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Liberation Travel Hacks 01/2026
A year and a half ago, I wrote an article titled "It's not worth it in Slovakia..."
It's time to update it to "Nothing is worth it in Slovakia in 2026..."
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Many of these points apply to all EU countries as well, so please continue reading.
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Let's summarize what has changed in the last 1.5 years:
1. Paraguayan Personal increased my limit from 30GB/month to 80GB/month, still for 200k PYG (25 EUR). Data coverage throughout Europe, America, and even the UAE, Qatar, and Thailand. I don't know of any operator in the EU that can offer something similar for a similar price.
2. In the original article, I wrote that in Slovakia, it is most profitable for small entrepreneurs to do business through a Czech small business license with fixed flat-rate costs (if you have an income of CZK 1-2 million, which is EUR 20-40k per year). Someone wrote to me that this is illegal if you live in Slovakia most of the time—in that case, you have to pay social security and health insurance contributions there. That's all true – but it doesn't change the fact that a large number of people around me have accepted this risk, obtained Czech small business licenses, and started doing business in Slovakia through their Czech entities. Czech small business licenses in Slovakia are now the NEW STANDARD.
3. Paying 15% health insurance contributions in Slovakia was utter nonsense. And from 2026, it will be even more so, as health insurance contributions are increasing to 16%. My global health insurance company, William Russel, also raised my premium to EUR 190/month because I am turning 47. Still, the price includes USD 1.5 million in annual coverage for everything in my bronze package.
I would pay the same amount for health insurance in Slovakia on an income of EUR 1,140 (below the average Slovak salary).
With my significantly higher monthly income, my global, international health insurance is much cheaper than the mandatory Slovak insurance would be.
4. From January 1, 2026, the minimum assessment base for social insurance will increase from the current 50% to 60% of the average wage valid two years ago.
In addition, social insurance remains a big black hole, and I personally consider it highly risky to rely on a state pension in the future (and I recommend saving for retirement in other ways).
5. Using EU bank accounts makes no sense from a privacy perspective. The year 2025 brought a new standard of non-spying, non-reporting, non-CRS bank accounts in Kyrgyzstan. My friends, clients, and I send euros and dollars to each other via local transfers between our Kyrgyz or Georgian bank accounts.
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6. Having permanent residence and tax residency in Slovakia was a terrible idea in the past. In 2026, after taking into account the brutal consolidation package, it is now completely nonsensical—especially if you have the option to leave.
Nothing will be worth it in Slovakia in 2026. It will be worse than in 2024-2025. But you all know that already.
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Looking back, I realize how much mental pressure I was under when I was a tax slave in Slovakia.
When every Bitcoin payment I made was de facto illegal (without paying tax on the difference between the price I paid and the price I bought it for, or paying health insurance contributions on every transaction).
Of course, everyone in Slovakia who uses crypto and does not meet these obligations (which is almost everyone) is breaking the law. And they should be aware of this unpleasant mental pressure.
Unfortunately, most of you are breaking the law nonstop without even realizing it.
The state collects a vast amount of information about you, directly or indirectly, and will use it against you if necessary (which is common in political battles).
And it continuously adds new taxes, new obligations, and new ways to spy on you without your consent legally.
It's a very unpleasant feeling, and I'm glad that none of this applies to me anymore.
Even though I can't be in Slovakia most of the time (more than 183 days a year), it's definitely worth it.
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Pavol Lupták, January 10, 2026, Tbilisi
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EU
The "voluntary option" of scanning messages, which prevents end-to-end encryption in the EU Chat Control legislation, means the LEGITIMIZATION of the blanket collection of data on all EU citizens. In plain language, spying corporations like Meta can now officially and legally claim that they need to see all their users' messages to scan them for dangerous child pornography and uncover child abuse. In practice, they can then abuse full access to these messages for whatever they want—whether that's better-targeted marketing or training their AI models.
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I made the following statement, to which no one responded for over a month—because no one really believes that EU Age Control will actually help protect children:
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Not only do I think that age restrictions on Internet access (Age Control EU Chat Control legislation) are ineffective nonsense like the EU cookie law (it is worth considering how this technological invention has actually helped the European Internet), but I am also willing to put my money where my mouth is and bet my own money on my conviction.
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I declare a bet:
If EU Age Control legislation reduces the number of abused children by at least 30% in the first year after it comes into force, I will pay you €3,000.
Otherwise (if the reduction does not occur), you will pay me €3,000.
As proof, I am willing to accept any verifiable police report on the decline in child abuse from any EU country for the given period. I accept fiat or any cryptocurrency.
So, if you really think that the new European Age Control legislation will actually help protect children, then stop talking about it (as EU politicians are currently doing).
But make a bet! Bet money on your conviction!
I am willing to make 10 such bets, for a total of €30,000.
If you don't want to bet, then I'm not interested in your opinion that "we need age restrictions to protect children" because you don't really believe it and don't want to "put your money where your mouth is."
