How I found a remote Job in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 3 Days

This is the story of how I randomly found a remote job in Chiang Mai within three days of arriving, with no intention of getting a job anywhere.

Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in northern Thailand, filled with some of the largest local markets, the most amazing food, and Thailand’s most iconic attractions. It is also amazing for a tight budget traveler like myself. I went to the north with the intention of thorough exploration, and I left with a job.

I arrived in Northern Thailand with zero intention of finding a job. Just my backpack and an open mind. I had recently quit my job and intended to travel Southeast Asia for a year, living off my savings. However, within three days, through a surprising chain of events, I had somehow landed a remote coordination job with a company based in the United States.

This story is one of my favorite travel tales, not because I was looking for work, but because it perfectly captures how unpredictable and exciting life on the road can be. It’s a result of my endless curiosity, a habit of striking up conversations with just about anyone, and a tendency to say “yes” to almost everything that sounds remotely adventurous.

So, this is the full story of how it all happened: the chance encounters, the unexpected opportunities, and how a Canadian traveler with no plan ended up with a remote job she didn’t know she was looking for.

How I found a remote job in Chiang Mai

It was my first day in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. I had spent a month down south, exploring all the islands and getting used to life on the beach in the south. I’d also just parted ways with a close-knit group of travel friends I’d met during my early days in the country, so for the first time in weeks, I found myself completely alone again.

I was pretty sad for being alone again, after so much shared adventure, and being alone again hit harder than I expected. But, I was determined not to let that shade my opinion of a new place, especially one that is so highly talked about like Chiang Mai.

I checked into my hostel (called Family Home) just outside the main square of the old Chiang Mai city. Since it was the middle of the day, most people were already out exploring, and I didn’t have any luck meeting anyone right away.

Instead of waiting around, I decided to do what I do best: I walked. With a bottle of water in hand and no real plan, I set off to wander, spending the next four or five hours strolling through every street in and around the old city.

The Temple of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Thailand

I started my walk just outside the South Gate, following the moat along the east side of the Old City and eventually making my way up to the North Gate. I wanted to see all the temples in town, so I was making my way over to the west when I was stopped on the street by a local and asked if I knew where I was.

Apparently, I looked lost. I definitely looked like a tourist. But more importantly, he was the first person I’d spoken to in over 24 hours (which is far too long for someone like me who thrives on human interaction). So I put some of my conversation starters to use and welcomed the chat.

We got to talking about travel, my first impressions of Chiang Mai and the conversation eventually somehow lead to gymnastics. Turns out this man was an acro gymnastics instructor and was looking for people to join his class. This was when I realized I was pulled into a brilliant sales pitch for gymnastics classes.

With me being raised on Yes Theory, new to the city and having nothing planned for the remainder of the day, I thought: why not? Just like that, I agreed to join a gymnastics class led by a complete stranger I met on the street.

That class turned out to be the beginning of a travel journey I never saw coming.

A photo of my being thrown in the air in the Thailand gymnastics class. — I actually did some gymnastics too! This is an acro yoga jump.

I was a gymnast when I was younger, so I was excited to break back into the field of acro and see what skills I still had. The class I joined was a small group consisting of me and one other woman learning the basics of duo acro.

Luckily, with small groups we get to talking a lot. Over our chats of acro and travel, we got to the topic of work.

It turns out that the only other girl in the random acro class I signed up for because of a random man in the middle of the street was a professional blogger, and she was going to a blogging SEO meetup that night.

My traveling side project

Not long before leaving for my long trip, I realized I wanted something creative and purposeful to work on to fill up my downtime while traveling. I decided to start a blog (this blog), not only to document my adventures, but also to learn a while list of online skills I had always been curious about.

It was the beginning of my blogging journey, and at the time, I was still figuring out the basics: setting up a website, choosing a name, and trying to understand what SEO even stood for (search engine optimization).

I had zero experience with search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, or the behind-the-scenes work of running a blog. I just knew I wanted to share my experiences and maybe learn something useful along the way. So when the woman from the acro class mentioned she was going to a digital marketing meetup that evening, I was instantly intrigued.

The SEO meetup in Chiang Mai

We grabbed dinner after class, and she invited both me and the instructor to tag along to the event. That one spontaneous “yes” ended up being a major turning point in my journey.

