c/digital-nomad-life

Just realized hostels aren't just for broke backpackers after talking to a guy in Medellin

I was at a coworking space in Medellin last week and this older dude told me he's been living in hostels for 2 years straight. He said he pays around $400 a month for a private room with good WiFi and meets new people every week. That hit different because I've been dropping $800 on Airbnbs that get lonely. Now I'm thinking about trying a hostel for a month to save cash and network better. Has anyone here done long-term hostel stays while working?

Used to rely on hostel common rooms for my morning meetings, now I rent a private co-working desk for $150 a month

Back in 2021 when I started nomading, I'd just sit in a hostel lobby with my laptop and hope no one was vacuuming nearby. After bombed three client calls because of background noise from a blender or someone's guitar, I caved and got a monthly desk at a place in Medellin. It's $150 for 24/7 access and a solid chair, which feels crazy compared to free but my income jumped 20% from not rescheduling calls. Now I can actually hear myself think. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a difference in their work quality?

Appreciation post: The coworking space in Medellin that didn't fall apart on me

I was working out of a rented apartment in Medellin for two months and my internet kept dying at 2pm every single day. After losing a client call because my video froze mid-sentence, I finally walked to a coworking spot called Selina in El Poblado. The place was packed with other nomads typing away, which felt weirdly calming. But here's the sideways part: on day three, the entire building lost power for four hours during a storm. Nobody panicked. People just pulled out phones, sat on the terrace, and talked to each other. I ended up swapping tips with a guy from Berlin about avoiding tourist traps in Buenos Aires. The internet came back and I only lost about $40 in billable time. Has anyone else had a weird travel fail turn into a good conversation?

Took me 3 hours to find a co-working space with 24/7 access in Barcelona

I landed last Tuesday and figured I'd just pop into any spot, but turns out most close at 8 PM sharp. Had to wander through 6 places before I found one near Gràcia that actually lets you stay overnight. Has anyone else run into this issue with night owl schedules?

Picked a Moroccan riad over a hostel coworking space and it was way too quiet

I was in Marrakech for three weeks and had to choose between a social hostel with a coworking room or a private riad with a rooftop terrace. Went with the riad because I thought the peace would help me focus. First two days were fine, but by day four the silence drove me crazy. No one to chat with during coffee breaks, no random tips from other travelers. Ended up moving to the hostel after a week and got twice as much work done. Anyone else find that too much quiet actually kills your productivity?

Tried coworking from a hostel vs a dedicated space. Big difference.

Spent 2 weeks at Selina in Medellin thinking I could save money. Wifi died every afternoon. People blasting music at 3pm. Switched to WeWork in Laureles. 40 bucks more a week but stable fiber and quiet cubicles. Has anyone else found hostels just aren't cut out for actual work?

Lost 4 days of work in a Chiang Mai coffee shop when my laptop crashed

I was sitting at my usual spot in this coffee shop near the old city in Chiang Mai, about to finish a big project for a client. Then my laptop just went black. No warning, no sounds, nothing. I tried pressing the power button like 10 times but it was completely dead. Ended up taking it to a repair shop on Nimman Road where the guy told me the motherboard fried. Cost me $200 and 4 days to get a new one shipped in, plus I had to explain to my client why I missed the deadline. Has anyone else had a laptop die on them in the middle of a trip and how did you handle the work interruption?

The evolution of my 'office' from a hostel bunk to a proper co-living space

Back in 2018, I was working from a top bunk in a hostel in Chiang Mai with my laptop balanced on my knees. No AC, just a fan, and I'd have to duck into the bathroom for calls because the common room was too loud. Now I'm sitting in a dedicated co-living desk in Medellin with a proper monitor and noise cancelling headphones I bought after my third missed deadline. It really hit me last week when I realized I used to think a $20 monthly hostel fee was a steal, but now I pay $400 a month for a private room and desk space. The wifi here actually holds up during video calls, which is a luxury I never appreciated until I lost a client because my connection dropped in a coffee shop. Has anyone else noticed the shift from backpacker hostels to co-living spaces in the last 5 years?

Swapped coworking spaces from Bali to Chiang Mai and my whole rhythm shifted

For six months I was working out of that Hubud place in Ubud, Bali. It was great for meeting people but the wifi would crap out every afternoon around 3pm. Last month I moved to Punspace in Chiang Mai and it's like night and day. The connection is solid and I can actually do video calls without looking like a glitchy mess. Has anyone else found that changing locations totally changed how productive you are?

Noticed a big shift in co-living spaces over the last 5 years

I stayed at a co-living spot in Chiang Mai back in 2019 and it was all backpackers just starting out, but last month I went to one in Medellin and it was full of people running actual businesses with teams. Has anyone else seen this change in who shows up at these places?

