c/digital-nomad-life

28

keithharris•7h ago

Found a co-working spot in Lisbon that actually has good wifi

I hit up a place near the Time Out Market yesterday and got 200mbps down. That's a big deal after struggling with slow connections in 3 different cafes last week. The owner said they designed it specifically for remote workers. Anyone else found a reliable spot in Lisbon for getting work done?

32

andrew_miller90•1d ago

Just lost $150 on a coworking space in Chiang Mai that lied about their internet speed

I paid for a month upfront at this place that claimed 500mbps fiber but it drops to dial-up every afternoon around 2pm. Has anyone else dealt with coworking spaces faking their wifi specs in Thailand?

6

williams90•1d ago

Why does nobody talk about how hard it is to find good wifi in Lisbon

I used to just assume any cafe in Lisbon would have solid internet for work. Then last month I sat down at a place in Alfama, paid 4 euros for a coffee, and got 2 Mbps download speed. Now I check speedtest.net before I even order and ask the barista directly what their connection is like. Has anyone else been burned by a pretty cafe with terrible wifi?

25

benreed•2d ago

Portable hard drive died on me in a coffee shop in Chiang Mai last Tuesday

I was sitting at my usual spot in Chiang Mai last Tuesday when my external hard drive just stopped spinning. I had about 2 years of client files, tax records, and travel photos on that thing with no recent backup. I spent the rest of the afternoon panicking and calling local repair shops. One guy said it could cost $300 just to look at it. I ended up trying a DIY freezer trick out of desperation and it actually worked for about 20 minutes to copy the files over. Has anyone else lost important data on the road and found a cheap way to recover it?

1

kais67•2d ago

Coworking passes felt like a scam until I actually needed one in Chiang Mai

I was dead set against paying for coworking spaces. Thought they were just overpriced coffee shops with louder fans. Then last month my Airbnb internet went out for three days straight. I caved and bought a 10 day pass at Punspace for about $75. That first day I got more work done in 4 hours than I had in the whole week before. Has anyone else been burned by bad hostel or Airbnb wifi and had to scramble for a backup plan?

5

the_oscar•8d ago

Spent $800 on a WeBoost for my van and it barely works outside city limits

I was so tired of losing signal every time I parked somewhere scenic that I dropped $800 on a WeBoost Drive Reach. Installed it myself in my sprinter van last month, running the antenna up on a roof rack mount. First test at a rest stop near Flagstaff I got like 2 bars of LTE where I had nothing before, so I thought it was amazing. But then I tried it out at a BLM spot outside Moab and it barely did anything, maybe one bar that flickered on and off. For $800 I feel like it should work better in actual remote spots, not just places where you already have weak signal. Did I get the wrong setup or is this just how these things are?

22

margaretshah•8d ago

Met a guy in Chiang Mai who changed how I think about coworking spaces

I always thought expensive coworking was a scam until I talked to a developer at Punspace who said the $200 a month was worth it just to leave his room and meet people. He showed me his income doubled after 6 months of networking there. Has anyone else had a coworking space pay off like that?

19

rosek44•9d ago

Unpopular opinion: coworking spaces are a total scam for most digital nomads

I spent 3 months bouncing between coworking spots in Chiang Mai and Barcelona thinking I needed that 'professional environment' to get work done. But after paying $250 a month for a desk where I still had to deal with loud zoom calls and bad wifi, I finally tried working from a quiet cafe with a good power bank setup. Turns out I saved about 60 hours of commute time and $800 total just by scouting local libraries and coffee shops with solid connections. The only thing coworking gave me was a fake sense of productivity because I felt like I was in an office. Has anyone else ditched coworking memberships for cheaper alternatives and actually gotten more done?

14

williams90•13d ago

Sat with 6 strangers in a co-working space in Chiang Mai today and realized I haven't felt lonely in 3 months

Back in April I was working from my cramped apartment in Austin and barely talked to anyone, but switching to that common table setup where everyone shares snacks and gripes about wifi has totally flipped my mood, anyone else find that just being around other people (even if you don't talk much) makes the solo grind way easier?

