I often have Portuguese colleagues calling into meetings from coffeeshops. Just ask first if it's ok, sometimes you can't use the front tables (understandable to be honest). Not asking and joining a video call in between people who want to enjoy their coffee or meal in peace is rude, but that applies to everyone everywhere.
I'm not a full time digital nomad but times when I do end up working from coffee shops when I travel sometimes. If I'm going to be setting up camp there for more than a couple hours I make it a point to buy a beverage every 1-2 hours. That's especially true if the place is busy.
@@traveltidbitsrus My comment was actually for domestic travel in the US when on business trips. I never felt any negative sentiment from the coffee shop people. I just put myself in the shop owner's shoes and felt bad just sitting there taking up space and network bandwidth. I think what triggered it for me was an article back in the early 2000s about some startups using coffee shops as their defacto offices. Supposedly they'd all converge there and be there all day every day working. It was published as a "cool neat way to save money on office space!" but I read it as "wow that's a crappy thing to do to the coffee shop unless they are buying a lot of food/drink throughout the day".
@@hgrabows Ok, understood. We have been in Portugal for almost 5 years. Most of the co-working sites are gone, so those who are digital nomads do seek out coffee shops and cafes. Coffee shops have started to limit space, meaning what tables are for remote work and which ones are for regular dining. But, they have not enacted a fee or time limit like they have in other EU countries. We hit a local coffee shop once a week to work, and in 4 hours there, we get the same thing: 2 coffees each, and either breakfast or lunch, depending on when we arrive. Thankfully, in looking around, it seems like all of the nomads have the same mindset, and make sure to buy or eat something to help the owner out.
As a customer it is totally annoying seeing every table being occupied by people with laptops or them having work zoom meetings right beside you. There is a solution its called coworking space, if you can't afford that then maybe look for a different career instead of bothering customers and making shop owners pay for your "office space"
@jannishoppe5221, I agree with you entirely. In the days when I was mostly self-employed, I *always* registered with a virtual office as soon as I had the money to do so. I had by this time grown increasingly weary of 'entrepreneurs' operating from cafes or garages.
I really enjoy the direction your channel has progressed. Your ability to pivot and adapt really shows in the new content you're creating. 👍💪🧠💡 I must be old school. There seems to be a big problem with egocentrism amongst many digital nomads. 🤔 How could decent manners, alow a person to sit all day in a cafe or restaurant and just buy one drink?😮
Thank you for the kind words. I will continue to work mostly on general travel news, with some Portugal sprinkled in. Here in Lisbon, many coworking locations dried up because no one was coming in to pay a fee to work when they could work at a coffee shop for "free." THANKFULLY, in the places we have visited to work or just have coffee, it seems like everyone with a laptop is also buying drinks, food, etc.
I'm not QUITE a digital nomad. Just finished up with my Bachelors' Degree in Business Administration (major in Entrepreneurship); I'm 54 years old though, and was raised in an upper middle-class home by my grandparents. They didn't skimp on pounding good manners and proper etiquette into my head (or butt if the situation merited it). I intend to be relocating (hopefully permanently) to Europe, preferably to Portugal or Spain so that I can improve my quality of life. So, in a way, I will be heavy on the "digital" part and light on the "nomad" part. But the point of the story is that those coffee shops make a living by selling coffee and pastries to patrons, with a steady turnaround of patrons coming and going every hour or so; you cut into their profits and the shop owner has a right to say something.
Thank you for the great comment. If you move to LIsbon, I would recommend Copenhagen Coffee Labs as a place to do remote work. The space is usually 50/50 no laptop/laptop spaces, they have great coffee and pastries, and most importantly, the remote workers who go there "get it." Meaning, they don't want to lose this place for work, so, they buy coffee/pastries, lunch, etc. They have several locations in the city.
I keep seeing in my news feed reports about digital nomads feeling increasingly disillusioned. Not so much because of European governments' attitudes - though these must play a part - as because people more and more crave the need for face-to-face, in-person interactions. This fails to surprise me. Seemingly endless Zoom and Teams calls during the punitive 2021 lockdowns just about did my head in. The trouble with work which can be done anywhere and at any time, is that it becomes all too tempting to do this work nowhere and at no time.
Excellent comment. I think your last sentence is why companies are seeking more back to work or hybrid working experiences. I do see local nomads in a coffee shop and a few have expressed a desire to get back to an face to face work environment.
I will work to put something together. The best jazz club was near our apartment, but flooded a couple of years ago and never re-opened. There are a couple of places that I will mention in a video.
I have recently applied for the Portuguese D-8 visa, but I can’t bring myself to use the term “digital nomad”. It is too much like saying Instagram influencer. I can’t imagine going through the routine frustrations of my workday in public with a captive audience like that. And don’t get me started on the topic of aggressive sales calls made in public places, or is that just an American problem?
I think many of the people we know would prefer influencer to nomad. I have not heard anyone make a call from one of the shops we go to, and honestly, the aggressive calls seems to be an American phenomenon.
@@traveltidbitsrus - Really? I've seen the term influencer on videos in a negative way. People getting people to do silly things just because of popularity. Cinnamon challenge anyone?
@@charmerciI've met dozens of people particularly here in Europe who prefer influencer. Give it a couple of years and nomad/influencer will be called something new.
If you are digital nomad, please comment on your experience below, whether it has been positive or negative in European cities.
The phrase "this is why we can't have nice things" comes to mind. People who overstay their welcome in coffee shops ruin it for others.
I often have Portuguese colleagues calling into meetings from coffeeshops. Just ask first if it's ok, sometimes you can't use the front tables (understandable to be honest). Not asking and joining a video call in between people who want to enjoy their coffee or meal in peace is rude, but that applies to everyone everywhere.
