How I Became a Digital Nomad on the West Coast of Puerto Rico

Fear is interesting. It can stop you from doing those stupid things that you probably shouldn’t do – like speeding down the highway without a seatbelt on. But it can also stop you from doing those things that could really change your life for the better, like packing up all your things and moving to the west coast of Puerto Rico. A place where you can live at a co-working space just steps from the beach, spend the mornings writing for projects you are passionate about and spend your afternoons surfing, scuba diving, hunting for waterfalls or dancing the night away on beach overlooking clear blue waters.

That all sounds like a dream, right?

That’s what I thought.

So, I headed to the west coast of Puerto Rico.

When you think planning a vacation to the Caribbean islands, working probably isn’t at the top of the list. In fact, of all the things to do in Puerto Rico, working probably didn’t make the cut at all. But that was one thing I had to ensure I could do while I was there.

Working remotely has great perks, but you still have to, well, work.

This part co-working, part vacationing trip was unplanned, but it was exactly what I needed. It also launched me into a six-month journey around the Caribbean and parts of Central America, where I had some of the greatest adventures of my life and really learned that outdoor travel was my passion.

But back to how I ended up on the west coast (of Puerto Rico, that is), and the questions I sorted through…

Learning about Puerto Rico and its west coast

A few years ago, I was cycling the Pacific Coast Highway when I got stranded in Santa Cruz because of rain. I crashed at a co-working space. And, for the first time in my life, I actually met people who had been living that elusive “digital nomad” lifestyle.

The one that many of us envy, but I had only read about.

That’s when (west coast) Puerto Rico got brought up. The company who owned the house where I was waiting out the rain was getting ready to open their doors on The Island of Enchantment.

And they extended an invite in exchange for some writing.

Puerto Rico had never been on my radar to travel to, and I didn’t know anything about it. Honestly, I hadn’t even realized that the house was in Rincón – a three-hour drive to the far west coast of the island – and not San Juan, which is the only town I had ever heard of. Plus, though I had been working remotely for a few years, I had never really left my permanent base in San Diego.

Nor had I ever had a writing assignment like that one.

So, I dismissed the idea.

But the seed had been planted. So, while sitting there waiting out the storm, I started looking up a few facts about Rincón and Puerto Rico. Here were some of the questions I found answers to:

• Is Puerto Rico a country? Technically, it’s an American territory.
• Do you need a passport to go to Puerto Rico? US citizens don’t need anything other than an ID to get there. But, if you want to leave the island and travel to, say, Colombia or Cuba (like I did), you should still bring it. This also means that you don’t need a work visa, should you pick up some jobs during a long-term stay.
• What side of the road does Puerto Ricans drive on? The right. Sources said the best way to get around the island is by car. But I knew that nearby islands were British territories. I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t in for a surprise!
• Will my phone work? Based on my research, yes. However, the service was spotty, at best.
• Is there reliable internet in Puerto Rico? Working remotely, this is a critical thing for me to consider before moving. Wifi connections are easy to find in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The west coast, however, is a bit less reliable. I knew the co-working house would have it, but that’s it.
• Do I need to know Spanish? Nope. English and Spanish are both official languages and widely spoken.
• How do I get there? It has two major international airports, making leaving and traveling to other places very easy.
• What are the best things to do in Puerto Rico? It’s called The Island of Enchantment and is full of amazing parks, caves, hiking routes, mountain bike trails, white sand beaches and bright, starry nights.

Honestly, it was sounding pretty good.

But the “buts” still rolled in….

“But I’m sure it’s too expensive for me to go there,” I thought (fear of the unknown will really try to talk you out of things). One quick search online for cheap flights to Puerto Rico’s west coast airport in Aguadilla proved that I was wrong.

But I needed to finish my current bicycle tour.

But I have an apartment and all my stuff. Well, I got home to a flooded apartment (the US West Coast really can’t handle rain) with black mold taking hold of most of my posessions. And suddently, the universe had taken that concern right off my plate.

So why did I move to this secluded town on the west coast of Puerto Rico?

It still took a few weeks of telling myself this was an impossible idea before I bought the plane ticket.

I think we’ve all had those days where something feels slightly off balance – like you just can’t put your finger on what’s out of place. It’s not exactly wrong; But it’s not quite right, either. You want to curl under the covers and hit snooze. Your work doesn’t excite you and, honestly, neither does the weekend.

Well, I’d been having one of those days. Except it lasted for six months.

I thought I just needed a vacation. That’s why I did a bicycle tour of the West Coast. But the Sunday scaries hit me harder than ever when it was time to log back on. I was working remotely (a dream of mine), but I was burnt out.

