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What laptop/tablet do you prefer for remote working?

 

by @roberthopman 9yr  | 29 comments

Hi,

as Iโ€™m looking into buying a new laptop/tablet, Iโ€™m wondering what everybody is using here for work and why?

Mentioning your profession or business, location, travel activities or anything related to this will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Robert

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(Preface: web developer, mostly front-end + Drupal site-building)

Older Mac mini upgraded to solid state + 16G RAM for the longer-term desk location, 13 inch Air ('14) with an I7 + 8G RAM for mobile dev, Toshiba Chromebook 2 just for the hell of it. Pelican S100 Backpack in case I fall off the bike and need to write code while Iโ€™m in a ditch somewhere.

Not much I can add about the Air; everyone loves them and has written this topic to death. The Air was a good compromise for me; lots of power for code stuff + light enough to carry under my arm in a book case (I use one from Pad & Quill, looks like a leather-bound book instead of a laptop / theft target). The processor is faster than the mini I use as a desktop, so I could theoretically replace the mini with a monitor out cable and just leave the Air docked.

The Chromebook is worth looking at. Youโ€™d be really, really surprised at how much work you can get done on a Chromebook if itโ€™s one of the reasonably nicer ones. Even programming using a cloud IDE wasnโ€™t nearly as painful as Iโ€™d thought, the 1080p screen is nice, and typing is very comfortable (this is important!). $200 on a Woot sale is hard to beat. Iโ€™ve used it as my sole dev environment in Mexico, Chicago, San Fran, and London last year, and again in Goa last week. It kinda sucked for working on Drupal projects, but installing Ubuntu fixes that problem.

Chromebooks are also some of the easiest ways to get good laptop hardware that works with 'nix without too much pain. That $200 covers a painfully large % of what I use the Air for. As a backup laptop, itโ€™s very hard to beat. You worry a lot less when you start carrying one of these around and leave your Macbook at home. Almost matches the Air on battery life, too. Both can do a day at the coffee shop without a charger if I have to.

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I would advise against Air, Iโ€™ve had it for the past 3 years and probably due to the tropical climate (I run coworkation events in places like Bali and Mauritius), it has given me a plethora of problems (motherboard, battery, turning on and off, etc).
We were actually 5 people in the group in Mauritius recently who had an Air and 3 of us had serious issues with it.
Planning to try a Lenovo Yoga, I hear great things about it.

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@kathrynoh 8yr

I recently got a Lenovo idea pad. I donโ€™t need anything with a lot of grunt and this is so lightweight I hardly notice it in my bag. Cost next to nothing too, so if it does get banged up or stolen, Iโ€™m not going to be too upset.

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@vlamic 8yr

I wonder why nobody is using a new MacBook. I love it! Itsโ€™ weight is almost nothing, the performance is good for running full-stack development, the charger is pretty small too. I can totally recommend it. I was skeptical before getting it, but Iโ€™m very satisfied and do not regret. Iโ€™ve owned 2 MacBook Airโ€™s and a MacBook Pro before (+ bunch of pcโ€™s).

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Writer (copy&academic) and kinda designer here. I mostly use word processing, or work in .AI and .PSD, or Wordpress from Chrome.

I had my beloved 15" retina MBP stolen 10 days before embarking on my first nomad trip (Thailand), so I desperately bought a used Air 13. It did the job well for almost 2 years, but I recently went back to the 15" rMBP (bought a US-smuggled used one with 5 loadcycles for dirt cheap in Tbilisi, Georgia). A no-brainer for me.
I think itโ€™s the best computer ever for nomading. The point is youโ€™ll be staring at a screen for many hours at a time, so it may well be a big and amazing screen. Also, a fast computer makes work motivating and pleasant, and you can easily run every conceivable OS with virtualization (I run WIN 10, Ubuntu & Win XP).

For those worried about weight, consider that we nomads donโ€™t move around every day like backpackers do. My Air was 1.3 Kg, while the rMBP is ~2.2 Kg - a bottle of water more, essentially. IMO itโ€™s worth it to endure a kg more on the occasional travel/commute rather than strain your eyes and motivation by using a smaller.

Also, for eventual theft/breakdowns, make sure you learn about the best classifieds ads websites wherever you are. Developing countries (Serbia and Georgia in my case) have great bargains to be found, since thereโ€™s incentive to โ€œimportโ€ gray/black market electronics from the U.S. I paid $2000 for a maxed-out Nov-2015 rMBP in Tbilisi (515 Gb, AMD radeon GPU), which is insane! Just stash some cash for a new computer, and youโ€™re good to go.
If youโ€™re into design, though, you may want to avoid the dedicated graphics card, as it drains power like crazy. Go with the 15" base model and rock that Intel Iris.

