also help you get started in your preferred career."
6:00 It's all good. Trucker. Yeah, Trucker is great, guys. If anybody hasn't seen his channel, go check it out. He does like this interesting kind of combination channel where he shows his life as a driver in the US and then he also does really extensive travels in the Philippines where his lady and his son live. So, he's got this kind of interesting combo life.
6:27 I talked about and I really should talk about it more that if you're like a young guy, which Trucker is, or let's say atypical for expat life, you can there's careers you can do that have more flexibility where you do part of the year in the States or Australia, wherever your western home country is. I'm assuming because I'm speaking English, that you're from Canada, Australia, UK, one of those countries.
6:56 Maybe like New Zealand. And then the other part of the year you live in your preferred destination. I think this channel is focused on Southeast Asia or at least that's where I've spent a lot of time abroad. So you get the best of both worlds where you're still earning, you're still saving money, you're still paying into social security, but then you also get part of the year in a more relaxed culture, just more kind of fun-loving, easier going, more work to live rather than live to work like the US seems to be.
7:28 A very live to work place. People spend a lot of time just grinding away and they don't spend so much time focused on relationships. I don't know that it was always this way, but that's the way it seems to be today.
7:44 Yeah, Mr. Dave. So, as far as my job, I'm just going to keep that on the DL because I don't know who's watching this or who will watch the replay. But yeah, that's just something I don't want to share at this point. I may change my mind. I get more settled into career and feel more confident about it.
8:01 But it's something I just want to keep on the DL for right now. Let's see.
8:07 Oh, no, Trucker, you're not wrong, man. I've stayed with some crazy people in the past. I've had some oddball roommates. One roommate in particular posted adult materials all over the walls. He would walk around in his underwear. He was a real oddball, to say the least. And that's, yeah, that was probably one of my more extreme roommate situations, but that was in college about 12 years ago.
8:33 After that, I got my own apartment. I made enough money working in college, I was just like, I'll just pay the extra money and get my own place.
8:44 But yeah, let's see. Jared asks, "You're living off savings in Asia?" Yeah, so I got a severance, Jared, from a layoff at my tech job, and I used that money to go to Asia. I expected to get back to working in a shorter time than what actually happened in reality.
8:59 But yeah, I had substantial savings built up and still do. I think some people implied that I came back to America because I was totally destitute. That's not the case. Actually, I intended to stay like a year in Southeast Asia. I ended up staying two.
9:16 And then I was like, "Okay, I'm bored. And if I want to move here long-term, I need to be sustainable financially." So, every year I spend here now is tacking a year on to meeting to work and to make money. I think that I could move back there permanently in like 10ish years. And that's being more financially savvy and planning things out and not having to come back.
9:38 That's living far below my means here in the United States, working hard at my job, like trying to work as much as I can to get promotions or just stay in the good graces of my employer and also just provide value for them. It's not a great economy and I think employees have to be extra careful about how they operate at work and just making sure to do everything I can to meet my end of the bargain because it's I'm so happy to get a job offer because the economy is not good right now.
10:11 And so to get an offer where I can stop burning through savings is really a relief. I'm not in an emergency situation, but it's still, I think it's never a good feeling anyway here in America where it's very expensive.
10:28 Let's see. What up, bro? Hey, Ron. Good to see you. Welcome. Welcome. Good to see you. When you travel again, are you in California?
10:36 I don't quite understand. MK Mobile Gaming in the Philippines. When are you coming back to the Philippines? That's a good question, MK. It might be a while. I've got a lot of work to do. I haven't worked in gosh, like two years, like almost two and a half years. So, for me, I need to save for a while. I need to make plans for a while.
10:58 I actually will continue to work on this channel because I think I can keep growing it here in the States. I see with a guy like Trucker, you know, even though he goes back and forth, he doesn't stop his channel. So, he makes his content whether he's in the States or he's in the Philippines. And I think people would enjoy it.
11:14 I got a lot more outreach when I stopped posting for a few months. Hey, you should make videos, including from Trucker. But also people in general just reaching out to me, hey, are you going to make more videos? And so that's why I decided, why don't I just keep posting observations, thoughts, things.
