c/digital-nomad-life

Warning: I hit 50 cities in 18 months and it broke me in a weird way

I started out strong. First 20 cities were exciting, new cafes, new views, new Wi-Fi passwords. Around city 35 I stopped taking pictures of my desk setups. By city 45 I was eating instant noodles in my Airbnb because I couldn't be bothered to find a decent restaurant. The number that surprised me was 27 - that's how many times I had to explain my job to a stranger at a hostel. It wears you down faster than you think. Has anyone else hit a travel milestone that made them want to just stay put for a while?

1 comments

amymason•1d ago

Key broke off in my hostel locker lock in Bangkok last night - had to climb out a window to get breakfast

Took me and two other guests over an hour with pliers from the front desk to fish out the broken piece, and now I'm wondering if I should just switch to a padlock with a flat key instead of those round ones that snap so easily - has anyone else dealt with this while bouncing between hostels?

c/digital-nomad-life

Warning: I hit 50 cities in 18 months and it broke me in a weird way

Key broke off in my hostel locker lock in Bangkok last night - had to climb out a window to get breakfast

Took me 3 months to figure out my Wi-Fi was fighting with my monitor arm

Bali coworking spaces are overrated unless you like paying $8 for a smoothie

Hit my 50th country last week and nobody cared

Bought into the hype about coworking passes in Medellin and now I'm kicking myself

Spent $250 on a portable monitor for cafes in Lisbon and it was either genius or a total waste

Last week a guy in a coworking space in Chiang Mai told me I was overpaying for my VPN by $10 a month

Three days to find a printer that worked in a Moroccan cafe

Showerthought: My cousin the hostel manager said most nomads burn out in 8 months, and I'm at month 7 now

Overheard a coworker in a Bali cafe say working from home is the same as being a digital nomad

Overheard a guy in Bali say coworking spaces are dead

Talked to a hostel owner in Medellin who said most nomads burn out after 6 months

That barista in Medellin who remembered my order after 3 months

My portable monitor died mid-flight presentation in Bangkok last week

Noticed a big shift in how my coworking buddies pack after 6 months on the road

I was dead wrong about coworking spaces in Chiang Mai

Random chat at a coworking space in Lisbon got me thinking about pace

My productivity tanked when I left Bali for Medellin, here is the real difference

That coworking space 'friend' who told me to ignore visa rules cost me a trip to Bali

Serious question, how do you handle SIM card registration in countries that require a local address?

Showerthought: People still think you need a ton of money to start this life

TIL my visa extension in Bangkok took 14 days, not the 3 I budgeted for

Appreciation post: The Lisbon cafe that showed me how to work

Can we talk about trying to explain my job to my grandma over a video call from Bali