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A black economy is developing in the EU's IT specialist recruitment sector. One reason is excessive regulation. If you are an IT specialist and your customers have no problem with a non-EU company, it is almost always a good idea to do business in the EU from a non-EU company (e.g., a US LLC). Even if you are not a digital nomad (and exclusively tax residents of Paraguay), it may still be more advantageous for you—less bureaucracy than with an EU company, and you only pay tax on dividends from your US LLC company (but beware of health/social insurance).
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Czech Republic
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The abolition of anonymous SIM cards in the Czech Republic is "imminent" – the reason?
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Russian terrorists use them. I would "ban" Czech beer, which Russian terrorists surely drink before planning a terrorist attack.
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UK
Paraguay
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If you want quality advice in Paraguay on setting up Paraguayan and foreign companies, bank accounts, taxes, buying or renting real estate in Paraguay, contact Mai from Paraguay Project. I’ve known Mai for years and worked with her through Liberation.Travel. She’s a consultant from Paraguay with an international client base. She doesn’t just “do tasks.” She helps you think clearly, plan properly, and make difficult decisions, and then follows through.
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Her strength is strategy, connections, and business perspective. If you’re an entrepreneur or executive, she’s someone worth speaking to. She also offers crypto payment discounts.
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Want to access the Internet from Paraguay without using a VPN or a local Paraguayan SIM card? Thanks to our Paraguayan customer, it's now possible.
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Georgia
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Visitor insurance for Georgia is mandatory from January 1, 2026, and all travelers must have health and accident insurance for the entire duration of their stay, including a minimum of 5,000 GEL for outpatient care and 30,000 GEL for hospitalization. They may be denied entry at the border. I recommend taking out insurance with the Slovak Alpenverein, even if you are a foreigner. Alternatively, you can do so directly in Georgia through a local insurance company.
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Reality: On January 2, 2026, I entered Georgia, and no one required any insurance for my family or me. So it seems that they are not checking this yet.
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Bitcoin, Monero, ZCash, and cryptocurrencies
1. Don't expect any privacy when using these platforms in the EU.
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2. If you haven't started using decentralized (DEX) services/exchanges yet, it will be a must in 2026. I especially recommend ZKP2P for crypto-fiat.
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3. If you have to use centralized services/exchanges, only use KYC for your Paraguayan ID card; do not use any documents issued in the EU.
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Many people started contacting me about my interview, which was published in James Altucher and Chris Campbell's 2021 book The Big Book of Crypto. The main reason was that many of my skeptical predictions in this interview have come true or are currently coming true:
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1. The advent of a cashless society – thanks to the digital euro, we are dangerously close to this. Scandinavia is already de facto cashless.
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2. The ban on anonymous transactions – all European centralized crypto exchanges have withdrawn anonymous cryptocurrencies such as Monero and Zcash.
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4. Draconian invasions of privacy – a typical example is the EU's ChatControl, age verification, and others.
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The war on cryptocurrencies is over. It's time to bring our innovators home. Around the world, innovators who laid the foundations for cryptocurrencies are being prosecuted under outdated laws. These "crypto prisoners of war" are visionaries who are being punished not for harming anyone, but for creating tools of freedom and financial independence. Free the crypto prisoners!
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Privacy
No Trace Project - a set of tools that help anarchists and other rebels understand the capabilities of their enemies, weaken surveillance efforts, and ultimately act without getting caught.
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Harper - a free English grammar checker that respects your privacy.
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OnionShare is an open-source tool that allows you to securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network.
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JMP.CHAT provides you with a real phone number you can use to make calls and send SMS messages, including group and picture messages, and it works on your phone, computer, tablet, and any other device at once.
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Travel Hacks
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I was sick for almost a month (I caught a cold in Patagonia), and not only did I recover, but I also achieved "Resilience" "Exceptional" (repeatedly Readiness above 90) on my Oura, which I don't think I've ever done before.
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Some biohacks over the last month that I think had a direct impact on this:
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- I started taking the longevity supplement NAD+ Riagev-WS (I also take NMN)
- I started using a "100% dark" sleep mask that ensures complete darkness
- Before going to bed, I finally started using red glasses against blue/white light - I have several pairs, but I found these full-eye glasses, which I can wear over my prescription glasses, to be the most effective (I bought 10 pairs and gave the rest to my friends)
- I started going to the sauna more often (every 2-3 days) and doing some breathing exercises before bed.
- I completely gave up alcohol (even beer).
- I eat twice a day (usually brunch and dinner), no sweets, no sweet breakfasts.
- I walk or cycle everywhere (I feel like I'm the only one in Bratislava who cycles in December :), and I ski and swim in winter.
- I try to go to bed before midnight (I don't always succeed)
I decided to move forward and treat myself to a Hypershell Ultra exoskeleton for Christmas, believing that it will double my current performance - both on a bike and when hiking in the mountains. I'm going to test it throughout January, so I'll let you know in the following newsletter. If you are an athlete or a hiker, this sports exoskeleton is precisely what you have never heard of but want :) Feel free to use my referral link to get a €30 discount.
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Interesting links
Data centers in space, powered nonstop by solar energy, beyond the control of government bureaucrats—that's what we want.
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Events
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