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Heard a guy in a Chiang Mai cafe say digital nomads are ruining cities
I was working at a spot called Ristr8to last week and overheard a local business owner talking to a friend. He said, 'These laptop people drive up rent and don't put anything back.' It made me stop and think about my own stay. I've been here six months, and I realized I only ever buy coffee and use the wifi. What are some real ways to give back to the places we work from?
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shane_williams3mo ago
Oh, the classic "laptop people" line. I guess we're supposed to just start randomly handing cash to landlords and buying rounds for the whole street to make up for using a table for three hours. Maybe I'll just overpay for a souvenir t-shirt and call it even.
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brookep271mo ago
I was at a coworking spot called Punspace last month and I actually used to be one of those people who rolled my eyes at this complaint. I used to think, well I'm paying for coffee and I'm not hurting anyone. But then I talked to a Thai friend who runs a small guesthouse near the old city and she broke it down for me. She said the people who stay for months never eat at the local markets, they just order Grab and work in fancy cafes that jack up the rent for everyone around. It hit me that I'd been here almost a year and I couldn't name a single local shop owner. So now I make it a point to buy my groceries from the street vendors instead of 7-Eleven, and I tip the cleaning staff at my building more than I used to. Little stuff adds up, your mileage may vary but it makes me feel less like I'm just taking up space.
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