When I started out in Lombok, I spent three nights a week in a hostel and let out the rooms of the small house I rented, just to make ends meet. Before that, in Bangkok, I juggled client projects with the quickest road to eternal stupidity: Khao San Road.
Hostels gave me more than a cheap bed. I met my business partner on the roof of a five storey hostel in Hanoi. You do not meet people like that in a rented flat.
But working from hostels takes a bit of planning. Here is what works.
Why hostels work for digital nomads
- They are cheap. When money is tight, a bed in a dorm buys you time to build your income.
- They are social. As I wrote in what is a digital nomad, your social life on the road often revolves around your hostel or coworking space.
- They create opportunities. Every traveller is a story, and sometimes a client or a partner.
If you are worried about feeling isolated, hostels are one of the best fixes. My guide to digital nomad loneliness has more ideas.
How to choose a work friendly hostel
- Search reviews for “wifi” and “work”. On sites like Hostelworld, recent reviews tell you more than the photos.
- Look for a quiet common area. A coworking corner, a garden or a rooftop with tables. A bar is not an office.
- Avoid party hostels on work weeks. They are fun. They are not where you finish a client project.
- Check for lockers and sockets. You need somewhere safe for your laptop and somewhere to charge it.
- Consider a private room. Many hostels have them. You get the community without the snoring.
Set up your work day
Work early. Hostels are quietest in the morning, when most guests are asleep. That suits me anyway, because I do my most creative work in the morning. My guide to a digital nomad daily routine explains how to plan around it.
Bring good headphones with a microphone, and take calls somewhere quiet. Book big client calls in a coworking space or a cafe, not in the common room. Your client should hear you, not the beer pong.
Protect your kit and your sleep
- Lock your laptop away whenever you leave it.
- Back up your work every day.
- Carry earplugs and an eye mask. Bad sleep ruins good work.
- Keep a phone hotspot ready. My guide to digital nomad internet covers backups.
Give back to the place
Hostels run on small budgets and often need a better website, menu or social media. On the road, I have swapped my design skills for accommodation, and it led to some of my best stories. If you have a skill a hostel needs, offer it.
Know when to move on
Hostels are great for the first weeks in a new place. Once you know the area and have steady income, a room or apartment by the month gives you a calmer base. My guide to finding a monthly rental abroad explains how.
Start in a hostel, meet everyone, then decide where you want to stay. Some of the best chapters of my life began that way.
Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash.
My free guide to leaving the office behind: the steps I took to build a business I can run from anywhere.
P.S. It is free. Read it on your next flight.
