If you own or run an internet business, you know how important it is to have good internet.

In fact, this may be holding you back from wanting to go explore the road. And truth is, that’s a pretty valid fear.

Unreliable internet is the last thing anyone with an online business wants.

But believe it or not, there’s a chunk of that fear that’s just in your head.

Tomorrow, you can actually be packing your bags and dropping everything to go chase wild zebras in Africa (while getting chased by lions).

Why I decided to write this

Over the last couple of years from over 35+ countries, I tested my ability to work on an internet business from anywhere in the world.

What I discovered was that there’s definitely alot of places where the internet sucks.

But there were certain plans that also totally surprised me.

So I guess I’m writing this as a shortcut guide for the entrepreneur who wants to experiment with world travel, but wants to ensure where he/she ends up in won’t result in thumb twiddling on a 28.8k dial up modem.

Anyway let’s get to it.

10 countries you will be able to reliably run your internet business:

1. Sweden (highest speed clocked: 19.5 Mb/s, living costs ~$6000 a month)

Expensive booze by the bottle and beautiful blondes that look like super models working in MacDonalds… yes, it’s all true.

There are few countries that provide internet with the kind of consistency and speed like Sweden.

Household broadband mainly operates via cable and ADSL with speeds varying from 128 kbit/s to 100 Mbit/sec. Internet is also very reliable, as I clocked 15 Mb/s with minimal lags on  connection, and had pretty much zero downtime.

If stability and speed with your internet is important and your pockets run deep, Sweden is a good choice.

Do note: you can spend as much as $500 a day, depending on how you eat (and how you drink). The upside is that Sweden is the cheapest of all the Scandanavian countries.

2. Portugal (highest speed clocked 5.3 Mb/s, living costs ~$2500 a month)

The beaches, the surf, the weather and the food… there is truly no country in Europe like Portugal.

A 2 bed 2 bath apartment costs between $2,000-$3,000 a month. Food is reasonably cheap. The internet is also pretty consistent with good penetration and few dropped connections.

In the capital, Lisbon, you can hop on a train and be away from the busy center in minutes and be lounging on a beach. People are super cool and friendly too. Compared to Sweden, it’s also alot more affordable. Language is occasionally a barrier, but it’s a good opportunity to learn some Portuguese.

3. The Philippines (highest speed clocked 3.8 Mb/s, living costs ~$1500 a month)

The Philippines is not a typical destination for most tourists. But for an internet business owner on budget, it’s one of the better locations in Asia.

Living costs are reasonable and the internet is surprisingly fast. There’s also less tourists than other populated areas in Asia like Thailand. So if you’re on a budget and need fast internet, it’s a good option.

Some say that The Philippines can be extremely dangerous. But except for a taxi driver driving us in circles upon arrival to airport, we had no problems. It probably helped that our hotel security pulled out a gun. Don’t you love weapons!

Christmas is a great time to spend in The Philippines. They celebrate it there like you celebrate New Years. Watching fireworks light up the midnight sky for hours on Christmas while getting massages for like $10 an hour is a pretty epic experience.

4. Thailand (highest speed clocked 1.2 Mb/s, living costs ~$2000 a month)

Reasonable living costs, warm weather, amazing culture/people and great food… Thailand has been and remains as one of my favorite places in the world.

If you like diving and watersports, Thailand has some amazing beaches and dive sites.

There are also alot of internet and affiliate marketers who live there now, so if you’re in that space I’m sure you will love the networking.

Downsides? In this part of Asia, expect somewhat inconsistent internet at times.

5. Croatia (highest speed clocked 2.6 Mb/s, living costs ~$2500 a month)

The internet in Croatia exceeded my expectations. You can get a 2 bed 2 bath place for $1500 a month, especially in smaller towns like Omis (attached photos) near Split, Croatia. People are pretty friendly too.

Food was surprisingly expensive, especially if you eat out alot. An average dish of spaghetti or pizza even from a fast food joint costs around $20, matching close to Sweden prices.