11:34 I've got a ton of I've got three or four.
11:37 I've got a ton of videos I filmed that I haven't uploaded. So, one of my plans for the weekend is to try to film at least five or six videos to release during the week when I'm at work. Because with winter coming, by the time I get off work, it may be dark outside, and I prefer natural lighting if I can help it for my videos.
11:55 For my streams, I'm a little bit more forgiving, but for my regular videos, I kind of like a certain quality threshold there. When I'm coming back, maybe next year, I'm not 100% certain, but I do miss the Philippines. I miss my friends there.
12:13 I've been chatting with some friends in the Philippines today, and I find Filipino people to be charming. I enjoy my time there a lot; it's a very beautiful country for sure.
12:30 Kevin Chucker says, "I like your high agency people phrase. I'm using that one now. I say stuff like they were low agency establishment people couldn't think outside the box." Yeah, I think people really have to take charge and take responsibility. They need to operate on the premise that they have control over things, not in a controlling or manipulative way, but more so owning it. Like, 'I made a bad decision, I own that bad decision,' not, 'Ah, it was somebody else's fault.'
12:57 I've got a video I'll preview for you guys where I talk about how some expats pull the 'I'm invisible' card. I talk about how that's a low agency way of thinking. What about working on your social skills, your finances, or your relationships with other people? That implies your relationships are out of your control, but I think people have a lot of input as to who they spend time with and how much time they spend with them.
13:30 I appreciate that a lot. I think that's where you get successful creative types; they take charge. If you guys, there's 12 watching, if you could give a thumbs up, that would be super helpful.
13:44 Let's see. When are you traveling again? I'm going to try to go for next year, we'll see how that works. It depends on how much vacation time I'm able to build up and how much money I'm able to save.
13:56 Actually, my landlord roommate is planning to sell this house in six months to a year, so this was kind of a landing pad. I'll be needing to find an apartment here in town, which is fine. It'll be more expensive, I think, but it'll be within budget. I'll have the job income coming in, and YouTube income will continue to come in.
14:21 I may even decide to purchase a home in this area. That's something else I've been thinking about because that would give me a base here in the US. Even if I want to travel, I could rent it out for a while and live abroad, and have it as a landing pad if I want to come back and work for a while or do something where I work half the year and travel half the year, kind of like Trucker does.
14:49 Jared says, "I think a lot of foreigners regret moving to the Philippines." I tend to disagree, Jared, only because I think people don't do their research and they don't travel around. So, with some of the people that might regret moving to the Philippines, they don't visit different parts of the Philippines, right? They go to one city and that's it, and if that doesn't work out, it was terrible.
15:14 It's like I think a person should travel around. They should visit Manila, Cebu, Davao, and then medium-sized cities like Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, maybe smaller cities like Dumaguete. Then they get a sense of what it's like to live in these different places because there's something for many different types of people in the Philippines.
15:38 I think people need to visit before they move because then they can find out if it's the right fit for them or not. I don't think the Philippines is for everybody, but I don't think any place is for everybody.
15:57 David says, "What's the haps? What have you been doing?" Mostly, Dave, I've been focused on trying to get this new job started and doing a lot of different things for that. I had some appointments related to that this week.
16:14 I did a road trip cross-country, which took about 10 days. I stopped by my storage unit and tried to throw out and clear some stuff. I'm going to try to hopefully get rid of that by next year; that might also dampen my travel plans because I need to get rid of that storage unit, which is costing me a lot.
16:40 I don't want to be paying that monthly fee that's just chewing up my income. What else? You know, just getting acquainted with this new area I'm in, trying to figure out my way around town.
17:07 Ron, what's the best Southeast Asian country? I tend to think it differs based on the individual. If we're talking about economy, Singapore would technically be the most developed. If we're talking about hospitality and friendly people, the Philippines is up there. If you're super into dining and cuisine, Thailand is probably up there; Malaysia's pretty good too.
