Image credit:  Benjamin Arthur

For many, Prague remains one of the hidden gems of Europe.

Largely untouched by the destruction of WW2 thanks to Hitler’s personal affection for the city, it was cloistered behind the iron curtain until the communist regime began to crumble and so retains much of its old world charm.

Prague is a city of contrasts: avant-garde buildings on cobbled streets, medieval castles on a modern public transit route and bohemian absinthe bars down the street from hip coffee shops.

The first place we paused on a year long cycle trip was Prague. We needed to get some work done for a while and some that meant renting an apartment for a little while.

We were amazed at how easy it was to find gorgeous accommodation with first class connectivity all within the enviable Praha 1 historic district. It was a perfect city in which to blend work with play.

Being that our personal stay in Prague was limited,albeit incredible, I tracked down an expat couple who’ve lived and worked extensively in the city to share the very best of their experiences and resources with you.

Meet Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott.

Tell Us a Little Bit About Yourself

We are an American couple with an insatiable curiosity about the world. For the last three and a half years we’ve been on a journey around the world to learn first-hand about its people, places and cuisines.

We carry out photography projects with micro-finance organizations and accept writing, photography, website design and other commissions on a freelance basis.

At the moment we’re taking a break from traveling in Central Europe to focus on work and finding new assignments.

We plan to continue our round-the-globe journey in Africa and the Middle East later this year.

What Led You to Prague?

After we got married in Tuscany a decade ago, we backpacked around Europe for five months and made the decision that we wanted to live in Europe together within a year.

I had just come from living in Estonia for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer but my husband had never lived outside the United States!

Returning to the US to complete outstanding projects and graduate school, we then took a research trip to seven cities in Central Europe to meet with recruiters, speak with expats and find out about visas and cost of living.

We chose Prague, returned to San Francisco and within six weeks had each sold our cars and most of our belongings. Along with six suitcases we arrived at our destination Christmas 2001.

Allowing for up to six months to find jobs, we managed to find employment within just a couple. Instead of staying two years as planned, we ended up staying for five.

At the end of 2006, we decided there was more of the world to explore so we quit our jobs and sold almost everything once again to travel around the globe.

We still return to Prague about once every two years, using it as a base to catch up on work and look for new projects.

Why is Prague the Perfect Location Independent Base?

Prague is an almost effortless to live.

The city itself is beautiful and it’s small enough to feel calm and laid back but big enough that there is always something going on – music festivals, film festivals, exhibitions, concerts, etc.

It’s also easy to meet people and feel part of a community rather quickly.

Prague is certainly not as cheap as it used to be. Although it can be as expensive as some Western European countries for some things, there are still ways to live here cheaply.

Wifi cafes are almost everywhere these days.  Public transportation is still inexpensive and is very efficient. You really don’t need a car here.

In addition, Prague is very centrally located, meaning that it is very easy to visit other places in Europe over a weekend.

What Are the Biggest Hurdles to Overcome?

On the surface, Prague looks like a modern western European city. That said, it may take longer than you expect to get simple things accomplished and sometimes customer service can be blunt and less than helpful. Adjust your expectations a bit when you first get here.

Even though more and more people speak English and it’s easier to get around without speaking Czech, the availability of English is not as high as it is in many cities in Western Europe.

The Czech language is not easy but it is important to try to learn a few words to show that you’re making an effort. The Czechs are not usually outwardly warm to new people – it takes for them to soften and open up. So – don’t get discouraged.

The Czech Republic is an EU Schengen country. For EU citizens, this means it’s very easy to enter and leave as you please.

For U.S. citizens or people from other countries, your time in the country – this applies to the whole Schengen region actually – is usually limited to 90 days with a maximum of 180 days within a year. Gone are the days when you could hop over the border to reset the clock on your visa!

If you are seasonally challenged, the winters can be difficult here because of the grey, gloom and cold. Consider planning your stay around the winter months if you are considering using Prague as base camp.

What Words of Wisdom Would You Share with Someone Considering Prague as Their Next Location Independent Home?