10

gavin_reed•13d ago

Hot take: coworking spaces in Chiang Mai are overrated

I worked out of Punspace in Nimman for 3 weeks last month. Constant noise from people taking Zoom calls at full volume. Paid $150 for a monthly pass and got less done than at my hostel lobby. Anyone else find actual cafes work better for focus?

12

mark_cooper•14d ago

Hit 50 countries last week without even realizing it...

I was just checking my passport for an upcoming visa and counted the stamps... somehow I've been to 50 countries working remotely over the last 8 years. Has anyone else lost track of where they've actually worked from?

10

beth878•14d ago

Lost two client projects because of a co-working space power outage in Medellín

I was working out of a popular co-working spot in El Poblado last month (the one with the rooftop garden) when the power went out for six hours. The backup generator only kept the lights on, not the wifi or my outlets. I lost a logo revision deadline and a website mockup because my laptop battery died after two hours of panic-refreshing. Now I always carry a fully charged power bank and have offline backups of my files. Has anyone else had a public workspace let them down like this in a foreign city?

19

the_drew•15d ago

Hot take: coworking spaces in Chiang Mai are way louder than I expected

I moved here 2 weeks ago thinking I'd get tons of quiet work done. My first day at Punspace, this guy was on a Zoom call right next to me for 3 hours straight. Tried noise cancelling earbuds but they don't block out Thai street food vendors yelling either. Anyone found a spot in Nimman that's actually silent?

11

tylermurray•15d ago

That barista in Medellin got me thinking about my work setup

I was working out of a coffee shop in Medellin last week, and the barista asked why I kept moving my laptop between tables looking for better light. He showed me his system, he just uses a clip-on monitor light and works from any seat with his back to the window. Has anyone else tried one of those portable lights to fix bad lighting in cafes or hostels?

14

hugo_nelson•21d ago

I was totally against coworking spaces until I tried one in Medellin

I always figured coworking spaces were just overpriced coffee shops with bad wifi. But after three months of working from hostels in Colombia, I finally caved and paid $150 for a monthly pass at a spot in El Poblado. Honestly, the difference was night and day. The internet was rock solid, I actually met other nomads who do the same kind of freelance writing I do, and the air conditioning alone was worth the money. It took about a week before I stopped feeling like I was wasting cash. Now I'm wondering if I should book one for my next stop in Chiang Mai. Has anyone else tried a specific space there that they'd recommend?

33

skyler_lane83•22d ago

Coworking pass vs cafe hopping for 3 months straight

I spent 3 months working from cafes in Chiang Mai thinking I was saving cash. Added up my coffee and snack tabs last week and it was $380. Got a coworking membership at Punspace for $80 a month and now I get free water and way better wifi. Has anyone else done the math on cafe spending vs coworking passes?

8

hugo_jones•24d ago

That digital nomad in Chiang Mai told me coworking spaces are a waste of money, he was half right

Ran into this dude at a cafe near the Old City who had been living out of hostels for 2 years straight. He said paying $200 a month for a desk is dumb when you can just buy a coffee and use the wifi anywhere. I argued with him for 20 minutes but then he showed me his setup - a portable monitor and a lap desk he got for $30 total. Now I'm reconsidering my whole WeWork budget for next month. Has anyone else gone full budget mode on workspaces and regretted it?

11

wyatt_shah85•26d ago

Got completely ghosted by a client in Chiang Mai after 3 weeks of work

I was in Chiang Mai last month doing social media management for a small ecommerce brand. We had a solid routine going, daily check ins, clear deadlines, everything seemed fine. Then one Monday morning I sent my weekly report and got nothing back. No reply Tuesday, no reply Wednesday, emails bouncing by Friday. I ended up eating 2 weeks of unpaid work because I didn't have a proper contract in place. Has anyone else had a client just disappear like that? What do you do to protect yourself?

