Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
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  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance
Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

moving

    A man stands in front of a Cambodian flag waving in a blue sky

    8 Things to Know Before MOVING to Cambodia

    by Nick & Raychel March 10, 2019

    Moving to Cambodia? Want some tips?

    So you’re moving to Cambodia for the first time. Lucky you! We’ve loved living in Cambodia and we know how exciting the move can be. We also understand how stressful it can be at the same time. That’s why we’ve put together a quick guide for you that will *hopefully* make the transition at least a little easier for you.

     


    1. Flights

    Book early and try to find the best deal. We use Skyscanner and bought our one-way tickets for less than $500.00!

    You may have heard that some airlines will not allow you on a flight with a one-way ticket. Make sure you contact the airline to get a concrete answer on this before you go. If you can’t find a definite answer, like us, there are ways of getting around this.

    We always recommend booking on-going travel just in case you have any troubles. We booked a bus ticket to Thailand, scheduled to leave 28 days after we arrived in Cambodia. Since our visa was only valid for 30 days and we didn’t have jobs secured yet, this cleared any troubles that could have occured with the airline and we had an escape plan in case we had troubles finding a job. I believe this only costed us $20 and it was worth every penny. Although we didn’t end up taking that trip to Thailand, just having these tickets took the weight off of our shoulders and hardly made a dent in our wallets.


    2. Visas

    If you’re planning to work in Cambodia, you should get an Ordinary (E-Type) visa upon arrival. Do not confuse this with the E-visa (the tourist visa you can get prior to arrival online). The Ordinary visa will cost you $30.00 USD and you must have the exact cash to purchase it upon arrival.

    With this visa, you will be legally entitled to search for jobs in the country for 30 days. Once you are granted a job, your employer will give you a Work Permit and assist you with switching over your visa. No – you will not need to do a visa run – you will be able to stay in the country while they switch this over for you.


    3. Real estate

    We recommend staying in a hostel/hotel/AirBnB for about a week so you can get to know the areas before renting an apartment.

    Real estate agents are easy to come by, free of charge, and will be able to assist you in finding an apartment to rent. We joined the Facebook group Phnom Penh Housing and made a post stating what we were looking for. Within minutes, our inbox was flooded with messages from local real estate agents who were eager to assist us. We found our apartment in one day and moved in 3 days later.

    You can also use Khmer24 to look at apartment listings and contact agents.


    4. Jobs

    If you are moving to Cambodia to teach English, find our article How to move to Cambodia and teach English.

    We also have multiple Youtube videos on the topic like the one below:


     


    5. Getting around

    No clue where you’re going? No problem. From the airport, you’ll be able to get a tuk tuk to your destination. Read – this is going to be the most expensive tuk tuk you’ll ever have to pay for. Once you’re in town and out of the airport-zone, you should download two apps on your phone: Grab and Passapp.

     

      • Grab: This is pretty much like the Uber for Southeast Asia. Type in your destination and what kind of vehicle you’d like to you’ll receive a set price on what you’ll have to pay.
      • Passapp: Same deal, except for that Passapp is exclusive to Cambodia. At the time of writing this, Passapp is more popular than Grab but can be more expensive as it runs on a meter.

     


    Both applications are GPS tracked and you can pay at the end of your trip.


    6. Where to go

    Confused about where to stay? Find our article Phnom Penh Guide: Where to stay about the different areas you can stay in within Phnom Penh.


    7. Making friends

    There are so many meetups, trivia nights, art shows, film screenings, and other events that expats plan to make Cambodia feel more like home. We recommend joining Facebook groups so that you don’t miss out. We were a part of a group called Expats and locals living in Phnom Penh. If you are moving to Siem Reap or other areas, search as per your location and join a few.

    Drugs are easy to come by in Cambodia, so be cautious and picky about the type of people you surround yourself with so you don’t end up in the wrong scene. Just have your wits about you. Most expats are friendly and looking to make friends just the same as you are.


    8. Learning Khmer

    You do not need to know Khmer to live in Cambodia, but it will certainly make your life easier. A lot of Cambodian people speak English, especially in the city. That said, we learned simple phrases, directional words (for Grab rides) and how to count / bargain in Khmer. We really recommend trying to learn the language during your stay in the Kingdom. You’ll find yourself to have an easier time, being more immersed, and making some friends that you otherwise wouldn’t have.


     

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • This summer has been filled with a lot of hard work so we can continue the adventure.