17:37 It depends on what you're looking for, what your preferences are, what you prioritize. For some people, they really prioritize spending time with other people, and beaches and that kind of thing. In that regard, the Philippines is a great fit. If you are concerned about healthcare, Thailand has really great healthcare.
18:05 But I think it really just depends on you and what your preferences are. Thailand was the first country in Southeast Asia I ever visited, and I think I'll always have a soft spot for it because of that. They also have an easy retirement visa situation, which is another thing that's really appealing about Thailand.
18:27 If I work for the next 20 years and retire in my early to mid-50s, then Thailand would be great for that. But it's good to visit them all, right? I think part of what helped educate my decision or make me think through things is I visited almost all the countries in Southeast Asia.
18:49 I haven't visited Myanmar; it's not safe right now, unfortunately. Haven't visited Laos; I just haven't gotten around to it. It's definitely on my radar. Probably my next trip to Southeast Asia, I'd like to include Laos. And then Brunei is just really small; it's not necessarily... I don't know that they even have like a retirement visa or the normal kind of visa situations that I'd be using.
19:18 Hey Paulo, good to see you. Welcome. Yeah, I hope to see you again someday in the Philippines. I really had a great connection with a lot of people in the Philippines, and I still talk to some Filipino friends all the time, every week. People are messaging me and asking me how things are going, and I'm trying to keep to myself how much I miss the Philippines.
19:41 Because, you know, it can be a bit melancholy to be in the US where life is... there's a lot of wonderful things about the US, but the social climate in the Philippines, I've never felt lonely a single day there. I had so many different friends to hang out with and people to connect with, and that's something that's just hard to find here in the US.
20:09 There's other things that are nice about the US, but the Philippines, it's a wonderful place. Fortunately, one of my roommates is Filipino. I'll respect his privacy, but that's something kind of nice that reminds me of my time over there. And I think I'll be working with some Filipino people, so that'll be really cool too, to just hang out with them.
20:41 I know that they miss the Philippines too, so we kind of have that shared experience of having spent time over there and being here. We're very fortunate to have access to the US economy and all the opportunities it provides, but it can also be kind of lonely over here, just to be honest. I think most Americans have felt lonely at one time or another just due to the social climate.
21:04 The Philippines can grow on you in time. I agree, Ron. There's something endearing about a lot of Filipino people. There's a warmth, kindness, generosity, and inclusivity of a lot of the people there that is harder to find in the world. It reminds me of America when I was a kid, where people were more socially connected.
21:39 That's what I think a lot of Americans like about the Philippines: the people are very welcoming and not judgmental. I felt like people wanted me to be in their groups, and I got invited to fiestas, get-togethers, and barbecues. I reflect on my time there positively in a lot of ways.
22:07 What do you think of college? Is it a good thing or bad? It's another one of those...
22:11 It depends. If you're going to a name-brand college or for a good discipline where you're going to get a marketable skill, it's good. If you're going for something that's not marketable and you're going to a no-name university, it's bad. A lot of people fall somewhere in the middle. I went to not a well-known university and I didn't really study anything super valuable, so I probably should have gone to a better university or chosen a different discipline, or both.
22:39 I am looking at going back for nursing here locally. I thought about going back in the Philippines, but here I can work and cover my bills, where in the Philippines I'm not permitted to work. So, I wouldn't be able to work to cover that. Plus, here I could get a CNA and get some experience before becoming an RN, as opposed to going straight to RN.
23:02 Also, in the Philippines, I just find it hard to focus. I mean, people are so nice and inclusive and fun-loving that I just find it's harder to get my responsibilities handled there. Because I'm looking forward to the social element, where here I don't really have as much of a social life, so it's easier to focus, right?
23:23 The US is built for industry and like getting things done. I think the Philippines is more oriented toward having fun and spending time with people that you care about.
23:38 Feel free to chime in with any questions or thoughts you have. I just thought I'd do kind of a Q&A about what it's like being independent and responsible. It's stressful.
23:50 It can be very stressful in the United States. I think that it's kind of an atomized society. People feel very isolated here; a lot of people, not everybody, but a lot of people feel very isolated and very stressed out, kind of like an Army of One. You don't really feel like you get a lot of support.
