c/digital-nomad-life

Overheard a guy at a co-work space say something that hit me hard

I was working out of a co-work spot in Medellin last month and this guy at the next table told his friend "you don't need to be in a cheap country, you need to stop spending on stupid stuff." It made me realize I was using the nomad life to avoid fixing my own bad habits with money. Has anyone else caught themselves using location changes as a bandaid for bigger issues?

Found out only 38% of digital nomads actually save money compared to regular jobs

I was reading that State of Remote Work report from Buffer and this stat jumped out at me. 38% is way lower than I thought. So here's the debate I keep going back and forth on: is the digital nomad life really about saving cash and being smart with money, or is it more about the experience and freedom even if you break even or lose a little? Like I know some people who work from hostels in Bali and spend next to nothing, but then you got people renting Airbnbs in Lisbon for $2k a month. Which side are you on - is the money part the main point or is it all about the lifestyle?

Lost my internet for 3 days in Bali

Was working from a coworking space in Canggu and suddenly the whole area lost power after a storm. Took 2 days to get my mobile hotspot working again because the towers were overloaded. How do you guys prep for sudden internet outages when you're in remote spots?

Coffee shop in Bali broke my coworking flow

Sat down at this place in Ubud for 3 hours and the WiFi cut out 4 times. Finally realized I been hunting cheap cafes instead of just paying $50 a month for a proper coworking space. Anyone else keep pretending hostel lobbies work for deadlines?

Showerthought: My "portable office" failed me in a Laos guesthouse

I was in Luang Prabang last month, thinking I had it all figured out with my mobile hotspot and laptop. Then a monsoon hit and knocked out the power for 12 hours straight. My hotspot died, my backup battery was drained, and I had a client deadline in 6 hours. I ended up hitching a ride on a scooter to a cafe 4 miles away that had a generator, typing out a report on my phone while squatting under a leaky awning. Has anyone else had their whole 'perfect setup' just crumble when the internet actually goes down?

6 months in Bali and I just figured out my internet was the problem

I kept blaming the coworking spaces for slow uploads, turns out my laptop was throttling wifi on battery saver mode the whole time. Found out when a random IT dude at a cafe in Ubud showed me the difference plugging it in made, literally 10x faster. Anyone else miss obvious settings and blame the wrong stuff for way too long?

Appreciation post: coworking spaces with actual quiet zones

Been bouncing around SE Asia for 18 months. Bali, Chiang Mai, Saigon. Every coworking space I tried kept mixing loud talkers with people trying to focus. Finally found one in Da Nang with a real quiet floor. No calls allowed. No group chats. People actually respect it. Why do most spaces ignore this? Is there a decent list somewhere of spaces that enforce this rule?

That week in Chiang Mai where everything broke at once

Lost my laptop charger, got food poisoning from street pad thai, and the co-working space raised their monthly rate by $40 all in the same 5 days. Has anyone else had a triple threat week like that while traveling?

PSA: That whole "you need a co-working space to be productive" thing is a myth for me.

I spent my first six months as a digital nomad in Chiang Mai stressing about finding the perfect co-working spot. I tried about 5 different ones, paid $30 a month for a desk, and hated every second of it. The noise, the tiny talk with strangers, the pressure to look busy. Then about 3 weeks ago my usual place was full so I just worked from my hotel room all day. I got double my normal output done, no joke. Now I just find a cheap guesthouse with a solid desk and a fan, and I am way more focused. For me, the vibe of a co-working space is a total distraction. Has anyone else realized they actually work better in a boring quiet room instead of a curated hipster spot?

Got kicked out of a co-working space in Bali for taking phone calls

I was working out of this spot in Ubud for like 3 weeks, thought I had the routine down. took a quick call from my supplier about a delivery issue, kept my voice low, but the owner came over and told me I had to leave. turns out they had a strict no-calls policy in the main room that I totally missed in the fine print. has anyone else run into weird rules like that at co-working spots?

Debate: Coworking spaces vs regular cafes for getting work done

I was reading a Nomad List report last week. Said 68% of remote workers prefer coworking spaces over cafes for focus. But cafes are free and have better coffee. I've tried both in Chiang Mai and honestly my productivity tanks in cafes after an hour. Anyone find coworking spaces worth the $150 a month tag?

Woke up today and realized coworking passes are a total scam

Finally hit my first full month working from a different country

Last month I packed up my laptop and took off to Medellin for 30 days. I had been dreaming about this for 3 years but always found excuses not to go. Well I did it and managed to keep my pest control scheduling business going the whole time using just my phone and a hotspot. The wifi was spotty at the hostel but I figured out the coffee shop three blocks away had fiber. Has anyone else found a solid city in South America for digital work?

