Months
into the pandemic, Jess Romano moved from
California to Croatia, becoming the
third person to receive that country’s “digital nomad” visa when it launched in
2021. “When I worked in the office, my time off — and more important — the
flexibility around where, when, and how I could work was limited,” she said.
“Now I can spend months or years at a time living and exploring new places
while working full-time.”
اضافة اعلان
Now, as
coronavirus cases have fallen and working patterns are being reestablished,
many companies are acknowledging the seismic shifts in the workplace and giving
their employees increased flexibility about where they work in both the long
and short term.
Kayak, the
travel search engine, embraced remote work early in the pandemic, letting its
staff set up anywhere the company has a legal entity, which includes 25
countries around the world, and counting. “If we have a legal entity somewhere,
we can make payroll, pay taxes, and offer health care. They would just need the
appropriate visa to work there,” said Steve Hafner, a co-founder and CEO.
“We used to
always compete for talent on the basis of how awesome our offices were to
work,” he said. “Now we compete on a totally different dimension, which is
flexibility.”
Companies such
as Spotify, Twitter, and Airbnb have also adopted work-from-anywhere policies.
In a report released in June, Gartner, Inc., a technological research and
consulting firm based in
Stamford, Connecticut, found that by the end of 2021,
51 percent of what it calls “knowledge workers” worldwide are expected to be
working remotely, more than double the number from 2019.
As remote
workers flood the market, governments, travel companies, hospitality brands,
and entrepreneurs are responding with innovative ways for location-independent
professionals to make the world their home.
Here is a guide
to new developments in the work-from-anywhere world.
Remote work visas
More than 20 countries
across the globe offer specialized visas that let foreigners live and work remotely
within their borders, including the European nations of Portugal, Norway,
Georgia, and Malta.
Spain is working on a Start-ups Law that is expected to
pass by the end of the year, making it easier for professionals and their
families to relocate there. The bill proposes 12-month visas for remote workers
with the option to apply for a three-year residence permit that is
conditionally renewable for another two years.
Marquita Harris, a journalist who participated in Airbnb’s Live Anywhere initiative last year, in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 5, 2022.
In
Latin America, Brazil was the first South American country to offer a remote work visa
in September 2021. When requesting the one-year digital nomad visa (which can
be renewed for additional periods), applicants must provide proof of an income
source outside Brazil, have health care coverage, and earn at least $1,500 per
month or have $18,000 in the bank. Brazilian Consulates abroad have granted 197
digital nomad visas to citizens from more than 15 different countries,
including the US, Germany, and Colombia.
A popular
vacation spot for
US travelers, Costa Rica signed its new digital nomad visa
into law this August and has received 27 applications. “We estimate that each
remote worker who stays in Costa Rica to work will generate $46,400 per annum
for the country, which will contribute to tourism industry revenues, and mean
more jobs for Costa Ricans,” said Carolina Trejos, director of marketing for
the Costa Rica tourism board.
Companies get in on
the act
As part of its new Live and Work Anywhere program, Airbnb is partnering
with 20 destinations around the world to create custom digital hubs featuring
information such as visa requirements, tax policies, and a comprehensive list
of the best long-term-stay accommodations. Buenos Aires; the Austrian Alpine
region of Salzkammergut; Tampa Bay,
Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the Caribbean
have launched, with more to follow later this year, including Thailand, Cape
Town, and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy.
“Remote work is
where the world is going,” said Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, in
an email to employees. “The right solution should combine the best of the
digital world and the best of the physical world.” Airbnb employees can now
live and work in more than 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each
location.
As of the second
quarter of 2022, Airbnb said it has seen long-term stays (28 days or more)
increase by nearly 25 percent from 2021 and by nearly 90 percent from 2019.
Sojrn, a travel
brand that started last year, offers month-long experiential learning programs
for remote workers around the world (from $3,199 for four weeks).
“It’s like work
from home meets study abroad for adults,” said founder Tara Cappel. “We scout
great places to stay, Wi-Fi-enabled work spaces, and immersive experiences
centered around an educational theme, which adds an element of purpose to the
trip.” Top sellers include Spanish in Medellin and Wine in Tuscany.