24:17 There are a lot of people, I think, who feel like they don't really get a lot of support. You could cultivate that if you go to a church, if you're part of a community group or something like that. But then I think a lot of people are skeptical of churches and community groups, so it's very difficult.
24:32 In the Philippines, I always had somebody to talk to. Often had people willing to help me out, and people would stop on the side of the road and offer to give me a ride home. I had people invite me to get-togethers. So, there are some advantages here in the US, but it can be an isolating life.
24:55 What's your honest opinion on Charlie Kirk? I try to steer away from politics on this channel, but I think any kind of situation like that is tragic, unnecessary, and unfortunate. I'm keeping his family in my thoughts because I know what it's like to grow up without parents, and it's very stressful and difficult.
25:23 I just keep them in my thoughts and I hope, in spite of the dramatic tragedy in their lives, that people rally around them and try to support and help out as much as they can. I don't celebrate anybody suffering like that, and I don't care what politics they're involved in or not involved in.
25:50 I just think it's really sad. It's unfortunate in the United States that this is becoming more commonplace, and it's a big reason a lot of people want to move abroad because they see things like this. It's just very tragic.
26:09 Would you go to Africa? Probably not for a while because the main problem with Africa is the expense. There's kind of a misnomer that Africa is cheap; most of the desirable places to go in Africa can actually be quite expensive. Like I visited Morocco three years ago, and my hotel was $50 a night. Meals were easily $10-$15 a piece.
26:40 There's not really much street food. I saw some snails that were street food, but that's not really my preference to eat. So, yeah, it's expensive. I'm not going to say that it's not worth it; it's just that for me, I'm still kind of budget-oriented as a traveler, so it wouldn't be my first choice just due to cost.
27:03 I think that's just a big part of it because, yeah, and the flights are expensive too. Like the flights to Africa can be really pricey, more so than even Southeast Asia. From here in California, I could fly to Southeast Asia for pretty low prices, but to fly to Africa, I'd have to fly to Europe and then fly south.
27:27 Those flights can easily be over $1,000 round trip. I priced out South Africa, and it was like $1,500. So, it can really get pricey flying to Africa. I think Mr. Dave had some experience; he visited Tanzania and really enjoyed it.
27:49 There's another traveler, a guy from New York City, I can't think of his name, Kid Greatness, I think, and he likes Kenya a lot. He likes Nairobi a lot. He's done some great vlogs there; I've enjoyed some of those discussions.
28:12 What's everybody doing this weekend? Anybody have anything fun happen over the weekend or get into anything interesting?
28:30 I may go for another half hour or so. The sun's going down, so I'm probably going to wind down in about a half hour. Where are you, Ron? Are you here in the States or are you in Asia?
28:55 Oh, you're in Sacramento. Okay, very cool. I'm not minding the nice weather here at all. California has really nice weather; I'm enjoying the weather a lot. It's the fall weather; it's cooling off, and it's just really nice. It's got that cozy feeling where you can wear your jacket and your heavier clothes.
29:38 Yeah, I've been to Canada and Mexico. I like both. I've been to Canada once and Mexico maybe three or four times. Canada, I went to Windsor, which is near Detroit. I'd like to go to Vancouver at some point. Now that I'm back on the West Coast, maybe I can do a Vancouver trip.
29:57 My friend in Seattle was wanting to do one. Last time I was up there, it's about a three or four-hour drive each way to Vancouver from Seattle. So, hopefully, that'll happen at some point.
30:09 In Mexico, I have been to the East Coast a couple of times and the West Coast once, and both were enjoyable trips. I like Mexico a lot. I'd like to go see more of Mexico, specifically like Guadalajara and also Mexico City, as opposed to coastal Mexico.
30:36 Just chilling right now and busy packing for my October 4th vacation. Oh, where are you going, Paulo? That sounds really fun. That's right around my birthday. How about you, Ron?
30:51 In Vancouver with the Philippines. I'm not familiar with that situation, Ron. I'll have to look it up. Oh, wait, you know what? I did hear about that. I remember about that. It was very, very unfortunate.