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Looks like majority MacBooks here, same here. 13 inch MacBook Air. Lightweight, great trackpad, Itโ€™s the 2011 version though, so itโ€™s kind of old. Waiting for the new version to come out. I mostly do email, web surfing, youtube watching, but it can of course handle more.

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@nomadtax 8yr

Anyone use an iPad pro as their only computer?

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@swarner 8yr

Dear @Robert

It all depends on what youโ€™re looking for. Do you want something budget friendly, something that can withstand a nuclear fallout or something that will make Andy Warhol clap his hands, due to its โ€œtranscendenceโ€? If you answered the second option, such as yourโ€™s truly, then my goodness, I canโ€™t believe no one brought upโ€ฆHERโ€ฆ! No one has mentioned the Mother of all travel computers. The Cheddar to the cheese of travel tech. The unstoppable, unholy matrimony between digital life and reality, The Tyrannical, your luminary!!!, the Panasonic Tough Book (Preferably a CF-19).

You want something you can swap out old parts with new parts, as they come? Something you can use in sub-freezing temperatures. Something you could sit in the middle of the Sahara Desert with, while calling a chopper via your Iridium Go Sat-Fi connection and a fine glass of Chardonnay, something you can email from 100 feet under water (Yes, in the water), saying you are about to run out of oxygen? Well, @Robert and all of the notifies, allow me the luxury of introducing you to a gear list straight out hell itself. The demon love child from of Die Hard and James Bond flick meets Hurt Locker.

First things first. Get me some Ice-cream and a lounge chair, because this is going to get detailed. Go ahead and grab some velcro and super glue that can withstand the same temperatures as the laptop itself, meaning heat, water, and sub zero. Use the adhesive to apply the velcro to the back of your laptop screen (weโ€™ll get to why we are doing this at a later point). Now that thatโ€™s all done, giving you a way to connect to the rest of the world (Iridium Go), being that busy man, or woman, that you are, you will most likely need some extra storage. May I act as your Lucius Fox and recommend a Silicon Amour product. Perhaps the A 85. Itโ€™s not only going to meet all of the same durability and environment โ€œfriendlyโ€ specs as the Tough Book, oh no, It goes above and beyond. It also has crush resistance, dust resistance, can be used on a Mac or PC, with much more attributes being brought to the table unmentioned.

But why stop there? Surely youโ€™ll need a way to communicate with HQ, or the rest of your team via voice every now and then. Adding a Jabbra Steel Bluetooth headpiece to your arsenal will be more than enough to โ€œget the message acrossโ€, rather it is just down the street or over oceans.

The last two โ€œtoysโ€ Iโ€™d like, no LOVE, to bring up would be the Data Lock Sentry flash stick. This is by far NOT your average thumb drive you would give to your little shnookums as he/she goes off to college. This is something your commanding officer says "if you donโ€™t deliver this message to the president within the next 48 hoursโ€ฆ"
It doesnโ€™t only come standard with the latest encryption key that would even stump the KGB, MI6, and the CIA, the company is also known for having the option of adding a self-destruct feature, to be built in upon request. The icing on the cake would be having a device as small as a phone, with the same feel and touch, that could access Skype through your Sat-Fi, since most companies now aโ€™days that offer remote work, or as a distributed team, use such a service. Built by the same manufacturer as your laptop, and not even in production yet, the FZ-E1 would be your huckleberry.

Now that youโ€™ve got all the great and latest gear, you will need a backpack to carry it all in, when traversing that rough terrain youโ€™ve come to know oh so well. The Pelican Elite Series laptop backpacks donโ€™t just have your back, theyโ€™ll take your heart at first sight. You can thank me later when youโ€™re cruising on a freighter across the Indian ocean.

Oh yea, remember the whole velcro thing, feel free to slap it on the back of your Iridium Go, and your A85, and then mesh on the back of your laptop, have fun!

Your Gear Nut,

  • Seth Warner :slight_smile:

P.S. If Chuck Norris and Client Eastwood were to have a baby, and that baby chose to be a programmer, above is the gear it would take over the world withโ€ฆ

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@gawin 9yr

Mainly software development, management stuff and some occasional designing.

