5 wonderful places I’ve been to in Asia as a digital nomad

Jacob Laukaitis is a location-independent entrepreneur, constantly traveling the world while running his own online ventures. He is currently a co-founder at online coupons website ChameleonJohn.com.

I’ve been roaming around Asia as a digital nomad for the past year and a half, in which I went to eight Asian countries and will spend time in five more before this summer. Because I have had the chance to visit so many different islands, towns, and cities throughout this time, I’d love to share what I believe are the best locations for a budding digital nomad.

Bali, Indonesia

This island (one of 17,000 in Indonesia alone) has been covered by so many travelers around the world, making it kind of hard to say anything new. Even though Bali is a relatively small island, there’s a lot of stuff to see – dozens of Hindu temples, wonderful rice fields, breathtaking volcanoes (which you can trek, by the way), and so on. I would recommend staying in a town called Ubud. It has a lovely (though expensive) co-working space called Hubud, various attractions, lots of restaurants with a great variety of cuisines, and it’s literally in the middle of the island, making it easy for you to get wherever you want on a scooter. What’s more, if you want to do some short weekend trips, make sure to hop on a boat to Lombok Island or the Gili Islands, which have some wonderful diving spots.

Koh Samui, Thailand

Our startup went on a team retreat in Koh Samui, where most of our team (up to 10 people) lived, worked, and had a ton of fun together for the whole month. Throughout that time I got to know the ins and outs of the island. It’s definitely possible to get a lot of work done, since the wifi connection is relatively good, just try not to get too distracted by the wonderful beaches, lovely restaurants, and US$6/hour massages. Though keep in mind it’s a popular destination for a lot of sex tourists, which has its own implications, especially at night.

Bohol, Philippines

Bohol is a small island in the Philippines (one of 7,000), located near Cebu. I had the chance to celebrate my 20th birthday there and it was a lot of fun. As with almost anywhere in the Philippines, you’ll have to deal with an unreliable wifi connection, but the island itself is beautiful and has quite a few things to offer. It’s a great place to do get heads-down work done and relax at the same time – there’s no entrepreneurship activity going on, no events, and hardly any foreign people. But you can find some incredible diving spots, the Chocolate Hills, and numerous stunning waterfalls.

Penang, Malaysia