1

charlie_allen•26d ago

Remember when finding WiFi meant sitting in a McDonald's parking lot? That's where I was 8 years ago in Flagstaff.

That's what I was doing in 2015 living out of my Subaru trying to make freelance writing work. Every morning I'd park outside a diner with free WiFi and nurse a $2 coffee for four hours. The connection would drop every 15 minutes and I'd lose half my work because auto-save wasn't a thing yet. Now I pay $60 a month for a Starlink setup that works from a cabin in the woods. My van has a 4G router with a booster antenna that pulls signal from 3 miles away. The weirdest part is I actually miss the hustle sometimes. You had to plan your whole day around finding a spot with a strong signal and an outlet that wasn't broken. Anyone else remember the old days of hunting for coffee shops with acceptable bandwidth?

20

terrywilson•27d ago

Ran into a former coworker at a co-working space in Chiang Mai who convinced me to drop my rigid schedule

I was sitting in Punspace yesterday, grinding through my usual 9-to-5 routine I brought from back home, and this guy I used to work with in Ohio sat down next to me. He told me he now works in 90-minute bursts with long breaks in between, and he showed me his tracking app where his output had actually gone up 30 percent. Has anyone else tried chunking their work time like that and seen real results?

10

jennifer_mitchell53•28d ago

Rant: Had a chat with a hostel owner in Bangkok that made me rethink my whole setup

I was sitting in this hostel lobby in Bangkok last week, and the owner who's been doing the nomad thing for 12 years asked me why I'm always booking hostels instead of apartments. He said 'you're not traveling, you're just moving your office to cheaper places' and honestly it hit me hard. Like yeah I've been chasing the next cheap spot instead of actually experiencing any place. Made me wonder how many of us are just working in different countries versus really living in them. Anyone else ever get called out like that?

16

noah_chen17•1mo ago

Just discovered Notion templates for tracking client work across time zones

I was scrolling through some digital nomad blogs last night and saw this guy mention he uses Notion templates to keep track of what clients need across 3 different time zones. I've been juggling 4 clients from Asia, Europe, and the US for about 6 months now and I've totally been dropping the ball on deadlines because I mix up what day it is for them. Anyway I built a simple template last night with columns for each time zone and a checkbox for when I send the work. Already today I didn't miss a 5 AM deadline for a Singapore client because my dashboard showed it was due. Has anyone else tried a system like this for staying organized while hopping between countries?

3

the_oscar•1mo ago

Coworking passes are a waste for most nomads

I used to think I needed a desk at a coworking space every day to stay productive. That idea cost me about $350 last month in Bali when I barely showed up. What changed my mind was watching a guy run his whole business from a warung table with just a laptop and a backup battery. He told me he spends maybe $40 a month on coffee and snacks compared to my coworking bill. I realized the spaces are great for meeting people, but paying for a fixed desk every day is dumb if you travel to explore. Now I just buy day passes when I actually need to focus and save the rest for a nicer guesthouse. Has anyone else dumped their monthly membership?

23

keithharris•1mo ago

Talking to a guy in Medellin made me question my whole setup

I was at a coworking spot in Medellin last week, and this guy who's been nomading for 8 years told me he uses a cheap Android tablet and a folding bluetooth keyboard. Said he stopped caring about having a fast laptop because he spends 70% of his time in cafes just writing and checking email. It hit different because I just spent $1,200 on a new ultrabook and now I'm wondering if I overdid it. Anyone else downsize their gear and regret it or love it?

24

graym49•1mo ago

Got told my coworking space habits were killing my focus

A buddy I met in Medellin straight up said I looked like a pinball jumping between Slack, email, and coding every 5 minutes. He suggested I block 90 minute deep work sessions with my phone in another room. Has anyone else had a random comment like that actually stick and change your daily routine for good?