How to live as a digital nomad in Laos

I am week 1 into a four month experiment in Digital Nomadry. This means: moving to Laos in a short-term basis and seeing if it works. If it does I might try becoming a digital nomad for a year or so.

First results are in: it is been so liberating it’s slightly unnerving. Having said that it’s not been all roses. Also I promise there won’t be any photographs of me “working” while I’m on the beach. Yes there have been some pleasant surprises but there have been some shocks too.

Here’s why I did it and what it took me to get here.

Why do such a thing?
After living through one of the world’s longest lockdowns, a breakup, relocation to living alone, another lockdown I needed to get out of my head.

A short trip in July for a few weeks involving a long-distance train journey from Singapore to Laos had taught me a few things. I desperately needed a break from my routine. While incredibly productive, it was a prison. I had optimised time so effectively - I had squeezed out any leisure. This trip taught me how to live in the moment rather than focus on distant goals. It was liberating. I was sitting next to the Mekong River in the Laos town of Luang Prabang when I had the most cliched thought one can have on holiday - why can’t my life be like this all the time?

I viciously suppressed the idea but then gave myself some rope. I could not come up with a good reason why not. Many poor reasons - it would be expensive, it would be disruptive to my big long-term plans - but these were constraints not blockers.

How?
I am in a lucky position. I work for an organisation that is generous and widely distributed around Asia Pacific. Also we have a project in Laos. My extended time at the company also helps. I am trusted. I asked my boss and he agreed.

Yet the world is also in a different place after COVID - with skills-shortage and remote working a new possibility in workplaces where it had not been.

After this there was the apartment I was renting. I loved the place almost as much as I dislike moving. I find moving incredibly labour and emotionally intensive. I had the idea to sublet. Again I was lucky to have a landlord that liked me (he lives in the same building). He agreed and after some bureaucratic hurdles from a real estate agent that insisted she insert herself in the process I was advertising.

The place was an easy sell. Digital nomads are coming entering as well as departing. I found someone that I was quite sure would not totally destroy my stuff but got a deposit in case he did. This compressed the amount of time needed to move to a day.

Then I bought a ticket, travel insurance. From here it was just a matter of packing all the stuff away into my car and finding a place to park it while I was away. The subletter did not have a car so agreed I the underground carpark space would not be needed.

Shocks
Working with a major time difference: this was a fuck up on my part. The time difference when I visited was winter. I bought my ticket in early spring then bang - daylight saving. Suddenly my 6am starts would have to be 5am starts meaning I would have to hop out of bed a little earlier to look presentable. Suddenly I am living on the schedule of a baker. There might be ways to fiddle with the edges here. Stay tuned.

Money: being in Laos makes getting money a bit of a challenge. The local currency has been devalued that many people want USD for large transactions and won’t accept the local Kip except for smaller ones.

Good internet is lifeblood: The entire operation hangs off it. If I move somewhere with a shitty connection my ability to work is an infuriating nightmare. This might seem obvious but it’s still important to mention as it means checking the internet BEFORE agreeing to stay somewhere.

Happy Surprises
It is easy to make friends: After Melbourne, the community of foreigners and locals interested in interacting with foreigners are used to transience. This makes them welcoming. I met one mate on a train, another through the first mate.

Technology is actually good: I learnt to loathe this stuff back home for its invasiveness but here it’s a godsend. Google translate can translate signs. Facebook Group Pages has social pages. Loca (the local version of Uber) makes getting around much easier.

The prospect of being mobile: Like I said earlier - its so liberating to be unnerving. I can pick up my stuff and land somewhere where as long as there is good internet I can work.

So those are my initial thoughts. More to come. In general I am very happy with my decision. Glad that I gave it an opportunity. It was disruptive but sometimes that’s a good thing.