I wrote this from Pichilemu, a tiny, idyllic surf town on the coast of Chile, about three hours south of Santiago. It looks like California, but without the highways, chain stores, hotels, malls… if you took a bare stretch of the California coast and added a few little guesthouses, family-run pharmacies, ice cream parlors, sidewalk restaurants, and shops filled with inexpensive beachwear, it would look like Pichilemu.

I came to Pichilemu to get away from the stress of Santiago (including loud repairs in my apartment) so for my first two days here I just read novels, wrote in my journal, gave myself a pedicure, bought a striped sundress, and sampled several flavors of ice cream.

But by Monday, I knew I needed to get some work done. Inspired by Alexis Grant’s recent blog post, Learning How to Travel While Working, I decided to turn my day into an experiment in Location Independence.

Workplace #1

My first stop was a hotel that had a wifi sticker on its door. It specializes in government-endorsed package tours for Chilean senior citizens. I asked if I could use the internet, and a woman pointed me to the living room, a cozy space with several yellow leather couches. I sat down on the couch and asked for the wifi password. She said that the password had just been changed, and she gave me a password that didn’t work. So I sat down on the couch and started writing. I don’t need the internet to write; it’s actually a distraction. I periodically switched on my phone’s data plan to check email and Twitter, look up quotes for the articles I was writing, and ask colleagues to call me if they needed anything.

After about two hours, dozens of guests came back to the hotel, and the maid started vacuuming the living room. She apologized for disturbing me, and suggested that I move to another seat. But I saw an obese man setting up his cello for a performance for the senior citizens’ group, and knew it was time to move on.

I paced the streets of Pichilemu in search of wifi. I knew I had spotted at least one guesthouse with a sign advertising wifi. I entered one residencial and asked if I could use the wifi. I told him I was willing to buy lunch, drinks, or even just pay for the service, but he refused. He said that now is the time to clean, not attend to guests.

So I kept walking. And eventually I found a guesthouse with a British theme and wifi. I rang the doorbell and no one came. So I just opened the gate and sat down at a white plastic table in the garden, under a handmade sunshade. The place had wifi but no one to tell me the password. So I typed this on a disconnected computer. So much more productive that way!

Workplace #2

After two hours (and writing two full articles) I moved on to a seafront restaurant with a lovely deck where I’d eaten before. It advertised wifi, but the waiter told me that the entire town’s wifi was broken and they needed to wait for a technician from another city to come and fix it. He apologized, and recommended the lenguado (best fish in Pichilemu.) So I ordered lenguado a la plancha con ensalada surtida and continued to write, as I watched the waves roll in.

Workspace #3

After sunset I visited an internet café to respond to a few emails and read the day’s news.

In a day and a half of working Location Independently, I wrote 7 full blog posts, and got a solid start on 3 more. Not bad!!

6 Tips for Location Independence

1) Invest in the right tools. 

In Pichilemu, the right tool would be a wireless internet device that plugs into the side of the computer. These are widely available in Chile and there are both monthly and prepaid payment options. However, as you can probably tell from the previous story, I don’t have one. (And even if I did it might not work due to the problem with the town’s wifi.) I do have a Samsung Galaxy Mini smartphone with a Chilean SIM card and a prepaid Android data plan that costs me too much money. (I’m definitely due for an upgrade to a monthly unlimited plan.) For other destinations, investing in the right tools might mean renting an AirCard.

2) Bring earplugs.

In the day’s first workplace, the radio was playing way too loud, on a station that had “My Heart Will Go On” and other classics on repeat. Thankfully I had earplugs. A godsend for my attention span and sanity!

3) Ask people to call you.

This is the best way to communicate with people in other places. If you’ll be far from home, you might want to set up Skype (and a healthy dose of SkypeOut credit) on the computers of your loved ones and colleagues and write down the time difference, your number while traveling, and the best times of day to call.

4) Be realistic with your expectations.

If you are a writer and you’re trying to spill out a “shitty first draft” of your novel, a place like Pichilemu is ideal. It gives you the mental and physical space to process thoughts and put them on the page. If you are a consultant or web designer, whose business depends on conference calls and other Internet-centric tasks, I recommend taking #1 to heart and staying in a place with more connectivity. For example, here in Chile, there are plenty of beach towns (Viña del Mar, Reñaca, La Serena, etc.) that have a greater concentration of nice hotels and cafés to help you stay connected.

5) Spend at least a week in each place.

Once you’ve found a comfortable and convenient workplace, complete with reliable wifi hotspot, good coffee, handmade muffins, beautiful scenery, massage chairs (hey, a girl can dream!) stick around for a while. You will work much more efficiently if you don’t have to search for a new space.

6) Be sure to enjoy your chosen destination.

Why go to a tiny beach town if you’re going to code all day? Be sure to indulge in your surroundings: go for a long walk on the beach, eat some fresh ceviche, work on your tan… I think you get the picture!

The beach in Pichilemu on a weekday in December. Not a soul in sight!

Have you ever tried working Location Independent(ly)? What has been your experience? What would you add to this list?