Himachal Workation Summary

First of all, Happy diwali 2021. March 2020 changed a lot of things in the world. We got accustomed to things which we never imagined in the past. There were negatives and positives out of this situation as well like any other situation. But we’ll focus more on the positive aspect of the pandemic.

The biggest positive I see out of this pandemic is remote working. In the US, the remote working concept was always there and people were used to doing remote work which helped them save a lot of commute time and energy. In India, especially in the Tier II cities like Ahmedabad, remote working was far away from reality. There were a handful of companies which provided remote working but the rest of the bunch was reluctant to allow remote working. Pandemic in a way forced these companies to go out of their comfort zone to adapt to remote working. In addition to remote working, companies worldwide have understood that this is an open world and they can technically hire talent from any part of the globe which is amazing especially for developing nations.

Remote working allowed travel enthusiasts to work from anywhere. So the workation dream actually became a reality after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, it seemed a little far from reality. I still remember reading a lot about digital nomads or remote workers who are travelling and keep dreaming about living that life. Finally in June 2021, one of my friends convinced me to travel to Himachal for a workation. At that time, I had no clue what to expect out of such a trip. Historically i have travelled for 2-3 weeks but on a holiday and I never have tried working for an extended period of time from a travel destination.

Fast forward that day to today, I travelled to Himachal on 27th June 2021 with a one way ticket. Expecting it to last this trip no more than 3 weeks, I ended up planning a Goa trip in between. So except for 2 weeks (Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Goa, Gokarna, Dandeli), I spent almost 4 months in Himachal and this post is going to provide a quick summary around the places I stayed with their pros and cons according to me.

Upper Dharamot

Upper dharamkot was the first place that I visited on this trip. You will come across many individuals at this place who came here once and never ever returned back. This place is very homely and people make it very very special. I stayed at the Zostel but there are many options available. If you prefer a hostel like environment then there are many options as well as there are homestay options if you want to stay longer on a budget. Since this is the starting point for the triund trek, it is recommended to book in advance. Fortunately I went just after the 2nd wave of Covid in India so most of the people were there to work remotely and there was a negligible touristy crowd.

I have spent more than a month at this place. So i highly recomment this place for working or in general long stay.

Pros

• Amazing people
• Lots of activities going around (Music, Yoga, Reiki, traks, hikes etc)
• High speed internet (WiFi)
• Very close to touristy mcleodganj
• Lot of accommodation options
• Flight connectivity to dharamshala (Approx 1 hour from zostel)

Cons

• There is no network, so can not rely on 4G for working
• In monsoon, there can be power issues (Zostel has 3 hour power backup)

Bir

Bir is one of the most popular destinations for paragliding in India. So billing is the take off site while bir is the landing site. You may come across many tourists on the weekends as it is very well connected by road. Bir has one of the finest sunsets in the region. Bir also offers some great cafes with a wonderful view. I have spent 3 weeks in Bir staying at Zostel and The Trippy Tribe. Zostel in Bir itself is a tourist attraction. It is one of the finest hostel properties in India. So make sure to visit other hostels before Bir else bir sets really high standards for hostel life.

Pros

• Amazing sunsets
• Good and reliable 4G
• High speed internet (WiFi)

Cons

• Getting booking is difficult for long stay
• Zostel is very isolated, so need to walk a lot to get to the landing site

Jibhi/Shoja

I have not lived a lot here. In Jibhi, my friends stayed at Dolly guest house. In shoja, I stayed at hosteller. Both the places are nice but I have not stayed here for an extended period of time. But people are working from both the places and there are plenty of options to roam around this area. Wifi seems to be a little unreliable but 4G seems to be working fine. Since I have not lived here for an extended period of time, I am skipping pros and cons for this place.

Manali

This is the most crowded place I have visited in Himachal. Plus this is the worst zostel (Old Manali) I have been to. The hosts are rude and very biased towards the long stay guests. So I highly encourage people to select other accommodation options. There is a zostel home in Burwa which is also a nice property. I stayed at Burwa for a day only. It is a little polished hostel but a good place to stay as compared to old manali zostel.

Pros

• Plenty of food options
• Amazing connectivity (Good place to start or end a trip)
• High speed internet (WiFi)
• Many places to visit

Cons

• Too crowded
• Over priced

Naggar

Naggar is a gem according to me and one of my favorite places. I stayed at Naggar for more than a month at a homestay. The hosts were nice and friendly. Naggar is not very commerical place. So if you are looking for a peaceful place then this is the one. After staying in different hostels, I felt like taking some time off hostels. So at Naggar, me and my friends took a homesaty for an extended period of time. The homestay had a kitchen so it was easier for us to at least make basics like tea, maggi, poha etc. Naggar is very quiet and has amazing views. Naggar has hostels as well and it is also close to Manali which makes it very easily accessible.

Pros

• Very secluded place
• Nice homestays and hostels
• Food and groceries very easily available
• Close to Manali
• Lots of activities around the town
• Stable power and Wifi (Best as compared to all other places)
• Food home delivery and discounts for long stays

Cons

• Not so powerful 4G