Working remotely is a dream come true for many. You get the flexibility and freedom that has long been lost in the corporate world, and now have the opportunity to explore new places while working.
But where should you go? Digital nomads have been scattered around the world for years figuring out the best places to work from, so here are some of the top destinations we love for living and working remotely.
Canggu, Bali, Indonesia
Bali is probably the most famous location for remote workers. It is an oasis that hits all of the top needs for digital nomads: affordability, great food, strong wifi, brilliant sunsets, lush beaches and a relaxed atmosphere. It’s a place where you can enjoy both your workday and your time off. Since it has been at the top of the list for remote working for years, it has an incredible amount of coworking spaces and coffee shops to meet the demand.
Canggu is rated the top place for digital nomads and freelancers to live and work according to Nomad List. It ranks highly for friendliness, fast and free wifi, cost of living, places to work from and nightlife. It’s a location where you can travel solo and are guaranteed to meet other
remote workers, which creates a very fun and social vibe, and allows for collaboration and creativity.
There are so many coworking spaces to choose from, with some of the most popular being Dojo, Outpost, and Tropical. These memberships can be more expensive, but often offer flexible options so you can choose how often you want to work there. You can couple a membership with working from coffee shops or beachside restaurants for the full Canggu experience.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon has long been one of the top destinations for digital nomads. People flock here for the laid-back locals and beach views, paired with a buzzing nightlife and a ton of coworking spaces to choose from. The city is small, so after living here for a little while you can start to feel like a local. It’s a very walkable and safe area so you can feel confident navigating the streets on your own and exploring the many restaurants, cafes and bars. You can expect strong wifi connections here and a bustling social scene. There are a lot of digital nomads living in Lisbon, and they tend to have weekly meetups where you can get to know other people in the area and make some lifelong friends.
Lisbon has a train service that can bring you to different beaches in the area, like Praia de Carcavelos and Praia da Conceição, so you can practice surfing or just soak in some rays. For workdays, you can choose from a number of coworking spaces or coffee shops. Lisbon is known for its coffee, and you can expect high-quality cups wherever you go. The Copenhagen Coffee Lab is one of the more popular coffee shops to work from in the area and has fresh baked bread and pastries to choose from.
Lima, Peru
Most travelers are familiar with Cusco, famous as the entry point for visiting the illustrious Machu Picchu, but people used to forget about Lima.
Lima is one of the best places to work remotely as a digital nomad because it has so much to offer. From world-class food to authentic and immersive cultural experiences to outdoor adventures that get your blood pumping, Lima is a tough city to beat.
We’ll start with the food since Lima is considered a culinary capital.
There is an endless list of Peruvian food to try, including its famous ceviche, lomo saltado, and causa a la limena. Couple these with a pisco sour and you’ll never want to leave! You can also find very affordable food here, making it a great place to spend a few months traveling.
Lima is also an adventure traveler’s dream! There is so much to do and see in the city – and a lot of once-in-a-lifetime locations nearby to visit. You can take a weekend trip to Huacachina and go sandboarding, take a plane over the Nazca lines, take a boat tour through the Islas Ballestas, go white water rafting in Lunahuana, or go off-roading on an ATV.
There is so much to do, but it is also an ideal place to get some serious work done. There are numerous coffee shops around the city with free wifi and delicious, strong coffee. If you prefer a coworking space, they have those too. Residencia Coworking is a popular spot that’s only a 10-minute walk from the ocean, so you can enjoy your lunch break beachside.
Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand has a lot of different areas you can work remotely from, but Bangkok is really unlike any other city. It is remarkably affordable, with delicious street food, super fun bars and tons of other travelers to meet. Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles” and you can really sense that from the warmth and friendliness of the locals.
You can feel safe wandering around the city, even at night, and it has one of the cleanest and most efficient metros in the world, making it easy to get around as well. You can expect out of the box, beautiful and innovative coworking spaces in Bangkok. They usually have lots of art, installations and offer an awesome working environment for any kind of remote work. One of the largest coworking spaces is Glowfish, a huge place that has a full dining hall, two gyms, and enough meeting rooms and halls to suit any digital nomad’s needs.
If you don’t need something that fancy, you can always opt for more intimate coworking spaces or local cafes. There is no shortage of free wifi in the city, and you can expect very high speeds wherever you choose to work from. They also accommodate those working from different time zones with 24 hour cafes, like Let’s Say Café, which is always open and has free wifi, a full café, game room and outdoor activity area. If you happen to be working nights, this is a great place to be!
One of the best parts of living in Bangkok is that you are a super short flight away from some of the most beautiful islands in the world. You can take a long weekend trip to Ko Tao, Krabi, Ko Lanta, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Phi Phi, Phuket, Ko Samui and more. If you are craving a different vibe than the beach, Chiang Mai is a very popular destination in the mountains that is also a great digital nomad hub. It is very affordable to travel throughout Thailand, so you can venture out of the city frequently to check out what else the country has to offer whenever you have some time off.
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town has it all and digital nomads are starting to realize it. The city has climbed in popularity in recent years and is one of the top destinations to live and work remotely. The combination of beaches and city life make this an extraordinary place to be.
For the active traveler, there are so many activities to enjoy. You can hike gorgeous paths, including Lion’s Head and Table Mountain, go rock climbing, surf, scuba dive, paraglide and more. It is a great place to get active and enjoy nature, while working from stunning coworking spaces and cafes around the city.
You can choose to work from one of the popular coworking spaces, like Akro or Work & Co, or venture to a local café to set up shop. There are reliable wifi connections in cafes throughout the city, including the famous Bootlegger café, where you can find a group of digital nomads any day of the week. Cape Town also happens to boast some great coffee, which is another remote working essential.
It is also an excellent jump-off point to explore the rest of South Africa. You can rent a car and do a road trip along the Garden Route to explore small towns or take a flight to Johannesburg to get a different view of South Africa. You are also a quick uber or train ride away from Hout Bay, Boulder’s Beach, Robben Island and Clifton Beach, as well as multiple vineyards in the Western Cape.
There is truly a lot to explore in and around Cape Town, so we recommend staying for at least a month to explore!
New York City, NY, USA
New York City remains a great place to work as a digital nomad because of the opportunities it can give you.
While we all know it is not the most affordable city to live in, it makes up for that with the sheer volume of networking opportunities, the vibrant nightlife and the excellent wifi connections that can be found throughout the city. Living in Manhattan will cost you significantly more in rent, but if you choose to live in Queens or Brooklyn, you can find much more affordable housing without being too far out.
NYC has a large subway system connecting all boroughs, making it an easy commute if you choose not to live in Manhattan. No matter what borough you choose to live in, there will be a lot of different places you can work from reliably.
There is no shortage of coworking spaces to choose from that have incredible views overlooking the city and Hudson River, however, a lot of digital nomads choose to work from local cafes instead. You can find a cozy café with a good wifi connection on almost every black in New York, making it an easy and cheap alternative to a coworking space.
When you’re not working, the nightlife of NYC really can’t be beat. There are so many cool bars, clubs, beer gardens and rooftops to visit that you’ll never get bored. Everyone should live in NYC at least once in their lives!
There are obviously a lot of other exceptional destinations to visit, but these are tried and true places that digital nomads love and continue to visit. If you are at a loss on where to start your remote work and travel journey, you can’t go wrong with one of these cities!
