I work remotely from the Maldives. Here's what I love about my routine — and what I find downright odd about life here.

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In my 20s, I decided it was time to start living the life I'd been dreaming about and moved from London to the Maldives.

I beat out 300 other applicants for a job as a news editor for a local travel website and became one of just a handful of journalists to live here.

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I'd recently recovered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, so being able to snorkel, dive, or surf whenever I wanted meant more than you can imagine.

After five years here, I moved to the French Riviera and then California, the Riviera Maya, Miami, and NYC. But I'm still regularly drawn back to the Maldives to work remotely.

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I like to start my day with a typical Maldivian breakfast of mas huni and roshi — a mix of tuna, coconut, onion, chili, and lime eaten with tortillas. It's great once you get your head around having spicy fish for breakfast.

If I have time before starting work, I'll go snorkeling. Visibility is best around 7 a.m., and the sheer volume of tropical fish, turtles, rays, and reef sharks I see is amazing.

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I'm currently working from the Amilla Resort, where my work area includes my laptop, a desk with some chargers and ports, and a tea and coffee station.

Not all resorts here have desks, so I've previously made do with working from makeup tables, patio tables, and even hammocks.

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Sometimes I'll work from the living area of my villa, which is surrounded by water. Many resorts offer discount rates for media members or remote workers — and some have invited me to stay for free if I'll be writing about the property.

But you can't just turn up on a private island without a booking, like how you'd walk into a city hotel.

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I work with companies in the Maldives as well as in the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia, which occasionally means a late-night or early-morning meeting.

I love being able to take a break from writing to jump in the plunge pool or sea. Having access to so much private space also made me feel safer when COVID-19 was more of an issue.

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The internet is beamed by satellite, so the speeds for Google Docs, video calls, and emailing photos are surprisingly good. WiFi is usually free, but some resorts charge $6 for just 30 minutes.

When I first arrived, I had to buy phone cards and type in long codes if I wanted to call friends or family around the world. Now I use Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

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I love getting out in the field (often the ocean) for research — anything from scuba diving with a marine biologist to interviewing a head chef.

I make a point to try to finish work and get outside to watch the sunset every evening around 6 p.m.

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I often need to travel for research. I use seaplanes and domestic flights to reach the really far islands, or speed boats and ferries for closer ones.

I've slept at some of the most expensive resorts in the world for my work, and am often surprised by how the atmospheres vary — some are really sociable, while at others all the guests ignore each other.

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Each resort feels like its own bubble, and I feel very safe and insulated — you only hear the news if you seek it out here.

At five-star resorts, I've heard about and seen some wild things, like a $200 pizza menu or the celebrity who wanted her hot tub filled with melted chocolate.

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When I first moved here, one of the biggest surprises was that there was only one resort per island.

Resorts are segregated from the local community — where alcohol, bikinis, and pork are banned.

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I don't work from resorts all the time. I'll soon be heading back to an inhabited island named Hulhumalé, a completely different experience from the resorts.

I'll sometimes arrange short-term rentals and temporary sublets on Airbnb or through Facebook groups for expats.

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But I find the capital city of Malé disappointing. It's very crowded and rundown, despite having rent prices almost comparable with Los Angeles.

Malé is one of the only cities in the Maldives where there are cars. Most of the inhabited islands have sand streets, so small motorcycles are way more popular — and a status symbol.

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I don't enjoy being stuck in an apartment working, so I'll often go to a laptop-friendly café and use their wifi to get work done when I'm in Hulhumalé or Malé.

I love that tea is sold everywhere here, but I was surprised the first time a café owner gave me take-out tea in a bag.

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Another surprise when I first moved here was that there was so little produce at stores — and the only cheese I could find came in a can.

The Maldives' public ferry network is a nice way to slow-travel between inhabited islands. Some even have roofs that I've worked from with my laptop.

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Of course, a major perk is being able to work in my bikini and wear flip-flops year round — the temperature's always an average of 86 degrees.

When I'm not working, I'll do fun things like scuba dive. I learned how several years ago and have completed 100 dives since then.

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I'll also hang out with friends on weekends. I've made incredible friendships here with people from all around the world.

My partner now works remotely here with me, and my parents and old friends have come to visit.

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I make sure to show them the real island communities — the kind of stuff that most visitors to the Maldives don't normally see.