Remote Roundup: Bangkok & Oaxaca, Remote Career Trends, Missing Out at Home, Practical Holiday Gift Guide (November 2025)

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

Caitlin describes getting pooped on by a stranger on a plane and then detained at Paris airport over passport issues.

Caitlin and Janessa record Remote Roundup from 13 time zones apart, their fourth scheduling attempt, with Caitlin in Bangkok and Janessa in Oaxaca. Caitlin booked her Bangkok flight last minute for under $600 by routing through Istanbul but switching airports mid-layover, a process she warns requires at minimum a six-hour layover due to the distance between Istanbul's airports and the lack of connecting transit between them. She describes Bangkok as a massive city well-suited to long-term remote work stays: Grab scooter rides cost at most $4 for a 45-minute journey, Thai food is available at Terminal 21's food court for $2 to $10 per meal, and the wellness culture includes sub-$10 hour-long massages at roughly 300 baht. She mentions a capybara and meerkat cafe alongside standard dog and cat cafes. Bangkok's mall culture, with destinations like Icon Siam, is described as unlike anything in the West. Caitlin notes that Thailand is also particularly easy for travelers with food intolerances due to the range of naturally accommodating dishes. She highlights low-cost beauty and wellness procedures, yoga, Muay Thai, and night markets as additional draws. Janessa covers Oaxaca, praising its affordability relative to Mexico City and its growing status as a slow-travel destination for digital nomads. She focuses on local food culture including tlayudas, mole, and mezcal, the strong arts scene, and the presence of a well-established expat community that hosts regular events and coworking meetups. The episode also covers remote work career trends, picks for a listener holiday wishlist, and the story of Caitlin being briefly detained at the Paris airport, which is saved for later in the episode as a tease.

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