Thought moving to a 'digital nomad hub' would fix everything

I picked Playa del Carmen because everyone online said it was perfect for freelancers. Rented a place for 6 months, thinking the community would be great. Turns out the internet was super spotty, dropping out for hours right during client calls. I lost two regular gigs because of it. The whole experience cost me about $4k and a lot of stress. Has anyone actually found a place that lives up to the hype, or is it all just marketing?

4 comments

4 Comments

parker_webb20h ago

Julias44 is right about the speed test trick, it's a total trap. Landlords will run it once on a Tuesday morning and call it good. The real test is trying to work during peak hours for a full week. Losing clients over bad internet is a nightmare, but having a solid backup plan is just part of the job now. You can't fully trust any single connection, you need a mobile hotspot and a list of three cafes that actually work.

sullivan.quinn1mo ago

You gotta vet the internet yourself before committing long term.

matthew_west1mo agoTop Commenter

Used to think that was overkill, honestly. Then I got stuck with a two year contract for internet that barely worked. Now I check every review I can find.

julias4429d ago

Honestly, the "vet the internet yourself" advice sounds good but it's not always possible. You show up for a viewing, the landlord does a speed test and it's fine. That doesn't tell you about the daily 3pm dropouts when the whole neighborhood gets online. Sometimes you just have to take a risk and hope for the best. Blaming the location for losing clients seems off too, there's always cafes or co-working spaces as a backup plan. A lot of this comes down to personal planning, not just the place being bad.