It’s been a while since I did a post about my workspaces on the road and I’ve certainly worked in enough different places since China to justify another post, so here it is.
Bigfoot Hostel – Leon, Nicaragua
This place is a great example of a hostel that is easy to work in with the one fatal flaw of a crappy internet connection. It’s a lively place, but quiet during the day and after 11pm, the staff are friendly, the tables big and spacious and I am keeping myself occupied with Spanish classes and Leon’s pumping nightlife. The connection though is unreliable and when it does decide to work it cuts me off every 10 minutes.
Managua Backpackers Inn – Managua, Nicaragua
This is another example of an awesome work environment but a crappy connection. This hostel is in two houses located a street apart. The main house has a great wifi connection but not many good work spaces or powerpoints. The other house has loads of space but the internet wasn’t working while I was there and I had to sponge off of an unreliable, unsecured signal. If they can get the connection fixed then this is a great spot for getting stuff done.
St. Joseph’s – Port-au-Prince, Haiti
This photo doesn’t do justice to how beautiful this guesthouse is. It’s four stories tall and has three different levels of balconies, all with beautufl views. It’s a home for orphaned boys as well and the kids are always around which adds an interesting element to the place. The walls are covered in stunning Haitian artwork and musical instruments are everywhere. It’s easy to find a corner to yourself to work but if you want the net connection, you can’t wander too ar from the main floor.
Norm’s Place – Labadie, Haiti
This is another example of me taking a photo that doesn’t give you an idea of how amazing Norm’s Place is. It’s set right on a small beach only steps away from the rooms, there are hammocks in the amazing garden, paintings cover the walls and sculptures can be found all over the place. Norm is 83 and a character and always up for chatting. They have wifi but apparently it doesn’t work when it’s windy or raining and I never got it to work.
HODR Base – Gonavies, Haiti
When I volunteered with Hands On in Bangladesh I was surprised I was able to get online by using a cell phone. In Gonaives, Haiti, I was even more surprised to find a wifi signal had been set up. It wasn’t fast enough to upload videos to You Tube but it was ok for watching videos, uploading photos, downloading music and it was definitely good enough for me to do work. We had a small room where everyone would bust out their computers and it was fun to work and chat at the same time. The problem is that I might have done a bit more chatting than working.
My Friend’s House – Brisbane, Australia
I stayed with a friend in Brisbane who had to work a few days while I was there so I did the same. She had one of those big plastic ball things and I discovered that they’re great for sitting on, especially for a long time. I had to do my work on her computer because I couldn’t get mine online so I wasn’t as productive as I could have been but I still did ok. It’s always fun working with two computers at once.
Seaworld Hotel – Gold Coast, Australia
My Aussie friends had a wedding to go to one day but I joined them at the hotel which happened to be at Sea World. I had a great spot for working and, despite the reception person telling me otherwise, the wifi signal seeped all the way into the room. The only issue was buying wifi time. At first they told me they only sold wifi vouchers for 15 minutes at a time and I would have to reconnect each time and it would have been super expensive. Later on though they figured out that I could buy a 24 hour block for about AUD$25 which, while expensive, was much better than the other option. In one evening I got a crazy amount of work done and then got to go to Seaworld the next day as a bonus.
Pelican Restaurant – South Beach, Miami, USA
I tried Starbucks but they didn’t have wifi so I wandered on down the strip in South Beach in search of another option. I came across this restaurant overlooking the beach and found a table with a power point beside it which is always a good score. I had a yummy Greek salad, a lemonaide and tapped away at my keyboard while taking in the nice view.
My Parent’s House – St. Catharines, Canada
Ah home sweet home. That’s my dad. I spent three weeks in Canada between Asia and Haiti and went home with a huge ‘to do’ list and managed to get a lot of it done. I worked at the kitchen table, had my family around, a good net connection and really got lots done despite having a lot of distractions and things to do and people to see. It’s always really nice working in an environment you’re used to.
Royal Guesthouse – Mandalay, Myanmar
Myanmar isn’t really on the map as far as wifi access goes. You’re lucky if you can find an internet cafe that doesn’t take 45 minutes to open Gmail. I actually left my computer in Mandalay because there’s no point carrying it around to remote areas. I still got some work done here catching up on photos and writing a bit.
Some Guesthouse – Pai, Thailand
Working from the balcony of a beach hut is what a lot of people dream about when they think of working from anywhere. Well this place wasn’t on a beach, but it was still a pretty amazing place to work from. The paid internet connection wasn’t working so they gave me the passcode to their connection for free and I milked that for four days. I was sharing this place with a guy I met on the bus so it was cheap and good to have someone around to go out with at night. This is probably one of the most chilled out places I’ve worked.
Eagle House 2 – Chiang Mai, Thaland
Chang Mai is packed with places with wifi but … is not one of them. It wasn’t that big of a deal though since there are plenty of cafes nearby to upload any work I was able to do offline. For the first few nights I was with friends and didn’t do much work but on the last night I made an attempt at working from my bed.
MD House – Chiang Mai, Thailand
On my second trip to Chang Mai I decided that wifi was the way to go and I lucked out with this place. It was a bit more expensive than other places in the area but the wifi was super fast and I had a table and chairs directly under the air conditioning unit not to mention ensuite and a massive, comfy double bed. All of this added up to a very productive couple of days.
Some Hotel – Bangkok, Thailand
This place is a lot nicer and a bit more expensive than the other dives on Khao San Road but it didn’t have any wifi. It didn’t seem like many places had wifi though which I found pretty surprising given how much the area caters to tourists. But then again, the area is a bit of a super cheap ghetto so maybe extra perks like wifi are considered too posh. I was able to get lots of offlie stuff done in the comfort of my own room with a decent desk and chair and the air conditioning cranking.
I’ve worked in plenty of random places as well like airport waiting areas all over the world, night trains and I even once attempted a bus but that was just ridiculous. I wish I would have gotten a photo though! Hope you’ve enjoyed this post, I will try to do one every time I rack up a bunch of photos.
Where are the best/worst/most bizarre places you’ve ever worked?
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