I just joined the Live/Work Anywhere network on www.liveworkanywhere.com. One question was regarding the factors that help you decide where to live and work virtually. Here were my responses:
Climate –
Weather that is too hot or too cold makes it hard to concentrate on work.
Access to Internet –
Internet access must be reliable and fast enough to keep working.
Mail –
Sending packages and random things can be difficult in many countries, having reliable mail service is helpful.
Cost of Living –
Lower cost of living along with the other factors means higher potential return on my projects.
Some things I’ve learned from living in Central America are:
Internet access is nearly 1/8th that of the United States. If you are blogging, emailing, and uploading small files, you don’t notice too much. Anything bigger than that, watching youtube videos or uploading them, opening too many windows and uploading/downloading larger files will slow you down. Also, the power will sometimes go out and you have no option but to wait until everything is restored, or to find a place with a generator to keep going.
The cost of living is low, paying on average $150 for a 1 bedroom apartment, but finding reliable service for Internet makes the $150 for a shared room in a larger city like Buenos Aires in South America a more attractive option.
Routine is important to me and because of the climate, I’ve found the best times to work are either early in the morning or after the sun goes down. After 10 or 11 am, your brain slows down and it’s a must to head to the beach…. not so bad…. as long as you get your work done!
