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The Travelling Designer

8 years ago from , Designer & Developer of stuff for people

In May I will be making my first trip to California (and the US, in fact), from London. I'll be there for 5 weeks and plan on doing the whole coast, and Yosemite National Park.

It will be a mix of work and pleasure, as I'll have my MacBook with me.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for travelling and working, and also any places a UX designer should visit whilst in California!?

10 comments

  • Marcus H, 8 years ago

    No advice, but I hope you have fun on the trip.

    I want to do something similar but instead drive across America. As I only have less than a year under my belt as a designer I don't have enough clients/work to even think about doing such a thing.

    It's a dream I plan to follow through on though, sooner rather than later.

    Good luck.

    5 points
  • Bruno MarinhoBruno Marinho, 8 years ago

    Make sure you rent a car and drive around Big Sur route.

    2 points
  • Mike Wilson, 8 years ago

    Places for a UX designer specifically?

    Maybe the beach? The feel of the sand between your toes and the sun on your skin is a beautiful UX :D

    2 points
  • Mike BrandMike Brand, 8 years ago

    http://designerfund.com/bridge/what-places-should-designers-visit-in-san-francisco/

    If you're heading to SF this has some good options

    1 point
  • Artiom DashinskyArtiom Dashinsky, 8 years ago

    I started to be nomad designer last year, since then lived in Lisbon and Bucharest, now came back to Tel Aviv for 2 weeks before I move to Paris on Sunday.

    My advice is - if you want to make a dedicated working-day you can find a local coworking space (for example here https://www.sharedesk.net/), and ask for a trial-day. Most of them are run by nice people, so even if they don't have such a thing, most probably they will let you sit for a couple of hours for free.

    Have fun in California! :)

    1 point
  • Denis MoulinDenis Moulin, 8 years ago

    Tip if you plan staying in SF and work there:

    Parnassus UCSF Library, one of the best place I found working at. Silent + Private box + No Designers around...

    Enjoy California.

    1 point
  • Thomas RawcliffeThomas Rawcliffe, 8 years ago

    Sounds like SF is the place to be! I have no set times, just going to stay as long as it takes my fancy. However I have a feeling I'll be there for longer than I thought!

    0 points
  • Pawel LudwiczakPawel Ludwiczak, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

    I was in SF for few weeks. Quite crucial for me, as a designer, was to find a nice place to focus on work time to time. Like cafe, or coworking area, or something like that. Three things you need as a travelling designer: - mouse - there's nothing worse than working on designs on your trackpad. I use Magic Mouse - maybe not the best choise but works perfect for me. - charger for your macbook - seems obvious but i forgot it many times. - headset - it's good to create your comfort zone when sitting in cafe or other public places. I use Bose QuietComfort 15 which reduces noises around you - I simply love them.

    If you gonna stay in SF a little bit longer, i can highly recommend you Workshop Cafe http://www.workshopcafe.com/ - very nice place.

    PRO TIP: even if you tell yourself "i will work at least 1h a day" or "i will work at lease 2 days a week", you will realize it doesn't work like that. So having macbook with you doesn't actually mean you gonna work there ;)

    But good luck and have a lovely trip!

    0 points