The Digital Nomad's Guide to Choosing a Coworking Space

When you work from a different city every few weeks, your workspace becomes one of the most important decisions you make. Get it right and you're productive, energised, and able to enjoy wherever you've landed. Get it wrong and you spend half your week fighting slow WiFi, uncomfortable chairs, and an environment that makes it impossible to focus.

After enough bad experiences, most digital nomads develop a checklist. Here's ours.

Internet first, everything else second

This is non-negotiable. Before you book anything, find out the actual internet speed — not the advertised speed, the real one. Ask for it. Most good coworking spaces will tell you. Some will let you test it before committing.

Look for spaces that offer a dedicated connection rather than shared WiFi, especially if you're doing video calls, uploading large files, or working with remote teams across time zones. Slow internet doesn't just cost you time — it costs you clients.

Location relative to your accommodation

The commute to a coworking space matters more than most people think. If you're staying in one place for two weeks and the best coworking space is forty minutes away, you'll stop going by day four. Find something walkable or at most a short transit ride away. The friction of getting there should be as low as possible.

Day passes vs weekly vs monthly

Most coworking spaces offer flexible access options. If you're only in a city for a few days, a day pass makes sense. For stays of one to four weeks, a weekly or monthly pass usually works out cheaper and gives you a consistent space to return to — which matters more for productivity than people realise.

Some networks offer multi-city memberships that let you access spaces across different locations on a single plan. If you move frequently, this is worth paying a premium for.

Community and atmosphere

This one is harder to assess before you arrive, but it matters. Some coworking spaces feel like libraries — quiet, focused, everyone in their own world. Others are buzzing with conversation, events, and energy. Neither is better, but one will suit you more than the other.

Read reviews. Look at the space on Instagram. If they have a trial day, use it. The atmosphere of a workspace affects your mood and output in ways that are easy to underestimate until you're sitting somewhere that just feels wrong.

The things most people forget to check

Printing facilities — you'll need them eventually. Lockers — essential if you're leaving equipment overnight. Air conditioning — particularly important in warmer climates. And showers, if you're cycling or running during the day.

The best coworking spaces for nomads feel like a home base in a city that isn't yours yet. They give you structure, community, and the conditions to do your best work — wherever in the world that happens to be.