Digital nomadlands
Catalonian locals in Barcelona say rising rents and gentrification are forcing them out of their neighborhoods as digital nomads take advantage of a Spanish visa, designed with remote workers in mind, which recently came into effect.
American interest in the visa spiked last month, but Spain’s not the only country looking to welcome international workers. Indeed, Colombia announced its new digital nomad visa even more recently and flaunted its 3 best cities that could act as your new office on its tourism website.
Have work, will travel
Despite the constant reports of more firms and CEOs calling for workers to return to the office full-time, the pandemic has opened up a whole new world of work for many. That geographic unshackling has freed people up to work not just from home, but from anywhere, with 17 million Americans reportedly identifying as digital nomads last year, up 131% from 2019.
Predictably, digital nomads have been taking to the internet to explore their options before taking the plunge. Subscribers to the subreddit r/digitalnomad, an online hub for travel-oriented remote workers, passed the 2 million mark in March and Google searches for “digital nomad visa” have recently hit their peak in the US.