Spent a whole Tuesday trying to work from a beach in Thailand

I had this grand idea that I'd set up my laptop on a towel at a quiet beach in Koh Lanta and get a full day of work done. The wifi signal barely reached the sand, so I had to keep moving my setup closer to a bar that had the password. By 11 AM, a group of kids started kicking a soccer ball near my chair and sent sand all over my keyboard. A stray dog then decided my backpack smelled interesting and wouldn't leave it alone for 20 minutes. I packed up by 2 PM, went back to my room, and got more done in two hours than I did all morning. Has anyone else fallen for the "beach office" fantasy and regretted it immediately?

Coworking spaces actually slowed me down in Medellin

Everyone says you need a coworking membership to stay productive as a digital nomad, so I signed up for one of the big ones in El Poblado for $200 a month. But I kept getting distracted by the social vibe, people wanting to grab lunch or chat about side projects, and my output dropped by about 30 percent compared to working from my apartment. I ended up canceling after three weeks and just worked from a quiet coffee shop near my place instead. Has anyone else found that the hype around coworking spaces doesn't match their actual productivity needs?

My lesson learned: overpaid for a coworking membership I barely used

I dropped $200 on a month-to-month coworking pass at a place called The Hive in Austin last spring. Turned out I only went there maybe 6 times because I kept finding quieter coffee shops or just stayed at my Airbnb. Has anyone else bought a membership and realized the vibe or location just didn't fit your work style?

Hit 15 countries on my digital nomad journey last week and it hit me hard

I was sitting in a coworking space in Medellin counting up all the stamps in my passport and realized I've moved through 15 different countries in 3 years. It felt like an achievement at first, but then I got this weird lonely feeling wondering where 'home' even is anymore. Has anyone else hit a milestone like that and felt more lost than proud?

Vent: My 'perfect' Chiang Mai cafe spot had its power cut for 8 hours straight on Monday

I had a client call at 2 PM local time and had to sprint three blocks in the rain to a backup spot, so what's your go-to plan B when your main workspace suddenly dies?

Vent: My Lisbon landlord just raised my rent 40% with two days notice

Last week I was working from my apartment in Alfama when the email hit, saying my new monthly rate would jump from 800 to 1120 euros starting next month. I had to pack my whole setup and find a new spot in 48 hours, which totally blew up my client deadlines. Has anyone else had a landlord pull this in a city you thought was stable?

Spent $400 on a fancy 'global' phone plan before leaving for Mexico City

The plan was supposed to work in 50 countries, but the data speeds were so slow in my first week there that I couldn't even load a basic map. I ended up having to buy a local SIM card anyway, which cost me another $20 and made that first big payment a total waste. Has anyone else gotten burned by these big international phone deals that don't actually work well on the ground?

Just hit my first full year of working from a different country every month, started in Chiang Mai last January

Pro tip: a power cut in a Chiang Mai cafe showed me my work setup was all wrong

I was in the middle of a big client call at a spot on Nimman Road when the whole block lost power for over an hour. My laptop battery was at 15%, my phone hotspot was slow, and I had to ask to borrow a stranger's power bank. It made me see that my whole 'work from anywhere' plan was built on shaky ground. What's your go-to backup plan for when the wifi or power just quits in a new city?

Just realized my view on cheap places was pretty off after a talk in Medellin

I was having coffee with a local friend here last week and she asked how long I was staying. When I said maybe two months because it's so cheap, she kind of smiled and said, 'But do you like it?' I mean, I'd been picking spots mostly by cost for like a year, chasing the lowest rent. That simple question hit me because I realized I was in a city I didn't really connect with, just because I saved $400 a month. It made me rethink my whole checklist for where to go next. Has anyone else gotten stuck in a place just for the numbers and not the feel?

Can we talk about choosing between a beach town and a mountain city for your first nomad base?

I picked Da Nang over Chiang Mai back in 2018 for the ocean, but ended up missing the co-working scene and community events in the mountains. Anyone else regret their first location pick and how did you fix it?

Question about a chat I had in a Lisbon cafe

I was working from a small cafe in Lisbon last month, and a guy at the next table saw my setup. He told me he'd been a nomad for 8 years and said, 'The goal isn't to see the most places, it's to find the place that feels like home for a while.' That really hit me, because I've been rushing through cities every few weeks. Do you think he's right, or is the constant movement the whole point?

A perfect work day in Chiang Mai that almost didn't happen

My main client project got pushed back a day, so I had a free Wednesday. I decided to just walk around the old city and ended up at a quiet cafe near Wat Chedi Luang with amazing wifi. I knocked out three weeks of admin tasks in about four hours, then spent the afternoon exploring the temple grounds without feeling rushed. Has anyone else had a random free day turn into their most productive one in months?

Got stuck in a Lisbon cafe for 6 hours because my laptop battery died and I forgot my universal adapter.

Now I keep a spare adapter and a 20,000 mAh power bank in my bag at all times, anyone else have a simple piece of gear that saved them from a similar mess?

My bank locked my account for 3 days in Chiang Mai because I used a VPN to check my balance