After switching to the Apple PowerBook G4 1.0 17" in 2003 Iโ€™ve been using Macs ever since (and a lot of Linux and flavours of Unix in vmโ€™s and on servers). First larger laptops, from 17" to 15" to 13" and now 11". Donโ€™t like the Quality Control of Apple these days, with the focus shift from prosumers to consumers it seems to be getting worse and worse, but still better than most other manufacturers. Did flirt with a Lenovo Thinkpad X220t (2012, really loved the special outdoor screen for working in direct sunlight) and a Dell XPS 13" (2014, really disliked the font rendering on Ubuntu).

Currently I use a MacBook Air 11" and love it. Although Iโ€™m hoping on a new Macbook Air release next week.

I have a bootable encrypted backup disk (USB+FireWire) with OS X and Ubuntu and my software/projects, just stick it into any Mac or PC and Iโ€™m ready to go (needed it 2 times when experiencing hardware failure in the last 11 years).

As for issues with the power adapter, I always bring a spare one. The 45W MagSafe 2 power adapter is quite small anyways.
As for display size, I can hook up to a larger screen most places I visit. For me it was worth trading in the screen size for extra portability: less size and weight.

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This thread makes me SO happy; in fact, wish it had existed when I left the Swoosh back in 2014 to live on the road. My time there (using exclusively Apple products) left me with a bad taste in my mouth for anything Mac, and since Iโ€™ve always been a Windows kinda girl I went for the Surface Pro 3.

Hereโ€™s why I made that decision:

  • Again, I hate Apple. I could go on a rant but for the sake of staying on topic, letโ€™s just say that this dislike was the first in my mind. That said, a MBP was always going to have to be a last-ditch option becauseโ€ฆ

  • As a creative strategist and often content producer, I need to have Adobe CC and other processor-intensive programs. A tablet was never an option.

  • I love the form factor of the SP3. I threw a rugged case on it and took it everywhere.

Now then, the learnings:

IMO, the SP3 is not a machine that performed well on the road due to multiple software updates, glitchy behavior, and lack of support on the road. This is especially bad when youโ€™re bumping around South America in your old Subaru with only 2 hours per week to connectโ€ฆand the d*** machine decides to update itself. That means Iโ€™d spend vast amounts of time getting frustrated with the computer when MS decided to push another crappy update.

Also, by the end of the year, my power cable was broken, and guess what: itโ€™s some proprietary connector. So I was basically offline for 1+ months until I came back to the States.
Hereโ€™s how I think about this machine: In theory, a beautiful concept. But in practicality, a horrible actualization.

I guess I should have listened to my Nike coworker who was on the MS product branding team when she said, โ€œI told them it needed to go back to development.โ€

That said: itโ€™s now time to get a new computer, so what non-Apple recommendations does anyone have for me?
P.S. @agentsward thank you for the highly entertaining read :joy:

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@swarner 8yr

Your quite welcome!

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@eee 9yr

Like @thisiscarlo, I use a Surface Pro, though mineโ€™s a 2. The power combined with the portability, the option to use a stylus, is unmatched. Looking forward to Windows 10 and Universal Apps, as I now have a Lumia 1020 as my phone.

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@adamg 9yr

Macbook Pro Retina 15"

Is there really any other option? Hah, no.

I even run Visual Studio, SQL Server, SQL Management Studio, etc, when I need to. They run super fast with Parallels (faster than on my old Windows laptop). With coherence the windows (or linux) programs look just like mac apps. Wish I had made the switch sooner, no regrets.

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@karene 9yr

Marketer on a MacBook Proโ€ฆ really just for Abode CS.

Managed to work full-time on a Chromebook for about 6 months when I didnโ€™t have any design work.

The Chromebook was manageable because itโ€™s:

  • so lightweight, so easy to travel with
  • so cheap Iโ€™m not stressed about it being lost or stolen during my travels

Obviously, the Chromebook has a LOT of limitations, and most lines of work simply need a REAL computer. I was able to do everything through apps, miraculously. I figure there are a lot of MacBook users in this thread and I should let it be known that somewhere out there in the cosmos someone is managing their work on a $200 Chrome Browser. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Have brought my old faithful Macbook Pro, but before I left purchased an Air to migrate to, and will hand over the Pro to my partner to have his own device :slight_smile: Love them both, but as someone else mentioned, the Pro is heavier and I prefer carting around the Air than the Pro. If youโ€™re trying to stay light, the Air is great.

