​RIO DE JANEIRO

Hello, ​Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laid-back beach culture and its annual carnival, and infamously for its violence and crime.

This city knows how to party: samba-fueled nightlife can be found at dozens of live-music places, especially in Lapa, an edgy red-light district.

Women digital nomads should take the same precaution they would in big cities. Avoid taking buses after dark, and keep an eye out for thieves. Take taxis at night to avoid walking along empty streets and beaches.

Avoid Centro at night and on Sundays (shops are closed) - the area becomes deserted then. While Copacabana and Ipanema have a police presence, robberies still occur even in broad daylight.

Avoid going into favelas by yourself or with an unknown guide. Instead, go with the travel agencies that conduct favela tours - these operators have a "safe-conduct pact" with the local drug dealers and will be left alone.

There is an established local startup community and many digital nomads living in Rio. However, digital nomads should be aware of the unstable economy and a fluctuating Reais. Cost of living is also more expensive than other South American cities.

The country as a whole is renowned for its bureaucracy, and it applies to even simple things like long queues at the grocery stores.

The best time to visit Rio is between December and March, when the weather is warm and sunny enough to hit the beaches. Between January and March, daytime temperatures can sometimes surpass 90 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you prefer more moderate conditions, visit during autumn (April and May) or spring (October and November), when temps fall back to the 70s and low 80s during the day and the 60s at night.