31:06 It's very unfortunate anytime something happens to the Filipino community, any community; it's really tragic.
31:32 I'm not certain what you mean, Ron. Oh, you're going to Beolad. Oh, I enjoy Beolad. I know quite a few people have visited Beolad lately. I think Captain Trucker is actually based near Beolad City; he'll probably land there or has recently landed in Beolad also.
31:56 Who else is a fan? Gio lived in Beak for about a year. Beolad seems to be an up-and-coming place. I know one of my friends, Buick, is also a fan of Beak. He likes to spend time there when he comes to the Philippines, and he's been coming to the Philippines for decades.
32:17 In college, I liked math and English. I think math and English are two of my favorites. How about you, Ron?
32:34 Yeah, but it's supposed to be great. I think you'll have a great time, Paulo. And do you know anyone from Dumaguete, a famous YouTuber? Yeah, I knew, I met several. I was fortunate to meet Paul and Mike and Gio.
32:55 I also ran into Filipino P. Filipina P.
33:03 Oh, great. You're going to meet Trucker. That's wonderful. Yeah, he's great. He's a lot of fun, a really interesting guy, and a creative thinker for sure. He's got a lot of creative talents, and I look forward to seeing how his channel continues to grow and evolve and the different content he'll be covering in the Philippines.
33:32 I intended to collaborate with Mark, Ron, but I changed my mind when I heard about some of the challenges that he was involved in. I tend to try to not be around legal stuff in the Philippines just because I want to respect the law and the rules, and I just try to be very careful about who I associate with in the Philippines.
33:52 Unfortunately, Mark did pass. I think it's been he passed right around Christmas last year. It may have been Christmas Eve, but it was really, really tragic and unfortunate.
34:13 It was really tragic. You know, there seems like there's been a lot of tragedy in the last year. Hopefully, things improve.
34:40 Does anybody have any other thoughts or things to share or think about? My goal, I think, is probably just to keep doing media work and save my money as much as I can. And then eventually, I'd like to move back to Southeast Asia just through content for the rest of my time, you know, just entertaining people, hopefully inspiring some people, and informing people, which is more important than anything else.
35:11 I've been to South America, Ron. Actually, I did a trip to Peru and Colombia. I'd like to go back at some point, but my preference is Asia because it's so different from the US, versus South America.
35:24 It's different from the US versus South America. It has some of the American vibes, not all, but it's like closer. I'd like to go back to Peru. I'd like to visit Argentina and Chile. Those are two that are really high on my list, Brazil as well. So those three are high on my list as far as places I'd like to visit. Hopefully, I can make that happen in the coming years.
35:47 Guys, please give us a thumbs up if you can. We've got 14 watching and six thumbs up, so that would be great.
36:00 How was Bahrain? I've never been there. What was that like? Tell us about that, Ron. Did you do any activities or mostly focus on shopping and relaxing?
36:13 Oh, you were with the Navy. Okay. Thank you for your service. Very cool. Very, very cool. I was looking into going the military route, and I don't know that it made sense for me at the moment, but yeah, it's really cool that you got to travel with the military. I always think that's got to be the best of both worlds, right? You're getting paid, but you're also getting to travel.
36:50 Oh, yeah, the GI Bill. That's excellent. What did you study, Ron?
37:09 Oh, very cool. You studied nursing. Excellent. Maybe if you'd like, you could send me an email. I'd love to chat about that. You know, learn more about your experience because I thought about studying nursing. It seems like it's a great career and it's in high demand and it will maintain stability. It's a great opportunity here in California. Nurses make a lot of money out here and can live a very comfortable lifestyle.
37:51 Probably healthcare because the tech industry is getting a lot of outsourcing and layoffs and automation and consolidation to the industry. So, I think right now, probably healthcare is your like a nerd, you know, if you're talking about a four-year education, nursing. If you're talking about like graduate school, like a doctor, a nurse practitioner, physicians assistant, that kind of work, I think you could do very well with.
