My remote work setup let me live in Portugal for three months on a tight budget

Last fall, my manager approved a temporary work-from-anywhere period, so I booked a flight to Lisbon with just a backpack. I rented a tiny room in a shared apartment for half what my rent back home costs, and used local markets to cook cheap meals like sardines and rice. On weekends, I'd take buses to nearby beaches or hitch rides with other travelers I met online. The BIGGEST save was using a prepaid SIM for data instead of roaming fees, which kept my phone bill under 20 euros a month. Working European hours meant I had afternoons free to explore without rushing. It totally proved you don't need a fancy salary to see new places if you're smart about basics. Who else has tried stacking remote work with travel? How do you handle time zones or find affordable short-term stays?

4 comments

4 Comments

riverdavis2mo ago

It's funny how many people treat remote work like it's just a home office thing, when it can really be about finding a better daily rhythm somewhere new.

the_joseph3mo ago

Yeah the prepaid SIM move is such a lifesaver, way too many people get destroyed by roaming charges. I did something similar in Mexico last year, and the key for me was just accepting the flipped hours. Waking up at 4am to sync with the east coast sucked at first, but having all my afternoons free was worth it. For cheap stays, I basically lived in hostels that had co-working spaces, way cheaper than any short-term rental I could find. It’s not fancy but it gets the job done and you meet people to explore with. That whole experience really changed how I see my job now.

ross.tara3mo ago

Seriously? Waking up at 4am sounds pretty rough, like you're just trading one problem for another. Hostels are cool until you're trying to focus in a common area with a bunch of strangers partying. Calling it life changing feels like a stretch, it's just a different way to be tired and distracted lol. How long can you really keep that up before you burn out?

viola_lopez303mo ago

@the_joseph those flipped hours actually change how you think about work days... not just sleep.

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