Years ago, the first thing checking into a room was touching the mattress, playing with the TV or taking a quick shower to test water pressure and temperature. Now, the first thing I do is check the Internet connection. Speedtest.net is my best friend. A reliable Internet connection that allows buffer-free streaming is more important than any view, amenities or channels on TV.
On our first stop in Kona, the connection was strong. Multiple video streams were no problem, no buffering even on the large lanai. When we checked into the new place on the North Shore in Oahu, the Wifi signal was strong. Too bad, there was no Internet connection attached to the router. Something must have happened a few hours before we arrived. The AirBnB host was as helpful as possible, calling Oceanic/Time Warner for hours on a Saturday, trying to get it fixed. The first estimate was Wednesday (WHAT?), then maybe Monday. Maybe. Using the iPhone hotspot was a terrible band aid, just two bars where we stay. And, so the adventure began.
As a digital nomad, you can live with everything: mosquito attacks at night, weird food that makes you feel even weirder, a schedule that changes every day. One thing you can’t live without is a strong connection. Files need to be send, Skype calls to be made and presentations to be created. When you are not connected at your temporary place, you become a real digital nomad. You drive 30 miles to sit in loud coffee shops with the blender going off every minute inside your brain. You drive 20 miles to sit in a hotel lobby for hours, always trying to locate a strong connection from the lobby lounge, business center or conference center. You move every half an hour because suddenly the lobby lounge Wifi is clogged with people checking their mobile while waiting to check out.
Suddenly the term nomad feels real: you have become a person that tries to fit into a place they don’t belong to. But, before you start to hear the violin playing and try to locate the Kleenex box, the hotel lobby had this view.
Hard to sympathize, I know.
After 3 hours in the unnerving coffee shop and 5+ hours in the hotel lobby, we had to make a decision: Live with this situation for another day or move on to another place where paradise aka strong Internet awaits? We opted to move on, spending hours try to locate new places in Oahu, closing the deal in the afternoon. Done. And then the Internet came back. Stronger than ever.
Now we had two valid contracts. We decided to stay and the new host was kind enough to understand that we wanted to reward the hours of dealing with the cable company by sticking with the original host.
The sky is blue again, the sea inviting, the waves crashing. And we are connected.
uwehook 
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