# Speed round: Indonesia, Belgium, Sweden, Gili Islands, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Laos, Thailand, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Malta, Hungary, Portugal, Czechia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Malaysia, Serbia, Germany, Vietnam

- **Episode:** [220](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/220.md) (2025-08-05)
- **Type:** other
- **Tags:** indonesia, belgium, sweden, gili-islands, ireland, liechtenstein
- **Time:** 36:31–50:26 (start 2191s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/220?t=2191](https://truthliesandwork.com/220?t=2191)

---

[36:31] Leanne Elliott: Okay. Indonesia, Lombok, paradise
[36:35] Al Elliott: Lombok, right. Don't go to Bali, go to Lombok. That's all we need to say. It is the most amazing place. Belgium, never actually worked there. It's always been us stopping over, I think. We've been on holiday there and we've stopped over there, but I don't think we've ever worked there, have we?
[36:48] Leanne Elliott: No. Great chips
[36:50] Al Elliott: Great chips. Yeah. Fries, if you're not from the UK. Yes. Great fries and great waffles if you're into that kind of thing. And great mussels. Oh my goodness. Oh, and Pinot Gris. And you've got to go to Belgium for the seafood and for the wine and for the fries
[37:05] Leanne Elliott: And good beaches if you've got a dog to run on. Oh, Peanut loved it. Sweden. We did a couple of days there, didn't work there. Really enjoyed it. We went to, um, Yeah
[37:17] Al Elliott: Yeah. And that was, it was cool
[37:19] Leanne Elliott: It was really cool
[37:19] Al Elliott: Yeah, really cool
[37:20] Leanne Elliott: Really, really cool
[37:21] Al Elliott: Again, quite expensive as you'd expect for the Baltic countries, but, or is it Balkan? Baltic
[37:28] Leanne Elliott: It's meant to be a speed round now
[37:29] Al Elliott: Sorry. Indonesia, Gili Islands
[37:31] Leanne Elliott: Yes
[37:32] Al Elliott: That's all. Go
[37:34] Leanne Elliott: Great for working
[37:35] Al Elliott: Yes. Internet's pretty quick. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful place. Gili Trawangan. Go there. Go to a tiki bar. We did an interview on our last podcast from the tiki bar, from the guy. They're really cool. Ex-actor on IMDb as well
[37:48] Leanne Elliott: Ireland. Love Ireland. It's, it's honestly, I'm one of those like annoying Americans that are like, I have Irish heritage, therefore I feel at home in Ireland. Went to Galway, Dublin, of course, and County Mayo
[38:03] Al Elliott: Yeah
[38:04] Leanne Elliott: The west coast of Ireland is just an absolute must. Go spend a lifetime there
[38:09] Al Elliott: Don't, yeah, don't go to Dublin. Go somewhere else. Go to Kerry. Go and go to the local bar and get a proper Guinness and eat. And we were there and there was a Guinness, there was fiddlers, like violinists. It was brilliant. Okay. Oh, sorry, have you got one more?
[38:23] Leanne Elliott: No, go
[38:24] Al Elliott: Next one I pulled out is Liechtenstein. It's a cheat us keeping this because I think we were only in there for either one night or even just one day. Cool little place
[38:32] Leanne Elliott: Not a lot to do
[38:33] Al Elliott: There's not a lot to do. I think you could probably walk it from end to end in about 3 hours. The actual old town itself is tiny, but cool. Definitely go. Next one I've got here is Lithuania. Now we know a lot about Lithuania because we spent 4 or 5 months locked down. Our first lockdown in Lithuania
[38:52] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, our first lockdown
[38:52] Al Elliott: From what I remember, internet was very fast. We stayed just outside Vilnius, in the city, but in a beautiful, like, townhouse. The neighbours were amazing. Neighbours kept bringing us food. In fact, when we left, they sent us a WhatsApp. Well, actually it was Viber up there, but sent us a WhatsApp message Uh, with what they'd made, which was like, um, Time to Say Goodbye, and it got like tears and stuff, and they were like, we miss you. And I was like, oh, Lithuania, definitely, definitely go. Bit more expensive than some of the neighbouring Baltic countries, but still worth it
[39:23] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, it's just, it's really cool. We couldn't, we got so lucky with our lockdown. It was in the best place. I remember people at the time saying, are you gonna come back to the UK? And it's like, why? A beautiful townhouse in a country with a really low COVID rate. We were right back onto a lake so we could walk the dogs. We were a 10-minute drive into the city centre, which was only locked down for 6 weeks. Where am I going? And actually couldn't because the borders were literally closed. Loved it. Also, there's a, what's it called? A spit?
