Where in the world should webpreneurs work?

[gopreneur]

Where is the ideal place to work for webpreneurs? I will be quitting my day job in the next year or two to pursue entrepreneurship full-time and with my online business I can work anywhere with an internet connection.

These 5 requirements are important about where to live:

1) Internet connection.
2) Affordable.
3) Easy to obtain a work visa.
4) Safe.
5) Appealing environment/culture.

I found an article (opentravel.com/blogs/the-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-world-500-a-month) and I'm trying to decide if any of these countries fit those five requirements.

Working in the United States is still appealing because I'm a citizen, but it's expensive.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

[veikoh]

Most of programmers and Internet specialists are in India so you need to be either much more effective or live in less expensive country than India.
I would like to live in small sailing boat, so I could be whereever I want to be...

[KirkKimberley]

My Utopia would be a Yacht in the Caribbean, and a satellite connection for the internet.....working on it!

Also, why do you need a work Visa, if you are doing all your work online?

Thanks,
Kirk

[JohnGalt]

He might need the work visa to stay for the two years. Most countries only allow tourists to stay for a few months.

I think part of the question should be "where will I do my best work?"

Will you be distracted trying to meet people and fit in sightseeing abroad? Will the change from the living conditions you are used to in the States be too much of a distraction? But on the flip side, will staying in the United States be forgoing a once in a lifetime experience to live abroad and experience another culture?

You can find list items 1, 2 , 4, and 5 in almost any country but I guess it will come down to the work visa issue. You could always work abroad until your tourist visa expires then come back. The US is expensive relative to some places in asia/south america/ eastern europe but lower living expenses almost always come with some sort of decreased living convenience. Also, make sure to factor in the cost of travel and insurance if you are going abroad.

I would love to work abroad and hope to do so in the near future but if you are making your decision based solely on cost then I would look around at options in the States. You could rent a house and find roommates in a city where you can walk most places or ride public transportation.

Best of luck

[KirkKimberley]

I lived in the Dominican Republic in the winter of 2006. I hung out on the beach, scuba'd, suntanned, etc... They do not require any Visa there.

Not sure how they are affected by Haiti right now though.

Thanks,
Kirk

[EnVogue]

Why pick just one place? Spend a year traveling around the world!

[veikoh]

My Utopia would be a Yacht in the Caribbean, and a satellite connection for the internet.....working on it!

Also, why do you need a work Visa, if you are doing all your work online?

Thanks,
Kirk

I had the same idea once to get a Chris Craft Continental Motorboat in Caribbean, now it has changed to sailingboat in Barcelona. I could get one for some 5000 euros in October/November.. can sell for over 12K EUR in spring. When I had money coming in from my software, it was over $100K.. few years back I looked that same Chris Craft model was only $35K.
You can't get a uplink to satellite from a boat. It needs to be very stabile and big dish. There once was Globalstar low orbit satellite phone network but this went to bancrupcy when GSM took over. So, you need WiFi in harbours and Mobile Broadband (which is cheap in europe).