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software developer (99% MS stack) here (seems common huh?)

currently use a macbook air 13" - light, all day battery life and lets me work without having to deal with some of windowโ€™s annoyances. i use parallels when i need to run windows or linux or another copy of os x. iโ€™ve been working this way since 2006. couldnโ€™t be happier.

i traveled with a 15" MBP and now it seems so porky compared to the 13".

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@kirkbeard 9yr

Iโ€™ve been using my Macbook Pro Retina 15" for the two years of travel. I work primarily as a web developer but also spend quite a bit of time in Photoshop.

If I had to choose again, Iโ€™d probably go with a 13" MBP Retina instead for a few reasons:

  1. I use carry-on luggage only, and my laptop currently consumes 20% of my total luggage
  2. I donโ€™t need such a big screen, especially when using the Retina screen
  3. Itโ€™s easier to move around with a smaller laptop, and Iโ€™d be more inclined to work in a coffee shop or cafe

It really comes down to what sort of work youโ€™ll be doing, how much power/performance you need, and what your budget is for the work.

People will have different opinions on Mac Vs Windows Vs Unix but ultimate thatโ€™s up to you. Personally, OS X suits me far better than Windows when it comes to the nature of my work, and Iโ€™m happy to pay the premium for (what I consider) a better device.

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@evilbilly 9yr

Developer here :slight_smile: Bought new laptop last year, was keen to get the Lenovo X230 (had one at my old work and theyโ€™re pretty rugged and good battery life). They stopped making that model though.

Ended up going for a 13" Retina MBP and couldnโ€™t be happier. Having a unix-based system makes working with everything other than .NET so much easier.

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Iโ€™m a developer. I was offered a Mac and turned it down to get a Dell XPS 13. It was my choice for a few reasons:

1 - I hate all things apple and prefer Linux
2 - It is a significantly lower theft target
3 - If something goes bad on the road, I can get it fixed. Getting anything on a Mac fixed/replaced outside of the US or maybe Western Europe is either ridiculously expensive, exceedingly difficult, or both. For example, in the same week in Mexico, my power cord died and my friendโ€™s mac power cord died. I went to Radio Shack and bought a new one for $12 and was up and running in an hour. He had to order one for $170 and wait 2 weeks to get it. He ended up just flying back to the US and getting one as it was faster. No. Thanks.

When it was up to me, I had a crappy netbook that cost $300 so I didnโ€™t feel bad about beating it to hell (which is pretty much guaranteed to happen). But that doesnโ€™t work for developing so I have to have something more powerful. I hate carrying something this expensive around.

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@jago25_98 9yr

Iโ€™m tied to Windows due to the potential for working for clients who use Windows applications (Iโ€™m a part time geo). I currently carry around a right brick, an old Toshiba, which Iโ€™m thinking of changing. Iโ€™ve already dumped the battery and dvd drive to save weight out of desperation. The main reason for thinking of changing though is laptop ergonomics. Theyโ€™re rubbish.
So Iโ€™ve been thinking about this and really itโ€™s an impossible mission to nail completely. The problem is that if you get something expensive then itโ€™s something else to worry about. And itโ€™s the Windows7/8 capability that really upps the price.

Now, I have a Windows VPS I got for cheap so Iโ€™m thinking I can use that. But it seems risky to rely on such connectivityโ€ฆ
And also I was thinking, I could get a tablet and separate keyboard to solve the ergonomicsโ€ฆ rather than carry round this heavy laptop stand.

But hereโ€™s a tip. Have you noticed how cheap VGA monitors are these days? Less than โ‚ฌ20 in some places. Thatโ€™s cheap enough to buy, use for a few weeks and then dump when itโ€™s time to leave. A dual monitor setup is a real luxury. If you havenโ€™t got VGA out you can get a fairly small adapter for it.

edit I personally like the look of the SurfacePro3 but the screen Iโ€™d prefer to be just an inch bigger. I guess thatโ€™s where grabbing an old monitor could come in.
This is the most important piece of gear so itโ€™s worth thinking about.

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@bruno 9yr

Just got the new Thinkpad X1 and deeply in love with it, only minor downsides are no Caps lock indicator light and only 8G RAM which make multiple VMs a bit of a no go. Other than that itโ€™s a form factor thatโ€™s lighter than the air with the specs of the Pro.

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@tprophet 9yr

I use a cheap Fujitsu. Never a great laptop to begin with, itโ€™s beaten up from being on the road for two years. The WiFi adapter doesnโ€™t work anymore so I bought a USB one. I have broken the screen twice, and had it changed twice, by dodgy repair shops in China.

