Benefits of moving to another country even if you don’t feel like it
By: John Mac
Tags: Travel, Digital Nomads, Life Lessons, Life Hacking, Thailand

The ancient texts talk about a coming time where this planet will experience a huge shift. We’re right in the middle of it now, and maybe you feel some of the changes. I for sure do. Don’t freak out, because these forced upon you, changes, may be your biggest blessing at times. There’s even benefits of moving to another country even if you don’t feel like it.

Forced to move to the other side of the planet

You know we’re not completely free to move around as we please on this planet. When I finally found the love of my life, we had to escape to Thailand to stay together. That is how I, just a few months ago, experienced a drastic shift and forced relocation to the other side of the world!

I will tell you what happened, how we solved it, and how we live now. And, you can watch the first film in the series of three about our move, here.

What would you do if you had been waiting for years and finally found the fairytale queen of your life. But you couldn’t stay together because of certain laws and regulations?

In this case, we’re talking about the limitations of a tourist visa.

Well, I chose love. But, I had to leave my own country to keep it.

This blog post is about how life can take a dramatic turn, but often ends up better than what you would expect.

She found me on YouTube last year. A comment on a video led her to check out my channel, which led to the discovery of my website and Instagram account.

To give context, many posts ago, I uploaded a picture of a book about metaphysics and deep spiritual knowledge to my Instagram profile. She commented on this photo, and you can picture how the story unfolded from there.

Temporary joy in the Norwegian woods

We got to connect in such a way that she wanted to come and visit me in Norway during the first week of October 2018, needless to say, it was an amazing week.

Later, in November that same year, I went to the United States to visit her. I could only stay for a maximum of 90 days, and booking the ticket and being allowed to come to this paranoid country was a hassle.

The not-so-trustworthy overlord of various systems wanted to know everything about me, plus demanded full contact information for various connections in my home country. It was a joke.

I came to Boston carrying my VLOG camera in my hand. I laughed when I landed at the airport and the immigration officer, that looked like a cowboy, said;

“Mmmhm, your camera there looks like a gun with a sight on it!”

Yeah, only in United States.

It was nice seeing my girl again, but this time in the state of Vermont. Before I went back home, we planned for her to come and visit, for good, in December. We spent the 2018 Christmas together.

She left everything back in the states. She sold, cleaned out, and finished off a chapter of her life. Even her university professor told her;

“Yeah, It’s probably a very good idea to get out of this country…”

I agree.

She stayed with me in Norway and we established an even stronger relationship. My girl started working on her passion and dreams, and began building a profitable business.

The challenge was that she was not allowed to make her own living in Norway. You would think it’s a human right, but it’s not that simple. She was not even allowed to run her business online.

Realizing the harsh truth about systems and regulations

After moving together and living in Norway at my place, she decided that she wanted to live with me full-time, but this wasn’t easy.

We had 90 days to figure things out. Even as an American she received no more than a 90 day tourist visa, so we had to dive deep into the government regulations to find the most appropriate way for us to stay together.

Going back to the noisy energy of the states was not an option for her, so by doing a lot of research, we discovered that the only way for her to stay in Norway would be to get married.

I thought it would be acceptable for her to apply for a work permit, but that required her to apply for a job that fit her education.

This is not what she wanted to do with her life. Also, she could only apply if she already had a job offer in Norway, which I find very fucking strange as most companies won’t hire anyone who doesn’t have a residence permit in the first place.

We suddenly realized that time went by fast, and this was not going to be as easy as we hoped. After having my final call with the immigration office in Norway, I learned about how long the approval process would be.

Months.

Not only that, but the government of Norway has a sick policy on fees and costs for all kinds of government related services, documents, and applications.

For my girl to be allowed to live with me in Norway, even providing for herself with her own income, and to keep her freedom to work on her own projects…

- getting married was the only option, and the government wanted to be well compensated for such a stamp on a paper.

10.000 Norwegian Kroner is the price tag just to apply. Today that’s about a $1000 dollars.

Time was running out, so we moved to Thailand

Neither me or my girl would simply give in, give up, and go our separate ways. We grew tired of the insane and complicated systems, prices, and the time it would take for a totally friendly American to live in a small apartment in Norway, fully providing for herself.

We also realized that we would not be able to make the application process within the 90 days, and my girl would have to leave the country. She did not want to go back to the United States, and I could have lived with her in the US, but then I would be limited to the 90 day limit, as well. Beside, the U.S is not a place to be for us.

dCondo Rhin, Chiang Mai

We had to think differently and started researching places to live.

So, we decided to go to Thailand and mingle with like minded entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai, with the hopes of being able to find a place to live and continue our online business.

With a one-way ticket and an Airbnb to host us for only 3 days, we packed our shit and left. I even stuffed my big 27 inch iMac in a red suitcase, making sure I had a proper work setup on the other side of the planet.

It was all meant to be and now I don’t want to go back to Norway

If you’re still reading this story, you may have experienced a big shift yourself. You may have felt forced into a situation in such a way that you felt scared, insecure, and wondered if everything will be alright.

I can tell you that we had a few of those moments back home in Norway before we came to Thailand and settled down at this wonderful zen-garden condo complex.

For me, I have had issues with moving since I was a kid. From when I was little, we moved about 32 times, including living in a tent, and at a motel for free, because the owner was nice. There’s never been a place that really felt secure and stable, until I moved into my own apartment in Norway where my girl came to visit me.

After our first three days in Chiang Mai, we left our Airbnb, and the owner of the apartment was so friendly, she decided to help us find another place. She had contacts, and this lead to a beautiful apartment at dCondo Ping here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

After a few months here, we’re now living in one of the most luxurious condo complexes here in Chiang Mai. I would say, what seemed like a very fucking scary situation back home in Norway, where I had no control, it’s been one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Chiang Mai is a perfect platform for building your business and network

My girl and I have connected with so many interesting people in the digital nomad and entrepreneur community, which Chiang Mai is famous for. We have cut the insane costs of living in Norway, and I now only pay 50% of the apartment rental cost.

Shooting a YouTube interview

We’re living a much more motivating and rejuvenating lifestyle that fits our mindset, surrounded by warm weather, palm trees, a swimming pool, and a plethora of co-working spaces and cafés.

We also eat healthier, and the food is ⅓ of the price in Norway. So, why would I move back to Norway?

Yes, it’s a rich country with lots of trees, but it’s lacking open, interesting, and like minded people that actually have goals in life. It’s expensive as hell, and the cost of living healthy is a joke. Also, having a similar kind of lifestyle that I practice now would cost me 3 times more in Norway.

Get on private session call about making new choices

My business is now focused on helping people make dramatic shifts and improvements in their life, especially for those wanting to get out of the conventional norms of a typical nine to five worklife and bad education.

I work with people who are ready to go in for a deep dive to connect with their true self, discover some hidden qualities and truths, and are looking to raise confidence and inner power.

I have observed a lot of people go through changes, and for many of them it can be damn scary, because most people feel out of control.

What situation are you experiencing in your career or personal life right now that could need some clarity and insight?

Let’s jump on a call and figure out what the next move could be. The first call is on me, as I won’t be saying “yes, I can help” until we had a chat.

Anyway, I included the example of my personal story in this article to show that sometimes the biggest “disasters” in our lives can be the biggest positive event, one that you actually needed to finally be able to move on in life.