So you can work remotely, and it’s time for a workation? But how do you choose the right place for a short or mid term remote work location?

Sick of the same old meal deals, dreary weather and boring landscapes? You need a change, and our modern way of remote working means you can pack up your laptop (not forgetting your charger, of course) and set up a new office somewhere more exciting for as long as you can get away with it. 

A workation is a great way to change up your scenery without totally leaving everything behind. In fact, a workation can take anything from a week or two, up to months or even years. Sounds tempting right?

Now you need to decide where to go…

As the world (hopefully!) starts to open up again, there are plenty of locations around the globe offering visas and amenities to digital nomads looking to set up an out-of-office office. 

Nomad life vs workation life

Though it’s been a thing for a while – we’ve all seen those blog posts and TikToks entitled ‘I quit my job and now travel the world in an impossibly cute van’ – the world of truly remote working looks likely to expand big time thanks to the pandemic. 

Digital nomads are people who up sticks and travel around the world, while continuing to work online. Some common industries that facilitate the lifestyle are things like marketing, teaching, and IT services.

A workation however means that you get to enjoy the trappings of this lifesyle but without waving goodbye to your family and friends or having to get rid of 90% of your belongings. With a workation, you can enjoy the summer in Croatia, the winter in Thailand or a month or two in South America, and come home to flaunt your tan and epic lifestyle tales.

Ok great… how do I become a digital nomad?

As workplaces around the world were forced to send their colleagues home in 2020 and 2021, it became more and more apparent that for lots of jobs, office attendance is very much optional. For creatives and others working on laptops full-time, not being confined to an office is actually really constructive for the day job. Although, after a year and a half the allure of the sofa isn’t quite what it used to be. 

Not all workplaces will allow remote working, of course – and even fewer will be okay with you switching time zones altogether. Unless you’re completely self-employed, the first step is making sure your employer will be cool with your change of scenery; you can’t work abroad without having work. Making this point, Kate Palmer from Peninsula says “unless it has been specified that employees can work remotely from locations aside from home, employers can prohibit this if they feel productivity will suffer as a result.” 

There are a few things to consider here for your employer (or you if you’re a freelancer). Check out any tax and visa implications thoroughly before you go – if you work for a business, get an appointment with HR as a starting point. 

Make sure you’ll be able to use any company-provided equipment or log into the servers from a foreign IP address, and consider any emergency tech support you might need. If your work involves lots of meetings, you’ll likely need to shift your usual working hours to accommodate time difference where necessary. 

All sorted? Once you’ve got all your job-related ducks in a row, it’s adventure time! So… where to?

What are the best countries for digital nomads?

According to Destination2’s Workcation Index, there are a number of factors that determine the best location to set up shop as a digital nomad. 

For the sun

For most of us, the chance to jet off to another country means heading straight for the sun. We want warmer climes, higher temperatures and the chance to top up our tans. 

If it’s all about the heat for you, remote working in Dubai might be ideal. With average highs of over 33℃ and almost 10 hours of sunshine per day, you’ll certainly need to pack your suncream along with your paperwork for a journey to the Emirate. Of course, that world-famous shopping and dining scene doesn’t hurt… A Caribbean workcation – to Antigua & Barbuda or Barbados, for example – is another excellent way to fit in some tanning time. Instead of changing your Zoom background to a stock photo, how about signing into team meetings in front of a real-life swaying palm?! 

If you’re heading straight for the sun on your digital nomad adventure, make sure you factor in the toll heat can take on you, and always include hydration breaks in your daily scheduling. Setting up your workation station somewhere with shade and access to amenities like cold water and sunscreen is a must! 

For super-fast speeds

Conducting meetings, downloading files and procrastinating doing online shopping all require good broadband. If your boss is already sceptical about your workcation lifestyle, a laggy connection isn’t going to do anything for you. 

Dubai comes up trumps again here for mobile internet speeds, though for fixed connections you’ll find superfast internet in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand for starters. 

Before you choose your location, make sure you research the local providers – can you easily get a mobile dongle? Will you be able to work from a hotel or cafe with free WiFi? Make a plan before you jet off, and set aside at least a day upon arrival to sort out your connection. 

For an easy transition

If you want to do the digital nomad thing but aren’t quite ready to leap head first into the total unknown, keeping a few familiarities is a great option. 

Whether that means heading to a country where English is widely spoken for simple communication, or sticking to a landscape similar to yours (e.g. swapping UK city life for a stint in Barcelona or Prague), making sure you’re comfortable is essential for your workcation. 

To keep your routine regular and save on leisure time lost to jet lag, opt for a country with little or no time difference. Iceland, Portugal and the Canary Islands are popular holiday destinations which share the UK’s time zone, while European hotspots like mainland Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic and Croatia are only an hour out. 

For easy digital nomad visas

There are lots of ways to work abroad, but there are specifically dedicated ‘digital nomad visas’ up for grabs in lots of countries, which make setting up your laptop legitimately an awful lot easier. Head to our list of 2021 visa locations to start planning…

Check out Destination2’s Workcation Index for a ranking of the best digital nomad locations.