u/Dherick_UP

I leave Brazil on the 24th and this specific part is the one making me nervous.

I'm 19, I run my own small business remotely, around 2k usd/month. The trip is Dubai, then Cairo and Luxor, then Athens, Santorini, and finally Istanbul where I stop and stay 15+ days.

Istanbul is where I plan to actually slow down and go deep on work. The problem is everything before it. That first month is night buses, 4am flights, a festival, changing beds like 6 times. And my business can't go a week without me in it. So the "just slow travel" advice I keep reading here doesn't really help me yet.

For people who worked through something like that:

did you keep fixed hours or just work in whatever gap showed up?

mornings before going out, or nights after? what actually lasted more than a week?

and travel days, did you give up on them completely or force a few hours anyway?

I already sorted the technical side (internet, vpn, backup data, coworking places mapped). It's the discipline part I have no clue about. I keep picturing myself in Cairo with the pyramids right there and my laptop open, and I genuinely don't know how that goes.

thanks for me help love youu

any real experience helps, even the bad ones

I'm on the island 15–19 October, staying in Karterados. Solo traveller, 19, on a hostel budget.

I know I'm arriving at the tail end of the season, and that's honestly half my question: how much is still open and lively by mid-October? I've seen Fira mentioned for nightlife and Perissa/Perivolos for beach bars, but I have no idea what's still running that late in the year.

What I'd love to know:

- Which restaurants or bars actually have music and an atmosphere, rather than just dinner? Names help a lot.

- Rough cost of a night out — drink prices, whether anywhere charges a cover.

- For anyone who's been here solo: is turning up alone to those places normal, or does it feel out of place? Did you end up meeting people, and where?

Not asking anyone to plan my trip, I've got the sightseeing sorted. I just want to know where the atmosphere actually is in October, and whether solo works.

Thanks!

Starting my first long trip in September and I'll be in hostel dorms for most of the first month — Dubai, Cairo, Athens, Santorini. I run my own operation remotely, so the laptop isn't just a device, it's my entire income. If it goes, I don't just lose hardware, I lose the ability to earn.

I know the basics: bring my own padlock, use the locker, never leave it on the bed. What I want is what people actually do day to day:

- Do you carry it with you when you go out, or do you trust the locker?

- Do hostel lockers realistically fit a laptop, or is that completely hostel-dependent?

- Has anyone actually had one stolen? What happened and what would you do differently?

- Is there a point where you stop booking dorms and just pay for private rooms because the risk isn't worth it?

Starting my first long trip in September and I'll be in hostel dorms for most of the first month — Dubai, Cairo, Athens, Santorini. I run my own operation remotely, so the laptop isn't just a device, it's my entire income. If it goes, I don't just lose hardware, I lose the ability to earn.

I know the basics: bring my own padlock, use the locker, never leave it on the bed. What I want is what people actually do day to day:

- Do you carry it with you when you go out, or do you trust the locker?

- Do hostel lockers realistically fit a laptop, or is that completely hostel-dependent?

- Has anyone actually had one stolen? What happened and what would you do differently?

- Is there a point where you stop booking dorms and just pay for private rooms because the risk isn't worth it?

Hey everyone. First post here. I'm equal parts excited and nervous, so I'd rather ask before I leave than learn it the hard way.

Quick context:

- 19, from Brazil, leaving September 24

- I run my own operation remotely, around $2k/month

- ~$4k saved separately for the trip itself

- Flights and hostels booked and paid up front, emergency reserve untouched

Route: Dubai (5 days) → Cairo + Luxor (12 days) → Athens → Santorini → Istanbul (15+ days) → North Macedonia, and after that country by country with no return date.

The plan is that Istanbul is where I slow down and really lock in on work. But from Dubai to Turkey — roughly a month — my operation still can't run without me. So this isn't a month off followed by work. I have to stay productive through the most distracting part of the whole trip.

