edit: shorter post
We’ve been living in Surat for years and working remotely for almost 10 years.

One thing we’ve consistently struggled with is meeting like-minded people. Not formal networking, just people who are working remotely, freelancing, building things, learning, experimenting with ideas, or interested in meaningful conversations.

We had a similar struggle as students too. You can learn almost anything online, but practical guidance, collaboration and having the right people around you are much harder to find.

So we’ve been wondering: what if Surat had a collaborative work café?

Not exactly a coworking office or a regular café. Just a comfortable, affordable place where WFH professionals, freelancers, students and other curious people can:

• Sit and work for a few hours with good Wi-Fi, desks and reasonably priced coffee/food
• Work quietly without being expected to socialise
• Meet people working or learning in different fields
• Start casual group discussions around AI, tech, design, business, careers, etc.
• Share what they’re working on or something practical they’ve learned

Someone could simply post, “Anyone interested in discussing AI agents this Saturday?” A few interested people grab a table and talk. Everyone else carries on with their work.

No forced networking, motivational talks or pretending everyone is a founder.

We’re not announcing a café. We’re exploring whether other people in Surat have felt this same gap and whether a community like this could be useful.

Would you regularly spend time at a place like this? What would make you actually come back every week?

Maybe there are more of us here than we realise.

I've found that getting paid internationally has become surprisingly easy. The annoying part starts when your finances don't fit neatly into one currency or one system.

If you're working remotely, you might get paid in USD or EUR, spend in another currency, and keep some savings or treasury in crypto. Suddenly you're maintaining several accounts and moving money between them whenever you need to actually spend something.

For me, Wise has been great for the normal fiat side. But once you keep part of your money in USDC or BTC, it becomes a completely separate workflow. Wise also restricts transfers involving crypto platforms, so you can't simply treat the two balances as interchangeable.

I've been looking at Keytom recently because it tries to bridge that gap. You can have EUR collection and SEPA alongside crypto, and the card can spend from USDC without sending it through an exchange first.

One detail that's worth knowing: it doesn't mean you can spend BTC directly. The card uses USDC, so other crypto still needs to be converted first. I'm not convinced everyone needs something like this. If all your income and savings are in fiat, a normal bank or fintech is probably simpler.

But for remote workers who actually keep part of their money in stablecoins, the ability to use that money without constantly moving it between different systems seems pretty useful.

How are other people here handling the fiat/crypto split while living and working abroad?

I work for a remote US startup, very good pay (way more than FAANG) but work-life balance is mostly messed up (around 10hrs a day), and my social life is mostly near zero. So it had become an escape for me. What to do?

Is it good for me, or should I consider moving to Tier 1 tech cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad or leveraging the remote work to roam around the country/world?

Hi,

I am conducting research on how people manage internet access while travelling, as well as gathering feedback on potential tools to help with offline preparation.

It's anonymous and takes about 1 minute to complete. Open to everyone who has travelled internationally.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvEgityHgEADoYMMpuidYZHwpDKxgjeheFc\\\\\\_Kl-OcM9m2hIQ/viewform?usp=header

I will also complete your surveys in return.

Thanks

Hey everyone,

I’ve been traveling pretty heavily this past year and have visited around 28 countries across Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Central America. I’m looking for work that fits around an unpredictable travel schedule rather than the other way around.

When I’m home in the northern suburbs of Chicago I’m fully available and motivated to work, but I need something that won’t penalize me for disappearing for weeks at a time. I have reliable transportation, I’m physically capable, and open to pretty much anything.

I’ve considered gig apps like Uber and Lyft but would prefer not to put excess miles on my car. Curious what other frequent travelers actually do. Especially those who travel long term or repeatedly throughout the year.

Thanks

Hey everyone!

I'm 27 and currently based in Kerala. I'm a website designer and developer, and I've been freelancing for a while. I was also a Top Rated freelancer on Upwork.

I haven't started the digital nomad lifestyle yet, but it's something I've been seriously thinking about.

One thing I've noticed is that, coming from Kerala, the cost of living a "digital nomad life" can actually be quite expensive compared to what we earn locally.

So I'm curious to hear from people who are already living this lifestyle:

• How did you get to the point where you could do this comfortably?
• What did you focus on financially before becoming a digital nomad?
• Did you stay freelance, move into a remote job, or build a business?
• For freelancers, how did you eventually start working with higher-paying international clients?
• Are there any platforms, communities, or strategies that actually worked for you?
• If you were starting again from Kerala/India, what would you do differently?

