c/digital-nomad-life

Switched to coworking spaces 3 days a week and my output doubled in 2 months

Was working from cafes and hostels for 6 months, then tried a WeWork in Chiang Mai for $200/month. Now I actually finish client projects by 3pm instead of 3am. Anyone else find a specific workspace setup that just clicks?

Hot take: coworking spaces in Chiang Mai are way overrated compared to just working from a quiet cafe

I spent $150 on a monthly pass at Punspace and ended up sitting in a corner cafe 4 days a week anyway because the wifi was faster and I didn't have to hear 20 people on Zoom calls at once anyone else feel the same?

Booked a "coworking space" in Bali that was just a guy's garage with a fan. Lost $200.

The listing photos showed this sleek bamboo cove with ocean views and high speed wifi. I show up and it's literally a parking spot in some dude's driveway with a plastic table and a box fan. The "high speed wifi" was him hotspotting his phone. I sat there for 20 minutes trying to make it work but the fan kept blowing my papers away. Should've known when the address was just "near the big tree." Anyone else get totally burned by fake coworking listings in SE Asia?

Found a coworking spot in Medellin that charges by the hour

Last week I landed in Medellin and walked into this place called La Casa de la Luna near El Poblado. They let me pay $3 per hour with no monthly commitment, which is perfect since I only need WiFi for client calls and editing. The connection was solid at 50mbps and they had free coffee. Anyone else found hidden gem coworking spots in South America that don't trap you in a membership?

Tried coworking at a hostel in Medellin for a month and barely got any work done

I thought working from a hostel common area would be great for meeting people and staying productive. But the wifi kept dropping around 3 PM when everyone else was streaming videos, and I ended up chatting more than coding. The noise level was crazy, with people playing music and having loud calls right next to me. I tried noise cancelling headphones but they only helped so much. By week two I was going to coffee shops every morning just to get a few focused hours in. I realized hostels are fine for socializing but terrible for serious remote work unless you pay extra for a private room with stable internet. Has anyone else found a hostel that actually works for getting stuff done?

Used to spend $400 a month on coworking memberships I barely used

Now I just work from local libraries in whatever city I'm in and pocket that money, after realizing last year in Lisbon that I only actually sat in those trendy spaces about 6 times a month anyway.

Coworking memberships vs. coffee shop hopping for 3 months - the math was brutal

I tried both approaches when I started nomading in Medellin. Coffee shops seemed cheap at first, $3 for a latte and I'd camp for 4 hours. But after adding up the daily drinks, snacks, and the occasional lunch because I felt guilty, I was dropping nearly $450 a month. Plus finding an outlet and decent WiFi was a gamble every morning. Switched to a $120 monthly coworking pass at Selina and suddenly I had guaranteed internet, free coffee, and I could leave my bag on the chair to pee. Has anyone else run the numbers on this and found the same?

That hostel in Medellin that made me ditch my whole packing strategy

I was staying at this place in Medellin, a hostel called Los Patios, back in 2019. Lugged around this massive 65 liter backpack for three months and my shoulders were shot. Saw this guy from Sweden roll in with just a tiny 28 liter bag and a laptop, and he was living totally fine. Made me realize I was carrying about 40 pounds of stuff I never used, just 'in case.' Has anyone else had a specific place or person completely shift how you pack?

Just spent a month coworking in Medellin and the humidity is no joke for laptop reliability

I was in Medellin for all of February trying out the digital nomad scene. The coworking spaces are great but I had no idea how much the humidity would mess with my gear. My keyboard started sticking after two weeks and I had to buy a $15 dehumidifier pack for my backpack. It's something I never thought about when I was working from dry places like Phoenix. Has anyone else had tech problems from humidity in tropical spots?

I keep seeing digital nomads brag about working from beaches but never mention the Wi-Fi issues

Spent three months in Bali last year and learned the hard way that a cafe with a "fast internet" sign usually means 5 Mbps on a good day. How do you guys actually test connection speeds before committing to a spot?

Coworking vs coffee shop debate hit me hard in Medellin

I spent 3 weeks working from coffee shops in Medellin last month and saved $200, but my internet dropped 4 times during client calls. Now I'm torn between paying $150 a month for a proper coworking spot or sticking with $3 cafe lattes and spotty wifi. Has anyone else found a middle ground that actually works?

Found out the average digital nomad only stays in a place for 3 months max, not years like I thought

I was reading this report from MBO Partners last night, the one about remote work trends. Turns out most people hop cities every 3 months or so, with like 70% moving at least that often. I always figured folks settled down for a year or two in Chiang Mai or Lisbon. Honestly it makes me feel less weird about my own 4 month lease in Medellin. Has anyone else found this stat and felt like it changed how you plan your moves?