Why do I bring all of this up? Anything you take on the road is going to be beaten to hell, and youโ€™re likely going to need it repaired a thousand miles from the nearest Apple store. So, if youโ€™re going to be a nomad, buy things that people use in nomad country like low-end Lenovo laptops. Dell is also a safe choice; you can also get these fixed almost anywhere. Both are a lot more durable than some delicate flower like a MacBook Air, although your expensive Mac (with a resale value of approximately 3 monthsโ€™ average salary in many parts of the world) might get stolen before it breaks. Also, the keyboards on full-size laptops tend to be better to work on for long periods of time (remember, youโ€™ll be making a living by typingโ€“be kind to your wrists).

My advice? Buy the absolute cheapest laptop that will meet your minimum requirements right now. Choose a brand that is sold in the area where youโ€™ll be traveling. If you havenโ€™t become attached to it and all the memories you have together, as I have become attached to my battle-worn Fujitsu (which has been abused so badly the letters have worn off the keyboard), replace itโ€“whether you need to or notโ€“a year later on your next visit to the US where electronics are half the price of almost anywhere else in the world.

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@johnnyfd 9yr

I use a 2013 Macbook Air 13" and LOVE it.

If youโ€™re on a budget and arenโ€™tโ€™ doing video editing Iโ€™d get a 13" Chromebook which is what my girlfriend uses and itโ€™s perfect.

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Love my 13" Retina MBP. Plenty of power, and the retina display provides amazing screen real estate.

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@patrick 9yr

Designer here and working on a MacBook Pro Retina 13" and love it.

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I am in love with my Surface Pro 3.

Just a bit of background, Iโ€™m an SEO guy so a lot of my work involves se,tting up Wordpress and such. Whenever Iโ€™m not working from home, I work primarily at coffee shops. I also like going to the beach on random overnight trips, so traveling lightly is of utmost importance to me.

Iโ€™ve been an Apple guy for the longest time now, but after years of service my Macbook Pro started failing on me. I always had a difficult time traveling with the MBP just because I found it to be too heavy especially if youโ€™re carrying around the charger, so I was planning on the Macbook Air until I saw the SP3 was about to be released.

After checking it out, I decided to go with the SP3 for several reasons:

1.) Itโ€™s powerful enough to be a laptopโ€ฆ it runs the full version of Windows 8.1. Perfect for me because I tend to use Photoshop quite a lot. I also like the screen-splitting feature it has which allows me to run a browser side-by-side with Word without having to Alt+Tab like crazy. I can also play games like Counterstrike and such whenever Iโ€™m taking a break.

2.) โ€ฆBut it makes for an excellent bedtime-companion tablet as well. at night, I simply disconnect the SP3 from the keyboard and it instantly becomes a tablet I can use to stream TV shows and movies from. Planning to buy a Miracast device of some sorts as well so I can easily stream to my TV. Apps are pretty shitty (the Windows Store has a LOOONG way to go if they want to compete with Android and Appleโ€™s App Store in that regard) but who really needs apps when you can run the full version of programs anyway?

3.) The form factor is great. at around 2 pounds, this thing is super light. Even with the charger in the bag, I hardly notice it around my shoulders. Perfect for when Iโ€™m walking around for hours โ€“ my shoulder donโ€™t get tired at all from carrying it. I never liked typing with a computer on my lap anyway because I donโ€™t want to burn my thighs when the system heats up, so the adjustable kickstand is just right for me.

So yeah, there. While I donโ€™t think Iโ€™ll be fully able to let go of the OS X environment (I still use a Mac Mini as my personal/music studio computer) Iโ€™m actually really loving the Surface and the Windows ecosystem so far. Either the Macbook Air or the Surface Pro would meet my needs really, but the lightweight form factor of the SP3 makes it the winner for me. Good luck with your choice!

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@jremick 9yr

I do a range of things for my day job from people and project management to web development and data analysis. For hobbies I do photography and started getting into video editing (mainly gopro footage). Iโ€™ve been running on 15" Macbook Pros for the last 6 years and upgraded recently to the newest gen with most of the bells and whistles.

I donโ€™t always need the power, but itโ€™s really nice to have when Iโ€™m doing lots of work with photos or videos, running VMs and/or lots of apps at once, etc.

