Working remotely from the pristine lands of Himachal is not always a smooth-sailing. With remote working currently in trend, I am addressing the problems faced by travelers working remotely from Himachal in this blog.
Having worked remotely from rustic villages, pristine valleys, popular places of Himachal, I am curating this list so that my fellow travelers are aware of the issues while working from home in Himachal. I hope you find value.
Problems Faced By Travelers Working Remotely From Himachal
Remote working amidst pretty vistas of Himachal has gained popularity in recent times due to the pandemic. Uninterrupted power supply and internet connect is the key to hassle free remote work.
Although both have improved drastically in the recent times be it in main touristy resorts or lesser frequented inner valleys. Nevertheless, there will be a few remote working issues in Himachal.
Out of my experience working remotely from all over Himachal, here are a few challenges that you might face while working remotely in Himachal. By the way, here are 13 awesome places to work remotely from Himachal.
Intermittent Electricity In Himachal Can Be A Problem
Having an uninterrupted power supply is essential for a hassle free remote work. Unlike cities, disruptions in power supply are quite common in Himachal.
The problem only aggravates in the remote areas. Although major town of Himachal like Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, Reckong Peo face fewer disruptions. But they are not uncommon as I mentioned earlier.
Bad weather is one of the main reasons of such power disruptions. Like if it snows too much on a certain days during winter months, It is almost certain that there will issues with electricity for at least a couple of days.
Although a lot of hostels have power back up these days. But homestays and guesthouses usually don’t. Plus the generator cannot work forever. And it is only good enough to charge devices and light up small tube lights or bulbs.
So keep all these things in mind especially if you are going to remote villages and staying in homestays or are going to rent out a home in Himachal.
No Wifi In Lesser Frequented Homestays And Properties In Himachal
Except for hostels and hotels in tourist hotspots and popular places, properties in Himachal usually do not offer WIFI. Of course, mobile networks do provide decent internet speeds. But they are not as stable as WIFI would be.
So if you have a need for a super-fast internet connect, make sure you select your place of stay keeping that in mind.
Although for most of us, the normal mobile internet from Jio/ Airtel should work just fine. But the speeds might fluctuate. With that being said, I personally am able to work just fine with the mobile internet even from the remotest of villages in Himachal.
Use USB-tethering instead of mobile hotspot for a more stable internet. I have personally tried and it works better than mobile hotspot. By the way, here is a detailed blog on the internet connectivity and mobile network in Jibhi.
Not Every Property In Himachal has Power Backup
Even though the number of hostels, guesthouses with power backup are increasing, but not every property in Himachal has power backup.
With workcations becoming a norm these days, a lot of properties especially hostels in popular tourist resorts like Kasol, Manali, Jibhi, Bir, Mcleodganj now have power back up. But that’s about it.
If you are working remotely from homestays in rural setting or not so popular places, chances are that they will not have generators.
Power disruptions are quite common in rural villages and inner valleys. Again it is manageable most of the times And usually the power is back before battery of your devices run out.
IT related Accessories And Logistics Are Hard To Get In Himachal
Unless you are working remotely from a big towns of Himachal like Kullu or Shimla. Logistics will be hard to procure in the remote valleys of Himachal.
Lets say, your laptop has some issues or you need a laptop charger since your current one stopped working. Getting a laptop repaired or even getting a charger is a hassle.
Firstly if you are in the inner valleys or rural areas, you would need to get to the main towns of Himachal. They could really be hours away from where you. Once you get to the main town good luck getting your issues resolved quickly.
For instance while working remotely in Kullu valley, I started having charging issues with my laptop. It took me around 4-5 days to get a new type C charger for my laptop. And it did not even solve the problem.
Now imagine such a scenario in inner valleys of Kullu district like Sainj.
Dorms, Common rooms, Cafes will have a lot of Disturbances
If you like working in a peaceful environment working out of dorms or common rooms might not be a good idea. As a budget traveler or solo traveler, you might opt for a dorm in a hostel.
But working out of dorm or common rooms could sometimes be hassle. There can a lot of disturbances as you are sharing space with other travelers and remote workers as well.
The same goes with the common rooms of hostels or even cafes. There is a always hustle and bustle and a lot of noise.
So keep this in mind before deciding to work remotely from hostels or cafes. Homestays or guesthouses can be a better option. If you have your own house rented in Himachal, nothing like it.
If you are looking to becoming a digital nomad living in Himachal, Here is the super useful guide for you.
Mobile Internet Speed May Fluctuate in Himachal
Since not every property has WIFI in Himachal, you will end up using your mobile internet. And let me tell you that internet speed is not always stable.
Quite often the internet speed fluctuates a lot. Even with these fluctuations it is quite manageable unless you require very high speed and stable internet connection.
I personally have been able to work just fine even from the remotest of villages. Collaboration apps like Teams work fine for conference calls even with mobile internet.
I personally feel the Airtel works quite better than Jio. By the way, here is a detailed blog on which network is best for himachal.
To conclude, I hope that you now know the challenges that you might face while remotely from Himachal.
In case you have any queries relating to problems faced by travelers working remotely from Himachal, drop them in the comments below. I’ll be glad to answer them.