Overall, lifestyle in Croatia (at least in Omis) is pretty laid back, and the summer breeze here will keep you smiling. Just cook yourself, or hire a personal chef. I have a recommendation if you need one.

6. Panama (highest speed clocked 3.2 Mb/s, living costs ~$3000 a month)

Forget everything you saw in ‘Prison Break’.

Panama has it all. Beaches, mountains, forests and cities, all mixed into one awesome country.

We hiked up to over 3k feet and spend a night at an eco-hostel situated at over 3000 ft (pic to the left) enroute to a surf island in the mountains.

The internet in Panama City was stable enough, and the food was cheap and excellent. Accomodation will cost you no more than $1k-$1.5k a month.

The slower pace of life especially with service support may take some adjusting to. The internet was also slightly slower and less consistent than some of the other locations in this list. If the internet went down, expect to take up to 24 hours before you get a technician to respond.

There are however more reliable and consistent internet especially in the newer condos near downtown. Panama is worth checking out.

7. Netherlands (highest speed clocked 5.2 Mb/s, living costs ~$5000 a month)

If you’ve never been to The Netherlands, go.

The internet here was as good as it was in the UK (even though that says little). What’s impressive is the high internet penetration. It’s everywhere.

Do note: Amsterdam is a pretty expensive city for short term living. You’ll easily spend $1-2k a week, so it may not be for those on a tight budget. It’s also not easy to find an apartment in the city center.

However if you’re willing to venture out to outer cities, living costs do become more reasonable for the average person. Look into outskirt cities like Leidin and Rotterdam.

8. Hong Kong (highest speed clocked 7.6 Mb/s, living costs ~$4000 a month)

Hong Kong’s internet is known to be one of the best in Asia. But besides the internet, Hong Kong is a great place to live. Most people here speak pretty decent English. The shopping and food here is also pretty awesome. If you’re a foreigner, there’s also a large expat community.

The downside? Hong Kong can get expensive fast. A small apartment unit the size of a square box can still easily run you $3-4k a month. But this is the major expense, everything else such as food, transport and shopping are very reasonable and make up for the price extremity of Hong Kong properities.

Do be warned: Hong Kong is a dense place. The crowds can get overwhelming. Hong Kong can also get hot and humid in the summers too, so come in the Autumn and the Spring. It’s in this list because it has the right infrastructure and stability, and alot of people come to Hong Kong specifically to do their business so the support structure with commerce and banking are there.

9. Czech Republic (highest speed clocked 4.8 Mb/s, living costs ~$4000 a month)

The Czech Republic has pretty good infrastructure due to the large influx of tourists, so you can expect pretty reliable internet there. But prices are steeply increasing due to tourism from Western European countries, especially if you live in the center of Prague (Praha 1).

If you’re on a budget, look at living further out from the center, say in Praha 4 or 5. Living costs will drop drastically.

If you like a cool town with cool people, great food and reasonable living costs (while it’s now on the rise), the Czech would be a great base in Europe. Oh, and the internet is pretty solid.

10. USA (highest speed clocked 13.9 Mb/s, living costs ~$3000 a month)

The USA is not one of the 10 countries you expect, especially since the whole point of this guide sounds like it’s to get you to explore outside the US.

But I think the bigger point is to get comfortable with trying new things and doing something different.

And the US is a big place…  28 hour long haul flights. There are also few places when it comes to running your internet business that have the efficiency, consistency, convenience and reliability as the US.

BONUS LOCATION S11. South America (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, etc.)

South America may in fact be  a great solution for those that want to be close to the US but with possibly lower living expenses.

I plan to check it out in 2012/2013 so I will update this post if I do (if I forget and you’re reading this in 2012/2013, just drop me an email)

If you have any recommendations for that part of the world, I’d love to hear from you as I’m always looking for new places to check out too.

Conclusion

There are still many countries to visit, so perhaps in a year if I update this post, my top 10 will be entirely different.

But I certainly encourage every internet business owner to go and enjoy life. After all, you chose doing this so that you can live a life, right? :)

If you have comments on the internet in the countries above or other countries I did not include, please share them in the comments below.

Bon Voyage.