Hit 50 countries on my passport and it felt weirdly empty

Last month I landed in my 50th country after 4 years of bouncing around as a digital nomad. I thought popping a bottle or something would feel special, but instead I just sat in a cheap hostel in Zagreb wondering what the point was. The numbers stopped meaning anything around 30, and now I'm just chasing the same wifi, same laptop setup, different coffee shop. Has anyone else hit a travel milestone and realized the magic faded way before the count did?

Coworking desk vs quiet cafe: Which one actually helps you focus?

I spent last month splitting my time between a $250/mo coworking space in Chiang Mai and a local cafe where I buy one coffee for $2. The coworking spot had fast WiFi and AC but I got distracted by all the networking chatter. The cafe was quieter but I felt guilty camping out for 4 hours on a single drink. I finished about the same amount of client work in both places. What do you guys pick for deep work days? Has anyone found a clear winner for their focus?

My laptop overheated in a Bangkok cafe and I lost two hours of client work

I was working on a deadline at a rooftop place near Sukhumvit 49 when my MacBook suddenly shut down from the heat, and after letting it cool for 30 minutes I realized I hadn't saved the file, so now I keep a USB fan in my bag has anyone else had their computer die at the worst possible moment?

Tried coworking at a beach cafe in Bali and got zero work done in 5 days

Thought working with ocean views would be amazing, but the WiFi dropped every 20 minutes and my laptop screen was useless in the sun. Learned I need a proper desk and four walls to actually focus. Anyone else fall for the beach office fantasy?

Unpopular opinion: co-working spaces are overrated for actual work

Honestly, I used to swear by co-working spaces in places like Medellin, paying $150 a month for a desk. Then I switched to working from a quiet cafe or my Airbnb with a good portable router, and I get way more done. What changed for me was realizing I spent half the time chatting and the other half adjusting my chair or dealing with bad AC. Has anyone else found that solo setups beat the coworking hype?

Blew $60 on a co-working space membership in Chiang Mai and it was a total waste

I figured having a dedicated desk would boost my focus but the WiFi was slower than my hostel and the aircon was either freezing or off. Has anyone else found that fancy co-working spots are mostly just paying for the 'vibe' and not actual productivity?

Subscribed to a $30/month 'co-working space finder' app that just showed me Google Maps results.

Cancelled after 1 month, so $30 down the drain, and I found the same cafes by searching 'coworking near me' for free.

Tried coworking at a beach cafe in Thailand and it was a total disaster

I thought working from a beachfront spot in Koh Samui would be paradise, but the WiFi was useless. It cut out every 10 minutes, and I lost an entire project file because the cloud sync failed. The sun glare made my laptop screen completely unreadable by 11am, and sand got stuck in my keyboard too. A guy next to me was playing loud music from his phone, and there was no place to plug in my charger. I spent more time fixing tech issues than actually working that day. I learned that looking scenic doesn't mean functional for digital nomads. Has anyone else had a bad experience working from a too perfect looking spot?

Sat next to a guy in a Chiang Mai co-working space who ran his whole business on WhatsApp

Last month I was working out of Punspace in the old city. Dude next to me was doing customer support, taking payments, scheduling gigs, and managing a team of 15 people all through WhatsApp groups. No Slack, no Trello, no nothing. I asked him how he kept track of everything and he said "I just scroll up." Kinda blew my mind how simple he kept it. Has anyone else found a weird tool or setup that just works way better than the fancy stuff?

Why does nobody talk about coworking space lunch swaps

I have been bouncing around Southeast Asia for two years now and last month in Chiang Mai I finally tried something that actually saved me some cash. A few of us at the coworking space started swapping homemade lunches instead of buying overpriced smoothie bowls every day. It started when I noticed a German guy always had these massive containers of curry and I asked if he wanted to trade for my pad thai. Now we have like six people rotating who cooks and it costs us maybe $2 per person for a full meal. The trick is everyone just makes a bit extra of whatever they are already eating and we meet by the water cooler at noon. Has anyone else tried this in Bali or Lisbon or am I just late to the party?

Spent 4 hours fixing a visa issue that should have taken 20 minutes in Bangkok

Warning: Lost 3 weeks of work when my external drive died in Bali

I was working from a co-working space in Ubud last month and my portable SSD just stopped reading mid-editing session. Anyone else backing up to cloud or am I just unlucky?

Had a chat with a guy in a co-working space in Chiang Mai that shifted my whole view on remote work

I was grinding away on my laptop at Punspace in Chiang Mai last month, and this older guy named Dave just sat down next to me and asked what I did. He said he'd been a digital nomad for 12 years but never made more than $30k a year, and he was totally fine with that. It hit me that I've been obsessing over scaling up and making six figures when maybe just enjoying the ride is the real win. Has anyone else had a random conversation completely change how you think about this lifestyle?