Digital nomad Cameron Impastato impressions of his stay in Montenegro

Cameron Impastato works as an operations consultant and  small businesses with their logistics, customer service, and CRM development. He visits different countries as a digital nomad, and one of his destinations this year was Montenegro. He was in Herceg Novi and share his first impressions for the Montenegro Digital Nomads & Remote Workers Facebook group.

Herceg Novi is now in my top three nomad destinations as it is quietly growing a remote working scene. Cafes usually provide the wi-fi password on the receipt shortly after ordering. The best one had a speed of 52Mbps Down | 5Mbps Up and an outstanding view. The 30 day tourist SIM card costs €15 for 500GB of 4G. It doesn't matter which company you choose.

The cowork in Herceg Novi has a dedicated fiber with the fastest internet in town at 200 Mbps Down | 33Mbps Up. The owners, a Scottish expat couple, are a joy to make friends with. Thanks to them lunches are a daily occurrence and the cowork has an uplifting vibe. The town is filled with tourists from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. All the remote workers I met spoke perfect English and were happy to engage in conversation.

Already a cultural hotspot for Montenegro, Herceg Novi is full of events. This might be the only place you'll see a catwalk on top of a fort that overlooks a bay. The ambience is where it really stands out. The cafes and houses climb the mountain side and protrude from a lush Mediterranean jungle. Thanks to each one being built a little higher than the last, they end up creating a cinematic view.

Living 1 Month in Montenegro on $1,376

Herceg Novi is best described as wildly beautiful. The greenery explodes from the hillside coming out from anywhere that isn't covered by a house, cafe, or road. Everything is built up the hillside making for a workout to get anywhere in town. This also means nearly every rooftop has a cinematic view of the bay. Restaurants sheltered within the town feel homey and well lived in. Prices for food are low in comparison to other affordable destinations such as Croatia or southern Italy.

Having booked a place unseen during high season I had one of my worst first weeks I've ever had. Sleeping in a cowork wasn't too bad since it had A/C, the best wi-fi in town, and only cost $100 for the month. Doing that for two nights is two nights too many. Unfortunately, that's how long it took Airbnb to move me to a new place. Which was worse than the last but cost the same at $700 a month. On the positive side, it was in a better location and had the best view in town.

Westerners recognize the country for its cruise port of Kotor or its party town of Budva. This leaves Herceg Novi for those in the know. Most tourists come from Eastern Europe or the surrounding Balkans having always known Herceg Novi to be the better place to live. Amongst locals was a good mix of stone faces and smiling faces. Most were older and knew only basic English, but the cowork made up for the social aspect. 

I'm thankful to have visited Herceg Novi and met the folks that I did. It wasn't until the last week that I started to understand it. Up until then, it was such a clash of cultures and geography I couldn't wrap my head around it. A mix of Italian and Eastern European cultures in a Mediterranean version of Switzerland just doesn't sound real. But it is, and it's a country known as Montenegro.

Spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/.../1bl4fOvlym5OFJ_uvIYw.../edit...

Map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit...

During high season accommodation is overpriced and the quality does not match. Even my luck of finding affordable, quality Airbnbs didn't work out. Montenegro is a bit wild with almost no western influence leading to it being called the hidden gem of Europe. It ensures those that find it are of similar mind. Adventurers that seek out novelty despite uncertainty.We wish him many successful new trips and we hope that he will returns to Montenegro again

You can also see video impressions from Montenegro and other destinations of Cameron Impastato on his YouTube channel...

Text Review by: Cameron Impastato

Cover photo: Youtube 

Herceg Novi is best described as wildly beautiful. The greenery explodes from the hillside coming out from anywhere that isn't covered by a house, cafe, or road. Everything is built up the hillside making for a workout to get anywhere in town. This also means nearly every rooftop has a cinematic view of the bay. Restaurants sheltered within the town feel homey and well lived in. Prices for food are low in comparison to other affordable destinations such as Croatia or southern Italy.

Westerners recognize the country for its cruise port of Kotor or its party town of Budva. This leaves Herceg Novi for those in the know. Most tourists come from Eastern Europe or the surrounding Balkans having always known Herceg Novi to be the better place to live. Amongst locals was a good mix of stone faces and smiling faces. Most were older and knew only basic English, but the cowork made up for the social aspect.

I'm thankful to have visited Herceg Novi and met the folks that I did. It wasn't until the last week that I started to understand it. Up until then, it was such a clash of cultures and geography I couldn't wrap my head around it. A mix of Italian and Eastern European cultures in a Mediterranean version of Switzerland just doesn't sound real. But it is, and it's a country known as Montenegro. 

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