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I Quit My Job to Travel Full-Time as a Remote Developer: The Reality After 18 Months

Alex Thompson••11 min read
Digital NomadRemote WorkWork-Life Balance
I Quit My Job to Travel Full-Time as a Remote Developer: The Reality After 18 Months

The Instagram vs. Reality Gap

My Instagram shows me coding from a beach in Thailand, working from a cafe in Lisbon, and taking calls from a rooftop in Mexico City. What it doesn't show: the three-hour search for reliable WiFi, the stomach bug that knocked me out for a week in Vietnam, or the time I had to debug a production issue at 3am because time zones are a nightmare.

I'm not saying the digital nomad life isn't worth it. I'm saying it's nothing like what you see online.

Month 1-3: The Honeymoon Period in Chiang Mai

I started in Chiang Mai, Thailand, because every digital nomad blog recommended it. They were right about one thing: the infrastructure is solid. Co-working spaces everywhere, fast internet, cheap accommodation.

But here's what nobody mentions: working weird hours to overlap with your team destroys your ability to enjoy the place. My team was in San Francisco, eight hours behind. I was taking meetings at 11pm and working until 3am to maintain real-time collaboration. During the day, when I could actually explore, I was exhausted.

I lasted two months before I realized the time zone math wasn't working.

The Time Zone Calculation Nobody Does Upfront

Before you book that ticket to Asia, do this math: What hours does your team work? What hours will YOU need to work to have at least 4 hours of overlap?

For me, working with a US-based team meant:

  • Southeast Asia: 10pm-6am my time for full overlap (unsustainable)
  • Europe: 3pm-11pm my time (workable but limits social life)
  • South America: 9am-5pm my time with some early mornings (ideal)

This completely changed where I chose to travel.

The Countries That Actually Worked

After 18 months across 12 countries, these were the most sustainable for remote work:

Portugal (Lisbon): Perfect time zone for US East Coast teams. Excellent infrastructure. Vibrant digital nomad community. Downside: expensive compared to Southeast Asia.

Mexico (Playa del Carmen, Mexico City): Same time zone as US Central. Great internet in major cities. Affordable. Good food. Downside: can be noisy, especially in tourist areas.

Colombia (Medellin): One hour ahead of US East Coast. Fast internet. Incredibly affordable. Amazing weather. Downside: safety varies by neighborhood, do your research.

Spain (Barcelona, Valencia): Good for European time zones. Excellent quality of life. Strong nomad community. Downside: expensive, visa requirements for long stays.

The Places That Looked Great But Didn't Work

Bali: Beautiful, cheap, terrible internet in most areas. I spent more time troubleshooting connectivity than working. Unless you're in Canggu or Ubud in specific accommodations, it's risky.

Vietnam: Love the country, but the internet was inconsistent and the time zone meant working nights to sync with my US team.

Greece: Perfect for vacation, not for work. Internet was slower than expected, and the laid-back culture extended to service providers fixing issues.

The Real Costs Nobody Talks About

Digital nomad blogs love to claim you can live on $1,500/month in Southeast Asia. Technically true if you live like a local, never travel, and don't value your workspace. My actual costs:

  • Accommodation with good WiFi: $800-1,500/month (decent places in nomad hubs)
  • Co-working space: $100-250/month (essential for reliable internet and professional calls)
  • Travel insurance: $150/month (non-negotiable)
  • Flights between countries: $200-800/month depending on region
  • Visa runs and fees: $100-500 every few months
  • Food and living: $500-1,000/month

Average monthly spend: $2,500-4,000. Yes, cheaper than San Francisco, but not the budget paradise you'd expect.

The Loneliness Factor

This was the biggest surprise. I'm naturally introverted, so I thought I'd be fine. But constantly being the new person, making surface-level friendships that end when someone moves to the next city, and missing deeper connections wore me down.

By month 10, I was staying in places for two to three months instead of two to three weeks, specifically to build actual friendships. Quality of relationships matters more than number of countries visited.

What Worked: My Actual Routine

After trial and error, here's the system that worked:

Location selection: Pick places within 3 hours of your team's time zone. Your sleep schedule will thank you.

Accommodation test: Before committing to a month, book three nights. Test the WiFi with a video call. Check for noise. Verify the workspace is actually usable.

Backup internet: Always have a local SIM with good data. When the home WiFi fails during a critical call, mobile hotspot saves you.

Community first: Join local digital nomad groups on Facebook or Meetup before you arrive. Having even two familiar faces when you land makes a huge difference.

Slow travel: Stay minimum six weeks per place. Constantly moving is exhausting and expensive.

The Production Incident in Bali

Month 4. I was in Bali. Our payment system went down. I was the on-call engineer. The internet in my villa cut out mid-incident response.

I ran outside looking for WiFi, ended up at a cafe, and debugged a critical production issue while sitting next to tourists ordering smoothies. We fixed it, but I aged five years in two hours.

That's when I learned: have a backup workspace identified within 10 minutes of your accommodation. A cafe, a co-working space, anything with reliable internet where you can handle emergencies.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes, but differently. I'd spend three months per location instead of hopping every few weeks. I'd prioritize time zone compatibility over exotic destinations. I'd budget $3,500/month instead of believing the $1,500/month fantasy.

I'd also set a timeline. Endless travel sounds romantic but creates decision fatigue. Now I do three months traveling, three months in one base location. It's the balance I should have found earlier.

Advice If You're Considering This

First, try it for three months before quitting your apartment or selling everything. Rent out your place on Airbnb, keep your commitments minimal, and test the lifestyle.

Second, make sure your company is genuinely remote-friendly, not just remote-tolerant. If you're expected to be online 9-5 in their time zone, this lifestyle doesn't work.

Third, have an emergency fund. Things go wrong. You get sick. Flights get canceled. You need to leave a place suddenly. Six months of expenses minimum.

Finally, know why you're doing this. If it's to escape something, travel won't fix it. If it's genuine curiosity about the world and flexibility appeals to you, it might be perfect.

Where I Am Now

I'm writing this from Mexico City, my third stint here. I've found a rhythm: three months in CDMX, three months exploring other places in the Americas, repeat. I have a community here, I know the best co-working spaces, and the time zone works perfectly.

The digital nomad life isn't for everyone, and it's not forever for me. But for this chapter, it's exactly right. Just know what you're signing up for, because it's beautiful and challenging in ways the Instagram posts never show.