Great information!
I'm not a full time digital nomad but times when I do end up working from coffee shops when I travel sometimes. If I'm going to be setting up camp there for more than a couple hours I make it a point to buy a beverage every 1-2 hours. That's especially true if the place is busy.
Great comment. It seems like there is an anti-nomad sentiment at the moment? Do you feel that at all when you are traveling, or not?
@@traveltidbitsrus My comment was actually for domestic travel in the US when on business trips. I never felt any negative sentiment from the coffee shop people. I just put myself in the shop owner's shoes and felt bad just sitting there taking up space and network bandwidth. I think what triggered it for me was an article back in the early 2000s about some startups using coffee shops as their defacto offices. Supposedly they'd all converge there and be there all day every day working. It was published as a "cool neat way to save money on office space!" but I read it as "wow that's a crappy thing to do to the coffee shop unless they are buying a lot of food/drink throughout the day".
@@hgrabows Ok, understood. We have been in Portugal for almost 5 years. Most of the co-working sites are gone, so those who are digital nomads do seek out coffee shops and cafes. Coffee shops have started to limit space, meaning what tables are for remote work and which ones are for regular dining. But, they have not enacted a fee or time limit like they have in other EU countries. We hit a local coffee shop once a week to work, and in 4 hours there, we get the same thing: 2 coffees each, and either breakfast or lunch, depending on when we arrive. Thankfully, in looking around, it seems like all of the nomads have the same mindset, and make sure to buy or eat something to help the owner out.
As a customer it is totally annoying seeing every table being occupied by people with laptops or them having work zoom meetings right beside you. There is a solution its called coworking space, if you can't afford that then maybe look for a different career instead of bothering customers and making shop owners pay for your "office space"
I've come across many who feel the same way. Thank you so much for commenting!
It's up to the shop owners whether such activity or not. If they allow it and you don't like it, go somewhere else.
@@GreggHarris-gm7ef True.
@jannishoppe5221, I agree with you entirely. In the days when I was mostly self-employed, I *always* registered with a virtual office as soon as I had the money to do so. I had by this time grown increasingly weary of 'entrepreneurs' operating from cafes or garages.
I really enjoy the direction your channel has progressed. Your ability to pivot and adapt really shows in the new content you're creating. 👍💪🧠💡
I must be old school. There seems to be a big problem with egocentrism amongst many digital nomads. 🤔
How could decent manners, alow a person to sit all day in a cafe or restaurant and just buy one drink?😮
Thank you for the kind words. I will continue to work mostly on general travel news, with some Portugal sprinkled in. Here in Lisbon, many coworking locations dried up because no one was coming in to pay a fee to work when they could work at a coffee shop for "free." THANKFULLY, in the places we have visited to work or just have coffee, it seems like everyone with a laptop is also buying drinks, food, etc.
I'm not QUITE a digital nomad. Just finished up with my Bachelors' Degree in Business Administration (major in Entrepreneurship); I'm 54 years old though, and was raised in an upper middle-class home by my grandparents. They didn't skimp on pounding good manners and proper etiquette into my head (or butt if the situation merited it).
I intend to be relocating (hopefully permanently) to Europe, preferably to Portugal or Spain so that I can improve my quality of life. So, in a way, I will be heavy on the "digital" part and light on the "nomad" part. But the point of the story is that those coffee shops make a living by selling coffee and pastries to patrons, with a steady turnaround of patrons coming and going every hour or so; you cut into their profits and the shop owner has a right to say something.
Thank you for the great comment. If you move to LIsbon, I would recommend Copenhagen Coffee Labs as a place to do remote work. The space is usually 50/50 no laptop/laptop spaces, they have great coffee and pastries, and most importantly, the remote workers who go there "get it." Meaning, they don't want to lose this place for work, so, they buy coffee/pastries, lunch, etc. They have several locations in the city.
I keep seeing in my news feed reports about digital nomads feeling increasingly disillusioned. Not so much because of European governments' attitudes - though these must play a part - as because people more and more crave the need for face-to-face, in-person interactions.
This fails to surprise me. Seemingly endless Zoom and Teams calls during the punitive 2021 lockdowns just about did my head in. The trouble with work which can be done anywhere and at any time, is that it becomes all too tempting to do this work nowhere and at no time.
Excellent comment. I think your last sentence is why companies are seeking more back to work or hybrid working experiences. I do see local nomads in a coffee shop and a few have expressed a desire to get back to an face to face work environment.
great portugal content. Appreciate the informative videos. If possible, can you do a video on Jazz clubs and events in Lisbon?
I will work to put something together. The best jazz club was near our apartment, but flooded a couple of years ago and never re-opened. There are a couple of places that I will mention in a video.
I have recently applied for the Portuguese D-8 visa, but I can’t bring myself to use the term “digital nomad”. It is too much like saying Instagram influencer. I can’t imagine going through the routine frustrations of my workday in public with a captive audience like that. And don’t get me started on the topic of aggressive sales calls made in public places, or is that just an American problem?
I think many of the people we know would prefer influencer to nomad. I have not heard anyone make a call from one of the shops we go to, and honestly, the aggressive calls seems to be an American phenomenon.
@@traveltidbitsrus - Really? I've seen the term influencer on videos in a negative way. People getting people to do silly things just because of popularity. Cinnamon challenge anyone?
@@charmerciI've met dozens of people particularly here in Europe who prefer influencer. Give it a couple of years and nomad/influencer will be called something new.
@@traveltidbitsrus -I hope so, the word influencer sounds kind of dumb. hahaha