c/digital-nomad-life

Showerthought: I was overpacking for coworking spaces for 2 years before a barista in Chiang Mai called me out

I used to bring like 4 cables, a backup mouse, snacks, a notebook, a hoodie, and noise cancelling headphones every single day. One morning at this spot in Chiang Mai this barista goes 'you moving in or working?' and laughed. I looked at my bag and realized I only actually used my laptop and one cable. Now I bring just my laptop and a small charger. Saves me like 15 minutes of packing every day. Anyone else have that moment where you realized you were hauling around junk you never touched?

Paid $300 for a portable WiFi hotspot and it crapped out in month 2

Lost connection during a client call in a coffee shop in Medellin and the thing just stopped working. Anyone else ditched the gadgets and just use your phone as a hotspot?

Spent 6 hours trying to find a quiet cafe in Chiang Mai with reliable power outlets

Had a chat with a hostel owner in Chiang Mai that made me rethink the whole nomad grind

I was staying at this place in Chiang Mai for a month last winter, and the owner sat me down after I complained about the wifi being slow. He said something like "you guys come here to work, but you never actually live here." At first I brushed it off, but it hit different after a few days. I realized I was spending 10 hours a day in coffee shops chasing deadlines, not even seeing the temples or trying the street food. Now I'm wondering if we all get too obsessed with the productivity side of things and miss the whole point of being able to move around. Does anyone else feel like they're just working from a different desk instead of actually experiencing new places?

Two years of renting coworking spaces before I realized hostels have better wifi

I spent $600 a month on fancy coworking spots in Medellin until a random guy in a hostel let me use their common area. The wifi was faster and I got to network with actual travelers instead of local office workers. Has anyone else found better connections in random places than paid spaces?

Got yelled at in a Bali co-working space for taking a phone call

I was at a shared desk in this popular co-working spot in Ubud last month, taking a quick 3-minute call with a client about a logo revision. Some guy from two tables over walks up and tells me to take it outside, even though there was no quiet zone sign anywhere near us. Turns out I'd been sitting in their "silent area" that apparently everyone knew about except me. Has anyone else run into unspoken rules at co-working spaces that almost got you kicked out?

Just realized my 'reliable' coworking space has been overcharging me for 8 months

I was going through old receipts last night trying to sort out my taxes for 2023, and I noticed my coworking spot in Bangkok has been charging me for a 24/7 access pass I never signed up for. That's about 2,400 baht a month extra, which adds up to over $650 lost over time. Has anyone else had luck getting a coworking space to refund a billing mistake like this?

Hit 50 different coworking spaces in 18 months and finally stopped chasing the perfect one

I started tracking around month six when I was in Chiang Mai. I just hit 50 different spaces last week in Medellin. Turns out the best one for me was a tiny spot in Lisbon with bad wifi and a cat that sat on my laptop. I wasted so much time trying to find the perfect setup instead of just working. Has anyone else realized the 'ideal' space is more about your mood than the actual place?

Rant: The whole 'work from a beach in Thailand' dream is overrated

I spent three months in Chiang Mai last year and watched half the people in my coworking space burn out because they couldn't handle the time zone chaos with clients back home. Has anyone else found that the constant 12-hour gap just kills your productivity no matter how good the view is?

That $40 noise-canceling headphone adapter saved my sanity in a Bali coworking space

I dropped $40 on a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter with active noise cancellation after a rooster crowed through three client calls, and now I can actually focus on writing code without hearing the local rooster army - has anyone else found a random gadget that made remote life way easier?

Coworking space in Mexico City costs more than my rent back home

I spent a month bouncing between coffee shops in Roma Norte and got zero work done (too loud, bad WiFi). Then I tried a proper coworking spot in Condesa and suddenly finished three client projects in a week. Has anyone else found their productivity skyrocket just by switching to a dedicated workspace?

Switched from coworking memberships to cafe hopping in Chiang Mai after I realized I was paying $200 a month for a desk I barely used

My total coffee budget for the month came to $47 and I got better WiFi and way more interesting lunch breaks (plus the iced matcha at Wawee is legit the best in the Nimman area), so what cheap spot do you guys use for wifi and power outlets without feeling like a mooch?

Bali coworking spaces are getting way too loud for actual work

I spent a month in Canggu last spring bouncing between three different coworking spots. At first I thought it was just me being picky, but every place I tried had some kind of noise issue. One place played thumping EDM from 9 AM while another had a guy taking zoom calls on speaker right next to the quiet zone. I finally found a smaller spot near Ubud that was dead silent but the wifi cut out twice a day. I ended up working from my guesthouse porch more than half the time. Has anyone else found a good coworking spot in Bali that actually stays quiet and has reliable internet?

