If I leave Ecuador, these 10 countries are on my list. 【Cost: 2hr】

A lot of people have crossed Ecuador off of their list because of the increase in crime since the pandemic this year and we get it we don’t feel as safe here as we used to either. And because of that, I’ve been asking myself for a plan B country if I have to leave Ecuador then where would my family goes. I think it’s a important question and I’ve been asking myself that quite a bit. Lately, it’s actually always been my intention to get a second residency just so we have options. Unless things get a lot worse, Ecuador is going to continue to be my home base. We’re lucky, because we will have permanent residency this year which means that we could travel throughout the world without having to worry about how long we can be outside the country, and I would start exploring other countries. So I am going to talk about 10 intriguing countries, that also have a variety of Visa options. If you are planning to move abroad but you aren’t sure where you want to go, I will talk about a lot of different options below. Now for my top 10 Plan B countries starting with number 10: Paraguay. Paraguay has some easy residency options they did make some changes in 2023. It used to be that we could go straight into permanent residency, but now we start off with a two-year temporary residency, we do have to prove that we can sopport ourself financially, but we are no longer required to make a deposit into a bank account. They also have an investor visa which is seventy thousand dollars. And the nice thing about Paraguay is that it is a territorial tax country, which means I do not have to pay tax on my foreign source income. Some of the things we love about Paraguay are that it’s very affordable, it has a low cost of living, it’s a beautiful green country with lots of outdoor activities, and for Latin America it’s very safe. However, there are some cons and one is that it’s still developing outside of us in general, you are not going to see a lot of other major cities, it’s rural so you’re gonna have dirt roads and maybe not as good internet and such, and there’s a lot of poverty. Plus the weather can be kind of crazy beacause it can be hot and humid and buggy in the summer, and the winters can be pretty wet. Number 9: Malaysia. They have a new digital nomad visa, it’s valid for one year and it can be renewed. You must do digital work and earn at least two thousand dollars per month income and nice thing about Malaysia is that territorial tax country so they don’t tex that foreign sourced income. Malaysia also has a my second home visa (MM2H). It’s a 10 year visa you need to have at least eighty three thousand dollars in liquid assets and 2400 dollars per month income. There is a lot to be excited about then it comes to Malaysia, some of the pros are that it is culturally diverse, you’re going to meet people from all over the world and a lot of people speaking English, plus they’ve got developed cities with modern infrastructure, and there are so much to appreciate you’ve got beaches you’ve got incredible nature and natural diversity and they are known for their good health care. Some of the downsides are it can also be really hot and humid in the summer and it’s very crowded, And important is for the people with Chinese passports, like me, we can hardly get naturalized. Number 8: Costa Rica. They also have a digital nomad Visa. That’s good for 12 months and you can renew it for an additional 12 months. You need 3000 dollars a month for one person and for a family we need 4000 dollars a month income. The nice thing about Costa Rica is that it is also a territorial tax country, some things we like about Costa Rica are the “Pura Vida” liftstyle, it’s a laid back tranquilo lifestyle, we love that. It’s also a lot of natural beauty with mountains, jungles and beaches and there’s a lot of things to do. Plus it is so close to Ecuador s it’d be a really easy flight for us to go back and forth between those two countries, there is a direct flight which I like. But there are some cons of course and some of that are the concerns over the increased crime we’ve unfortunately been hearing that they are dealing with some of the issues that Ecuador is not to the scale, but of course that’s something that we are monitoring. They also have a rainy season and it is more expensive. Number 7：Malta. They have a digital nomad visa with a minimum gross annual income of approximately 35200 dollars. It’s good for one year and you can renew it for max of three years. Malta is known for its great weather and Enlish is widely spoken, plus it is a developed country and it’s safe. It’s in the Mediterranean Sea, so what more could you ask for. You’ve got all that natural beauty and the ocean. Some of the downsides are it’s very crowded since it is an island and there are a lot of people there, it’s also very polluted. Unfortunately the public transportation is lacking and if you get claustrophobic, you might not like island living too much. Number 6: Albania. They have a long-term stay visa valid for one year, and you can renew this up to five times, so you can be there for five years. You need to have approximately 9800 dollars per year income to qualify. Some of the pros of Alibania are it’s very affordable as a low cost of liveing, it’s also safe. They have a lot of locally grown food and a lot of natural beauty in Albania, and it’s great location relative to other parts of Europe. Some of the drawbacks are that it’s a developing country and it is lacking in some services and infrastructure, and there is a language barrier, there’s not as many English speakers. Number 5: Croatia. For their digital nomad visa, you need a monthly income of roughly 2500 dollars or a bank statement showing you have at least 12 months of savings, which is about 30000 dollars, depends on the exchange rate. It’s good for one year and then you have to leave for six months but then you can go back and reapply for another year, and nice thing is you don’t pay any tax on your foreign source income from your digital nomad income streams. Croatia has a lot going for it the pros are that it is affordable,it is a great location and there is a lot of history and architecture for you to enjoy. Plus they have a lower tax rate compared to other European countries, so if you’re looking at a different type of vise, that’s a nice choice. Plus it’s known for its excellent health care and its safety. Some drawbacks are it’s bureaucracy but you’re going to find that in a lot of countries: economic challenges for the locals so there might be some what of an income disparity and the language barrier, not a lot of people speak English and Croatian is pretty difficult to learn. Number 4: Spain. I know a lot of people are really interested in Spain, so am I. They have a new digital nomad visa new as well like a set is the big trend for their visa, you need 2500 dollars a month, it is valid for 12 months and you can renew it up to five years and they do have tax incentives for the first four years. Some pros about Spain are we already speak Spain in Ecuador that would be a big help for us. It’s safety, they have excellent health care and of course great food and wine. there’s lots to do and they have great public transportation. Unfortunately they are also known for their bureaucracy, we’ve read about that quite a bit. It is a little bit more expensive than some of the other places on my list and some of their visa requirements do change, so that’s something you need to pay attention to, and the tax situation is a little bit iffy, so I’m gonna learn more about it. If I am looking to do a retirement visa, I think they have more tax incentives in place for me, but I still have to really be careful. I don’t want to pay extra tax. Number 3: Greece. I need to have at least 3800 dollars per month income to qualify for their digital nomad visa, it’s good for one year and you can renew for one more year. They also have a retirement visa with very favorable low tax rates. Yeah, that’s always a big plus. Greece has so much to offer, you’ve got incredible food and the history and culture, the people are super friendly and those beaches and those islands. So drawbacks are as it is a higher cost of living compared to some of the other countries on my list. There’s also the language barrier is Greek. They have a different alphabet and there’s the bureaucracy but again, that’s pretty common acorss there countries and they’ve had a lot of fires recently due to drought and high temperatures, so in the northeast of the country and some of the island have had fires. It’s been pretty bad this years. Number 2: Panama. Panama also has a digital nomad visa which you can get for nine months and you can extend it for another nice months, and for that you need to have 36000 dollars a year, and it is a territorial tax country which we are big fans of it. It means no tax on our foreign based income. Some of the pros of Panama are it’s close to the Ecuador, so it’s easy to get direct flights that we’re big fans of that, and it’s also got great health care and a solid infrastructure. But there are some drawbacks they have a rainy season, prices have gone up and they have protest recently. Number 1: Portugal. The number one on my list of best plan B countries is Portugal. They have a D8 digital nomad visa, it’s valid for one year and it can be renewed, you need four times the minimum wage or about 3000 dollars per month income. They also have a D7 passive income visa and you only get around 800 dollars a month for that one, plus they have this thing called the NHR schema, which stands for non-habitual residency or resident and that means that you get some tax advantages from that. Portugal is one of the best options for permanent residency and citizenship, especially if you want to move in Europe. They are known for their excellent health care and it is one of the safest countries in the world. Some downsides are you have to learn Portuguese, although it’s pretty similar to Spanish, a lot of words look the same, it’s really not that much different. Housing price have become more expensive, especially in the major cities over the last few years, there’s also a lot of bureaucracy, that seems to be a common theme among there countries and there are lots of foreigners already living there and it’s not just people from U.S and Canada, also a lot of Russians, Africans and Chinese are living there now, and that has caused you know prices of thing especially real estate to go up. All right, there you have it. There are my top 10 picks for our plan B countries, at least for now. I do think Portugal seems to be the most attactive on the list, but Panama is so close to Ecuador, and Spain language is much easier for my kids. I think I have a lot of exploratory trips in my futurn. One reason why I can live in multiple countries is because I tried work online and earn Wi-Fi income, we know that’s an obstacle for a lot of people, so I will share you how to do what I learn later, including remote jobs, freelancing and influencer economy,a lot of different options taht will allow you to create multiple streams of income, so you can pull the plug on your location specific life, and live where you want, work when you want and do what you want. For freedom.