It stays with me practically all the time (along with photo gear, etc) when Iโ€™m traveling or at home in Australia (I take it to the office and back home every day). Lots of people comment about the weight I carry around most of the time, but it works for me. When I need to go light weight I just grab my iPad Mini (with bluetooth keyboard) which is enough for lightweight working on the go (coding, social, email, etc).

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@skatkov 9yr

You can call me web-developer. I like cross-platform stuff and open source, so most of stuff I do can be done on a Linux machine. But while picking a compact computer, I noticed that itโ€™s pretty hard to find a decent laptop that supports all the hardware on a Linux.

MacBook Air was a good option, but I was scared that it will have heating problems (it had before). So I bought MacBook Pro 13โ€™ - it fitted perfectly to my requirements, but it took me couple of months to get used to.

3 years later i would say that Iโ€™m happy with my pick :smile: If i had to buy new one i would look in to Dell XPS 13 or buy another MacBook Pro :smile:

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@cbovis 9yr

Iโ€™m primarily a .NET developer but chose a Macbook Air 13" for my dev machine. Iโ€™ve got the latest model in the highest standard configuration which is more than ample for me as a developer plus itโ€™s extremely lightweight so great for on the move.

It allows me to run a virtual windows install with Visual Studio in parallels whilst giving me the option of dropping back to Xcode for iOS/Mac development. In essence it covers off the main platforms I would develop for (plus I much prefer OS X in general use).

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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Where should I set up my company as a remote worker?


by @beloruchka 4yr 4 years ago  | 7 comments

Iโ€™m looking for any recommendations for services or people others have used to get answers on the best place to set up their businesses based on their personal circumstances.

Leaning towards Singapore after a ton of research, but would really like some concrete advice before jumping in.

Appreciate it!

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Do you prefer co-living spaces or hostels or Airbnbs?


by @davda1546 4yr 4 years ago  | 5 comments

We are hoping to become nomads soon and have booked an AirBnB in September in Goa for our first destination. We are considering what would be the best option for accommodation after that. We are trying to decide between co-living spaces, hostels, or Airbnbs.

What are your experiences of accommodation in terms of the following: reliable wifi, social aspect, pricing, cleanliness, cooking facilities?

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Bali to focus on attracting remote workers when the island reopens for tourism


by @levelsio 4yr 4 years ago  | 0 comments

When reopening for tourism, Bali says it will focus on attracting remote workers to choose the island as their workplace:

"We will focus on a new pattern of how Bali is not just for leisure, but indeed to work in Bali as well"

thebalisun.com/bali-tourism-will-target-digital-nomads-and-those-who-work-online/

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Any attorneys working remotely?


by @rohitsn 4yr 4 years ago  | 3 comments

Transactional Attorney with a focus on US Immigration. Burnt out doing the law firm thing. Trying to leverage skill to get on this digital nomad tip. Love the traveling experience, hostels, seeing new places, new cocktails etc etc.

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What do you use to work together remotely?


by @artofwarbiz 4yr 4 years ago  | 6 comments

What do you use to work together remotely with your team?

I know Slack, Hipchat and Hall.

Which ones do you guys use and why?

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What have been your biggest challenges working remotely in your team?


by @wanderer 4yr 4 years ago  | 2 comments

My interest in DN lifestyle started when half of our company have been taking 1 month for remote work @ Ko Samui. It was truly cool but we observed quite some communication challenges. Communication seemed just โ€œriskierโ€ when online.

What were your worst situations caused by misunderstanding while communicating online with your teammates? What do you do to avoid misunderstandings?

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What's the first step now that I can work remotely?


by @mariaplslourdes 5yr 5 years ago  | 4 comments

Hi everyone and nice to e-meet you!
finally, after so long I found a job that allows me to work remotely.
But now? Do you have any practical advice that I can use to approach this new world?
In particular, I have to put my tax situation in order, do you know a good tax advisor from whom I can ask for advice? (Iโ€™m Italian but I live in Franceโ€ฆI donโ€™t know how long it will beโ€ฆ) )
Beyond that, any advice is welcome.
Thank you!
Maria

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Recommendations for UK/Scotland accountants that understand remote businesses?


by @eduardoyi 5yr 5 years ago  | 1 comment

Looking for recommendations for reliable accountants who understand how remote businesses with off-shore freelancers and clients work. Thanks!