What I'm actually worried about:

1. Focus. I know this is my income, not a vacation. But realistically: you're in Cairo, the pyramids are right there, and you still have to sit down and work. How did you build that discipline? Fixed hours? Work mornings, explore after? What mentality got you through the first couple of months?

2. Hostels, honestly. Are they actually safe? I'm carrying a laptop my income depends on. And is making friends really as easy as people say, or does it depend heavily on picking the right hostel?

3. Meeting people while solo. Especially in Greece — I want to actually go out and do things, not just see monuments alone. How do you find people for a night out or a day trip? Is there an app people genuinely use, or does it just happen in the common room?

4. Anything you wish someone had told you before your first long trip. I'd rather hear the uncomfortable stuff now than find out in month two.

I'm going in structured. Everything's booked, budget is split across separate accounts, I have a reserve I don't touch. But structure only covers logistics, and I get that the hard part is the routine.

Thanks for reading.

Hey everyone. First post here. I'm equal parts excited and nervous, so I'd rather ask before I leave than learn it the hard way.

Quick context:

- 19, from Brazil, leaving September 24

- I run my own operation remotely, around $2k/month

- ~$4k saved separately for the trip itself

- Flights and hostels booked and paid up front, emergency reserve untouched

Route: Dubai (5 days) → Cairo + Luxor (12 days) → Athens → Santorini → Istanbul (15+ days) → North Macedonia, and after that country by country with no return date.

The plan is that Istanbul is where I slow down and really lock in on work. But from Dubai to Turkey — roughly a month — my operation still can't run without me. So this isn't a month off followed by work. I have to stay productive through the most distracting part of the whole trip.

What I'm actually worried about:

1. Focus. I know this is my income, not a vacation. But realistically: you're in Cairo, the pyramids are right there, and you still have to sit down and work. How did you build that discipline? Fixed hours? Work mornings, explore after? What mentality got you through the first couple of months?

2. Hostels, honestly. Are they actually safe? I'm carrying a laptop my income depends on. And is making friends really as easy as people say, or does it depend heavily on picking the right hostel?

3. Meeting people while solo. Especially in Greece — I want to actually go out and do things, not just see monuments alone. How do you find people for a night out or a day trip? Is there an app people genuinely use, or does it just happen in the common room?

4. Anything you wish someone had told you before your first long trip. I'd rather hear the uncomfortable stuff now than find out in month two.

I'm going in structured. Everything's booked, budget is split across separate accounts, I have a reserve I don't touch. But structure only covers logistics, and I get that the hard part is the routine.

Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone,

I'm Dhérick, 19, from Brazil. I work remotely, which is what makes this

possible, and I've decided to leave and actually try the digital nomad life.

Everything up to the end of October is already booked and paid for:

• Dubai — Sep 25-30

• Egypt (Cairo/Giza, plus Luxor by night bus) — Sep 30 to Oct 12

• Greece (Athens + Santorini) — Oct 12-20

• Istanbul — Oct 20-31

After Istanbul I have nothing planned, and that's where I could really use

your input.

What I'm after:

- Cheap places where I can actually settle for a few weeks and work, instead

of rushing through a city every 3 days

- Budget around US$1,000-1,200/month, all in

- Somewhere I can genuinely live the nomad thing, not just tick countries off

The Schengen problem: Brazilian passport, 90 days in any 180. I'll have used

about 9 days in Greece and I'd like to preserve the rest for later, so

non-Schengen bases are attractive to me.

What I've looked into so far: Sofia (then found out Bulgaria joined Schengen

in 2025), Belgrade, Tirana, and Tbilisi (1 year visa-free for Brazilians,

which honestly sounds too good to be true).

My actual questions:

1. For Nov-Feb, would you base in the Balkans (Belgrade / Tirana) or head

   somewhere warmer? Doing my first winter as a nomad worries me a little.

2. Is Tbilisi still worth it in 2026, or has it gotten expensive and

   oversaturated?