Spent 4 months trying to get a bank account sorted while traveling through Southeast Asia

I landed in Chiang Mai last February thinking I could just use my digital bank from back home for everything. Nope. Three weeks in my card got declined at an ATM and my transfer from a client got stuck in limbo for 12 days. I tried opening a local account at three different banks in Thailand. Each one wanted a work permit, a lease agreement signed for at least 6 months, and a letter from my embassy. Took me four months total bouncing between Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Kuala Lumpur before I found a bank in Malaysia that let me open an account with just my passport and a local SIM card. Has anyone else wasted that much time on banking stuff while on the road?

Unpopular opinion: coworking spaces are way overrated compared to libraries

I see everyone raving about coworking spaces in places like Chiang Mai, but after trying both for 3 months, libraries win for me. The coworking spots I tested cost around $150 a month and the internet was always spotty during peak hours. Meanwhile, the public library near Nimman had fiber speeds and zero chatter, plus it's free. People say libraries close too early, but most coworking spaces in Thailand shut by 8 PM anyway. I also got more actual work done because there's no social pressure to chat over coffee. Has anyone else found a hidden gem like a university library that beats the whole coworking scene?

Had the worst week of my digital nomad life in Bali last month

I was working from a coworking space in Canggu when my laptop died mid-call with a client, then my Airbnb host kicked me out for having too many Zoom meetings. Lost a $500 project and had to sleep at a hostel for 3 nights while scrambling to find stable wifi and a new place. Anyone else ever get blindsided by tech failure and housing drama at the same time?

My coworking space in Medellin got robbed and I changed my setup completely

I was working at a spot in El Poblado last Tuesday when someone walked in and grabbed a laptop off the table next to mine while the owner was getting coffee. I used to keep my bag on the floor and my phone on the desk, now I zip everything into a lockable pouch and keep it on my lap. Anyone else switch to a cable lock or a sling bag after a close call?

Hostels in 2019 vs. co-living spaces now - the vibe shift is real

Back when I first started nomading in 2019, I stayed in hostels all over Southeast Asia. Cheap beds (like $8 a night in Vietnam), shared bathrooms, and you'd meet people organically over a beer in the common room. Now I'm in a co-living space in Medellin for $650 a month and it's a totally different crowd. Everyone's on zoom calls all day, the kitchen has a scheduled cleaning rotation, and people treat it like a dorm for remote work instead of a place to actually hang out. I miss the chaos of hostels honestly. Has anyone else felt like the whole nomad scene got way more corporate since 2020?

Met a digital nomad in Chiang Mai who told me to stop booking Airbnbs a month ahead

Tbh, I was in a shared workspace near Nimman last March and this guy sat down next to me. He saw me booking a place for 30 days and just said stop, book 3 days max. He explained he got stuck in a loud apartment near a construction site for two weeks because he paid upfront. He said he lost about $500 over a year doing that before he changed. I took his advice and now I scope out neighborhoods first before committing. Has anyone else had bad luck with long term Airbnb bookings overseas?

Got ghosted by a client while I was in a coffee shop in Chiang Mai

I was sitting at a place near the Nimman area last Tuesday, waiting on a Zoom call with a guy who needed some website updates. He just never showed up, no message, nothing. I wasted 2 hours of my afternoon sipping overpriced iced lattes and reworking my schedule for nothing. Has anyone else had clients just disappear like that?

Just realized coworking spaces aren't always cheaper than cafes

I tried a coworking space in Medellin for a month, paid $150 for a desk. Thought it would save money on coffee and snacks from cafes. But I ended up buying way more lunch orders nearby because the kitchen was tiny. Learned that my old cafe habit actually cost less per week, even with buying coffee. Has anyone else found coworking spaces aren't always the budget win they seem?

I used to swear by hostel dorms, now I pay $50 a night for private rooms in Chiang Mai

For 3 years I stayed in hostels everywhere from Bali to Medellin. Thought it was the only way to save money and meet people. Then last August I got absolutely wrecked by a snorer in a 12 bed dorm in Bangkok and couldn't focus on client work the next day. Switched to a private room with a proper desk and my output doubled. Anyone else make the jump from budget to comfort and feel guilty about the extra cost?

Chose a $10 co-working space in Bangkok over a $300 WeWork and honestly it's been way better for actually getting work done

The free-flowing coffee at the cheap place got me through 4 client calls yesterday without the sterile vibes of the fancy spot, has anyone else found that pricey spaces feel more like Instagram sets than real offices?

Blew a whole afternoon trying to fix my VPN in a cafe in Medellin and it turned out to be the wifi port blocking it

Took me 4 hours to figure out they had the wrong ports locked down and I had already tried switching cities, reinstalling the app, and even bought a new router profile for $15 before I just asked the barista if they blocked stuff - has anyone else burned a full workday on a dumb connection issue abroad?

My Coworking membership in Lisbon cost me 3x what I planned

Honestly, I joined a trendy spot in the Alcantara district for 6 months and my productivity actually dropped. The wifi was decent but the open layout killed my focus because of constant noise and people taking calls. After switching to a quieter library space for €50 a month, I'm getting twice as much done. Has anyone else found that coworking spaces are overhyped for actual deep work?