[39:48] Al Elliott: Oh, yes
[39:50] Leanne Elliott: That's like a really thin bit of land that we went to that's kind of separated by the sea and then a lagoon. And it's actually connected with Russia
[40:00] Al Elliott: Yes
[40:01] Leanne Elliott: Incredible. The best smoked fish ever had in my life. Sand dunes like I've never seen before. It was like out of a movie. Huge fan of Lithuania. Love it
[40:11] Al Elliott: Definitely go to Lithuania. Okay, speed round. Ireland. You just said Ireland, or did I write it down twice? Laos. Laos. L-A-O-S. I'm never quite sure how to say it. Beautiful place. Very French
[40:25] Leanne Elliott: Yes, it was colonised by the French
[40:27] Al Elliott: Really good place. We were only there for maybe 3 or 4 days, and we don't think we worked there, did we?
[40:32] Leanne Elliott: We did. We went for a week
[40:34] Al Elliott: We went to a coworking Oh, that was, yeah, that was Laos. Brilliant food. Luang Prabang, brilliant food. And we went up a mountain to watch the sunrise, sunset at the top of a monastery. Temple, yes
[40:47] Leanne Elliott: Stunning
[40:47] Al Elliott: Food, great. They have a, they, it's, if you imagine Asian food, but with like French influence, they have like these sort of like roast sausage things that are just incredible
[40:56] Leanne Elliott: It's like 2 of the best cuisines in the world mixed together and it does not disappoint. Incredible night markets as well. We actually went to, there's a little island, In the middle of the Mekong River that runs through Luang Prabang that is only there during the summer periods. It gets flooded in the winter and every year the locals rebuild it and it's a little cucumber farm. So, you have to go and get a boat over and they have beers and cucumber salad and that's it. But it'll be the best, coldest beer you've ever had, the best cucumber salad you've ever had. And we just sat there for hours, didn't we? Just watching
[41:30] Al Elliott: Yeah
[41:31] Leanne Elliott: Watching the sunset
[41:32] Al Elliott: So, yeah
[41:33] Leanne Elliott: Fabulous. Beautiful. Anyway, Thailand
[41:38] Al Elliott: We haven't got time
[41:39] Leanne Elliott: We haven't got time
[41:41] Al Elliott: Yes
[41:42] Leanne Elliott: Yeah
[41:42] Al Elliott: Everywhere we went to Thailand was just incredible. The islands, the— and the only thing is that some of the islands when we went back in '17, '18, the internet wasn't brilliant. I'm sure that's changed now. I'm thinking of that one where we literally had our place on the sand. And that wasn't brilliant
[41:56] Leanne Elliott: But if you go to Koh Lanta, that's kind of like the digital nomad island. And then from there, you'll find people and Travel with them. Yes, absolutely brilliant. If you've never been to Southeast Asia before and you are a digital nomad, Thailand is a place to start
[42:08] Al Elliott: Yeah, maybe avoid Chiang Mai just because Chiang Mai is in the north and it's very expatty
[42:14] Leanne Elliott: The kids love it though
[42:15] Al Elliott: I don't know why, because you just want— you see old men coming around the corner with like 2 young girls on their hand and it's just weird
[42:22] Leanne Elliott: Chiang Mai is one of the places where people will stay as nomads for months. Like they'll do the visa hop where you can get like a 3-month visa and then they'll leave for a week and then come back and get another 3 months. Yeah, meh. To Chiang Mai, the rest of Thailand, amazing
[42:37] Al Elliott: Okay, I've got Netherlands. Unfortunately, we don't think we can tell you much about that. We've stayed a few times. Very nice, beautiful, lots of bikes. We didn't partake in any of the activities. Well, I didn't when I went, any of the activities that are there. You know the ones I'm talking about. But otherwise, really lovely place. Very similar to Belgium, I would have thought
[42:56] Leanne Elliott: Great Christmas market
[42:57] Al Elliott: Yes. Fabulous Christmas market
[42:59] Leanne Elliott: Denmark, best Christmas market in Europe
[43:01] Al Elliott: Yes
[43:01] Leanne Elliott: Australia. Loved it. We did Sydney, we did Melbourne. Um, slightly different experience for me because I was there with my client from Australia. Um, so I very much loved it and they helped us around seeing things and getting the most out of it. Um, yeah, I think every nomad has to go to Australia, don't they?