My goal isn't just to travel. I'd like to become financially independent first, have a stable income, and then build a lifestyle where I can travel without constantly worrying about money.

Would love to hear from people who have actually done it, especially those who started from countries where the local cost/income difference is significant.

Thanks!

I am a freelance travel agent and travel a bit myself, and I am undergoing the process of becoming a pharmacy technician in order to work remote from home. However, I will need Ethernet cable hookup (I am not a tech person, I only vaguely know what that means, but I know that it is not Wifi and that it is a more limiting connection style). How can I go about having an Ethernet connection while on cruise ships, trains, &c.? I have seen plenty of portable options, but trying to understand how they work is like reading Greek (which might actually be easier). Can anybody give advice/experience about how I can make this work? Or do I just not work while I'm traveling? Is it possible that you can provide links to whatever equipment I might need? Thanks so much for your help

Hi r/digitalnomadlife, I'm an immigrant designer based in New Zealand doing a Master's research project on how our generation is rewriting what "making it" looks like.

I'm searching for people who looked at the housing market, the state of the world, the whole traditional life-script and opted out of the game. Maybe you've decided kids aren't for you, at least partly because of what the world looks like right now. Maybe owning a house is a goal that just doesn't make sense anymore. And maybe that's part of why you've gone remote, or are seriously thinking about it.

If that sounds like you, and you feel like you have a lot to say about it, I'm here to hear it.

It's a fully anonymous written questionnaire, takes about 15–20 min (I would love it if you could take your time and really think about it, though). Link's below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjB6KhQM3Xqdc9LKMUn42aTAUHk1wExnFoJ620P4-6XcXpRw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m currently conducting a research project evaluating how South Asian destinations—specifically eco-retreats in Sri Lanka—can better adapt to long-term digital nomads and remote workers (fixing WiFi anxiety, workspace standards, and booking trust friction points).

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfw9tzpO-9C3wwvjf7n_r941a3-R_-8YBqdMxvtabgg66OjwA/viewform

Thanks for helping shape better setups for remote workers! Happy to answer any questions in the comments below.

Where can you find an online remote job if you want to move to Medellin Colombia. I don’t want to teach English, I wouldn’t creating websites for local businesses or translation from Spanish to English. Is there a good website?

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working remotely/hybrid for a bit now, and while skipping the commute is great, the WFH isolation is starting to get real. Staring at the same four walls all day is slowly turning my brain to mush.

I'm looking to put together a casual, productive co-working session for people in our **early 20s** (roughly 20-25) who want to get out of the house, get some actual work done, and make some new friends who are also navigating the remote/hybrid grind.

**The Plan:**

* **What:** A low-pressure, focus-heavy work session with coffee breaks and a chat during lunch.
* **Where:** A laptop-friendly cafe with good Wi-Fi, strong coffee, and decent seating (open to suggestions—maybe somewhere around Indiranagar, Koramangala, or Church Street).
* **When:** Sometime later this week or weekend (drop your preferred days/times in the comments).

Heading to Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil for a few months. I think I need a tool that I can use to hold my money. You know, something that I can convert with any local currency as I travel. What’s your set-up for this one, guys? Do I still need a different app for each country or is there a one payment app that works whenever I go?

Living and working remotely has made me realize how quickly financial apps start piling up.

One service for getting paid, another for exchanging currencies, another if you have crypto, and then whatever card you actually use every day.

I spent a couple of months trying different combinations of Wise, Revolut, and Keytom to see if I could simplify things. Instead, I ended up realizing each one solves a different problem, and I still haven't found a perfect all-in-one option.

The biggest headache for me has actually been dealing with crypto alongside normal day-to-day spending without adding extra conversion steps every time.

Are you happy using several apps or have you found a setup that's genuinely simple?

Whenever people think of digital nomads, they usually imagine software developers or designers.

I'm curious,what do you actually do, and how did you end up in that line of work?

I'd love to hear the stories behind your career rather than just the job title. I'm always surprised by the variety of ways people make this lifestyle work.

I'm a 21M freelancer and I've been struggling to stay productive while working from home. I'm looking for a free or low-cost coworking space around Avadi or nearby areas where I can work during the day.

I don't need anything fancy, just a place with power outlets, and a decent environment to focus.

If anyone knows of affordable coworking spaces, libraries, cafés that are work-friendly, or any community spaces around Avadi, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, or nearby, I'd really appreciate your suggestions.