c/digital-nomad-life

Spent 3 hours tracking down a coin laundry in Medellin

Arrived here last week thinking I'd find a laundromat in 20 minutes. Ended up walking 45 blocks before finding one with a working dryer, then realized I had no change. Has anyone else wasted a full afternoon on something this stupid in a new city?

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emma_mitchell•2d ago

Coworking pass vs. cafe hopping in Chiang Mai - which actually works better for focus?

I used to bounce between 5 different cafes every week, spending like $3 a day on iced coffee and hoping for a solid wifi connection. Then I got a monthly pass at Punspace for $120 and it changed my workflow completely. The first week I got twice as much done because there weren't people talking next to me or baristas blasting music. But now I miss the random conversations and cheap snacks from cafes. Has anyone else gone back and forth on this setup?

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jamie_clark•2d ago

Coworking vs cafe hopping in Medellin - what did you pick?

I spent 3 weeks bouncing between cafes in El Poblado but finally caved and got a Selina membership for $150 a month. The reliable wifi and AC won out over cheap coffee but I miss the people watching and freedom. Anyone else struggle with this choice and regret going one way or the other?

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the_seth•2d ago

Lost $400 on a coworking membership I barely used in Chiang Mai

Back in March I signed up for a fancy coworking space in Chiang Mai called Punspace. Paid $400 upfront for a three month membership because I thought it would force me to be productive. Turns out I only went there like 6 times total. The wifi was fine but the AC was always too cold and the chairs hurt my back. I ended up working from cafes and my apartment way more often. Now I'm stuck with two months left on a membership I'll never use. Has anyone else burned cash on a coworking deal that sounded better than it actually was?

2 comments

lilyb27•4d ago

I finally stopped booking Airbnbs with 'fast wifi' claims

Last month I was working from a place outside Medellin that advertised '100 mbps fiber optic' in the listing. First video call with my client started buffering like crazy and I realized I was getting maybe 5 mbps on a good day. Turns out the owner had a cheap router in the basement while I was on the third floor. Now I always ask hosts to run a speed test during the checkout process and send me a screenshot. Has anyone else gotten burned by wifi claims that turned out to be total fiction?

2 comments

lunaw72•6d ago

Coliving vs solo apartment in Chiang Mai - picked coliving and it got noisy fast

I had to decide between a $250 coliving spot with other nomads or a $350 solo studio here in Chiang Mai. I went with the coliving to meet people, thought it would be great for networking. Week one was fine, but by week three the shared kitchen was a mess and someone was on Zoom calls at 2am in the common area. The internet went down twice and maintenance took 2 days to fix it. I'm moving to a solo place next week. Anyone else regret the coliving choice for similar reasons?

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leo_mason•6d ago

Moved into a coliving spot in Medellin and the WiFi drops every 45 minutes

I’ve been here over a month now in El Poblado and it’s driving me crazy during client calls. Anyone else have luck getting the host to actually fix it or just bounce to a coworking space?

2 comments

emmasmith•7d ago

Bali coworking spaces changed my mind about slow wifi

I used to be the person who ONLY cared about internet speed numbers. Like if a spot didn't have 50mbps down I wouldn't even look at it. But last month I spent 3 weeks working from a little cafe in Ubud called Titi Batu. The wifi there was maybe 15mbps tops but the owner made sure everyone had a clean desk with a power strip and refilled my water without me asking. After day 5 I realized I actually got more work done there than at the fancy co-working spot with blazing fast internet because I wasn't fighting for outlets or dealing with loud phone calls. Has anyone else found a place where the vibe mattered more than the speed test?

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blairm35•8d ago

Met a guy in a co-working space in Chiang Mai who tracked every single hour of his work for 2 years straight

He showed me a spreadsheet with 17,000 rows of data and said it helped him figure out exactly when to stop taking clients, has anyone else built a system like that to avoid burning out on the road?

3 comments

jana_price•9d ago

Talked to a guy in Chiang Mai who changed how I think about slow travel

I was grabbing coffee at this spot near Nimman last week and got chatting with a guy who's been nomading for 8 years. He told me he stays in each place for at least 4 months instead of bouncing around every few weeks like I usually do. He said the key is renting a proper apartment and actually building a routine, not just treating every city like a vacation. That hit me because I've been burning out hard after 2 years of constant moving. He also mentioned he saves about $300 a month on flights and hostels by slowing down. Has anyone else tried long-term stays like that and noticed a difference in their work or mental health?

2 comments

the_sandra•23d ago

Warning: coworking spaces in Bali are not what they seem

I moved to Ubud last month thinking I'd get tons of work done at the fancy coworking spots. Three weeks in I realized most people there are just posting Instagram stories and drinking smoothies. The wifi goes down every afternoon around 2pm for like an hour. I ended up working from my homestay balcony more than anywhere else. If you need reliable internet to hit deadlines, don't count on those places. Has anyone else found a decent spot in Bali with actual stable connection?

2 comments

ruby290•24d ago

The week from hell in Bangkok with no AC

I was in a cheap guesthouse in Bangkok last month and the AC broke on day 2 of a 5 day stay. The heat was so bad I couldn't even focus on my freelance projects and ended up working from a 7-Eleven for 3 hours just for the air. Has anyone else had a work day ruined by bad WiFi or no AC while traveling?

