Digital Nomad-Friendly Destinations to Work From

Forget flip-flops and part-time freelancing – the new era of digital nomadism is all about moving your nine-to-five to an off-the-beaten-track co-working space or café in a stimulating destination. Ready to get packing, no office clothes required? Here’s where to consider.

Hands up if you're done with dialling into Zoom calls from your cramped London bedroom. The pandemic might have left us in limbo as to what an average working week looks like, but it's also opened our eyes to the possibilities of the remote working life. Workations are on the up, and the romance of heading out with your laptop to find a new life in fresh pastures has never been more alluring.

Let's get one thing straight: we're past the cliché of remote workers being flip-flop-clad backpackers who occasionally whip out their iPads between dips in a jungle-fringed Bali pool. An unanchored lifestyle can still include your full-time nine-to-five; you're just calling in from Berlin, Brazil, or Barcelona, rather than Blighty. That cool Kreuzberg co-working space? It's a refreshing backdrop for your colleagues after years of seeing your bedroom's back wall. Just check the visa situation before you head off into the unknown, okay?

The way we work beyond borders is changing, too. Now, digital nomadism is about immersion, and includes putting your pound to use in a way that's positive for local businesses. We're conscious that the influx of laptop-clutching free spirits isn't without its own problems - countries like Mexico have faced rising property prices in areas popular with incoming nomads - but, by acknowledging and mitigating the lifestyle's potential pitfalls, and supporting community-centric initiatives in your new home-from-home, embarking on a stint in sunnier climes can still be as beneficial for your chosen destination as it is for you.

Whether your trip is a magical one-month fling or a year-long change-of-destination affair, these are the places to consider before breaking free from your office gaol.

Out of office: seven switched-on destinations for digital nomads

A sun-soaked doorway in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Mexico

Mexico's cityscapes, golden beaches and jungle interiors have become popular among digital wanderers - and not without controversy. We would always recommend seeking out the nomadic enclaves of this diverse country that encourage incomers to support local communities. Free-spirited Todo Santos offers palm-fringed streets, independent galleries, organic restaurants and boho beach outposts, along with a welcoming cohort of offbeat creatives (think chefs from Mexico City, Arizonan spiritualists, artists from Guadalajara and European artisans). Oaxaca - with its colourful markets and farm-to-fork menus - is an obvious choice for gourmands. More of an arty soul? Try San Miguel de Allende's vibrant cultural scene. Then, for those less bothered about a high-speed internet connection, there's off-grid Yelapa - perfect for a distraction-free writing retreat.

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Lakeside lounging in at a lake near Berlin, Germany

Germany

If there's something we've picked up from our Berlin-based friends, it's that Germany's work-life balance tends towards the healthy side: wisely spent office hours are paired with sharpish exits when the clock hits five, and the remote-working crowd tends to follow suit. Post-Zoom calls and Slack chats, you'll be sampling the country's best brews in the grounds of an old airfield, or heading to the pristine lakes that dot the country for a summer swim. Most cities have accessible rivers, lakes and baths. Berlin, with its hard-hitting wonderland wackiness, might be the most obvious German city to make tracks to, thanks to its diverse population and generous start-up culture, but you should also consider Munich, for its elegant café culture with a side helping of alpine proximity. The Bavarian capital isn't cheap (and neither is the capital, which is famed for its erratic rental market), but you'll have concept shops, galleries and a low-key music scene at your fingertips.

Czech Republic

Ask someone heading overseas to ply their trade where they're going and, nine times out of ten, the answer will be Prague. Thanks to a generous one-year freelancer visa, the Czech Republic has become a popular home-from-home for Europe's digital adventurers. Prague's romantic, gothic architecture and famously fast internet speeds are reeling in immigrants from far and wide. Swerve the Old Town for nearby Karlín district, popular for its independent restaurants (try Bistro Proti Proudu and Eska) and offbeat ambience. Beyond the capital, Brno offers intimate wine bars, a burgeoning restaurant scene and modernist architecture aplenty, while the formerly industrial enclave of Ostrava, in the north-east, is a laid-back city defined by the vast struts and chimneys of its factory backdrop. The largest, Dolní Vitkovice (or DOV, for short), is a maze of utilitarian architecture transformed into a community hub, acting as a modern-day furnace for the city's creative endeavours.

A room at Cap Karoso in Sumba, Indonesia
Image credit: Alex Grabchilev

Indonesia

We know, we know - we rolled our eyes, too, but the Canggu crowd has done a disservice to this beautiful country, and there's far more to experience than just buddha bowls, coconut cappuccinos and dodging influencer selfies. Look east, away from Bali, to the blissful island of Sumba, for an off-beat location to suit your nomadic peregrinations. There's less of a café culture between the undulating hills and the golden sand coast, so you'll likely need to rely on a retreat for remote-working facilities, but this region has several responsible resorts with an ethos firmly rooted in supporting - and preserving - local communities and landscapes. Try the 47-room, 20-villa Cap Karoso for a short-term escape: the artistic enclave rallies to support the craft culture of the region (including hosting residencies for rising stars in order that they might collaborate with craftspeople based nearby).

Bulgaria

For the adventurous soul on a budget, Bulgaria is an exciting option for mixing work and play. While Bulgaria's cities are often overlooked by those planning a remote-working getaway, they have much to offer, from the bohemian neighbourhoods of Plovdiv, to Sofia's emerging co-working spaces and buzzy nightlife. At the weekend, or when the "out of office" is on, you can hit the ski slopes of Bansko, or head out to the Meadows in the Mountains music festival, where soul food, yoga classes and barefoot dancing collide amid the Rhodope peaks.

Speightstown on Barbados' eastern coast

Barbados

Forget the Barbados "scene" - if you're planning on taking up the Caribbean island's new offering of a year-long visa for remote workers, you'll want to avoid the deck-shoe crowd and explore the island's quieter side. Most digital nomads join communities strung out along the south and west coasts, enjoying postcard-perfect beaches and ample accommodation offerings, but the rugged east coast, which faces out across the Atlantic, is the preferred choice for surf enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. This is an active island. Expect invites from locals and expats alike to dawn yoga sessions, fitness classes on the beach and weekend hikes circumnavigating the island. Life moves at a softer, slower pace than in the west coast resorts, but with the same speedy fibre optic internet connection. Of the handful of co-working and living spaces on the island, we love the ECO Lifestyle Lodge in Bathsheba - a tree-cocooned enclave run by two ex-New Yorkers.

Croatia

Dotted down the Dalmatian coast, Croatia's coastal cities are where Europe's edgiest remote workers are heading. Top of their calling card? Split. Croatia's second-largest city is a portrait of balance. While home to lofty Adriatic architecture influences (a touch of Rome here, a gothic cornice there, plus wonky terracotta roofs and lopsided 14th-century walls) and a sophisticated cultural scene, visitors only have to duck down any of its narrow, medieval alleys to discover a hedonistic bar scene packed out with the fresh-faced crowd lured in by the recent launch of a digital nomad permit. Beyond the city limits, there are cinematic coastal landscapes to explore and excellent vineyards to taste-test your way around. Balkan bins will be the next big wine trend: you heard it here first.

Hotel_San_Cristo_bal_Todos_Santos_by_Nick_Simonite

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