I am fortunate enough to spend chunks of each year as a digital nomad, for example, working for a client in country A while actually being located in countries X, Y, and Z.
This post will serve as a sort of diary and a reminder for my later years of these fun times. I hope it will also bring some vicarious pleasure, fond memories, and ideas for the future to anybody who chooses to read it.
Day 1 – 29 August 2025
This morning, I packed my rucksack with lots of running stuff, some work clothes and my computer (along with a big collection of cables and plugs) and took a taxi to Nottingham station. The train to London takes just under 2 hours, and I managed to get about an hour of work done. The next stop was St Pancras, where I enjoyed a chicken katsu Curry in a Japanese restaurant and bought a few things for the train
Then it was time to go through to the Eurostar lounge. The entire passport and security process for Eurostar is significantly easier than going through airports. And from there onto the train for Paris.
The journey to Paris was very smooth and took about 3.5 hours (which makes the journey to London look very slow). I probably worked for about 90 minutes, and snoozed a fair bit of the rest.
Arriving by train at Gare du Nord is always a marvellous assault on the senses. One leaves the calm of the train, walks a few paces, and suddenly, you are in the most amazing hustle and bustle. The sounds, sights, and smells always give me a lift. I think it is so much more authentic than transactional London, and way more glamorous than dear old Nottingham.
I needed to catch two metro trains to get to my Airbnb in Montreuil (about 8km / 5 miles East of the centre of Paris), lines 5 and 9. But, before I could do that, I had to sort out the travel app for my phone. In the past, I used to buy 10 tickets and use them until I needed more. However, the paper tickets are no longer available, so I installed the app and loaded it with tickets.
I took the metro to the last stop, Maried de Montreuil, the building in the back left of the picture, with the French flags. Now I am in real France 🙂 This will be my base for the next 12 days, before I head to Milan.
After checking into my apartment, I went to the local supermarket and bought the first key things I needed for the kitchen.
Day 2 – 30 August 2025
Today is a Saturday, and when I am in Paris on a Saturday or Monday, I try to make sure I run with Let’s Run Paris (LRP). LRP are a great bunch of people and caters for runners with a wide range of paces.
On Saturday, they meet at 9 am at Le Gay Russac cafe, near the Luxembourg Gardens – which to my UK body clock felt like an 8 am meet.
So, I set my alarm for 6:30 am, had a cup of coffee and set out for Le Gay Russac. I decided to take the metro to Place de la République and then jog the 3 km to the meeting place. I was rewarded with blue skies and great views of Paris.
I got to Le Gay Russac in time to buy a bottle of water for the run from a story and to enjoy a pre-run coffee and croissant at the cafe.
Today, there were groups for 5 mins, 5.5 mins, 6 mins, and 7 mins per km. I knew that the route would be about 18km, so I chose to run with the 6 km group, led by Alain.
The route was new to me, and I think it was relatively new to LRP. We headed North, passing the Notre Dame, the beach by the Seine, and the Louvre, before reaching our turning point at The Parc Clichy-Batignolles – Martin Luther King. On the way back, I had to break ranks to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower (adding it to the 100s I already have.)
The run finished in the Luxembourg Gardens, and I had the chance to take a photo with some of the other runners.
At Le Gay Lussac I enjoyed a tartine avec beurre et confiture and a larger coffee.
After chatting with other runners for a while, I jogged back to Place Republique and took the metro back to my apartment.
The life of a digital nomad is not all running, chatting and eating. After a shower, I settled down to a few hours’ work, only broken by going out to buy some food for supper. I had a meeting with Will to discuss ResearchWiseAI, edited a video, wrote a blog, and prepared for a training course I am running on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.