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I don’t want to sound boastful, but some of us have the ultimate freedom to choose our home base at any time.
Sure, there are some bureaucratic hurdles to overcome first, but pointing at a map, packing your bags with your laptop in tow and passport in hand is the ultimate dream.
I’ve had the privilege of traveling to far-flung corners of the world and spreading articles from cozy cafes, some great (and not so great) Airbnbs, and very, very questionable hostels (talking to you, Istanbul!).
I want to be clear here: I have never obtained a digital nomad visa anywhere, but what I have done is work remotely extensively, whether it is an unnamed city south of the border to almost unheard of cities in Europe like Chisinau.
That said, our team at Travel Off Path thought it would be a fun and insightful idea to reveal the 5 places I would never return to as a digital nomad, starting from mild disappointment to outright disdain.
5) Chetumal, Mexico: Too hot to call home
I love Chetumal. I think it’s a textbook “hidden gem” that still doesn’t get the credit it deserves, despite brief bursts of trend over the years.
With paradise beaches like Bacalar nearby, which boast the most vibrant alien blue water hues I’ve ever seen, that’s still not enough of a selling point to plant roots for a long time.
Why?
When travel memories flash back to my mind, Chetumal is the one place where I felt like I was going to melt into the pavement.
This authentic town on the Mexico-Belize border may be cheap and feel really authentic, but the constant – and I mean constant – honking of the taxi, simply because of the color of my skin, made me realize how women must feel when they are called out.
All the more reason to stay in your air-conditioned room instead of the unbearable sun and overzealous locals…
The alternative:
Mahahual: A sleepy beach town close by, better equipped for nomads
4) Kingston, Jamaica: more Chaos then culture
My first trip to Jamaica was okay – not great, just okay.
I think the kids call that ‘middle’…
Even seasoned travelers like me make mistakes. I expected Kingston to be a cultural hotspot with reggae blasts and jerk chicken stalls everywhere.
What I found was a dismantled cityscape full of chaos with very few sights within the city limits.
On arrival I thought I was going to be robbed, which I must admit may have been my own prejudices about Kingston. Luckily I wasn’t.
Even after a successful trip in terms of safety, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having my laptop in public, even on the posh side of New Kingston, where the top attractions include sampling delicious Blue Mountain coffee and visiting Bob Marley’s house.
Like Chetumal, it is also a city where you will beg for air conditioning after walking a few blocks among beggars and expensive restaurants.
Plus, the only beach worth going to is Hellshire, which I actually loved for its off-the-radar appeal and fresh seafood shacks – and I mean shacks – but getting an Uber ride back was almost possible.
Overall, Kingston needs a lot of work and lacks an identity. Even locals begged me not to visit what seemed like half the city due to safety concerns (this was in 2023).
It’s just not the place to stay home for more than a weekend.
The alternative:
Punta Cana never disappoints because it is affordable, offers a great work-life balance, and has great beaches that you can visit whenever you want.
3) Abu Dhabi, UAE: Dubai is simply better
On day 2 in Abu Dhabi I had the same thought as every time I go to Vegas: “what am I missing?”.
By the time it was time to board the bus to Abu Dhabi, my answer was “nothing.”
Sometimes I forget that I visited Abu Dhabi, I didn’t mind that much.
This popular city was my first destination in the Middle East and it was a big disappointment.
Like Kingston, I expected to feel immersed in Arabic culture. I didn’t do that at all.
I felt immersed in a perpetual Middle Eastern “Times Square,” where chains of stores seemed never-ending and finding a real street kabob was about as easy as finding a parking spot in Manhattan.
On the other hand, Abu Dhabi could not have felt safer, but also unbearable in the heat. Safety is unnecessary if you want to spend your entire trip indoors with air conditioning.
Not only was the heat hard to beat, but so were the prices, especially since you are too charged to go to the best beaches.
The alternative:
Dubai lives up to the hype as a never-boring megacity that has everything for everyone
2) Copenhagen, Denmark: I‘D Never go back for any reason
God forbid, if I were to get a terrible disease and the only cure was in Copenhagen, I would say my time has come.
Despite having the coolest food truck park I’ve ever visited, that’s not enough of a selling point – especially in brutal winters – to keep me happy.
From a nomadic perspective, I can’t imagine having to pay $8 for basic coffee drinks every day, nor having to navigate an entire city by bike (which is highly encouraged by their society).
Public transportation is expensive, coffee is expensive, rent is expensive, and much of the city lacks European charm. Work-life balance would be off the charts trying to keep up with the bills while feeling like you’re nowhere special.
To my own surprise, Copenhagen surpassed Marseille in my book as the sketchiest European city I’ve been to, because I couldn’t walk two blocks from my hotel without being physically grabbed by “ladies of the night” at 7am every morning.
My journey here was derailed, which you can read more about here.
The alternative:
Helsinki is more affordable, friendlier, feels much safer, and the locals don’t judge you for driving a car.
1) Iquitos, Peru: It’s just not built for remote workers
Iquitos is for adventures, which digital nomads are of course, but they are also workers who need reliable Wi-Fi, cafes to ‘work’ and a sense of security.
None apply here.
As cool as it was to venture deep into the Amazon from Iquitos, the city itself is not for new travelers, or even new digital nomads.
Wi-Fi drops out all the time, which not only causes headaches on tight deadlines like me, but also just pays restaurant bills with your credit card, and if that doesn’t work, you have to hope the ATM works (if you can find one).
It got so bad that my girlfriend had to send me money via Western Union.
Although its unique aspect as a “floating city” is undeniable, this city feels anything but homely.
I would visit again to explore the rainforest, but not as a nomad. I would leave room in my bag for some extra patience and keep hidden pockets full of cash just in case.
The alternative:
Just stay in Lima as it’s perfectly suited to nomads, with cafes galore, easy navigation and underrated beaches
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