I’ve tagged along on two programs with Wifi Artists now, exploring and working with them in two different countries. As always, I’m as honest and transparent with my travel experiences as possible. Having only launched at the beginning of this year, Wifi Artists is a work in progress, as all new companies will be. But dang, for a newcomer to the travel scene, it sure does a lot of things right. The framework is there for a business that can change the landscape of travel and digital nomad-ism. The rise of remote work has given people the potential to live life on their own terms. An hour of yoga every morning in Bali instead of an hour in traffic in New York? That’s the dream, and it’s more attainable than ever.
The scariest part can be figuring out where to start. Wifi Artists offers incredible programs in dream destinations if you want to dip your toes into the digital nomad lifestyle. Considering hopping on a program with Wifi Artists? Here are the pros and cons of traveling with them.
The Pros of Traveling With Wifi Artists
The Community
This is really all that needs to be said. Having a community while traveling is something that everyone strives for. The more I travel, the more I realize that sightseeing comes secondary to who you share the memories with. I’ve always strived to build a community as opposed to just creating content. All that effort has paid off when I started running my own group trips. Of course, my group backpacking trips are quite different than the digital nomad retreats ran by Wifi Artists, but one thing remains the same. Creating a feeling of community is the priority.
People join these trips because they expect that they’ll be with like-minded people that support and uplift them, on top of having fun people to hang out with. Traveling solo can be scary. It often is when you are starting out. Wifi Artists provides a community of like-minded travelers with a work-hard, play-hard attitude to share those experiences with. Travel isn’t always easy. It isn’t always glamorous, but with friends and a community by your side, you can truly take on the world.
And hey, Wifi Artists doesn’t accept just anyone. Having seen the process firsthand, I know just how much effort goes into ensuring each participant is a team player that contributes their own unique personality to the group. I run my own group trips. I know how essential it is to have chemistry with the people that you’ll be taking on a foreign country with, especially if you’ll be living with them for several weeks. You can trust that Wifi Artists takes special care in vetting each individual participant.
The Convenience
One can spend weeks planning for a trip. You need to research the right neighborhoods to stay in, find the perfect accommodation, and so on. For digital nomads, finding the work infrastructure necessary for your work life balance can be tough. While backpacking, I’ve told myself time and time again that I’d take a work day here and there. Oftentimes, I’ll arrive somewhere and find that the infrastructure just isn’t there to get anything done. Slow Wi-Fi, loud environments, and other factors can send your work aspirations into the abyss.
With Wifi Artists, you can already trust that everything will be taken care of for you. You’ll have a beautiful apartment to call home. There will be a reliable co-working space for you to work at. Most importantly, you already have a community of like-minded people. It’s hard enough to make friends as is. It is even harder when you spend most of your days working and can’t invest your time into meeting people to grab a drink with afterwards.
Luxury
What I love about Wifi Artists is that they always find the best co-working spaces, high quality accommodation, and have a network where they can organize exciting events in unique places. For the two programs that I’ve joined, the locations and apartments were always incredible. A penthouse apartment in Medellin’s lively El Poblado was where we called home for a month. The high rise WeWork co-working spaces were our weekday hubs in Mexico City.
These are usually things that are out of my price range when I’m traveling solo. Obviously, having a group can usually lead to discounted prices. A one bedroom apartment on Airbnb will be pricier per person than getting, let’s say, an entire 10-bedroom house. Where are you going to find 10 people to split the costs with? Wifi Artists takes the hassle out of you building that group yourself. Now, instead of a small studio outside the city center, you’ve got yourself a huge villa right downtown. I felt like I was living in luxury during my time with Wifi Artists.
The Cons of Traveling With Wifi Artists
Paying A Premium Price
After six years on the road, I think it’s fair to consider myself an experienced traveler. I didn’t get to where I am without making a ton of mistakes, though. Although I wouldn’t change my roots as a clueless solo traveler for anything, I do recognize the value that Wifi Artists and similar programs provide.
Because of this, you will be paying more for Wifi Artists’ program than if you were to figure everything out on your own. The question is, how much do you value time and community? If Wifi Artists charges $1100 for a month in Mexico City, including apartment, co-working spaces, among other things, then realistically, you could do it cheaper. Let’s say you find a studio apartment for $600 for the month, and then just choose to work from cafes for the month that you’re here, spending $5-10 with each cafe visit. Would you pay an extra $200 ($10 a day) to be surrounded with other creatives, entrepreneurs, and digital nomads? All the hassle of planning is taken out of the equation, also, so how do you value that? You also take on the risk that the accommodation you choose isn’t all that great, or in a bad neighborhood.
Yes, you will pay a premium price for Wifi Artists, but they do add a lot of value and remove a lot of inconvenience. Just show up, settle into your room, get to work, and have fun. They take the risk, inconvenience, and hassle out of traveling. If you’re just looking to dip your toes into the digital nomad lifestyle to see if it’s right for you, I’d say it’s worth paying a little more to have everything taken care of for you.
The Schedule
This mostly comes from Wifi Artists being a new company, but it is always a little frustrating to see the perfect program you want… but the dates just don’t line up. Wifi Artists currently operates in one location per month, as the CEO personally joins every program. As the company continues to grow, I can imagine that they’ll be able to branch out to multiple destinations per month. The demand for digital nomad and co-working retreat companies is only growing. But for now, the selection is limited. What you see is what you get. If you want to join them in Cape Town but you already have plans for that month, then better luck next year.
I can’t think of many other cons of joining Wifi Artists. Despite living with a group, you have your freedom and independence to do whatever you like. Although I’d recommend taking advantage of having this community, there’s no obligation. One can be as participative as they want. I found this to be great because while I love socializing and going out, I do enjoy having space and time to myself. If the others planned to go for dinner somewhere, there was no obligation to join. You know yourself and your travel style better than anyone else. You don’t have to sacrifice that if you don’t want to.
If your schedule aligns with Wifi Artists’ schedule of remote work retreats, it is well worth joining a program with them. For $100 off any Wifi Artists program, be sure to mention “ThePartyingTraveler100” in your application!
