Working from a Virtual Desk in the Dominican Republic 🌴💻

Traveling is supposed to be all about relaxation, beach vibes, and maybe catching up on sleep—or at least on Netflix shows you’ve been putting off. But for me, my recent trip to the Dominican Republic was a mix of palm trees, slow internet, and the constant glow of my laptop screen. Yeah, I wasn’t just sipping on piña coladas all day. I was working from what I like to call my virtual desk—basically wherever I could find a Wi-Fi signal strong enough to send an email.

Before leaving, I had a little moment of panic. I had deadlines. I had projects. My client even offered to let me delay the trip so I could finish everything first, but luckily, they were chill enough to say, “Go, we’ll figure it out.” That kind of trust gave me the green light to pack my bags, my laptop, and a whole lot of patience for whatever the Dominican internet gods had in store.

The Wi-Fi Adventure 🎢

If you’ve ever complained about your Wi-Fi dropping for two minutes at home, let me introduce you to what I like to call “internet roulette” in the Dominican Republic. Some spots? Lightning fast. Others? Basically like trying to run Call of Duty on a potato.

At my friend’s house—where I stayed most of the trip—the internet speed was… let’s just say humbling. On a good day, it was about .5 mb per minute, which meant uploading a single image felt like I was waiting for dial-up in the early 2000s. At night, it was even worse—pretty much non-existent. I have no idea why. Maybe everyone else was binge-watching telenovelas, maybe the router needed a nap.

But then, plot twist: I found this mall called La Plaza Llama. It was like stepping into Wi-Fi heaven. Not only did they have free internet that was fast enough to download 200 MB in half an hour (a record for my trip), but there was also a Taco Bell. Yes, I ate a burrito while watching files finally download. That’s what I call peak productivity. Oh, and I bought a swimsuit there too, because priorities.

Balancing Work and Island Life 🌊

Here’s the thing: working remotely in a different country sounds like a dream, and sometimes it is. I mean, answering emails while hearing waves crash in the background feels like winning at life. But there’s also the stress of wondering if your Zoom call is going to freeze mid-sentence or if your carefully written Google Doc is even going to save.

Still, I managed to get a decent chunk of writing done. Slow internet can actually be a blessing if you think about it—it forces you to focus. No YouTube rabbit holes, no “just one more episode” of a show. If I wanted to get work done, I literally had nothing else to do but write.

The best part? A quick meeting with my client helped us figure out a smarter development path for the website we were building. Sometimes distance makes you rethink your approach, and in this case, it worked out better than expected.

Coming Back to Good News 🥳

When I finally flew back home, I was tired but also weirdly refreshed. Working in another country—even with the chaos—reminded me why I love being able to work remotely in the first place. The flexibility is everything. And just when I thought the trip couldn’t end on a higher note, I got a call from my business partner. Turns out we’re in the process of securing a new office space.

That means no more relying on Starbucks Wi-Fi (sorry, baristas who’ve been side-eyeing me for hogging the outlets). A real office space is huge—for me, for clients, and for my productivity. It feels like leveling up in the freelance game.

Final Thoughts ✈️

If there’s one takeaway from working in the Dominican Republic, it’s this: flexibility is the ultimate superpower. The internet might crash, files might take hours to load, but with the right mindset (and maybe a Taco Bell burrito), you can still get things done.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Maybe next time I’ll scope out the Wi-Fi situation before booking my Airbnb, but that’s all part of the adventure. For now, I’m just grateful I had the chance to blend palm trees with productivity, and that my clients trusted me enough to make it work.

So if you ever get the chance to work from somewhere new—even if it’s not tropical—take it. It’s not just about where you are, it’s about proving to yourself that you can adapt, hustle, and still enjoy the ride. 🌴💻