Do you mean to say you don’t work in a London, tech startup with skateboards, a fish tank and a boss with a farm in Costa Rica? If you thought the title was just to hook you in you’d be correct. But, it is also 100% true.

Sometimes, your dad dies and you decide to go on a last minute holiday with your boss.

It’s Tuesday, 09.39am in the morning on the Caribbean Coast. We’re sitting working in a cafe opposite the beach. The boss is scowling at his laptop but I’m keeping quiet, sipping my coffee as I order an açai bowl. Sin piña because I’m allergic (coming to the Caribbean being allergic to pineapple is certainly the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to anyone ever. I know this to be 100% factual so will be accepting no forms of feedback or criticism). He currently rates being a digital nomad a 1 out of 5 but he’s in a bad mood. In the 5 minute rest I took after writing that last sentence, he too has eaten an açai bowl and feels better.

I’m here with some new friends, the boss and a man who permanently lives in the jungle. The farm in the jungle is heaven on Earth. There’s an outdoor shower attached to a tree, hammocks, a natural swimming pool, a cacao and fruit forest, a 500 year old tree, goats, big spiders, a dog called Mama and a cat called JC. We all have our own little cabin, and you’re woken up by the sunlight around 5.30am and the Howler monkeys in the trees from around 4am. We’re a 10 minute drive from the beach down a road that has never been paved and so far, the sun has shined every day.

The only questions we ask each other is “Which beach shall we go to today?”, “What shall we have for lunch?” or “Shall we go get a sipping chocolate?”.

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Those previous paragraphs were all I managed to write whilst out there. The laptop ran out of battery and it felt like a sign to not touch it again. I’m now very much back in London writing this, which is better because now I’ve had the experience of being a digital nomad for almost 2.5 days and can reflect on it for you. The conclusion is as follows.

Holidays > Digital Nomad-ing.

Here are some issues that you run into as a digital nomad:

1. There are no plugs conveniently placed anywhere.
2. The time difference.
3. Terrible wifi connection.
4. The “no internet” anxiety. What if someone’s Slacked me??
5. The fact there are so many other interesting things to look at and do other than your screen.

However, it is all totally doable and possible and if you can convince your boss to let you work from the Caribbean, go for it, but sometimes you just need to admit to yourself that you need a holiday. Here are the benefits of taking a break from work and going away:

1. The “no internet” dream. Slack can’t hurt you on the beach.
2. Distance. Spiritual, physical, and emotional.
3. Meet new people. Sometimes they’re great.
4. Sunshine.
5. Coconuts.
6. See a beautiful, new part of the world.
7. The beach.
8. Open your eyes to new opportunities. Could I be a hairdresser and live by the beach?

I’m not entirely sure what the point of all this is. I’m sort of rambling some thoughts down in the hope of moulding it into something useful or inspiring. Maybe let’s talk about all the things this trip taught me.

Like, I learnt I was pretty good at cutting hair, that I’m not as afraid of insects as I thought, I can’t ride a motorbike, I can sleep peacefully in the jungle, I love outdoor showers, I can walk through a river at night with a head torch and not run away from a venomous snake, how to make chocolate from cacao beans, and that my Spanish is absolutely average.

Perhaps you won’t go on holiday with your boss, and that would be a totally fine and normal thing to not do. Maybe a girlfriend, boyfriend, lover, mother, or brother.

Although, you should just say yes to opportunities, regardless of how strange they may seem. New places, situations, people, opportunities and perspectives teach you a lot about yourself and it may or may not be in the Caribbean, but it would be nice if it was.

(I’d keep it a secret if I could, but this farm is available for you to stay on if you find yourself venturing out to Costa Rica. Message Adam on Whatsapp 07931560528 and say “I must stay at the magic farm” and he’ll know. Be amongst the first people to experience it before it’s booked out on Airbnb.)