American woman who 'sold everything she owned' and booked a one-way ticket to Japan reveals how she ended up HOMELESS in Thailand after realizing life in Asia was far more 'expensive' than she realized
A woman has described how she wound up ‘homeless’ in Thailand after relocating from the U.S. to South East Asia to become a ‘digital nomad’ with no financial safety net.
Kiawanna Moore booked a one-way flight from her native Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Japan back in August 2023.
At the time, she left ‘not having any plans and I didn’t know anything about Japan,’ she admitted in a TikTok summarizing her experience.
‘I SOLD EVERYTHING I OWNED & MOVED ACROSS SEAS…’ she declared in the title of a YouTube video documenting her flight to Tokyo.
Kiawanna Moore booked a one-way flight from her native Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Tokyo back in August 2023, chasing the ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle
Not long after she’d arrived in Tokyo, she’d realized the city was too expensive and promptly decamped for Thailand
But, a few weeks later, a new video appeared on her channel: ‘TOKYO IS THE WORST PLACE TO STAY !! I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO MOVE.’
This montage captured her as she flew from Tokyo to Thailand in search of a more affordable yet still exotic locale.
‘I realized Japan was extremely expensive and I wasn’t gonna last long with the amount of money that I came with,’ she explained in the TikTok.
So she decided to relocate to Thailand, again heading there with ‘no plans’ and ‘not knowing anything about the country.’
Elsewhere on her social media, she confessed that she only had $7 in her bank account when she arrived at the Thai city of Pattaya, where she had been trying to get settled since.
While she stretched her money for five months, she confessed in the TikTok: ‘I still wasn’t able to figure out how to make income. I ran out of money.’
‘And that is how I ended up homeless in Thailand,’ she concluded.
It’s also unclear whether Kiawanna applied for or obtained a work permit allowing her to be legally employed on Thai soil.
Thousands of viewers took to the comments, some steeped in harsh judgement of Kiawanna’s situation, while others extended encouragement and advice.
She began searching for work in Thailand, living off her limited savings in the meantime
But, after five months, Kiawanna wound up homeless after running out of money and unable to lock in a steady income stream
‘Not having a financial plan was way risky. I am a digital nomad so I understand the wanderlust, but gotta be smart about it. Good luck to you!’ one person wrote.
‘Running away from your problems sometimes only creates more. Hopefully you find yourself and reunite with your family,’ a second added.
‘This is what “digital nomad” culture has done to people smh,’ a third chimed in.
Taking a more positive stance, another cheered: ‘I love this!! Life is about taking risks.’
Someone else offered suggestions for income streams: ‘Straight to the point lmao. This footage is beautiful. You’ll def have work soon. You should be filming content for tourists and doing birthday shoots. Join travel groups on FB and post your services.’
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