As an established member of the silly little laptop job brigade, I am no stranger to working in the occasional coffee shop or cafe. However, I also realize it is vital that you judge the vibe correctly before you go ham logging into your email and staring at spreadsheets. If the place is giving a. obvious chain, slightly cold and corporate, a Starbucks kind of vibe or b. run by a chipper Australian expat whose interests could plausibly include things like ‘energy work’ and Bitcoin, you’re good to go. Anything else? You are probably bringing the mood down and you should take it back to the dingy desk in your bedroom. 

Not everybody agrees with me on this, as one mildly controversial Twitter thread has established. When one remote worker complained of European cafes being hostile to people working in them, he prompted a range of opinions on the matter. Perhaps that coworking space is worth the investment, after all.