Working on the go as a Digital Nomad is not always very comfy or productive. Going nomad, you get immediate gains in mood, happiness and creativity, but it comes at a cost: poor ergonomics.

After 50+ trips to different countries around the world over the last 10 years, I’ve perfected my Digital Nomad setup and I’d like to share some findings with you.

This article is written as bullet points. It’s super factual. My intention is that, in a short read, you can get quick ideas to improve your setup. If you are looking for a more descriptive, in-depth article, about my full travel gear for remote work, check out this article: What’s inside my Day Bag.

What’s in a good EDC?

The general idea behind the gear I bring with me: it should all fit in a slim backpack that’s not too heavy. I therefore made some compromises on the gear choice, because I always have all of my main gear inside of my backpack always with me.

This is very important: if I have to think about what I bring with me in the backpack each day it adds complexity, and I might forget about an essential item for the coming day. So, I always bring all my gear with me, any day.

Important for ergonomics

  • I chose a 16 inch MacBook Pro over a 14 inch one. The extra screen real estate means I do not always need a portable monitor to do Web development. It’s worth the extra bulk for me.
  • The screen of the laptop must always be at eye level. The normal flat position of the laptop on a table or desk always requires me to adopt the shrimp position (🦐), which is great for focus as it’s easy to “feel wired”/“be in the zone”, but it really hurts your back and neck over the long run. So, I always put the MacBook on a stand, I have the Native Union Fold Laptop Stand which is super lightweight, super stable, with a great build quality (it was not possible for me to find a lighter stand; this one is made of thin aluminum).
  • Bring a mouse and a mouse pad. The mouse is an obvious item, it’s more productive than using the trackpad depending on the task you’re doing. The mouse pad is not always needed, but you’ll be happy to have one when you need to work on an uneven surface, like you can see with old wood tables in certain Airbnbs. I have this mouse pad: Logitech Studio Series, it’s durable and lightweight.
  • For listening to music and calls, I tried wired earbuds only first, then wireless ones only then. Each one has its drawbacks, so in the end I opted for the wired + wireless combo. That way, I always choose to go wired or wireless based on the situation, AirPods are great for call or a quick music listening session (there’s less friction in putting them on), but having to deal with their battery is painful if you’re listening to music every day and not moving much. In that case, I use the wired ones.
  • I bought a portable monitor of the same screen size as my laptop, 16 inch, that I use above my laptop screen. That way I get double the real estate and my eyes can jump quickly from one screen to the other. I could not find a better pair to my MacBook than the SOTSU FlipAction Elite 16. I noticed it’s great for eye comfort because it forces your eyes to constantly adjust focus on slightly different viewing distances, which reduces the eye strain I get from using a single screen all day (using a single screen induces a kind of eye lock effect, where my eye muscles have trouble adapting to different focal lengths when I stop using the laptop — creating blurry vision).
  • About the keyboard, some Digital Nomads like to use an external keyboard, but for me it’s just extra bulk in the backpack, so I only use my laptop’s built-in keyboard. The laptop sits on a stand so the keyboard has some angle but it doesn’t hurt my wrists.
  • I don’t use Apple’s official charging block, I rely on a 3rd party 70W GaN charger from Hyper that’s much lighter, comes with all the international plugs, and that can also be plugged to an extension cord so that I can reach any power socket. It’s important to be able to find a good placement of the desk/table I work on relative to eg. a window to find the best light conditions. To minimize bulk and be able to plug in any country, I created a system where I have a 2m generic cable that connects to the charger, and then I connect the US, EU, UK (etc) plug to it directly.
  • I avoid, at all cost, working right in front of a large window facing the sun, as the bright light contrasts too much with my laptop screen, inducing very strong eye strain. In such cases, it’s always best to work 90 degrees to the windows, that is, the window to your right or left.
  • Oh and speaking about bright environments: Apple’s Nano Texture display changed my life! I won’t be coming back to glossy displays ever, reflections create such strong eye strain. I was late to the Nano Texture game because I had a strong idea that all matte displays where basically unfit for design work (Sketch/Figma), as everything appears as “blurry”. It’s not the case for the Nano Texture coating, it does not worsen too much the display quality.
  • So, thanks to the Nano Texture display, I am able to always work in bright rooms washed with plenty of natural light, and I avoid artificial lighting at all costs.
  • My portable monitor also got an upgrade, as I added a matte cover on it to reduce glare and keep things smooth between the portable monitor and the laptop’s display. The matte cover is from ViaScreens, which is high quality.
  • Dark Mode is beautiful on macOS Tahoe, so I turned it on. Now I run Dark Mode on all my devices, it helps preserve battery and my eyes are way more relaxed in my experience because the displays emits much less light.
  • I have ear plugs to work in silence in noisy co-working spaces and cafés, that way I do not need to use AirPods ANC. I use the Loop Switch and they are excellent. I’ve noticed that AirPods ANC, while very effective at reducing noise, let pass baby’s cries, car honks, etc. which is not cool for me. I understand the decision from a safety point of view, but I want to block ALL noises. So using low-tech passive ear plugs is the way to go. As a plus, it comes super handy in long-haul flights too.
  • Lastly, as a general rule, I don’t bring too much stuff in my EDC bag, that way it’s not too heavy. For extra tech, I have a second sleeve that I can slide inside of my EDC backpack. This extra tech sleeve contains my 5G router, my Kindle and my portable monitor, which are not always needed. The same rule applies to things like my backup power bank, which goes in my suitcase.

