Eat your rice with sauces on a banana leaf every day at that local restaurant. Enjoy a stay in a simple homestay, some gas for the scooter, a SIM card and an office with views of paradise. In recent years, many of us have considered traveling and working at the same time in remote places around the world. However, before embarking on the adventure, it is important to take into account a series of factors to be able to make the best of this new stage.
In addition to basic advice such as having good accommodation with a Wi-Fi connection and a desk, we must add a satisfactory routine in destinations where we have a wide range of cheap restaurants, high security rates and proximity to other important tourist places.
The following destinations in the world have many things in common: warm temperatures almost all year round, proximity to large traveling totems and an affordable average cost of living for a person looking to telework from the same point for a month. Please note that the cost of living figures accompanying each destination do not include accommodation and are based on the average spending of a local person.
What began as a fishing village at the edge of the city of Cochin is today a delightful and quiet haven from which you can easily access all the charms of Kerala, the land of coconut palms in southern India. In Fort Kochi, light plays with nature, old colonial houses are now friendly and affordable homestays, and the relaxed atmosphere permeates its artistic cafes and seafood restaurants, where you can feast on prawns for only six euros. Without a doubt, one of the most relaxing places from which to access places like Alleppey and its backwaters, beaches like Varkala, or the historic neighborhood of Mattancherry.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 304 euros.
If surfing is your thing, Fuerteventura makes it easy for you. With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, what is known as the “Canary Islands beach” displays cozy towns such as Corralejo, located in the north of the island and surrounded by the famous dunes of Corralejo. Mecca of surf, sun and whitewashed houses, Corralejo offers different hostels and accommodations where you can combine teleworking with the best offshore winds, warm beach bars, relaxation and access to such iconic places as the small towns of Majanicho, La Oliva, El Cotillo or the island capital of Puerto del Rosario itself.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 488 euros.
The city known as the Lantern City of Vietnam is one of those dreamy destinations where you can succumb to all the charms of the Asian giant. Inhabited by Chinese, Japanese and European traders - especially French - for centuries thanks to its strategic location at the mouth of the Thu Bon River, Hoi An has everything for digital nomads: cheap accommodation, a brand new market that feeds cheap restaurants where you can succumb to the cao lầu - a noodle stew with pork -, take cooking workshops, go to beaches like An Bang, the ruins of My Son or the citadel of the emperors of Vietnam but, above all, know that every day at dusk the city invites you to take magical walks among thousands of colorful lanterns.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 464 euros.
The answer is not Tulum or Cancún or Puerto Vallarta, but the coast of Oaxaca, a paradise for digital nomads spread among mystical lands, fairy-tale beaches, beach bars, bars where you can have the obligatory açai bowl for breakfast, and gatherings for surf lovers. To do this, the options are divided between Mazunte, Bahías de Huatulco or Punta de Zicatela, the end of Puerto Escondido and the city of Oaxaca best connected to the rest of Mexico. Alternatively, if you decide to move to the Mexican Caribbean, opt for Isla Mujeres or the island of Holbox, ideal for accessing all the charms of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 691 euros.
Located in the hills of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has always been synonymous with Asian relaxation: lavish temples, night markets, landscapes where the elephant appears, trendy massages, delicious food and, also, the perfect place to settle down for a few weeks. A paradise for digital nomads (and foodies) whose location allows you to access different tourist attractions such as the temples of the same name or those of Chiang Rai. The cons: the distance from the sea and a certain overcrowding that it shares with another gem of remote work like Bali, in Indonesia.
Average cost of living (without accommodation) €469.5
White and blue houses, seagulls as an alarm clock and an art scene that Orson Welles himself once fell in love with. Essaouira is like a whitewashed poem that springs from the Atlantic coast of Morocco and where the local hustle and bustle never overtakes you, slowed down by the breeze. A relaxed atmosphere in the form of decent hostels with terraces open to the sea, very affordable seafood bars and access to some of the great highlights of the southern coast of Morocco such as the city of Agadir or fishing havens such as Taghazout. Even if you dare, Marrakech is less than three hours away by car.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 565 euros.
I'm going to be honest with you: on the main island of Cape Verde there is only desert, salt flats and colorful towns, but perhaps that is enough. Municipalities like Santa María, in the south, are the capital of No Stress, a mantra present on the doors of their restaurants and souvenir shops, a philosophy that here translates into sunsets next to the “Pontao” of the dreamy local beach, its bars of freshly caught -and very cheap- fish, number of expatriates -especially Italians- and cheap pensions where they can telework. Of course, if you want pineapples, you may have to wait for the shipment that arrives on the next weekly boat. Nothing is perfect.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 359 euros.
Turkey's most popular city, Istanbul, is considered one of the most affordable cities in the world to live and telework. Furthermore, its cosmopolitan atmosphere makes it the perfect starting point to immerse yourself in the local culture and have a good base port when it comes to visiting other destinations of interest in the Turkish giant.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 512 euros.
Sri Lanka, the island of serendipity, lends itself like few others to a teleworking season in this paradise of Buddhist cities, tea plantations and dream beaches where you can say goodbye to the day in front of the sunset. The Mirissa area, in the south of the island, is the perfect micro-universe where you can combine budget accommodation with very cheap tuk-tuk services, surfing in Weligama Bay, a relaxed atmosphere and cultural visits to the nearby city of Galle. The scooter, a must.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 409.4 euros.
When we talk about strategic cities when visiting a country, Medellín is one of the jewels in the crown of Colombia. The spring capital not only has one of the most effective public transportation networks in Latin America, but also combines vibrant and cultural environments through areas such as Lleras Park, Comuna 13 and its accessible location with respect to destinations such as the valley. from Cocora or the Guatapé area.
Average cost of living (without accommodation): 479.4 euros.
