Why limit yourself to your boring home office or the standard office garden when you can work from inspiring locations around the world? Nowadays you can work from virtually anywhere in the world. Both within Europe and at faraway destinations there are many gems to find for your working vacation. If you’re looking for a unique work experience that increases your productivity and stimulates your creativity, here are 10 extraordinary destinations for your next workation.
5 extraordinary destinations for your workation within Europe
1. Lagos, Portugal
This not-too-large city in southern Portugal, in the Algarve, is located on the coast. Portugal’s Lagos is popular among surfers and also a popular workation destination for digital nomads. I too will be heading there soon to enjoy the beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and Portuguese culture for a while. The pace is all just a bit slower than in the Netherlands, which always does me a lot of good and helps me relax.
2. Thessaloniki, Greece
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Thessaloniki. I honestly hadn’t either until a year ago. But this bustling city in northern Greece is definitely worth a visit. It is not yet overrun by tourism, so you will mostly meet many Greeks and experience the local culture. My favorite workspace is very cozy and cute as well as a B&B and located right in the middle of town, this is The Caravan B&B. A big bonus of this destination is that it is close to a fantastic peninsula: Chalkidiki. Here you will find gems of beaches. The beaches with azure blue sea you always see in the beautiful pictures of Greece. It is the perfect combination of a beautiful city, beautiful nature nearby for hiking and enjoying idyllic beaches nearby. In this blog you can read more about my workation in Thessaloniki.
3. Zadar, Croatia
My first ever workation was in Croatia. A beautiful country that is increasingly being found by tourists. But that makes sense, because it is beautiful. Both the interior and the cities as well as the beaches are very beautiful. Zadar is a city by the sea and has a nice center, beautiful harbor and is the perfect base to explore the area. You can read more about my working vacation in Croatia here.
4. Valencia, Spain
Of course, Valencia cannot be missing from this list. A hidden gem by now, this is no longer, but secretly it remains my favorite workation destination. In fact, I loved this city so much a few years ago that I went to see an apartment there because I wanted to live there, but that aside. It has everything: a beautiful downtown, beautiful parks, a great beach and more than enough to do. With 300 days of sunshine a year, you’ll often be fine with nice weather here. In addition, you can fully enjoy the Spanish culture, the delicious food, cozy restaurants, lots of outdoor living and beautiful places to explore in the city. In this blog you will find my top 5 recommendations to do in Valencia. I like several neighborhoods in Valencia to stay in. For example Cabanyal, the old fishing district by the beach, but also Ruzafa, Valencia’s hip and happening neighborhood. The center is also a favorite place to stay during my workation, because from there you can easily discover everything. You can rent a bike, use the metro or bus or go for a nice walk. My favorite hotel in the center is Blanq Carmen Hotel, with a lovely rooftop terrace, right next to the Turia Park and with a small pool.
5. Stockholm, Sweden
Scandinavia is not known as a cheap destination, but that is precisely why I like it so much as a workation destination. After all, then you can just keep doing your job and therefore you don’t lose money, so to speak. And in salaried employment it doesn’t cost you any vacation days. This city is great for a week of fun, with a bike ride through the city, boat trip on the water and trying all kinds of Swedish food. In this blog you will find all the information about Stockholm as a workation destination.
5 extraordinary destinations for your workation outside of Europe
In this list, you might expect the paradise island of Bali and Cape Town in South Africa, but those destinations are already so obvious, I didn’t like that much. There are still so many places to discover and besides, it would be good if we spread ourselves a little more around the world, leaving more of the authentic local life.
6. Medellín, Colombia
Life in Colombia and its image has changed tremendously in recent years. It has undergone a remarkable transformation into a thriving center for tourism and digital nomads. With a very pleasant climate, vibrant art scene and affordable lifestyle, Medellín is a top destination for a workation in South America. Digital nomad Ayla went here recently and tells all about it in this blog.
7. Sal, Cape Verde
The Cape Verde Islands are located off Senegal and is an African archipelago. It consists of 10 islands that are quite different from each other. I have been to several islands, where not everywhere the wifi is good enough to work. The island of Sal is, so I spent some time there. My accommodation included a workspace with lightning fast wifi, so I can definitely recommend it as a workation destination, provided you’re in the right place. You can read in this blog how my experience was on the tropical island of Sal.
8. Round trip in Costa Rica
Several years ago now, I went on a tour to Costa Rica. If you haven’t been there yet I would definitely say go! It is a fantastic and diverse country. The nature is the highlight, it is insane. From picture perfect beaches to tropical rainforests and jungles full of animals. Just keep in mind to check carefully in advance when you stay if there is good wifi. Also, I wouldn’t visit too many different places in a short time. Take your time. Also called slow travel. This gives you time to do your work during the day and then enjoy exploring your surroundings. Then, if the wifi is not optimal for once, you also have enough time to find an alternative, without stressing about it. The distances between different places are quite large, so keep that in mind in your travel planning as well.
9. Hoi An, Vietnam
One of my favorite countries in the world is Vietnam. I traveled there for a month with my backpack and really loved it. It is definitely in my top 3 Asian countries. I think the nicest place in Vietnam is Hoi An. That’s because it’s not too big, not yet completely taken over by tourism and you can still find the real Vietnamese culture there. There is now good wifi in plenty of places and more and more digital nomads are going here. Near Hoi An is the big city of Da Nang, which is an emerging workation destination for digital nomads, mainly because of its beautiful beaches, vibrant culture and modern amenities. You can also escape the hustle and bustle of the big cities and enjoy a relaxing workation on the coast of Vietnam.
10. Kralendijk, Bonaire
Besides Aruba and Curacao, Bonaire is also a great island to visit. I went to this small island in the Dutch Caribbean last year and had a great time. I should add that you need to pay close attention to where you stay, because by no means everywhere is good and stable wifi. If you want to be able to work well remotely then I recommend Van der Valk Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire. You can read all about it in this blog.
And they worked happily ever after
Whether you are looking for historical charm, breathtaking nature or vibrant city centers, the world has so much beauty to offer and there is something for everyone when it comes to workation destinations. So pack up your laptop, book a flight and get inspired by these unique places while staying productive.
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