Why do nomads like working out of cafes? Hotel rooms seem better?

I hate working or even studying from a cafe or coworking space. You can’t make much noise without being a jerk. That means no phone calls, no video chats, no recording screencasts, no talking along with language lessons. You’re also surrounded by other people moving around and it’s difficult to customize the space (e.g. with a monitor or chair of your own). It’s also a bit of a money drain.

The two things going for cafes/coworking spaces are

• People make food and / or drinks for you
• The internet is usually at least decent (unlike anyplace I’ve been able to rent in Chiang Mai on a short-term lease)

I don’t understand it either. Cafe has it’s own atmosphere. And it’s amazing, it kind of wake up your creativity and it’s fantastic. I used to go to cafe when I was studying in college and needed to write difficult essays or term paper on business communication engineering, and it always helped me. I’ll never change loud cafe on calm hotel room

For the same reason people get an office space or a coworking space.
We are social animals (well… most of us), we need the human interaction. Working from a cafe also helps us control the feeling of loneliness and boost our creativity.
Most of us can’t work from a completely silent environment and prefer to have some sort of a background noise to get into the “zone”. There are even productivity apps that has a “Cafe sound”. Also, a huge plus is that you can get food over there. It seem trivial but speaking for myself, when i’m in the zone, I can’t be fucked with going out to look for some food and sometimes I forget to eat.

I actually had to do research on this subject for a project at university a couple of years ago and there is a lot of scientific studies on how people work a lot better in cafes. The noise levels are just right to get you working productively, the walk there clears your mind and can boost creativity and you can meet other people and gain friends/contacts. Plus they found that as other people are watching you, you feel the need to actually work rather than procrastinate on social media or catching up on Netflix. Personally, I work so much better in a cafe and produce better work than if I just stayed in my room.

I never leave my laptop when taking a bathroom break, too paranoid for that. If I want to keep my seat I try to leave something which will make it look like it’s still taken, but won’t care very much if it’s stolen (notebook, pen, etc.)

I find co-working spaces totally worth the money. I was originally against them, thinking I’d be getting pitched products, and feeling too much like an office space.

In coffee shop’s/cafe’s, I find you elongate the amount of time you spend working. Too many variables like inconsistent Internet, getting into conversations, etc.

Hotels can sometimes work, but the Internet if often variable as well. I’d rather get my work done, then socialize after with a beer in my hand. Rather than spend 9 hours at a cafe half working/half socializing.

I used to work a lot from coffee shops, but realized it is just too distracting to do concentrated type of work there (while it may be OK to process emails, communications and some simple routine tasks).
For concentrated types of work, I’m more comfortable working from hotel room, as there are no distractions then. But seat sometimes is not that comforable.
Wish to get one of portable standing desks (such as - https://www.standstand.com/) soon

I mostly work in coffee shops where I feel myself more productivity than working at home. Quiet coworking spaces always make me feel like staying in a boring office, and people look so serious with their works. Working in hotel rooms is a bad idea for me because the bed is always more attractive than the desk, I don’t want to see it.

Working in coffee shops is really interesting, I have someone to serve me food, coffee, I can invite friends to come, not to loud but at least I can talk. I can watch people, enjoy the ambiance, enjoy being unique.

For the safety, I always choose a table in a corner to make sure nobody can see my screen and I can see everyone (my back must be the wall, not someone watching or approaching me without my awareness), far from the doors so that if somebody wants to rob anything it would take them a distance to escape. If the shop has more than 1 floor, I stay upstairs. I keep my laptop plugged all the time, do not leave the phone on the table, try to be a patron of the coffee shop and friendly with the staff. Avoid busy coffee shops.

Same same

I have developed an allergy to working from my bedroom… which is slowly evolving into an allergy to working from my house. That already has evolved from working from somewhere that doesn’t involve a short commute. If I don’t move, I feel terrible, physically and mentally!

I agree, working from coffee shops can be a hassle: I’d save so much money on coffee if I could work from home sometimes without feeling the anxiety of not being outside. My team often complains about the noise coming from our Skype calls, it’s hard to predict when a bunch of school kids will be seating next to you.

