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Hi all,
Iโm going to Cuba in October and I need internet for my work. Iโm concerned with the internet connection in Cuba. Is it possible to have a descent internet connection that I can use to get the work done?
I donโt need to make video calls, I just need to be able to upload my work couple of times per day. I donโt need a lot of bandwidth either.
@vfonic Generally you need to purchase wifi cards (in 30 min to 1 hour increments) and hang out around places that have wifi which include major hotel lobbies in central Havana or local parks. Itโs actually a fun experience to go to the locals parks full of locals on their phones, etc. connected to the wifi. Teenagers standing around in the parks will sell you wifi cards, marijuana, any other contraband you might need haha. Although an interesting experience, Iโm sure you will want to opt for the hotel strategy if you plan to be productive. Internet could be doable depending on your work but I donโt think it would be sustainable if you regularly have to have Skype calls with clients or large files to upload/download. I definitely think Cuba has a long way to go in terms of being work-able for digital nomads. If it had better infrastructure to allow me to work, Iโd move there in a heartbeat. Love the people and culture! 
The comments by @tkrunning and @rimu_atkinson are correct. Internet access isnโt widely available. Youโre not going to get it in your room wherever youโre staying. Internet access is controlled by the Cuban government, and you have to buy wifi access cards at government distribution points at set times (I think it was 2PM on week days). If my memory serves me correctly, youโre allowed up to three per person, and they cost either 1.50 or 2.50 each. They give you an hour access. The better hotels will have wifi in the lobby, but you still have to buy the government issued access cards. There are distribution points in some hotels.
Last year, the Cuban government started a pilot programme to bring wifi into homes and businesses: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35463423. However, thatโs not widespread as yet, as no one we met while in Cuba in August 2016 had Internet at home.
The connectivity speeds are going to be poor. Because itโs so heavily controlled, youโll find lots of people standing and sitting around the parks and hotel lobbies with access points. So the networks are always congested. Also be prepared for some things not to work at all because of censorship.
When I was preparing to travel to Cuba, I told all my clients that I would be off the grid for the duration of the trip (2 weeks in August 2016).
I was in Cuba about 18 months ago, so things might have changed a bit since then. The way to get online is like @Rimu_Atkinson mentioned to get wifi scratch cards that have a code on them you use to log on to the public hot spots. Larger cities will probably have a few hotspotsโI think Havana had about 5, perhaps a few more. Some are in parks, others at hotels. Smaller cities will have only one hotspot, if youโre lucky. Many smaller cities/towns didnโt have any hotspots at all.
To get the scratch cards, youโll have to queue up at a government run telecom shop. At certain times and locations the lines can be very long. Some places entrepreneurial locals walked around selling the scratch cards for a slight markup so you could skip the line or get access outside opening hours of the telecom shops (which can be quite limited). I recall paying $1.50 per card, but I donโt remember the duration that gave you. I think it was 60 minutes, and you donโt have to use all of it in one go. You can surf for a few minutes, download email, etc and then log out and later back on again.
Speeds are okay-ish for surfing and some places probably video calls, too. They do vary a lot, though. One location at a hotel in Havana was so slow it was barely useable, while the spot in Viรฑales was pretty snappy (probably a few Mbps down).
When my mother visited there a few months ago, she had a really hard time with internet. To get online she had to wait in a queue for up to an hour to get a voucher which could be used for 3 hours of Wifi access. She then had to go to a โwifi parkโ somewhere in the city and try to connect and use the login info on the voucher. It almost never worked and when it did it was very very very slow.
She is 65 so not great at technical stuff - maybe you will find a better way. Maybe expensive resorts have usable Wifiโฆ
I considered visiting it when I was in Central America and researched it as well, but based on what people say who visited or lived there, the speeds are very low and prices for somewhat reliable internet are very high (not just Cuba high, 1st world very high!). Basically expect you wonโt be able to get serious work done, or make internet calls. Just emails.
Itโs unreliable, slow and the system is a complete joke. However itโs improvingโฆ so I wouldnโt say itโs impossible, just doesnโt worth the hassle. Also if you have a client/employer in the US, they might not like your Cuban IP because of the embargo. Try to use a VPN thatโs not in the US but close to Cuba.
Has anyone figured out a way to get setup with a virtual number and internet connection anywhere you go?
After being told it's unworkable in Puerto Escondido, looking for alternatives :)
Hi guys!
If youโve been to Puerto Escondido, Mazunte, Zipolite, etc, please share your experience with the internet there.
What speeds did you get up/down? Where?
How solid and consistent was the connection?
How common are blackouts and loss of power?
Any other tips, favorite places to work, etc?
Which towns have decent internet?
0 voters
Thanks so much!
Hi! I am looking to slow travel Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Managua, Granada, Ometepe and then on to Liberia area in Costa Rica. Does anyone have experience with the internet in these places? I have to do Skype consults during the week and really need reliable internet.
Thanks for any help
Everything is in the title.
Iโm working on a big project so I will need fast internet (>15 mbps).
If itโs close to the beach, it would be even better.
Thanks !!
Any digital nomads that have lived for an extended period of time on a pacific island? I am planning on moving with my girlfriend for a 6 month period to a pacific island, and planning to live of copywriting and some other online work.
Have been looking at islands like Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands ++. Main problem is that many places seem to have expensive/bad internet speeds and access.
I dontยดt need superfast internet, but it has to be good enough for me to surf, send e-mails, download pictures, update webpages and so on. Either good internet cafes or the possibility to rent appartments with internet that doesnt suck or blow our budget.