Although many people think that living in Prague’s medieval old town would be great, remember that this is a high tourism area with a lot of tour groups. Additionally, restaurants in the historic centre tend to be more expensive than they should be.

Rent a flat in one of Prague’s many great neighborhoods: Vinohrady, Vrsovice, Holesovice, etc., that are only a short tram or metro ride away from the historic center. The neighbourhoods are where you’ll get a better feel for Prague and what life is like for regular folks.

Some people still think of Prague as being as dirt cheap as it was in the early 1990s shortly after the wall came down. Things have changed. Manage your expectations.

Don’t be surprised if some items cost as much – or more – as some parts of Western Europe.

There’s a lot more to the Czech Republic than just Prague so find time to get out and explore. Buses and trains can take you to most places and you’ll find a different pace and aesthetic out in the smaller towns.

Expat Resources in Prague

• http://expats.cz: An online resource for expats regarding apartments, community, restaurants, activities and more. An active forum to answer any question you might have. They also offer a free “Survival Guide & Business Directory” that you can download on-line or pick up at different locations in Prague.

• http://prague.tv: An online resource for expats regarding apartments, community, activities, restaurants, visa regulations and more. Also has an active forum to answer questions.

• http://praguepost.com/: An English language newspaper with listings for events, restaurant reviews, classified ads and just overall what’s going on in Prague.

• http://prague.the-hub.net/public/joinus.html: An open space working area. Also possible to rent meeting rooms.

• http://prague.craigslist.cz/: Information about sublets and flat shares.

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/XCP-xing-community-prague/7048647541: Networking opportunities for expats and locals in Prague

• http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2684412: LinkedIn Prague Networking Group

• http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2007/09/cooking-well-in-prague/: Where to find Asian, Mediterranean and other unique ingredients for cooking well in Prague

• http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2007/09/eating-ethnic-in-prague/: List and map of recommended restaurants in Prague, from Afghan to Georgian to Italian

Source Note – Several of the networking links came from Jennie Zeiner (http://zeinerimages.com/): a friend living in Prague.

To learn more about Dan & Audrey, check out the stories and photography from their journey at Uncornered Market

No related posts.

Image credit

Lea’s Note: This is the second guest post concerning relationships written by expert, Jackie Walker. To find out more about Jackie, check out her byline below.

Making a joint decision about a future lifestyle – one that creates space for input from both parties – is something which can challenge even the most dedicated and loving couple.

A shared vision often only remains glorious until the day when it looks like becoming reality. At this point differing reactions are common: disbelief, fear, joy, achievement to name but a few and when cracks can start to show in a previously solid relationship.

Concurring on an identical dream is crucial from the outset. There is very little point in wanting something and then, when you’ve got the opportunity to go for it, finding out that one of you isn’t on board.

It’s much healthier and creates a lot less stress to talk together at the outset. The linchpin of successful discussions is learning the art of asking some good questions.

Springboard Questions for Discussion

To start you off, here are a few very basic ideas:

• What would happen if your dream came true?
• What would happen if it didn’t come true?
• What wouldn’t happen if it did come true?
• What wouldn’t happen if it didn’t come true?

These questions should be answered individually and jointly.

It’s also useful to remember that the closer we get to success, the more obstacles are put in our way to test whether or not we are truly committed. It’s often at this stage that each of us as individuals withdraws into our own natural coping strategy to deal with very real fears.

The easiest and quickest way to work with this as a couple is for you to have open and willing conversations.

If you stop talking, you will distance yourselves from one another very quickly.

Look on your job as helping your partner work through what’s troubling them and you should be willing to listen as well as hear what they’re saying. They need to know that their issues are being taken into consideration and you’re not merely paying lip service.

Be prepared for a complete discussion block where any form of agreement is unlikely – there’s a yes and there’s a no.

The truth is that  ”block” really equates to “grey area”. Identifying what this is should be explored together. Within the black and white, there are negative emotions which can be easily eradicated – fear and guilt are common examples.

