About Nomad Mac
I'm Nomad Mac. This is what I'm figuring out next.
After twenty years in the U.S. Army, I've been thinking about a quieter, more flexible retirement. Van life in America has my attention right now. I'm comparing vehicles, exploring simple build ideas, and working through experimental budgets. I haven't bought a van.
If I do, I plan to start with short trips while keeping my apartment. Living in Southeast Asia is a longer-term goal, especially the Philippines. That research is where this site began, and it remains part of the story.
I'm doing this because I enjoy it. I share the research, choices, and mistakes in case they're useful to someone else. If the website earns something someday, great; it could help fund another adventure. Sharing the process is why I'm here.
Plans, research, and the road ahead.
For now, the van pages are research and concepts, not a record of a purchase or completed trips. I want the numbers and assumptions to be visible so you can judge what fits your own life.
The Southeast Asia guides grew from my own questions about visas, costs, healthcare, and daily life. I kept the free tools here so you can explore those questions with your own numbers.
See my van life research · Read my notes · Explore Southeast Asia planning
How the planning research is checked.
Nomad Mac Travels separates linked official information from planning judgment and editable estimates. Guide review dates show when each page was last checked; official-source links are provided where rules or current conditions matter.
The goal is direct: show the useful answer first, identify the risk or missing requirement, and link the official source. A planning range is never presented as a guaranteed price, and a possible visa path is never presented as approval.
Does Nomad Mac Travels have a community?
Yes. The Nomad Mac Community supports member questions and replies about visas, housing, healthcare, costs, transport, and everyday life. Approved discussions are publicly readable; posting and replying require sign-in. Member contributions are subject to the community rules. The presence of these features is not a claim about community size or activity.
Which destinations are covered?
The researched country guides focus on Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Laos. Browse the country and city guides for that coverage. Tools such as the move roadmap also accept custom countries and cities. Entering a custom destination does not create researched local prices or country-specific visa advice; Nomad Mac Travels does not claim worldwide guide coverage.
Are calculator results guaranteed prices?
No. Budget calculators produce editable planning estimates, not quotes or guaranteed living costs. Change your location, assumptions, and costs to fit your own plan. The visa pathfinder provides research leads, not approval: verify current requirements with the linked official authorities before acting.
Do I have to use Command Center?
No. The standalone tools remain independently accessible. Command Center is the free member dashboard for connected saved planning, not a replacement for the individual tools. See free account access for current saving features.