[43:19] Al Elliott: Yeah, of course you do. Of course you do. Uh, next one, Malta. Now we only went on holiday, so unfortunately I can't tell you about that, but our internet was pretty decent there. It's a really cool place. It's kind of, Kind of got a weird sort of like Italian/Spanish vibe. And it's definitely worth going, really good. Just don't go and get the rabbit, which is the local delicacy. I mean, we like rabbit, but it was just a bit disappointing
[43:41] Leanne Elliott: If you're not keen on nomading, but want to look at expatriation, but don't have any language, Malta and Gibraltar that we've both talked about are really good options for that. So, do take a look, particularly if you're in the gaming industry. If you're in the gaming industry, you'll already know about Malta and Gibraltar. And Gibraltar. Anyway, Montenegro, love it. If we didn't live in Bosnia, we'd live in Montenegro
[44:01] Al Elliott: Yep. Great internet. Although you do need it, as I said before, you do need a passport to go and get your SIM card in Montenegro for some very strange reason. Crazy, crazy drivers. Kotor is beautiful, but you probably don't want to go to Kotor and stay there because it'll be expensive unless it's off-season. But yes, Montenegro, absolutely stunning. Just be careful of the drivers. Talking of rabbit, Hungary. There's my joke
[44:25] Leanne Elliott: We've only ever done Budapest
[44:26] Al Elliott: Yeah, yeah
[44:27] Leanne Elliott: I really liked it. You weren't so keen, were you?
[44:30] Al Elliott: I thought it was okay. I thought it was okay. I think we'd just come off the back of several Eastern European countries, and so it was getting, I hate to say it, getting a little samey. But it's just, it's a very cool place. And if you like the likes of Prague and Bratislava, I would imagine you'd love Bucharest. Budapest, sorry. Don't get it wrong
[44:48] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, I really liked it. And again, I mean, we, I'm a big fan of Christmas and Christmas markets, so you might not be surprised that we've been to a lot of them. If you're looking at like an alternative Christmas market tour, and you don't want to do too much of Germany or the obvious ones, Budapest Christmas market is incredible. Oh, Budapest is great. The entire city is basically one big Christmas market, and because it's cold and crisp and yeah, it's very, very cool
[45:11] Al Elliott: I believe you get blackcurrant wine there, I think is the predominant wine
[45:14] Leanne Elliott: And goulash
[45:15] Al Elliott: Goulash. So next one pulled out is Portugal. Um, we only spent a little bit of time. We spent maybe about a month in Portugal, perhaps
[45:21] Leanne Elliott: A week
[45:21] Al Elliott: Was it only a week?
[45:22] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, a week in Lisbon
[45:23] Al Elliott: Um, Lisbon's a cool place
[45:25] Leanne Elliott: It's where all the nomads hang out
[45:27] Al Elliott: Yeah, I don't think we need to say anything about that because if you're ever thinking of working remotely, then you'll have already thought of Portugal
[45:32] Leanne Elliott: Uh, Czechia. Do you know what? There are many digital nomad hotspots that are hugely overrated, overhyped. I would never recommend them. Bali. There are others like Prague that are totally worth the hype. Prague is awesome. Go
[45:51] Al Elliott: Uh, they, they split up the, the location into like Prague 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, et cetera. Prague 4 was very cool. We stayed there for a month and we went to Prague 6 for a month as well. So basically the tip is to go slightly outside because the, uh, the Um, trains or the trams taking you to the centre, it's so quick and so cheap. So, definitely look at Prague
[46:11] Leanne Elliott: And if you do travel with a dog, Prague is probably the most dog-friendly place we've ever been to. So, all public transport dogs can go on. There's no need for muzzles or any of that nonsense. Restaurants will let them in. We went to a really nice restaurant for my birthday and took the dog with us. Pubs and cafes are absolutely fine. So, yeah, if you, if you travel with a dog, Prague is a must. And of course, there is 100 million coworking spaces in Prague
[46:33] Al Elliott: Yes, there are. Next one comes up is Bulgaria. Now we have to talk quietly here because we're in Bulgaria right now. Bulgaria is a cool place. It's definitely one I would rather be on holiday in than necessarily working in. But then we are in rural Bulgaria right now, south of, if you've heard of a place called Haskovo, we're probably about an hour from the Greek border. So yeah, I mean, it's cool. Definitely come and have a look at Bulgaria. It's like we said the other week, they nod their head when they say, when they mean no. They go, what do I mean? Yeah. So, you'd go, yes, and nod your head, and they actually mean no and nod their head. And there's also lots of storks