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What's the best CRM/system for managing remote work opportunities?


by @panoramica 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

Iโ€™m currently doing some work through Upwork, but itโ€™s sporadic and Iโ€™m keen to get more active on other platforms like Freelancer, Toptal, CodeMentor, Fiverr etc

Currently Iโ€™m managing leads in a Google sheet. Basically itโ€™s just a list of projects I pitched for, how much I bid, what I did differently from the last pitch/bid, how much time went by before I got a offered a job etc.

Iโ€™m not actively following up anybody, and Iโ€™ve in fact โ€˜lostโ€™ a few jobs where the client was keen, but then disappeared without a trace. I guess I need to keep in touch with those people to ensure that they remain focussed on our agreementโ€ฆ

Iโ€™m also keen to take on more small projects concurrently, without dropping the ball on any of them.

Iโ€™ve done a quick Google and turned up a few names including Salesforce, Zoho, Nutshell, HighRise, Base, Nimble, etc etc. But testing out all these products isnโ€™t all that appealing, so I thought Iโ€™d ask here first :slight_smile:

Ideally Iโ€™d like something that integrates with remote job boards in some way.

Feature list

Iโ€™ve done some research and currently have this feature list:

Proposal building & tracking

  • Compile proposals from snippets - technologies, past projects
  • Quickly pull together a realistic/client friendly quote
  • Test and measure different approaches
  • Beat proposal deadlines while maintaining quality
  • Fine tune pitch material to bid more quickly and win more work โ€“ templates
  • Store history about past projects involving common needs and technological solutions
  • Learn which proposal content is working, and which is not

Lead generation and client management (CRM)

  • store info about regular clients
  • track remote projects which Iโ€™ve pitched for
  • Remote Job Board integration
  • search multiple job sites for keywords
  • track projects across multiple remote platforms โ€“ API integration / message alert/response

Project Management & Scheduling

  • Break projects down into granular tasks
  • Gantt chart to visualise overlapping jobs
  • Calendar to schedule daily work, deadlines, R&D
  • follow up, plan and schedule future work now, rather than once current work has dried up
  • offline reminders via a dedicated Android app
  • time tracking โ€“ to get an idea of true cost, to flag issues to client
  • BitBucket integration

Billing

  • Integration with Xero
  • tracking status of payments, actual payment date vs expected payment clearance date

Marketing

  • Get repeat business
  • Build Word Of Mouth
  • Proactive lead generation
  • Publish proposals as case studies

Cheers,
Dan

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Recommendations for a portable speaker system suitable for a DJ monitor while travelling? Preferring size over loudness


by @jackbarham 5yr 5 years ago  | 0 comments

Iโ€™ve got myself a DDJ 400 DJ controller, and the compact size makes it ideal to throw into my suitcase while I go travelling next year.

It made me wonder if there was a decent portable speaker system thatโ€™s loud (and clear) enough for light bedroom DJing I could pack alongside the 400 to practice new tracks and record mixes.

I currently have a Bose Soundlink Mini II which was surprisingly good for the job. Although I feel itโ€™ll probably damage if I keep pumping at full pelt, and itโ€™s not quite loud enough for what I wanted but not far off at all.

I ordered a pair of iLoud Micro Monitors, and although seriously impressed with the sound quality, I ended up returning them for KRK Rokit 5 G3โ€™s as they were too heavy for permanent (Digital Nomad) travelling so thought Iโ€™d get some solid DJ speakers in the meantime.

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Is there a US bank for easily creating new business checking accounts remotely?

 

by @tylertringas 5yr 5 years ago  | 23 comments

Every accountant is going to tell you that you really should be keeping separate accounts for all your businesses and even projects that may one day become businesses. But in my experience setting up a new account associated with an actual business entity is a pretty annoying process involving an in-person visit to a bank branch, proof of residence in that branchโ€™s region, etc. Has anybody seen a bank that letโ€™s you easily create a simple business checking account online and more importantly that would let you add additional accounts and transfer funds between them?

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Remote worker in Amsterdam: taxes and legal status?


in Amsterdam , Netherlands by @think 5yr 5 years ago  | 1 comment

Hi all,

I am moving to Amsterdam in January and looking for advice regarding legal status.

I work for a small French company. They agreed to let me move to Amsterdam as a remote worker starting January. :v:

However, they have no business entity and no employee in the Netherlands, so we have no idea how to set up the whole thing legally speaking. Should I remain an employee of the French entity, should I charge them as a consultant/contractor?

Of course, I am looking for a solution that is both simple and with minimum taxes :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

Thank you for your help!!
Steph

PS: If you can recommend a good accountant that is competent on the topic, I an happy to pay for the service too!

