What 67 Countries Taught Me
67 countries. Not as a tourist — as a resident. What the road taught me about product design, trust, and the feeling of enough.
Beyond the number
“67 countries” sounds like a stamp-collecting contest. But the real numbers sit elsewhere: seven places I lived for three months or more, more than forty returns to countries I’d already been to, and every time “see you again” actually meant something.
Design principles the road teaches
Friction is cultural. A flow that feels perfect in Japan feels sluggish in Thailand. Southeast Asian users tolerate waiting but not boredom. A sense of progress beats a loading screen.
Trust comes before UI. Everywhere, people first look at who made the thing. That’s why personal sites never died — they’re coming back.
Offline is a feature. Learned in the mountains of Vietnam: connectivity isn’t a right, it’s weather. Products that work offline are loved for exactly that.
Knowing enough
Somewhere around country sixty-seven I noticed: the depth of a place I already know can be richer than a new pin on the map. Products are the same — depth over features.
The map is still open. But for now, I’m digging in one place 🌏
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Living Between Time Zones
What 67 countries and four home bases teach you about deep work, jet lag, and building products nobody asked you to build.