Essential Apps for Digital Nomads in Antigua Guatemala
These are the essential apps we tried and loved for Digital Nomads in Antigua Guatemala!
Oh, Antigua, Guatemala! I absolutely loved our visit. We took a few weeks of Spanish lessons, spent loads of time in and around the park, and even spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve there.
It’s my favourite place in not just Guatemala, but all of Central America. I often wish we could go back. Even just to have another chat with my Spanish teacher Luis. Only this time in Spanish. I hope he’ll be proud of me.
Anyway. Back to business. Just imagine having a freshly brewed cup of Guatemalan coffee and your laptop open in front of you, with a backdrop of cobblestone streets and vibrant colonial buildings. That’s Antigua Guatemala for you!
But the life of Digital Nomads is different than the ‘standard’. So what do you need to be successful? Let’s find out!
Why choose Antigua Guatemala
I was pleasantly surprised by Antigua. To be fair I did not know what to expect, but even still. Antigua is a picturesque colonial town close to the capital city.
It’s an ex-capital city, which means there are some amazing buildings to see and visit. The people are friendly, prices are affordable, and there is a huge digital nomad community. To meet people, all you have to do is be open to a conversation and hang out in the central park.
There are also some great things to do in the area, making your days off delightful. And if you’re adventurous, venture up the Acatenango Volcano for a view of the lava spectacle that is Volcan Fuego.
How to get there and get around
Getting to Antigua is fairly straightforward. If you’re not in the country already, the first stop is getting to Guatemala City. It’s possible to pre-book a shuttle service or a taxi to get to Antigua Guatemala for the remainder of the journey. Don’t worry: it’s only about an hour!
I recommend this website for your shuttle.
Antigua Guatemala is quite small, and thus it’s possible to walk just about anywhere. But, there is an abundance of taxis, tuk-tuks, and Uber is also available. This makes it incredibly easy to get around!
Health Insurance
Our number 1 priority at all times is our health. When living the digital nomad life in the picturesque city of Antigua Guatemala, it’s crucial to have reliable health insurance that moves with you.
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance offers the perfect solution, specifically designed to meet the needs of digital nomads. This insurance provides comprehensive coverage including medical expenses and travel interruptions, ensuring you can explore Antigua’s cobblestone streets and culture without worry.
What sets SafetyWing apart is its affordability and flexibility, allowing you to pay monthly and cancel anytime. With SafetyWing’s near-global coverage, you’re not just buying insurance; you’re securing peace of mind, knowing that no matter where your nomadic lifestyle takes you, your health and safety are a priority.
Check out SafetyWing by clicking on the banner below!
The Digital Nomads in Antigua Guatemala Essentials list
Being a digital nomad is not always easy. There are some pros and cons to it. To make your life easier, here’s my list of recommended apps, websites, and products.
Essential Apps and Websites for Digital Nomads
Let’s start with the apps!
Wise
Wise (formerly TransferWise) is a money service provider. It’s used to transfer and receive money, and with their digital and physical card, you can grab cash from an ATM just about anywhere in the world.
We’ve used our Wise card in nearly every country in Latin America, including Guatemala, without any problems or hassle.
Revolut
Revolut offers a similar service to Wise, but depending on your home country, they’re an official bank. This means your money is protected by law. Nobody wants to worry about losing access to their money as a digital nomads in Antigua.
Revolut makes it easy to send and receive payments, and your salary (if you have one) can be paid directly into your Revolut account. Our preference is Revolut, which means it’s our go-to card to use with Apple Pay and payments with the physical card.
PayPal
A very well-known money service provider. PayPal makes online payments as easy as it gets. You can also send and receive money, as a business, or as an individual. Great for digital nomads in Antigua Guatemala.
TravelSpend
This is the app we use to track our spending and I highly recommend it. The free plan was good enough for us, but if you want to use custom categories you’d have to upgrade to premium which comes at just $17 per year.
Track your daily average spending, and spending per category for insights into where your money is going.
SkyScanner
Who doesn’t like saving money, right? SkyScanner is your best bet in finding the lowest prices on flights. It’s easy to use and has a good deal on just about any route.
✈️ Planning a trip? We ALWAYS use SkyScanner for flight ticket deals!
Bus Bud
Another favourite of mine is Bus Bud. It’s the most convenient way of getting your bus tickets. No need to go to a ticket office and use broken Spanish for a ticket. Now, the tickets are a tiny bit more expensive on Bus Bud, but to me, it’s worth it.
Uber
Everybody knows Uber. It’s really easy to use and a favourite of many travellers. While in Antigua everything is close, if you need to venture outside the town for whatever reason and don’t fancy navigating the correct buses, Uber is your friend.
Airalo
An app that provides travel eSIM cards. Incredibly easy to use, and decently priced. Yes, getting a local SIM card is definitely cheaper, so we don’t use them all the time. But especially when crossing a border, having an eSIM ready you can use as soon as you’re in a new country is really useful.
We always get a backup SIM with a small amount of data whenever we venture into a new country. When we crossed from Belize into Guatemala, we had the SIM pre-installed. We weren’t sure where to go at first, so having a small amount of data ready to check the map or translate a sentence in Google Translate can be a lifesaver.
Get your eSIM at Airalo TODAY!
Google Translate
The lifesaver I just mentioned. Sometimes the language barrier is just too big. I speak some Spanish, but not everyone understands what I’m trying to say. And I don’t always understand what is being said. So having an app like Google Translate to help you have conversations is amazing.
You can use the conversation feature to chat, while Google Translate does the talking in the other language. You speak English to the app, which is then translated to Spanish and said out loud to the person. And the other way around.
Airbnb
Nothing better than having your own space. Some people are fine to work from a hostel, but for me, that’s too distracting. We’ve used Airbnb a lot to get apartments for a few weeks at a time to really focus on work.
Booking.com
Our go-to booking platform for hotels and hostels. Easy to use, and usually the cheapest. The Genius benefits and cancellation options are also great if you change your mind at any point.
NordVPN
Quite an important part of working online is safety. If you’re working on a (semi)public network you want to be able to hide your browsing and other internet use from others. That’s where NordVPN comes in!
NordVPN also makes it possible to pretend you’re in your home country. Great when you want to use streaming platforms that are not available at your current location.
WorkFrom
I have to be honest and say we haven’t used this ourselves. But we’ve heard great things!
It’s a platform/database full of remote-work-friendly places like cafes and bars. But also hotel lobbies and even parks are listed.
Trello
An easy-to-use task management system is necessary when working remotely. We use Trello and are very happy with it. It’s free and quick to learn.
When working with others or when meeting people a means of contacting them is quite handy! For the Americans under us, WhatsApp is not widely used.
But all around the world, and especially in Europe, WhatsApp is the go-to messaging app on smartphones. I can’t remember the last time I sent an actual text.
Speedtest
Something worth checking after picking a place to work from is how the internet holds up. I always do a quick check with Speedtest so I know what I’m working with. Pun intended.
It saved us from having trouble with Zoom meetings by checking the speed before setting up. It’s an app for your smartphone but it’s available through your browser as well through this link.
Final Thoughts – Digital Nomads in Antigua Guatemala
Living like a digital nomad is amazing. But since it’s so different to the usual, it has some different perks. You need more research and implement different ways of working.
None of that is a problem with the correct apps and the right health insurance. No need to worry, since you’ve got all matters in your own hands.
Enjoy Antigua!