Other considerations

  • Power cuts happen, and when they do they completely disrupt your workflow. The first thing you lose is Internet connectivity. Your laptop battery can last for hours. So, I make sure to always stay charged on the laptop. I can run backup Internet during a power cut thanks to my 5G router (a NETGEAR Nighthawk M3), plugged to a 10,000mAh Anker power bank. The 5G router uses an international SIM card from Sosh France, which has a very generous 35GB data plan for 120 countries for 15.99€/mth. If I need more data, I can buy a 120GB 1-month add-on for 39€, it’s dirt cheap! It already saved my ass when in the countryside in Costa Rica and a storm cut power multiple times for 3 days in a row.
  • Oh and just don’t try to work in co-working spaces that are in front of the beach with open rooms to the outside. It’s humid, the sun burns you, insects come and bite you. It’s just impossible to be comfortable, it’s good to sell you the dream on Instagram, but all you need is a proper office desk and a chair, and regulated 21C temperature and 50% humidity (thanks, AC).

Health considerations

  • I try to stand frequently and work in an area where I can see the horizon or far away if I just look above my laptop screen.
  • I try to remember to blink my eyes frequently to avoid dry eyes, or else I use an eye lubricant. If I don’t, I often see tiny blood vessels exploding and I feel strain in my eyes.
  • To avoid the eye muscle spasm situation I described above, I need to make sure to change focus (think viewing distance) very frequently, usually going outside for 15 minutes from time to time helps avoiding that too.
  • I try to take way more pauses than I need, even if those are micro-pauses. It’s sometimes hard to accept doing so when you’re in the zone and you feel wired, but you’re more resilient all day long if you do that.
  • I try to limit myself to 2 espresso doses a day, and above all, I drink my first coffee of the day 90 minutes after wake up MINIMUM. If I drink a coffee straight after wake up, it totally messes with my cortisol and I’ll feel stressed and groggy all day, even after a perfect night of sleep.
  • I’m not too extreme with ergonomics though. Having an unergonomic posture is fine, from time to time. For instance, I like to squat in front of my bed with the laptop sitting on the bed. It’s a weird position to be in but it’s good for 1 hour for ideation since it forces you to slow down. I can also lay flat on the sofa with my neck in shrimp mode and my laptop on my belly. It’s fine for 1 hour too. Then I just move on and go back to a proper desk. In the end, whatever posture your body can conform to is fine, it’s just important not to keep that posture for too long. Even a super ergonomic posture all day long is not good, your body needs to move and change posture — as long as it doesn’t hurt!

🇨🇷 Written from La Fortuna, Costa Rica.