Never before have I been so out of place. I showed up to the meetup straight from the acro class: still sweaty, in my workout clothes, and completely unaware of what an SEO specialist actually does for a living.

Pro tip: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s all about improving a website’s visibility on Google so more people find it. Basically, it’s the behind-the-scenes magic that helps blogs and businesses grow online.

The meetup turned out to be a gathering of seasoned SEO professionals. They were digital nomads who had built multiple successful blogs, traveled full-time, and seemed to have connections all over the world. Then… there was me. Clueless, overwhelmed, and trying to figure out what I’d just walked into.

Their conversations were loaded with jargon I’d never heard before, filled with inside jokes about ranking algorithms and keyword strategies. It honestly felt like they were speaking an entirely different language. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t know how to join in or connect.

I’m the kind of person who loves to talk, and I normally don’t have too much trouble talking to strangers despite language barriers, in this bar, I was left speechless with no idea how to connect with these people.

The turn of events

Finally, my saving grace. Someone from the crowd came to talk to me. I will forever be grateful to this person because, despite their opportunity to connect and mingle with people from their field, they decided to talk to the person who looked physically scared and had no business being at this meetup.

This person started asking me questions about what I do, why I was there and my intentions for showing up. All of a sudden I had an in, I started talking about my career before I started traveling. My personal goals with my new blog and my desire for a new project while on the road. I talked to this person about what they do and how they like it.

Through all of this, it wasn’t this stranger who offered me a job.

About 30 minutes into my conversation with this new friend, a man tapped me on the shoulder. He said “I overheard you talking about what you used to do, and that you want to learn SEO. Im hiring for a position like that right now and am looking for someone immediately, would you like to interview tomorrow?”

And to continue my travel trend of “I have nothing else to do” I said yes.

The interview prep

After all of this, I finally went back to my hostel room, where I was met with more new faces, all eager to make friends (as is the hostel environment). I was flabbergasted by the random chain of events that occurred over the day, and I told all these new faces about it. From there, this sweet group of new bunkmates helped me prepare for a job interview in a field I knew nothing about. They hyped me up, a stranger to them, and encouraged me to go all in.

The next day, I went to a coffee shop for an interview with this person who tapped me on the shoulder, and I walked away with a job starting the following day.

The celebration

I celebrated with all my hostel friends after that. It was heartwarming that a group of people I met the day before cheered me on and even celebrated with me. They had no reason to help other than to encourage a stranger to be motivated, and that moved me. It’s part of why I love hostels.

Its crazy to think about how I met one stranger by accident while walking down the busy streets of Chiang Mai, who lead me to another, who then took me to a meet up with more people, where someone overheard me talking to another stranger that lead to a new remote position in the United States while I was traveling Thailand. The butterfly effect is wild sometimes.

Why Chiang Mai is a great place for remote work

Chiang Mai is a small city in the mountains of Northern Thailand. It’s relaxing, has affordable prices, and a welcoming local community. Over the years, it has grown from a backpacker favorite into a long-term expat and remote worker hot spot.

The city is a popular spot, meaning it is filled with cute cafes and coworking spaces, but it also has beautiful buddhist temples all surrounded by mountains. At the same time, it has all the modern conveniences, like fast Wi-Fi, reliable infrastructure, and even large shopping malls if you ever miss a bit of urban life.

Chiang Mai has earned a title as one of the world’s top digital nomad hubs, and is sometimes even called the SEO capital of the world thanks to the high concentration of online entrepreneurs, bloggers, and digital marketers who live and work here (something I only discovered after attending the local meetup).

Beyond the work-friendly vibe, Chiang Mai is a great location to settle, with easy access to Pai, Chiang Rai and Ban Rak Thai – which are the other beautiful cities in the north!

The mountains around the old town are filled with hiking, and elephant sanctuaries along with a lot of fun activities surrounding the area. So, the city’s affordable cost, local communities, and abundance of cool activities in the area make it one of the best places to work remotely.

Best times to work in Chiang Mai

If you’re thinking about working remotely from Chiang Mai, the best time to go is between November and February. The weather’s cooler, the skies are clear, and the city is buzzing with other digital nomads who are there to work, explore, and connect.

A lot of people actually plan to spend half a year in Chiang Mai during this sweet spot.

Avoid the burning season (around February to April), when the air gets pretty bad from all the crop burning in the region.