Just got burned booking a coliving in Medellin, check the background first

I paid $600 upfront for a month at a place in El Poblado last week based on the photos alone, turned up and the wifi was a joke and the hot water gave out every other day. The owner kept pushing coworking memberships and tours instead of fixing the basics. Has anyone else dealt with coliving spots that look great online but fall apart once you arrive?

I traveled for 3 years before realizing my insurance was useless

I traveled for 3 years before realizing my insurance was useless. Last spring I was in Chiang Mai and got hit with a bad case of food poisoning. Ended up in the hospital for two days, thought no big deal since I had travel insurance. When the bill came I pulled up my policy and found out it only covered me for 30 days per trip. I had been bouncing around Southeast Asia for 6 months straight on one continuous journey. The insurance company denied the whole claim, said I needed a return home every 30 days to reset the coverage. So i paid $1,400 out of pocket for something I thought was covered. That moment in the hospital lobby reading the fine print on my phone made me realize I never actually understood what I was paying for. The agent I bought it from just said it was good for digital nomads and I never questioned it. Now I always ask about trip duration limits and read the policy PDF before buying. Has anyone else found gaps in their coverage that almost ruined a trip?

Got screamed at by a goat in a coworking space in Bali last month

I was video calling a client in this open-air coworking spot near Ubud, trying to sound professional, when this loud goat wandered right up to my table and started bleating directly into my mic. Turns out the building was built on an old farm path and the goats still use it as a shortcut every afternoon. Has anyone else had a wild animal interrupt their remote work?

Hit 30 countries last week and it felt weird

I crossed into my 30th country last Tuesday in a tiny border town in Slovenia. I didn't plan it or anything, it just happened because the bus I was on went through. It made me realize I've been moving so fast I barely remember half the places I've been. Anyone else hit a milestone that felt more hollow than they expected?

Co-working space in Bangkok saved my focus way more than I expected

I always thought co-working spaces were overpriced hype, but after 3 weeks of trying to work from cafes in Chiang Mai I was getting nothing done. I dropped $150 on a month pass at Punspace and finished a full project in 4 days. Anyone else find that spending a little money on a desk actually pays off in productivity?

Vent: Someone told me my 'work from anywhere' setup was actually holding me back

Honestly, a guy in Chiang Mai last month said my insistence on a perfect cafe with fast wifi and power was making me miss the whole point. I switched to just a hotspot and a battery pack, and I've worked from beaches and parks for the last two weeks. Anyone else get called out for being too rigid with their routine?

I finally realized my 'work from anywhere' setup was costing me too much

For the past two years, I've been bouncing between cafes and co-working spaces in places like Medellin and Lisbon. I just added up my receipts from last month and saw I spent over $350 on daily coffee and day passes. The moment it hit me was when a barista in Budapest knew my order before I even spoke. I was paying a premium just to have a table and WiFi, which felt silly when my apartment had both. Has anyone else found a good middle ground between getting out of the house and not burning through cash on workspace?

I used to think a big backpack was the only way to go

For years I traveled with a 45L pack, thinking I needed all that stuff. Last month in Medellin, I had to carry it up five flights of stairs to my Airbnb and it nearly killed me. I switched to a 28L bag for a two week trip to Mexico City and it forced me to pack only what I actually use. Has anyone else made a big downsize and found it actually made things easier?

Vent: I thought working from cafes was a waste of money until I tried it in Medellin

For the first six months of my nomad life, I was super strict about only working from my apartment to save cash. I told myself paying for coffee just to sit was dumb. Then last month in Medellin, I hit a major creative block on a client project. A friend literally dragged me to a spot in El Poblado called Pergamino. I got a coffee, which was about $3, and camped out for four hours. The background noise and people moving around somehow flipped a switch in my brain. I finished the proposal that had been stuck for days. Now I budget for two cafe days a week as a productivity tool, not a treat. Has anyone else found a specific city or type of spot that just makes your brain work better?

Heads up about using just your phone hotspot for work in Medellin

I saw three people at my co-working space get booted from video calls because the network got overloaded. What's your backup plan when the local internet goes down?

Vent: My laptop charger fried in a Chiang Mai cafe and I almost lost a week of work

I was finishing a big client project when the power flickered and my screen went black, forcing me to spend $120 and two frantic hours finding a new charger before my deadline. Has anyone else had a close call with power issues in Thailand?

Hot take: I used a local SIM card for 6 months, then switched to a global eSIM plan. The cost difference in Mexico City was huge.