The year 2019 is my second year as a digital nomad. Last year, I spent 5 months in Asia, then 5 months in Eastern Europe. In this article, I will talk to you about my year 2019 as a digital nomad.
Best destinations for digital nomads
When you are a digital nomad, you travel a lot; this year I visited about ten countries in 2019.
Here is a brief summary:
USA: about ten days with a 5-day stay in New York then a 5-day stay in Miami
Costa Rica: about ten days where I was in the capital of Costa Rica San José, Jaco for the beach and surfing, and Puerto Viejo which is a seaside town
Panama: one month where I was in the islands of Boca del Toro, in the mountains near Boquete. I also passed through the capital Panama City where I participated in the festival of cultures and ended with a cruise from the San Blas islands to Colombia in Cartagena.
In Colombia, where I stayed three months, I spent about ten days in Medellin, a few weeks on the Caribbean coast, then one month to learn Salsa and one month in Bogota for Portuguese lessons.
Brazil: I stayed one month, spending the month in the city of Manaus in the Amazon, which is a city where people hardly speak English so it forced me to speak Portuguese all the time.
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- France, for a wedding and family vacation at Center Parcs.
- The Baltic countries: I spent 3 weeks in Tallinn where I took Russian lessons like last summer then I went down to Ukraine passing through Latvia and Lithuania.
- The Baltic Sea: Part of Russia is located on the Baltic Sea, I had the opportunity to go to Kaliningrad which is visa-free since this summer but you need to apply for an E-visa at least one to two weeks in advance, then I spent 5 days in the Polish cities on the Baltic Sea, Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot.
In each of these destinations, I worked on my computer, so I will give you some tips for these destinations as a digital nomad.
My opinion on my destinations
USA: If you want to discover beautiful landscapes, be in a developed country and practice your English, the USA is ideal for you! With the US ESTA you can stay 3 months in the country without any problem, however, you need a return or exit ticket; I have personally been to the United States 5 times. If you have regular and fixed income, the USA has good infrastructure and for low-cost accommodation in hostels, they always have a suitable place to work.
- Central America
Costa Rica: Costa Rica remains an expensive country for Central America but it is worth it because there is always good weather and if you want to work as a digital nomad, I recommend staying in hostels of the Selina group because they have co-working spaces payable by the day.
Panama: Panama is a bit less attractive than Costa Rica with a roughly similar price but you pay everything in dollars there! The advantage of this country is that there are far fewer tourists due to its attractiveness, there are many more Latin tourists whereas in Costa Rica, there are also hostels of the Selina group where you can work. I spent a week on a paradisiacal island where I worked only in the mornings.
South America
- Colombia: In my opinion, it is the best place to work as a digital nomad because there are inexpensive co-working spaces and the prices in Colombia are very low compared to the other countries mentioned and visited. You can also work from home and accommodations with a desk where you can work are easy to find. If you want to learn salsa or learn Spanish, I highly recommend Colombia, and it is a country less dangerous than people think. The city of Medellin has many expats and is a favorite spot for digital nomads in South America.
- Brazil: My opinion is somewhat nuanced because there are nice places to stay as a digital nomad such as Florianopolis, but we stay in Brazil primarily because we love the culture and the Brazilians, and the atmosphere of the country. Personally, I speak Portuguese, so it is ideal for me.
Eastern countries
- The Baltic countries: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have good infrastructure; however, there are few digital nomads in these countries, maybe in Tallinn where they are very advanced in terms of technology, but I would only favor this place in the summer.
- Ukraine: The best place with a good quality-price ratio. The exchange rate is always very favorable to the Euro, and the gap keeps decreasing, so now is the time to go because maybe in a few years, it will no longer be worth it!
And you? In which country have you chosen to stay as a digital nomad?