The rainy season (June to October) isn’t terrible, but the daily downpours can throw off your routine a bit. So if you’re looking for that perfect balance of productivity and community, aim for the cool, dry season.

Meet-ups in Chiang Mai

I would not have been able to have this wild experience without joining one of the many (I mean VERY many) meetups and communities in Chiang Mai. I found most of these through Facebook groups and word of mouth from other nomads in the areas. I have collected a list of the ones I was a part of in my short time there:

Digital nomad & entrepreneur meetups

Chiang Mai Digital Nomads: A central hub for online business owners, freelancers, and remote workers to connect, support each other, and plan events.
Digital Nomad Coffee Club – Chiang Mai: Weekly coffee meetups featuring guest speakers, live Q&As, and networking opportunities.

SEO & online marketing communities

Chiang Mai SEO Community: A group for SEO professionals to organize, share, and congregate together.
Chiang Mai SEO Meetup: A virtual SEO meetup group with over 3,000 members, holding monthly events discussing the latest in SEO and online marketing.

Adventure & social groups

AcroYoga Chiang Mai: A community for AcroYoga and partner acrobatics enthusiasts, organizing regular meetups and classes.
Yes Theory Fam: A global community inspired by the Yes Theory movement, encouraging members to seek discomfort and connect with like-minded individuals.

Working spaces in Chiang Mai

Considering Chiang Mai has such a high concentration of remote workers, it has an abundance of open spaces devoted to working and the digital nomad community.

Co-working locations

Considering Chiang Mai is a digital nomad hotspot, it has a good collection of great coworking spaces with fast internet speeds.

Yellow Coworking Space: Located in the Nimman area, it has high-speed internet, meeting rooms, and a community-focused atmosphere.
StarWork Chiang Mai: Located near Central Festival, it has a cozy environment with 24/7 access and a bunch of meeting spaces.
Hub53 Coworking and Co-living Space: Close to Maya mall, it is a coworking and coliving, with private Skype rooms, massage chairs, and a shared kitchen.
Punspace: This was my favourite place for remote worker. It has two locations, both with 24/7 access, various membership options, and a welcoming community.
One Workspace: Located in Chang Phueak, it is spacious and has flexible membership plans.
CAMP Creative: Located on the top floor of Maya Shopping Center with free access between 11:00 am and 10:00 pm. Also comes with good access to the malls food court.

Working in coffee shops

The café scene is a great option for lower prices and casual work.

Cool Muang Coffee: A quiet spot in the old town, good for concentration.
Akha Ama: Located in the Old City, and is known for its ethical local beans and stable Wi-Fi.
The Barn Eatery And Design: Offers strong Wi-Fi and a spacious area.
Fellowship Cafe & Co-Working: Located in the Tha Sala area, it’s a great spot combining café vibes with coworking facilities.
The Story 106 Co-Working Space &Café: Located just outside the old town, has a big upstairs area devoted to co-working
The Xym Café – A cute cafe outside of the old city with a big area devoted to working.

My tips for finding your own wild travel stories

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while traveling, it’s that the best experiences usually come from the most unexpected moments. My biggest tip? Be spontaneous.

Say yes to the weird invites, the last-minute plans, and the random conversations; you truly never know what (or who) one moment could lead to. Try not to let shyness steer you away, either. I know that’s hard to do, but most travelers are open to chatting, and a simple “Where are you from?” can be one of the best ways to start a conversation.

I even like to keep a few go-to conversation starters on hand to break the ice when I’m feeling unsure. Staying open and curious is the secret to unlocking those once-in-a-lifetime stories that you’ll be telling for years to come.

Thailand accommodation

Thailand is pretty toured toward tourists, so there are a variety of booking options for finding places to stay.

For those traveling on a budget, hostel world has a lot of amazing options of hostels to choose from. You can read all the reviews and determine what vibe is best for you.

For the mix of budget and casual travelers, I found booking.com had a great mix of shared places, private accommodations, hotels, and homes for rent at amazing prices.

Travelers looking for upper-scale spots should take a look at Agoda or Expedia to find good accommodations anywhere.

If you aren’t a fan of buying physical SIM cards when traveling, I use Airlo for quick and cheap eSIMs.

How I found a remote Job in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 3 Days

This is the story of how I randomly found a remote job in Chiang Mai within three days of arriving, with no intention of getting a job anywhere.