3. Is there a route from Istanbul that flows in one direction without

   backtracking? Everything I draw ends up looping.

4. Anything you wish you'd known doing this at 19?

Thanks a lot. Happy to share my own numbers and post a trip report once

I'm on the road.

Hi everyone,

I'm Dhérick, 19, from Brazil. I work remotely, which is what makes this

possible, and I've decided to leave and actually try the digital nomad life.

Everything up to the end of October is already booked and paid for:

• Dubai — Sep 25-30

• Egypt (Cairo/Giza, plus Luxor by night bus) — Sep 30 to Oct 12

• Greece (Athens + Santorini) — Oct 12-20

• Istanbul — Oct 20-31

After Istanbul I have nothing planned, and that's where I could really use

your input.

What I'm after:

- Cheap places where I can actually settle for a few weeks and work, instead

of rushing through a city every 3 days

- Budget around US$1,000-1,200/month, all in

- Somewhere I can genuinely live the nomad thing, not just tick countries off

The Schengen problem: Brazilian passport, 90 days in any 180. I'll have used

about 9 days in Greece and I'd like to preserve the rest for later, so

non-Schengen bases are attractive to me.

What I've looked into so far: Sofia (then found out Bulgaria joined Schengen

in 2025), Belgrade, Tirana, and Tbilisi (1 year visa-free for Brazilians,

which honestly sounds too good to be true).

My actual questions:

1. For Nov-Feb, would you base in the Balkans (Belgrade / Tirana) or head

   somewhere warmer? Doing my first winter as a nomad worries me a little.

2. Is Tbilisi still worth it in 2026, or has it gotten expensive and

   oversaturated?

3. Is there a route from Istanbul that flows in one direction without

   backtracking? Everything I draw ends up looping.

4. Anything you wish you'd known doing this at 19?

Thanks a lot. Happy to share my own numbers and post a trip report once

I'm on the road.

Hi everyone,

I'm Dhérick, 19, from Brazil. I work remotely, which is what makes this

possible, and I've decided to leave and actually try the digital nomad life.

Everything up to the end of October is already booked and paid for:

• Dubai — Sep 25-30

• Egypt (Cairo/Giza, plus Luxor by night bus) — Sep 30 to Oct 12

• Greece (Athens + Santorini) — Oct 12-20

• Istanbul — Oct 20-31

After Istanbul I have nothing planned, and that's where I could really use

your input.

What I'm after:

- Cheap places where I can actually settle for a few weeks and work, instead

of rushing through a city every 3 days

- Budget around US$1,000-1,200/month, all in

- Somewhere I can genuinely live the nomad thing, not just tick countries off

The Schengen problem: Brazilian passport, 90 days in any 180. I'll have used

about 9 days in Greece and I'd like to preserve the rest for later, so

non-Schengen bases are attractive to me.

What I've looked into so far: Sofia (then found out Bulgaria joined Schengen

in 2025), Belgrade, Tirana, and Tbilisi (1 year visa-free for Brazilians,

which honestly sounds too good to be true).

My actual questions:

1. For Nov-Feb, would you base in the Balkans (Belgrade / Tirana) or head

   somewhere warmer? Doing my first winter as a nomad worries me a little.

2. Is Tbilisi still worth it in 2026, or has it gotten expensive and

   oversaturated?

3. Is there a route from Istanbul that flows in one direction without

   backtracking? Everything I draw ends up looping.

4. Anything you wish you'd known doing this at 19?

Thanks a lot. Happy to share my own numbers and post a trip report once

I'm on the road.

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Hi everyone, first of all, nice to meet you. I'm from Brazil, and it's my dream to go on one of those in Egypt, and I'll be there at the time. However, I'll be celebrating my 20th birthday there. What are the chances they'll let me in? I look about 25, but it's always good to have an idea. I'm talking about the Starlight tour at Exit in October.