Any recommendations for the perfect pacific island for working online?
Hi guys.
Iโll be travelling to Peru soon to volunteer and thinking to teach online in Cusco. Iโm wondering what the best set-up would be for speeds high enough to teach via video-platform online. Iโm open to getting a SIM Card with a data package, getting a dedicated internet provider for a private apartment or using an ethernet cable to increase speed.
Thank you,
Seda
I landed a remote job that is fully remote with only one team skype meeting a week. Iโm looking to leave around March 13th and stay 1 - 3 months in each place. The first place I want somewhere that is warm with good surf. For the group video chat I need at least 5/2 down/up reliable internet. Any recommendations for a place that meets that end of March - April?
Iโve read through the forums / nomads list. Iโve already done Costa Rica and Indo and would like to try somewhere new. Currently looking at Sayuliata Mexico, Canary Islands, and Morocco though I think Iโll wait on the second two since they sound like they are better in the fall.
Thanks!
Has anyone been to Arequipa and worked with Skype or Zoom? Iโm currently in Lima and have 8 Mbps which is fine. Funnily, Nomadlist lists Lima with an average speed of 2Mbps and Arequipa with 5Mbps. Any recent experiences? Also interested in the north of Chile as Iโm thinking of travelling by bus to Arica, San Pedro de Atacama and then either to Argentina or slowly down south to Patagonia.
Iโm travelling there in the fall and video conference online for work. I need at least 10mpbs download speeds. What is available in terms of providers or cellular hot spot options? Thank you in advance!
Where can I find locally sourced, organic (or at least non-GMO) and also be able to work with strong internet?
I did a search but didnโt find much info. We love Bali and the food here is amazing, we are just looking to try somewhere else out (preferably somewhere in Europe) after a long time in Asia. We also loved the Northern Rivers area in Australia and want to find similar food offerings and compare our options!
Has anyone been to Antigua, Guatemala recently? It is on my list for destinations to stay for a week or so. Wanted to know if anyone has had an experience there recently or could point out a cafe or two to find a decent Wi-Fi connection.
Thanks!
Whatโs up nomads!
What do you use to get internet for work when you travel? Iโm trying to figure out the best option to get internet when Iโm traveling. For now mostly in Europe and mostly for conference calls with screen sharing. Iโm willing to spend $200-300 per month.
I need to:
My US carrier is Sprint Wireless. I have unlimited data, which I can enable globally at no extra charge but itโs supposedly 3G, but doesnโt really work. Sprint also has a plan called Sprint Global Roaming, which offers high speed internet, but itโs $30 per 1GB which can add up to $500-$600 per month given my usage.
Iโm not always close to WiFi or Co-Working spaces. Iโm looking for a solution that would basically allow me to get on a Google Hangout or GoToMeeting call on my laptop from my car.
Any experience with gadgets like SkyRoam or similar ones from Verizon or AT&T? How good and reliable are those?
Any ideas? What do you use?
Thanks,
Alex
What is internet connection like in Amsterdam? And how much should I budget for?
Hi all!
Iโm trying to work out where I should go in Thailand that offers a combination of strong internet connection with a bit of natural beauty (hills/sea - I donโt really mind).
Iโve been in Bali recently and whilst it is gorgeous it has two main problems for me. First, it doesnโt really support a lifestyle where you walk anywhere - the roads are dangerous and pavements largely non-existant. And, famously, the internet connections here arenโt fabulous, unless you go to a coworking spot.
Can anyone with experience of Thailand please tell me if they can recommend somewhere thatโs attractive to be in, well connected, and less-than-lethal for pedestrians?
thanks!
Do any digital nomads here live and work from Tulum? Has anyone in the recent past?
Iโve been researching spending the fall in Tulum so I can work and also go to a great immersive Spanish school I found there. However, I recently started seeing a lot about internet connections being slow, going in and out if there is rain in Tulum, going down for a week at a time. On top of all that, I also heard that cellular connections are spotty there and that there isnโt 4G there yet. Airbnb hosts I contacted have said mixed things and the ones who were specific said that their internet connections were only 1mb up and 256k downโฆ
Can anyone confirm or deny? Is Tulumโs infrastructure not quite ready for digital nomads?
Hello,
My boyfriend and I would like to spend a few months in Italy - nowhere major like Milan, maybe Tuscany region or more south. Iโve been there before, but not in a work capacity. We need decent internet both where we stay (maybe airbnb) and are hoping to find some cafes or work spots around.
I donโt see too much on here about Italy. And it certainly doesnโt make any list of โbest places for digital nomadsโ - so Iโm curious about that. Is it a bad spot for people like us that survive off of the internet? Is it not reliable?
I appreciate any insights from your experiences!
Hey folk,
heading to Dumaguete tomorrow and couldnโt find anything about nice coworking spaces or internet cafes in Dumaguete City. Most important is fast internet. as I have to give some online trainingโs with screen-sharing etc. and unfortunately I donโt have the time to explore different places. so any recommendations are very welcome.
thanks, Daniel
Thinking about Trang, but need at least a 5M download internet
Will be hard to get it?
any suggestion about Trang is welcome (need to find a cheap apartment, and need also to stuck in front of my laptop to work 
Does anyone have experience staying somewhere with fast internet in Vientiane, Laos? I am going for only a few days for a visa run, and in the past I found decent places with barely adequate internet for checking email sometimes, but had to work from coffee shops. Would be nicer to be able to work from the hotel / guesthouse and work in the evening.
Alternatively, does anyone have experience with Laotian 3G/4G providers, how well do they actually work, which provider is good, etc. Thanks!
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