Yaroslav
Prygara, a Ukrainian entrepreneur, founded Remo last August as a creative
solution to hotels’ growing need for flexible work spaces that guests can use
during short- or long-term stays. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more
people working remotely than from the office in the next decade,” he said.
Remo builds
prefabricated mirrored-glass cubes that house work spaces kitted out with
reliable high-speed internet, ergonomic office furniture, temperature controls,
and terraces. The modular cubes are designed to make use of a hotel’s
underutilized outdoor locations.
Hotel brands double
down
Hotels that had their hand in the coworking game are seeing investments
pay off as a global workforce pushes back against traditional nine-to-five
office jobs.
In 2019, Accor
started Wojo, a brand of coworking and flexible workspaces, across its economy,
mid-scale, and luxury hotels.
“Accor was ahead
of the curve and saw this movement coming,” said Markus Keller, the company’s
chief sales and distribution officer. Today, it has 400 Wojo installations at
hotels in
Europe and Latin America, with sub-Saharan Africa in the pipeline.
An undated photo of Jess Romano, who moved from California to Croatia, in Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, Croatia.
Wojo workspaces
range from shared desks to meeting rooms and closed offices, all of which can
be booked by the hour, half-day, or day through the website or the app
(starting at $30 per day for a shared desk). Longer-term contracts are also
available: Shared desks are on offer from $300 per month and private offices start
at $500 per person per month.
Crowne Plaza, a
premium brand from
IHG Hotels & Resorts, recently released a white paper on
“blended travel” that notes 80 percent of travelers plan to tack on leisure
days to upcoming business trips as well as capitalize on the opportunity to
work from anywhere.
Crowne Plaza
properties have undergone significant renovations to create flexible WorkLife
rooms (rates from about $180) and public spaces where guests can work
comfortably. Its new brand, Atwell Suites (rates from about $215), caters to
long-term stays with work areas equipped with counter-height tables, office
chairs, and virtual-conferencing-ready backdrops. There are also coworking
zones and huddle rooms in common areas.
“This new generation of remote workers has the
flexibility to travel any day of the week, every month of the year, not just on
weekends and major holidays. As a result, we’re seeing a rise in longer stays
and midweek travel,” said Lisa Checchio, chief marketing officer of Wyndham
Hotels & Resorts.
To accommodate
demand, Wyndham is launching an extended-stay economy brand in the US this year
with a starting portfolio of 72 hotels. The company is also expanding its
Wyndham Residences collection for longer stays in Europe, the Middle East, and
Africa (suite rates from $63 per night plus tax).
Tech tools
Remote workers interested in living and working from abroad can turn to
a spate of new digital resources for help. Rowena Hennigan, a globally
recognized expert in remote work based in Spain, introduced a LinkedIn Learning
course in June called Becoming a Digital Nomad ( $24.99 or free for LinkedIn
Learning subscribers). The 27-minute beginner’s guide covers the pros and cons
of a remote work and travel lifestyle, as well as important details such as how
to navigate visas, how to tap into the community, and ways to decrease your
carbon footprint while traveling.
Hennigan is an
adviser for the startup Boundless Life, which specializes in remote work family
travel, providing furnished homes, educational programs for children, and
coworking spaces in Portugal,
Greece, and — come January — Italy.
Italian startup
Nomads Embassy is planning to launch a digital nomad visa platform at the end
of the year that connects visa applicants with immigration lawyers (legal
services will range from $600 to $3,500, depending on the firm). Remote workers
will be able to upload required documents, communicate with lawyers, and track
their visa status in real time through the platform.
“The application
process usually takes from 10 to 28 days, but as we test the platform, we’re
seeing that time decrease to less than a week,” said Brittany Loeffler, who
founded the company with her partner Jacopo Gomarasca.
The website, which gets
about 20,000 unique visitors a month and has been seeing that traffic increase
about 20 percent a month, is updated daily with each country’s digital nomad
visa requirements, fees, and processes.
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