38:31 Yeah, I think AI will unfortunately take a fair amount of jobs. It's already starting to take some jobs, and I think that will just continue because that's what the industry wants. They want the most efficient for the least price. And, you know, I'm using it somewhat, like I'm using it to do some design for my thumbnails, and that's going well, like making some fun thumbnails with it. It saves me from having to hire a marketer.
39:00 And yeah, it's unfortunate, you know, I suspect, and this is something Elon Musk has talked about, is that we'll have to have universal basic income. We'll have a lot of people that they're not going to be able to support themselves, and AI, you know, will basically make their career irrelevant.
39:30 Yeah, anybody else feel free to chime in. Ron, you know, Ron's very kind with his words and sharing his opinions and thoughts, but everybody is welcome to chime in and discuss if anybody has any opinions or questions or discussion topics. I'd like to go for another 20 minutes if I can, if my voice doesn't give out. I recorded for a solid 40, 45 minutes before I even started this stream. I'll probably stop around 7:20. I'd like to get a shower and brush my teeth and work on some other ideas because I need to work on some other video ideas and I need to prepare for tomorrow.
40:11 Tomorrow, I've got to do stuff related to my new job.
40:30 How about you, Ron? Oh, it's just an office job, man. Nothing too wild. Just like a standard kind of office job, a paper pusher. What about you, Ron? Like, how many days per week do you work as a nurse? I know some people, they like to work on the weekends, work long shifts, and they have off during the week. Other people prefer to work during the week, and they have the weekends off. I'm just curious to learn about your job as a nurse.
41:11 Oh, your supply logistics. Oh, I see. Your friend was a nurse. You're in a different line of work. I see.
41:26 Very cool. I don't know much about supply and logistics, I'll be honest. I'm not super familiar with that industry, but yeah.
41:43 I tend to not be as much of a fan of driving for Uber or Lyft, Ron, just because I think it can wear out the car. I think when you subtract out your costs of driving for Uber and Lyft, the rates just don't pay a lot anymore. I think they paid a lot when the companies first came out, but now they've got a lot of drivers. And so, I just tend to think, and also with insurance, you have to have special insurance to drive for Uber or Lyft because your insurance company is ensuring you thinking you're going to have typical usage, like a commuter. Where for the Uber or Lyft driver, they're driving in a commercial sense, so they're putting a lot more miles on, they're taking a lot more risk as far as getting in an accident. So, I think if it doesn't math out for most people, maybe some people drive like a Prius and they've got a deal on electricity or charging their Prius, and it's supplementary, it's not full-time, I think it can make sense. But maybe if you're in a high cost of living area like the Bay Area, where the trips might be shorter or higher paid, but I think for most people, it just doesn't make a ton of financial sense.
43:13 Grab is fine. Grab is kind of like the Uber of the Philippines, and the price is reasonable, and the drivers are generally pretty good. I think it's a popular way to get around in some cities. Some cities it doesn't have it, so Dumaguete doesn't have Grab, so you have to take a trike. Where you do have Grab in Manila, Cebu, I've used it mostly in Manila and Cebu. And it's solid. It can be a little confusing because of the population density, but overall, it's necessary, I think, if you want to travel in comfort.
43:58 Joyride and other moto taxis are cheaper and faster for big cities. Yeah, I'm not familiar with those, but happy to look into them. Though, you know, I definitely think if you're budget conscious, it's good to shop around if there's alternatives. I don't blame anybody for trying to find a cheaper alternative. I also used Bolt. There is Grab in Thailand, Vietnam. I think Vietnam has Grab. Both Thailand and Vietnam have Grab as well. So if you're moving from country to country, I know some of the apps, like I think Pass App is Cambodia only. Some apps are limited to one country, where with Grab, you can go from country to country. I am a shareholder in Grab, so I am biased. I have some stock in Grab. I like to use the service that I'm invested in. But yeah, I don't blame people for shopping around. Cost of living is high these days. People have to be budget-focused.
