Work and nomads
Choosing somewhere to stay and work: what the photos do not show
A desk, a chair and a connection that holds. The specific questions to ask before booking a month anywhere.
Claudia Ferrán 5 min Photo by Carter Obasohan on Unsplash The photos of a place show the bed, the terrace and the view. They do not show the only thing that matters if you are going to work: whether there is a surface at the right height, a chair that survives eight hours, and a connection that does not drop halfway through a meeting.
The questions before you book
- Is there a desk and a work chair, not a bar stool? Ask for a photo.
- What is the real wifi speed? Ask for a screenshot of a test run in the room.
- Is the connection fibre or does it arrive over the air? That is what decides stability on a video call.
- How many devices are connected in the house at once?
- Are there regular power cuts, and is there a generator?
- Where is the nearest socket to the desk?
The second one separates a serious listing from one that only promises: anyone with a good connection sends the screenshot without arguing.
Noise, the great forgotten one
Building work, roosters, traffic, a school next door or a club two streets away. They do not appear in the photos and on a video call you hear all of them. Asking about noise at the hour you actually work matters as much as asking about the wifi.
The backup
However good the place is, the connection will drop. Your own data plan, tested on day one, is what turns that drop into five minutes of inconvenience.
How much data to budget for that is in how much data work video calls use.
If the host will not send you a screenshot of the speed, they have already answered you.
Frequently asked questions
What do I ask before booking somewhere to work?
Whether there is a desk and work chair, the real wifi speed with a screenshot, whether the connection is fibre or over the air, how many devices are connected and whether there are power cuts.
How do I check the wifi before I go?
By asking the host for a screenshot of a speed test run in the room where you will be working.
And if the connection drops?
That is what your own mobile backup is for, tested on day one and not on the day of the important meeting.
What else gets forgotten?
Noise at working hours: building work, traffic, animals or a school next door do not show in photos and are audible on video calls.