As it turns out, vacation can’t fix that.

One night, I was laying in bed scrolling through those cheesy Pinterest quotes. I was trying in vain to find motivation in my iPhone screen when I saw a picture of a tattoo. “Feel the fear and do it anyway,” inked right on someone’s forearm.

Cliche, maybe. But I instantly loved it.

It was a constant and permanent in-your-face reminder to always go beyond the boundaries of our own comfort zones. It validated my desire to always push the envelope and go into the unknown. And it reminded me of the things I still haven’t done because of fear. Namely, a lot more solo travel, international bicycle tours, and finally dipping my toes into the digital nomad lifestyle I wanted so badly.

That’s when that little town on the west coast of Puerto Rico – Rincón – crept back onto my radar.

Facing – and chasing – the fear of the unknown

I like to think I’m fairly brave. But I didn’t feel that way when I looked at my list of things I wanted to do and see.

When people read my blog or see my pictures, they tend to assume that I’ve always been a die-hard cycling fiend and adventure travel expert. That I must be some masochistic person that considers hours-long cardio a relaxing past time. People often ask me how I travel by myself, how I dare sleep in a tent in the wilderness with no one else around. I must be so brave (or stupid) they say.

The truth is: Sometimes, I don’t like traveling very much at all.

And I seldom feel brave about it.

Sometimes, on a bicycle tour, the headwinds and the rain and the steep incline are all too much and I just want to hail an Uber back to my apartment, where Netflix and a warm bed await. And, in truth, I still have a very healthy fear of the dark. I’ve definitely had nights where I was lying – wide-eyed and very much not brave – listening to the strange noises all around me (once waking up in the middle of a herd of buffalo while biking in Yellowstone).

And when I got off that plane in Puerto Rico in the small west coast town of Aguadilla, it was pitch black. There was a lot more Spanish being used than I had planned for, and I quickly learned that hailing a taxi in Puerto Rico is somewhat of an art form. One that everyone but me seemed to understand.

Instead of stepping out into the world into that romantic new life I had dreamt up, I plopped down at the teeny airport bar and started wondering what I’d gotten myself into.

How did I get the idea that discomfort and the unknown could possibly be better than my daily routine back home? Why had I really gotten rid of all my stuff? Why did I just travel to a place I couldn’t even locate on a map?

I realized that I followed the fear there.

Not a life-threatening, fight or flight fear (I always listen to my intuition when it’s saying no). No, this is just a little twinge of saying to myself, “Look, I know you’ve prepared, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine. But we don’t REALLY know what’s going to happen here.”

That’s where growth starts.

Creative inspiration lives right on the brink of the unknown. I’ve come to terms with this. I’ve grown comfortable with being uncomfortable. I crave it. And I’ve learned so much about myself in the process.

And that’s a bit what this blog is about. Helping make adventure travel a bit more accessible to those who are afraid of it.

Because I believe that the barrier to entry is a small price to pay for the wonderful experiences, memories and education you can get by backpacking around the nearest park – or around the world – with confidence.

Try it (on a small scale) and you’ll see.

Go to dinner by yourself. Join a yoga class even though you feel insecure. Take that solo vacation you’ve been waiting to find someone else to go with. Commit to doing something that makes you feel a little fear and watch what happens.

I’ll be honest, at first, it might suck.

You’ll be so aware of yourself that you won’t be able to enjoy where you are or what you are doing. You might use your cell phone as a crutch and sit at the bar or table buried in your friend’s social feeds. But then, slowly, you’ll be able to look up and realize that there’s nothing to be insecure about. That there are actually a surprising amount of other people doing the same thing as you.

And then, you’ll even start to enjoy your own company, doing some of the things you’ve always wanted to do; And not doing the things you don’t. You might find a new hobby, gain confidence in your ability to navigate a new trail, meet new friends in a new city. Or, you may just read a really great book.

But I promise you’ll grow in some capacity.

You can do this at home or while on vacation. If you are able to work remotely, even just for a week or two, I’d encourage you to try it out. You don’t need to go to Puerto Rico to do that – there are co-working spaces all around the world.

You’ll see how a change of pace and a new environment helps increase your productivity and ignite your creativity. You might be able to finish that big project, solve tough challenges or even start a new business.

As for me, when the west coast of Puerto Rico started showing up all around me – like in random conversations or on the cover of magazines at the grocery store – I decided to take the leap.  I was shocked at how easy it was to find someone who wanted to sublease my apartment.

After that, it took me about one week from the time I bought my plane ticket to the moment I was standing on my balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea on the West Coast of Puerto Rico.

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