Yes, going to the bathroom without worrying about your stuff getting stolen is a concern. True, all of this adds a layer of extra planning that I don’t need: where willI work from tomorrow? I know it can’t be home unless I absolutely have a reason to stay inside.

So to answer your question, I guess it depends on your personality. I just can’t stand to work where I sleep, but I envy the people who aren’t so clinical about this. Luckily, I can drink 5 or 6 coffees per day and I’m not distracted at all by loud environments

But that’s how I am. I need to adapt to what my mind is asking for.

I’ll give you this, though: when it’s raining like hell on a Monday morning… I’ll probably work from my bedroom quite happily.

Personally I think it’s just too depressing to sit alone in a hotel room for so much time. Even if it can be distracting I prefer having some people around.

Regarding safety it depends quite a lot on where you are. For example in South Korea I usually didn’t hesitate to go to the toilet while leaving my laptop alone on the table, because all the locals there do the same and the crime rate seems to be extremely low. But in many other countries I also wouldn’t do that.

I’m another one who finds it really easy to just stay in my hole and work at the time and never leave my room so working from cafes can get me around people a bit. The only challenge I’ve got is the bathroom break issue. Theft is really common where I am and I wouldn’t ask a stranger to be responsible for my stuff, nor would I just leave it. But there are ways around that.

As a few others have mentioned, I like the company that comes from working in a coffee shop. I’ll work out of my room if I need some quiet, but I prefer cafes or a hostel common room for the social bit. I have earbuds for when I want to drown the noise out.

I’ll use a Kensington Lock for my laptop (even when seated), and then I’ll just take my backpack (with anything I can’t lock down) to the toilet. Thieves want easy targets; hop in, hop out. I’ve even heard of laptops being stolen from my uni campus during the 5-min break during longer classes, which is what got me in the habit of locking down my laptop.

I’d never ask someone in a cafe to keep an eye on my stuff because how do you know that they are going to be honest? Even if they are, if someone does a quick grab and run, what’s a stranger going to do about it?

One disadvantage you’ve left off your list: a group of parents arrive with their young kids. I guess it is a cultural thing as to how supervised the kids are but having a bunch of young kids running around makes the environment impossible for me to work in.

The main advantage to working in a cafe is that you have someone to serve you coffee.

An apartment with a coffee machine is the best working space for me but then I’m very sensitive to stuff going on around me. Even with noise cancelling headphones, too much busy-ness is hard for me to cope with.

For me, I need to separate work and play. Home is where I can be me without having to worry about work. When I travel, I can’t always get an office, so a cafe is one of the better options. Not the best, but in most countries on this planet that are within the budget of nomads, cafes are the best you’re gonna get.

1. Yes, accidents can happen but I have spilt more drinks on my keyboard in the office than I have in a cafe. Actually, I’ve NEVER spilled a coffee on my stuff in a cafe. Shit, I’m overdue for a disaster.

2. Thieves are everywhere. I’ve seen people have things stolen in co-working spaces as well. When you travel, you get smarter about safety and also, know how to trust people. The entire planet isn’t out there to steal your tech.

3. Remote worker cafe etiquette dictates that only dicks take calls inside cafes. You just don’t do it.

4. I always leave my stuff where it is. I trust human beings. I also secure easy-to-steal items like phones etc. A thief wants easy targets. A giant laptop isn’t easy. My laptop also has an alarm on it if it is unplugged. I also ask someone to keep an eye on it when I get up. Good excuse to make a new friend.

5. I go back to my apartment for naps. I never had a reason to sleep in an office. This comes back to the work/play separation.

I’m not saying how I live is better than others, in the end different strokes for different folks. I like to trust people and accept the fact that we all share the same planet, so no need to assume they’re all bad people. Travel insurance exists for the times you get stung and you should always backup your data for this possibility.

Hotels are very depressing. I’d much rather prefer hostels. But to answer your question, for some reason I feel emotionally better when I’m around other people. Even though I don’t know them, I feel comfortable.

For me, working where I sleep makes it easy to always stay home, and isolate, and get depressed.

So, leaving the house/hotel/AirBnB is better for my mental health.

And, if I need to schedule a call I just go home to do that. Also, I always bring headphones and an EDM playlist to counteract the noise of a public space.