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Best cafes in Budapest for working?


in Budapest , Hungary by @dobredecatalin 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi there, I am planning to work remote from Budapest for about 3 weeks. I typically like to work from Starbucks so I wanted to find out which ones are the largest and better for working.

The ones that I found so far that seem a bit bigger are this ones:
goo.gl/maps/y9kFXwAc2NA2
goo.gl/maps/hUUg9ghtr8K2

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Where can I go for remote working while surrounded by nature (ocean waves, mountain, etc)


by @nish 6yr 6 years ago  | 7 comments

I have this dream scenario in my head, and Iโ€™ve searched for a while without figuring out how I might best achieve it. I donโ€™t need many places, just one or two that I can go back to over and over again. I want to be working on my laptop while being surrounded by nature; for example a place right on the ocean where I can hear the waves crashing and look up and see them, then look back down and go back to work (but it would have to be very close by to achieve this feeling, not a distant sea view).

In itself this might not be so hard but my total list of requirements makes it difficult:

  • Fast internet: at least 20Mbps down with ethernet connection possible.
  • Very close to emergency medical services: so not in the middle of nowhere, and ideally in/very close to a decent size town (I have some medical issues)
  • Not more than ยฃ70/night to stay
  • It doesnโ€™t have to be a residence: it can also be a coworking space that meets all these requirements, and I can stay somewhere else and work at this space

So far I thought of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: there seem to be some flats with a nice ocean view, although Iโ€™m not sure how close to the ocean they can get. And maybe also Valencia?

Anyway, Iโ€™m not sure if anybody else has had this kind of dream as well. But I would very much appreciate any tips for places I can check out :slight_smile:

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Does anyone plan on applying to the Vermont $10,000 remote work incentive?


by @wagmanben 6yr 6 years ago  | 5 comments

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vermont-pay-10-000-move-110056645.html

Hello All,
Saw Vermont rolled out an incentive to get more remote workers to live there, Does anyone plan on applying and If so why? Reason Iโ€™m asking is I work for an organization in Tulsa, Ok that wants to also bring in Nomads, and would love to hear your thoughts on what such a plan should look like

Any help would be Awesome!
Ben

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Teaching Music Remotely


by @barrittrebecca 6yr 6 years ago  | 0 comments

Hello! Does anyone have experience teaching music remotely via Skype or another form of Video Chat?

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Are most digital nomads self employed or remote employees?


by @kfitzgerrell 6yr 6 years ago  | 2 comments

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Places in Central or South America with a beach for remote working


by @mcdime 6yr 6 years ago  | 5 comments

Im looking to make my first venture into nomad living this September and keep leaning back towards Bocas del Toro.

Does anyone have experience setting up shop there? Iโ€™m open to other warm weather surf towns as well

Starting a SaaS company that assists the operation of service based industries so being near some other SaaS people would be wonderful. (First time starting a tech company)

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How to get bank statements remotely?


by @hoperto 6yr 6 years ago  | 12 comments

Greetings!

Me & my gf holding not very strong passports, so have to apply for a visas quite often.
Soon need to make a visa applications from the countries we have no ties with.
The problem is that by the moment of making an applications, a bank statements will be outdated and the banks we currently use donโ€™t send the paper statements internationally. That cause quite a lot of problems with visa applications. (the way i see it now is to open new account in each country, transfer funds to it and wait for 3 months)

Any suggestion on probably some fin tech banking startup where one can both open the account remotely (with using a local mailbox service i suppose) and get a paper statement delivered internationally?
Hope there is a solution to it :slight_smile:

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What problems do you face while working remotely?๐Ÿค”


by @stvbutlr 6yr 6 years ago  | 0 comments

Hi all,

For those of you who work remotely, I think the community would love to hear about your problems โ€ฆ I know I would.

When working remotely what problems do you face with your day to day work and/or employer(s)? โ€ฆ Please list anything and everything that comes to mind!

  • Ideally, people who have overcome the problem(s) will weigh in with recommendations. :ok_hand:
  • With this information, people who wish to join the nomadic lifestyle can better prepare for the transition from โ€˜office jobโ€™ to โ€˜remote workโ€™. :airplane:๏ธ

Some topics that might trigger some inspiration for reply. :speech_balloon:

  • trust from employer
  • communication
  • project management
  • payment
  • timezones
  • culture/teamwork/colleagues
  • stress/anxiety

Cheers,

Steve

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