44:58 Let's see. Would you go to China? Korea? Haven't been to China except for layovers. I have been to Korea. Korea was fine. You know, I don't feel compelled to go back. The food was good, but it's just kind of stressful. That was just my honest opinion. Korea is like stressful and very hyperconsumeristic, where it seemed like most of what there was to do was shopping and eating and drinking. And that was just like my experience. Yeah, I'd go to China.
45:31 Did you ever look at high dividend ETFs to provide monthly income? I'm happy to look at those. I've been picking individual dividend stocks, but, you know, those ETFs can take a lot of the guesswork and research out. I'm a fan of Jason Feieber. He releases his picks every time he picks something new. He tends to be decent at it, but he certainly doesn't know everything. And there's value in ETFs where you're having somebody else manage it.
46:07 What do you think of cryptocurrency and XRP? I don't know much about it to be honest, Ron. I have some Algorand, but I'm more focused on like the standard investments that I feel I can understand more easily.
46:29 It's kind of a big regret because I didn't understand finance back when crypto came out. I knew about crypto, but I was dissuaded from purchasing it. I allowed myself to be talked out of buying it by a family friend, and that's a big regret in my life because I could have been very, very wealthy. And it's just going to take a lot longer to get there based on my mistakes, poor decision-making in the past.
47:04 I was in Bangkok. Ron, I was actually in Bangkok, Thailand, and this was March 2020. And the city slowly closed down. I remember going out with some friends a few times, and we had a great time. It's probably my favorite city in the world is Bangkok. It's just such an iconic city. The sounds, the sights, the smells, like the people packed together. It's sensory overload. I look forward to my next trip to Bangkok. It's just such an eclectic and fun city.
47:42 I'd definitely go back to Japan again. So, I'm part Japanese, I'll always have an affinity for Japan. I'd love to go back at some point in the future. There's something special about Japan. It's very clean, it's very safe.
48:05 Yeah, I definitely would like to go back to Japan at some point. I think I'd go back to go somewhere a little bit different. So, last time I did Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka in the south. I think next time I go, I'd prefer to do something like Tokyo. I'd prefer to visit Tokyo.
48:31 But yeah, guys, Ron's the only person talking. We got like 13 people viewing. Please chime in if you can. I'll probably wrap up in the next 10 minutes just to give Ron a break because he's been great to engage with the stream.
48:46 Yeah, I'd go back to Europe. I went to Europe about two and a half years ago. I did Spain, I did the UK, Spain, and Portugal. Next time I'd like to do Italy, Greece, maybe Georgia. That would be kind of cool. Georgia is like Eastern Europe, a little bit different from Western Europe.
49:03 A little bit different from Western Europe, but that's supposed to be a digital nomad hot spot. Georgia is Australia and New Zealand are lower on the list to be honest, just because they're both very expensive.
49:20 That's a big part of it. It's very expensive to travel in Australia and New Zealand. Plus, they're more like similar to the US, as far as just being western countries, high level of development, expensive, you know, kind of the same advantages and similar problems as the US.
49:48 Caribbean. I haven't really visited much. I'm open to it, but it's lower on the priority list, I think.
49:55 But guys, anybody else have any questions or thoughts? Um, this might not be the best time for people. I know people are probably getting ready for work tomorrow and starting their week if we're talking about people in Asia right now.
50:11 So, um, yeah. Anybody have any extra thoughts or I may wind down just a few minutes early because my throat's starting to get sore.
50:20 When you go online, what day or week? It's not really specific or scheduled yet, Ron. It's just kind of random. Just when I have time, I'll be working full-time and I'll be focused more on putting out videos.
50:32 Uh, but happy to stream again soon if there's interest or desire in it. I would hope more people engage so that you don't have so much pressure to be the only person engaging, but I also know just timing is everything and people are busy.
51:08 Well, anyways guys, I think I'm going to wind down. Thank you so much, Ron. I appreciate you engaging. Uh, it seems like a lot of folks are busy and anyway, it's been great to chat with you all.
51:17 Um, I hope you have a good evening. And yeah, um, feel free to send me an email, Ron, and that way I'll have your email. We can connect. Happy to link up near Sacramento.
51:28 And, um, yeah, everybody, have a good night. I'll talk to you soon. Bye bye.
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