Working odd jobs and picking up work that we aren’t necessarily *passionate* about (sorry to break it to you, Santa, I didn’t love being a Christmas elf at the mall during the holidays) isn’t always easy.

Working hours at the office, doing data entry, reception, and cleaning out the fridge every Friday isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Nick doesn’t love driving a truck for 11 hours a day, or getting home at 1am. 

But we are committed to the cycle, we are passionate about alternative living, and we want to see the world.

We don’t work hard so that we can have a margarita at the beach (although that’s fun too), we work hard so that we can experience different cultures, try different cuisines, learn about different climates, connect, and grow as people.

Travel to us is more than bright blue waters and aesthetic IG photos, it’s about the experience, and we can’t wait to see more.

__

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vanlifevirals #vanlifeideas #vandwelling

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  • Yeah, the first ever “odd job” I took in order to afford travel was as a Christmas Elf at the mall.

I worked this job on top of my regular 9-5 so that I could afford to pay off my existing credit card debt and move to Cambodia. It was my first step away from the ‘big girl jobs’ I was used to working, but I had a dream to live abroad and a bank account that didn’t match, so I had to do something about it.

The next few jobs I’ve done either part or full time over the years.

💻 REV: I’ve worked as a transcriber on Rev for a few years now. The pay isn’t great, but I’m a super fast typist (80 wpm who!?) so I figured it could be a way to pass the time & earn extra income.

🐶 Rover: This summer, we’ve ventured into caring for dogs on Rover. While we can’t do this in our van, we are currently staying with my brother and between all of us, there’s always a dog here. If I had learned about Rover prior to moving out of our apartment, I would have definitely offered my services years ago.

👩‍🏫 Teaching English online: Many people know that we taught English overseas - but only long-time followers of the YouTube channel would know that teaching ESL was my job beyond that. Unfortunately there were major pay cuts within the company that I worked for (PalFish) so I quit, but I still teach on Cambly and Outschool (more on that in part 2).

We don’t have a lot of money but we have expensive dreams, so we’ll do anything to make it work. What odd jobs have you done to earn some extra cash?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouple #vanlifecouples#tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vanlifemovement #vanbuildout #vandwelling #vanlifediaries  #vanlifemovement #vanlifeexplorers #traveljobs #vanlifejobs #workontheroad #digitalnomad #budgettravel 

++ Keywords: van life tips, travel tips, van life travel, van life youtube
  • Anyone who knows our story knows that we have been working throughout our entire travels. Seasonal / temporary work has afforded us a lifestyle filled with travel and adventure. ✈️

We have explored temp agencies, Craigslist ads, used websites like Airtasker (Australia) and Kijiji to find our temporary/seasonal jobs. But in the US specifically, there are some websites designed specifically for this type of work. 🌲

Here are 3 websites designed for seasonal work (mostly U.S. based):
1. Vagajobs: a resource for seasonal & year-round work with a heavy focus on travel/adventure jobs. Some jobs posted on Vagajobs include staff housing.
2. CoolWorks: job opportunities in great places - from national parks to ski resorts, summer camps, to national parks. Some jobs posted on CoolWorks include staff housing.
3. Occupation Wild: job board for the outdoor / adventure and travel industry. Hiring all sorts of positions at ranches, camps, resorts, conservation areas and national parks. 

Outside of the U.S.? Same (kinda). Our main go-to in Canada is Indeed (search by job type & select contract / seasonal)

Do you have any seasonal job boards to add to the list?
Drop ‘em here. ⬇️

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • If you’re in Ontario, you don’t want to miss this next year ✨ 

This was our first time visit the Hamilton night market and it was so worth the visit. Come along with us! @hhnightmarket 

Have you tried stinky tofu? ⬇️ 

—

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • Shoutout to anyone who does these tiny (or big) builds on your own 🤦🏼‍♀️

We all have different strengths, right?… 

What’s your most dreaded part of DIY? ⬇️ 
_

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  • Saying goodbye is the hardest part about travelling.

We have said dozens and dozens of goodbyes throughout our 20s. We have met countless new faces, made a ton of connections, and have shed a lot of goodbye tears.

Even a visit ‘home’ comes with the looming feeling of saying goodbye again.

We wish we could take everyone we love and put them in our pocket.
But we know that everybody has a different dream, a different life. 

When we take our next flight or fill up the gas tank to our next stop on the road, they go off on to see the world for themselves, to raise their families, to chase their career goals, love lives, or whatever else.

And we are so stoked to be able to stay in touch online.
But it’s definitely the hardest part of living nomadically.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 
__

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