[47:09] Leanne Elliott: Yes. Cool things to do in Bulgaria. Go to the Black Sea. Very, very different coastline. Go to a place called Plovdiv. Huge amounts of history. Beautiful, beautiful place. We haven't been to Sofia, but heard good things
[47:23] Al Elliott: Sorry, I was distracted. Yes, absolutely. So, I'm just looking now, and what we're gonna do is cheat, I think, Leanne. We're gonna take out the rest of them and just pick out the ones we wanna talk about because we've still got about 4 in there, 5 in there, 6. Okay. So I'm going to start off. We've got San Marino here. We were there for a couple of days. It was a beautiful place, really cool. Latvia, went on holiday back in the day to Latvia
[47:44] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, it didn't work for me
[47:45] Al Elliott: Didn't work for me either, those places, but both lovely places. Switzerland, we stayed with our friends in Switzerland, which is a little bit of a cheat because we didn't actually pay for anything because Andrew and Fanny, his missus, wouldn't let us pay for anything. But it was, it's a beautiful, beautiful place, but it's not somewhere you go if you're budget conscious. What do you got, Leanne?
[48:05] Leanne Elliott: Uh, I've got Denmark. We only went on holiday there, but absolutely loved it. Um, Indonesia, Bali. I think we've said that's a hard no. Malaysia, we stayed in KL for a couple of days. Again, I don't think we were working there
[48:17] Al Elliott: I don't think we were
[48:18] Leanne Elliott: But obviously we were in KL, so the internet was incredible. There's loads of places to work. It's all good. Um, Serbia. We spent a month in Belgrade. I love Belgrade
[48:28] Al Elliott: Yes
[48:28] Leanne Elliott: Belgrade is one of my most favourite cities in Europe. It's dirty. It's big. It's gritty. It's... Noisy. It's everything you want a capital city to be. Great shopping, beautiful parts, grungy parts, dive bars, fancy restaurants. So much diversity. Absolutely loved it. Only place in Europe we did get a little bit of beef with somebody local. A local taxi driver asked us to get out once they realised we were British
[48:54] Al Elliott: But then we did bomb the ever-loving shit out of them, so, as NATO, so
[48:57] Leanne Elliott: We did. So, if you're British or American, there's a small chance you'll experience a little bit of hostility, but that was our The only bit that we did and the vast— when everyone else was completely lovely to us. And if anyone's under 30, then it's not even on their mind, I don't think. No
[49:11] Al Elliott: And also it's really, really big on tech. It's like the Europe Silicon Valley is kind of like in Serbia
[49:17] Leanne Elliott: Yeah. So lots of nomads actually remote working
[49:19] Al Elliott: I've got Germany written down here, which we've never actually— it's another transit country for us. We've only ever stopped over on the way to somewhere, but it's Germany. It's going to be efficient and amazing and everything's going to work and It's also going to be delightfully weird
[49:33] Leanne Elliott: And it's huge
[49:34] Al Elliott: Yes
[49:35] Leanne Elliott: Always takes us like 2 days to drive across Germany
[49:38] Al Elliott: It is. There's a lot of Germany. A lot of Germany. My last one is Vietnam. Vietnam, I've got mixed feelings about. It wasn't our favourite place to go
[49:47] Leanne Elliott: No
[49:47] Al Elliott: We stayed in Hanoi. That was really busy. So, we went down to—
[49:50] Leanne Elliott: We were there over Chinese New Year, though, weren't we?
[49:53] Al Elliott: We were. So, that was busy. And then we went down to the middle one, which is called
[49:58] Leanne Elliott: That begins with H. Hue
[49:59] Al Elliott: Hue. That was cool
[50:01] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, I like that. That's my favourite part
[50:03] Al Elliott: And then we went to Ho Chi Minh, the capital. Very smart. If you've been, it's like Bangkok. It's just really progressive. What it doesn't have, what we didn't find there was the grittiness of, say, the Chinatown in Bangkok where you felt like you could have been coming in 1980 and it would be the same
[50:20] Leanne Elliott: We found that in Hanoi
[50:21] Al Elliott: Yes, we found that in Hanoi, but for the obvious reasons. So that's how I'm out, Leanne. Have you got any more?