REMOTE POSSIBILITIES

Digital nomads are being inspired to imagine themselves working from – just about everywhere

- SUSAN MCKEE

Sitting under a patio umbrella, tropical drink at hand, tapping away on a laptop while watching the waves wash over sparkling sand: It’s the remote worker’s dream. Some want to go all-in – move somewhere new (preferably exotic) and enjoy a change of scenery. Or maybe you’d like to get away for just a few weeks or months in a rental apartment or beach-side cottage.

Need more services? Think: resort. Your budget probably doesn’t allow for picking up and moving to a five-star resort permanently, but a week or so might be just the recharge needed for your pandemic-depleted batteries. OK, so you can afford maybe a day. There are “getaway” hotel programs for that, too.

Go really remote by leaving the country, as Leah Walker, a freelance writer from Texas, did. After selling her Houston home and living briefly in Rio de Janeiro, Leah moved to France on a passeport talent visa six years ago. She’s since created a marketing company in Paris and works with brands in the travel, tourism and lifestyle markets that want to reach the American market. “Finding my way in France wasn’t easy, but the struggles were definitely worth it. In France, I found my forever home,” she says.

As countries are recovering from the pandemic this year, it’s relatively easy to get a new, special work visa just for digital nomads and freelance workers. There are at least 20 countries offering them, from Bermuda to Antigua and Barbuda, or as far afield as Dubai and Spain. The hope is that these long-term visitors will support local economies without displacing any permanent residents’ jobs.