Balancing Travel and Productivity

While you might imagine spending all your days working from a laptop in a hammock, in practice this is not always the best for productivity. Your laptop will end up covered in sand, and the screen glare will inevitably prevent you from working efficiently. Of course, you'll still try it once in a while and snap the obligatory laptop-from-the-beach photo, but in practice, where do most nomads spend their working time?

Most nomads work at a mix of cafes, coworking spaces, and from rented apartments with wifi. There are pros and cons to each of these.

Home Sweet (Temporary) Home

As a nomad, you'll likely be renting an apartment for a few weeks or months at a time. For some nomads, this ends up serving as their primary office. If you do plan on doing a substantial amount of work from home, ask ahead of time to ensure you'll have the setup that you need. For example, you can ask your prospective landlord to do a speed test (and take a screenshot of the results) to check that the wifi will be fast enough. You may also want to make sure any place you rent has a comfortable desk and chair for sitting hours at a time.

Depending on your setup and your preferences, you might be satisfied working from home on most days. The downside to working primarily at home, of course, is that it's not the most social option and might feel a bit boring after a while.

Cafes

For a change of pace and to get out of the house, cafes are one most flexible and popular choices. Depending on where you are, you may have a wide range of cafes with wifi and comfortable tables to choose from, and the price for entry is typically just the cost of a cup of coffee.

Some cafes embrace laptop-users more than others, so make sure to feel out the situation, and if you don't see anyone else on a laptop, ask first. In any case, keep in mind if you're taking up a table for hours that it's polite to order more than just a coffee to make sure you're contributing fairly. One drink per hour minimum is a reasonable rule of thumb. Finally, consider leaving a tip if you're in a country where it's common to do so.

Coworking Spaces

Another common choice, although not essential, is to join a coworking space. Coworking spaces provide the opportunity to meet other nomads. For some people, having others around provides a sense of accountability and makes it easier to get things done. It can also be a great place to find someone to collaborate on a project. For others, it can be a distraction.

Coworking spaces can typically be rented monthly or by the day/hour, so it's easy enough to try one out before a long-term commitment. You can typically choose whether you want just a temporary desk or more of a permanent space just for yourself. This will allow you to set up your workspace just as you like it, and will often allow you to leave items overnight so you don't have to carry them around. However, it's typically more expensive than just crashing at a desk for the day. Keep in mind that while co-working spaces get a lot of attention, it's not at all essential to work from one every day, and plenty of nomads rarely do.

Routine and Flexibility

You may find it useful to keep a schedule and stick to somewhat of a daily routine, even if it's not strictly required your work. For example, you can use a calendar to block off a good chunk of time for working every day Monday through Friday to ensure you get enough hours of solid time to concentrate. Of course, don't forget to leave plenty of time free for exploring and fun. After all, you didn't leave home just to spend all day indoors working on the other side of the world!

Unusual Workspaces

What about more unique locations for working? We've heard of our members working from a scuba dive shop, laundromat (ok not glamorous but sooo practical), nightclubs (if you can work with the untz untz in the background), from the train (quite comfortable!), wineries (great way to spend a chill Friday afternoon), and ski chalets. And don't forget the local library, which can often be a wonderful free place to work.

Many nomads alternate between working from these different types of locations. If you're new at this, you'll likely want to experiment a bit to find what makes you most productive and happy.

Do you have other tips for balancing travel and productivity as a digital nomad? Send us your suggestions here.