Mobile Working Tips from South America

Having spent 4-5 weeks travelling around South America on a motorcycle, whilst trying to keep my business going, I have had some interesting experiences which should be helpful to anyone thinking of doing something similar. My top tips and advice are:

1. Internet Cafes: there are plenty in every town and they are cheap (c.30p for 60 mins). However, the environment is invariably pokey, full of students and the PCs are often in poor condition (eg. keyboards with the letters worn off) and they have no printers, headsets or MS Office. All-in-all, they're okay for doing your Facebook, but they're far from ideal for any real work. These were the last resort for me.
2. Hotel Internet: Most hotels offer free Wi-Fi which works well, and rooms usually have a desk. They offer free guest PC terminals too, although some hotels operate an irritating Access Code system where you get 20 min blocks ... so, you're guaranteed to lose an email. The PCs are usually in good condition. Some have MS Word & Exel and headsets and good hotels provide a printer too. The main issue is availability: One or two isn't enough and it's difficult to get access in busy tourist locations.
3. Internet Speeds: These vary considerably by country and location. Argentina is good-fair; Bolivia and Peru are both fair-poor with no access in remote locations; and Chile is good-excellent, and in some cases was very fast indeed. Expect better equipment and service all round in Chile and Argentina, and generally expect very little of Bolivia, charming as it is ... nothing works in Bolivia.
4. Taking a Laptop: This is the best option if you need frequent access and want to do real work using MS Office or other applications. Using the free hotel Wi-Fi with your own laptop works well, but be extra careful when travelling. Laptops are a target for thieves and they don't fit hotel safes. Road conditions can be very harsh too, so make sure it is well protected - and, if you are on a motorbike, expect a lot of impromptu off-road excursions - a laptop with solid state hard drive might be a good idea for this. For general use, we found the HP NetBook to perform well.
5. Mobile Phones and Broadband: UK quad band mobiles work well and coverage is good except in the most remote locations. Calls to/from the UK can be expensive, and if you use mobile broadband data charges can be astronomical, so check first and keep an eye on your charges (operators like O2 provide bill updates via text which is helpful). If you are intending to use mobile broadband, consider buying a dongle locally as this will be much cheaper, but this might not be practical if you are travelling. 

One final note about my Sony Viao laptop. This stopped working after a week: initially I thought it had died from a couple of heavy shocks on the bike, but I now think it was the altitude. Up to 2,500m (8,000ft) it worked fine, but over 3,000m (9,500ft) the hard drive just clonked, it wouldn't boot-up and the screen developed black splodges. When back at sea level, it worked fine again. How weird is that, I've not heard of this before ... has anyone had a similar experience?

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