Benchmarking the Beach Office
There are classic scenes that define the digital nomad life: laptop perched on paradise, beach club vibes, grinding away at a coworking space, 3am Zoom calls, 2pm boat rides, gym with a view, and the list goes on. But how well do these picture-perfect scenarios actually work in practice?
After some time away, I've been thinking about my approach to blogging and decided not to stress over the details too much. Today, I gave myself a little challenge. By the will of the Universe, I'm exploring Cumbuco—a slice of kite-surfing paradise near Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará. Brazil has a special place in my heart, so it's no surprise I ended up in this region, naturally.
The Challenge: Beach Office Experiment
The challenge is simple: sit by the beach and publish a blog post from my iPad. Right now, I'm at a beach club for a couple of hours, enjoying a seafood dish, some coffee, and the view of an unbelievably blue ocean. The small waves are gently washing up on shore, with dozens of people around me lounging, smiling, and soaking up the day. And yes, there are even a few cute stray cats trying their best tricks to get scraps from tables.
There's a stereotype that if you're working remotely, far from home, you should be working from the beach. For years, people said the glare made it impractical, but Apple just released a special screen coating for their MacBook Pro line that makes that argument a little less valid.
The Nomad Benchmark Criteria
So here's how I'm measuring the Nomad Benchmark today:
- Find a table with shade at a beach club
- Connect to WiFi
- Order some good food (preferably with local flavors)
- Open the iPad and write a draft
- Run it through an AI editor for light tweaks
- Publish the post
By the way, the WiFi speed here is a solid 60 Mbps.
And just like that, a piece of digital writing makes its way from a white sandy beach into the vastness of the metaverse.
The Reality Check
So how did this tropical workstation measure up? The basics were all there - stable internet, comfortable seating, decent food, and just enough shade to see my screen. Plus, this Atlantic shore location is naturally ventilated by the wind, keeping the hot weather comfortably manageable.
But the true benchmark of a work spot isn't just about ticking boxes - it's about finding that sweet spot between productivity and paradise. Today's setup scored high on ambiance but might lose points for focus-ability with all these beautiful distractions.
Is working by the beach the only true representation of the digital nomad lifestyle? Hardly. I do my best work on rainy days, staying in my focus lane with limited temptations. But there's that liberating feeling that only washes over you on a sunny day in a tropical destination. Especially during the depths of the snowy winter where I come from.