Before I started working remotely abroad, I had this image in my head: laptop open, beautiful view, perfect coffee, maybe a palm tree somewhere in the background.

Reality has been… a little less cinematic.

Some days are amazing. I can take a walk in the middle of the day, work from a café, eat lunch somewhere new, and remember why I wanted this life in the first place. Other days, I’m on a client call from a noisy apartment, the neighbor’s dog is losing its mind, the WiFi is acting suspicious, and I’m trying to look professional while sweating because I picked a place with no proper desk.

I still love the freedom. But I think I underestimated how much structure you have to create for yourself when nobody is creating it for you.

For the other remote workers here: what was the first “oh wow, this is still real life” moment you had while working abroad?