so I just got back to California after living in Asia for the past 3 months - I was in Taiwan for a month, Hong Kong for a week, and Japan for the last month and a half.
I went to a jay chou concert, visited my parents, ran a marathon, met up with old friends in japan, and overall was a pretty fun and productive time.
having lived in Los Angeles for the last 8 years or so, it was a quite a breath of fresh air to go back to my hometown in Taiwan for a month, spend more time with family, and to spend some extended time in Japan - the last time I stayed more than a few weeks was when I studied abroad there in 2019, and I still think it's one of the most livable places in the world.
I haven't tried ever being a digital nomad, and working "remotely" in different places I questioned whether or not my productivity would take a hit (it did, but it was still worth it).
In many ways I was reminded how much more livable Tokyo and Taiwan is - to name a few:
- trains and public transportation actually work and are pleasant to use
- I don't need to spend 10% of my brain considering the safety of every place I go to (this has become a default in LA)
- how easy and accessible to go to the doctor for any little thing (even without insurance its incredibly cheap)
- how much better the food is
- ubereats costs basically nothing for delivery, no tip needed, and it arrives within 10 minutes on a moped in Taiwan. (the other day I ordered a burrito in LA and it cost me $38)
but in many ways I also have come to appreciate many things about LA and California that I missed, such as
- almost perfect weather on most days, great for running or working out
- easy access to the beach to swim, surf, chill out
- instant access to all the latest tech devices and services (I couldn't use certain ChatGPT features in Japan, and I found out Starlink isn't supported in Taiwan)
- probably one of the best countries for entrepreneurship and wealth generation - highest productivity for sure
- one of the most diverse and meritocratic places
but anyway, travelling around for 3 months has taught me some life lessons and given me some new perspectives to optimize my life around - hopefully these will be useful for you too, even if you have no intention of ever living in a new city.
- the best thing to optimize for are shared experiences
- you don't need much, no matter where you go
I've always heard a lot about solo travel, and how valuable and fun it can be, to have complete control over your schedule, do whatever you like and go at our own pace.
Though I didn't travel alone there definitely were days where I explored different places myself - and I have to say solo travel is quite overrated (at least personally)
When I look back on the past 3 months, the highlights were always things I did with other people, things I could reflect on with someone else years into the future because we had a shared experience.
Over this trip I had the opportunity to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen for years - and I think the thing that made us still feel connected was because we had some shared experiences that we could reflect on, and travelling with other people is a way of deliberately crafting shared experiences and stories into your memory.
since it was a 3 month trip, I went back with a big 30L backpack, small suitcase, and a large suitcase. overtime, as I had to move around, I started to resent having so much stuff, and it made me think about what I truly needed .
really all you really need to live in the modern age is an internet connection, gym, and friends. internet for infinite learning, for making new friends, and for sharing. gym to keep yourself sane, and ofc friends to hang out with.
a set of clothes, basic toiletries, computer, phone, earphones, chargers, and that might be it. I did bring a sleeping mask from this company manta that came in handy a lot. I have no affiliation with them but it made sleeping in airbnbs, airplanes, and anywhere really easy.
I ended up sending some stuff back home and eventually settled on a one-bag solution. I was fine wearing the same clothes every day, and besides the gear I have for making youtube videos, I really don’t need much belongings to do everything I need to.
If I were doing this again or just travelling in general, I think I would try to bring as few things as humanly possible and to get everything there. Travelling to most developed countries in Asia, you can really get anything you need there, and for pretty cheap.
- where you live dictates how you live, whether you like it or not
- the best way to gain new perspective is to talk to locals
- the internet is an amazing place
you’ve already heard that you’re the average of the five people you associate with the most, and whether or not you like it or not, you’re also a product of the city that you live in.
even the customs, food, and ideas different countries have are heavily influenced by their geographical region. the clothes people wear are affected by the weather, the neighboring countries and their media, the stuff people watch affected by what’s shown to them - on netflix, youtube (which changes in different countries), even the issues people think about in the city are dependent on their geographical region as well - for trade, economy, health, replacement rates, etc.
on a smaller scale, where you live subconsciously programs your brain to focus on different things. I’ve found that spending time in the countryside in Taiwan or Japan, life really does move at a slower pace. People aren’t really that concerned with grinding or hustling, and more with hanging out or eating the next meal, which I can also appreciate.
so one of the best ways to change your life is to change your environment - not just the people you hang out with, but where you are physically in a world.
there’s a reason why certain cities are known to be happier than others
a lot of times when people travel, they prioritize going to different tourist destinations like a bingo card and never really interacting with any locals. I think this really misses the point of travel because while yes, you do get some visual dopamine by seeing cool stuff, you don’t actually gain any real mental perspective
it’s only through interacting with people that live in the country that you get a good idea and grasp about what people think about and what their priorities are. I’ve found it to be really quite different in different cities.
I think every city has a message that it sends out based on what gives people status. for example, a city that gives people status based on wealth encourages people to make as much money as possible, other cities may focus on fame, craftsmanship, family, etc.
talking to locals can give you new ideas and new mental frameworks that had never occurred to you before.
i’m glad i was born in the era of the internet, where now I have the opportunity to meet so many interesting people in different cities.
even this blog post, I have no idea who’s going to read it and if anything would come of it. maybe you resonate with what i’m saying, you hit me up, and we become friends.
but one thing I learned with the internet is that it really only opens to you when you become a participant and not a lurker. when you make youtube videos instead of just watching them, when you post reddit threads instead of just reading through them.
I would encourage anyone to start a website, youtube channel, or instagram page and to just share things they’re passionate about. you never know what it could lead to.
thanks for reading