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fisher.reese•24d ago

Overheard a digital nomad say coworking memberships are a waste of money in Medellin

I was at a hostel in Medellin last week and this guy was bragging about working from coffee shops for free for 6 months straight. He complained about unreliable wifi and having to buy stuff every 2 hours though. Doesn't the stability and networking from a desk actually save you money in the long run?

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john_murphy•24d ago

Coworking pass vs cafe hopping in Chiang Mai for 3 months, coworking won easily

I tried bouncing between cafes for my first month here and spent $4 on drinks I didn't want just to use the wifi, then switched to a coworking membership for $150 a month and got way more work done. Has anyone else found that paying for a proper desk beats the coffee shop grind?

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kelly61•26d ago

Bali coworking spaces changed my mind about working from cafes

Was always team coffee shop nomad. Loved the noise. Then spent a week at Outpost in Ubud last month. $150 for a month of fast fiber internet and a desk. No hunting for outlets. People actually work there. You catch yourself slacking less. Anyone else find switching to a proper space worth the cash?

3 comments

masontorres•26d ago

Vent: Tried that coworking space in Medellin everyone raves about and it was a total disaster for my focus

I booked a monthly pass at that famous place in El Poblado last month, thinking it'd be perfect for getting work done. But the internet kept cutting out every 45 minutes, and I lost three hours of progress on a client project because of it. Then there was this guy on a Zoom call right next to me barking orders at his team all afternoon. I learned you really gotta test the wifi speed yourself and ask about noise policies before committing to a spot like that. Has anyone else had a hyped-up coworking space completely ruin their workflow?

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xenan64•26d ago

My colleague's offhand comment about coworking spaces really got me thinking

Was chatting with a guy at a hostel in Medellin last week who said he only works from coffee shops because coworking spaces 'feel like a second office'. Honestly it hit me because I've been paying $150 a month for a desk I barely use. Anyone else feel like coworking spaces defeat the whole point of being a nomad?

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emma_burns96•26d ago

Hit 50 countries as a digital nomad last month and it messed with my head way more than I expected

I was sitting in a cafe in Medellin updating my spreadsheet when I realized I'd checked into my 50th country without even noticing, and it made me wonder what I'm actually chasing with all this travel after 4 years of the nomad life - has anyone else hit a random milestone that made you question why you do this whole thing?

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xenan64•26d ago

Rant: Coworking spaces aren't built for people who actually need to take calls

Been bouncing around Southeast Asia for about 6 months now, mostly working from coworking spots in Chiang Mai and Bali. Every single one has this huge open floor plan with those long tables and zero phone booths. Yesterday I had a client call and had to sit in a bathroom stall just to hear myself think. Why do these places design for looks instead of function? Is it just me or do other nomads struggle finding spots where you can actually take a Zoom call without echo?

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piper_thompson31•27d ago

PSA: That coworker in Chiang Mai who 'helps' you find a moped rental is costing you big time

I met this guy named Alex at a cafe in Chiang Mai last month. He was super friendly, told me he knew a place that rented scooters for 150 baht a day. He walked me over to this shop and I paid for a week upfront. The bike broke down on day two. I took it back and the shop owner said I had to pay 2000 baht for repairs because I signed something in Thai. Later I figured out Alex gets a 100 baht kickback every time he brings a tourist in. So I paid triple what I should have for a junk bike. Has anyone else run into these 'helpful' locals who are really just working a referral scam?

2 comments

masontorres•27d ago

Warning: Coworking memberships in Bali are way more expensive than people think if you actually need reliable wifi

I keep seeing people rave about $100/month coworking spaces in Canggu but the ones with fiber optic backup that actually worked during last month's storms were closer to $250 and nobody mentions that part, am I wrong for thinking the budget posts are misleading?

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jakef66•27d ago

Coffee shop internet died mid-call in Medellin last week

I was on a Zoom with a client in Austin and bam, the whole cafe's wifi went down. This was at a place I thought had solid connection, cost me like $5 for a cortado too. Had to run 3 blocks to a coworking space and still missed 10 minutes of the meeting. The client was cool about it but now I'm thinking I need a backup plan. Does anyone here carry a portable hotspot or just rely on cafe wifi?

2 comments

craig.grant•27d ago

Pro tip: My "work from beach" setup took exactly 8 days to go from dream to nightmare

Day 1 I was posting sunset pics from a cabana in Koh Samui, by day 8 I had sand in every USB port, a sunburnt laptop screen, and a local macaque stole my portable charger. Anybody else find that internet cafes actually beat the whole beach office aesthetic real quick?

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robertb30•29d ago

That week in Chiang Mai where everything went wrong but also right

Last month I had a Tuesday where my laptop died at 11am and then my coworking space AC broke, but somehow I finished a project faster than ever by working from a park bench. The quiet and fresh air actually helped me focus better than any cafe or desk setup I've tried. Has anyone else had a terrible day turn into a surprisingly productive one in an unexpected spot?

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paulk42•1mo ago

Ran into a banking roadblock in Chiang Mai that took 6 hours to fix

I thought opening a Thai bank account as a digital nomad would take maybe an hour. Showed up with my passport, visa, and a rental agreement like I read online. The bank manager said I needed a work permit (which I don't have) and a letter from my embassy. I went to 4 different banks and finally found one that accepted a 90-day rental contract plus a $500 deposit. That whole process ate up my entire Tuesday and I had to cancel a coworking session I was really looking forward to. Has anyone else dealt with this weird rule splitting between banks?

2 comments