Honestly Question Your Relationship

Acknowledging reality can be uncomfortable but I’d strongly encourage you to review your values:

• Is a “live anywhere, work-anywhere” lifestyle more important to you than your current relationship?
• Do either of you feel you might be holding the other person back? Why do you believe this?
• Do either of you use the ‘I’ word rather than the ‘we’ word?
• If you use the ‘I’ word – what answers do you get which are different and vice versa?

We can make up our own rules of how to live our lives with love only when we have a very clear understanding of what we want to achieve individually and as a couple.

There are always answers and options when we are willing to think outside the box and face reality as it is, not as we think it is or as we think it has to be. In a healthy relationship, this reflection comes with the territory!

About The Author: Jackie Walker has spent the last 5 years working with relationship and communication issues. Her work focuses on conflict resolution – internal or external. Jackie has found that helping people clear their own issues allows them to relate and communicate with less stress and fear. She is a regular contributor to off and online publications.

SPECIAL COMMUNITY OFFER: To assist any location independent community members who might be having issues making joint decisions or keeping their relationship strong, Jackie is offering a one off session of an hour by Skype for £50 or 3 sessions for £120. For more information, please contact Jackie on contactjackiewalker@gmail.com.

No related posts.

Image Credit

Neatly picking up from Jenn’s last post, when I wrote this article I was facing a disaster for my location independent writing business.

That’s because the next day I knew there would be no internet in my area and probably no phone either, since it’s the same company.

I’m a firm believer of “working in the cloud” but there are times when it can be a burden rather than a blessing. Before I take a look at the disadvantages, let’s review some of the reasons why it pays to keep most of your business cloud based…

Delights

Mobility

If you don’t have to carry stuff around then the chances of losing data and files are limited plus there is the added advantage of being able to travel light.

Last year I was working in Mexico – or was it Bahrain? – when a client emailed me needing an urgent update to a document. Even though I had a laptop with me the document wasn’t on it but I was able to access my cloud based backup site (through Syncplicity), download and edit the file then email it to my client.

Crash Proofing Your Business

If you have never had a laptop or computer die suddenly then you’re lucky. I’ve had it happen to me and it seems that many computers don’t believe in the afterlife – once that data is gone, it’s gone. Or is it?

If you’ve backed up your files and manage your business from the cloud then you are not only location independent but computer independent. Doesn’t that sound great?

I can never stop praising Syncplicity enough because when I changed computers I was able to download all my stuff from my old PC to my new one with a single click. Within a few hours, everything was in the right place.

Disadvantages

But it’s not all gravy.

Plan “B” and Back Up

If you run your business from the cloud you are dependent on having a good, reliable internet connection and depending where you are, that could be a problem. Your whole business could be trapped in the cloud, while you have no chance to get access. The solution is to have backup plans in place.

That means having a plan B as well as backing up your files.

In many cases the plan B consists of an internet cafe or a friend’s computer which is fine for connectivity problems of short duration but what if the internet is down for a whole day?  You already know that I keep a portable hard disk as a secondary backup – that means I can take my data to any other computer and have immediate access.

Security

Another worry for some people is security.

The answer to that is strong passwords, regularly changed. Please don’t ask me if I am following my own advice! I’ve started the process, but it will take a while. I can’t guarantee that your data will be 100% secure on-line but in my experience it’s pretty safe. Neither my online backup account nor my email account has ever been hacked, and those are my two key tools.

Of course, there’s always the ultimate nightmare. As my friend Mitch says: ‘the cloud might dissipate taking the data with it – yikes!’

Yikes, indeed and that’s why, although I work in the cloud, I keep off-line backups as well as email backups through my Google Apps email – I feel pretty sure Google isn’t going anywhere in a hurry.

Related posts:

1. Tips and Tools For Location Independent Tech Success
2. 7 Great Uses of Dropbox for Digital Nomads
3. Tech Tip For Digital Nomads: Manage All Your Email From One Gmail Account