Tired of working remotely? Countries are welcoming digital nomads!

Work is life. Even though this statement is used interchangeably, it cannot be denied that work brings mental satisfaction. A large part of 2020 has seen most countries go into the lockdown mode which has forced people to take up working from home as a necessity. Working from home surely comes with its pros and cons. This is the very reason that a new travel trend has emerged through digital nomads. With remote working becoming tiresome for a large chunk of people, countries across the globe are welcoming digital nomads.

Digital nomads have been a common sight across many countries. But they are faced with certain difficulties as well. These may be with regard to visa renewal or hopping from country to country due to increased cost of living. While the life of a digital nomad is exciting, the hassle of renewing your visa is an additional burden. This is why countries are now coming up with a plan to introduce worker’s visa for an extended period of time.

The thought process

For digital nomads who hold powerful passports like those of the US and the UK, it wouldn’t be much of a problem attaining a visa. In some cases, they need not even carry a visa with them and just their passport would do. But citizens of certain other countries like the Philippines require a visa to visit every country in the world. The plan of a worker’s visa will help such citizens achieve their goal of becoming a digital nomad without any hassle.

It is a fact that many countries around the world depend largely on tourism. But the pandemic has taken a toll on such countries, thus reducing the disposable income for the local population. When digital nomads enter a country, not only will they bring in the much-needed tourism but also increase the disposable income of the natives. The chance of income generation through homestays is also high which are currently undergoing a huge loss and running discounts of up to 50%.

Also read: Remote Working in India — A Reflective Study by Hari Ganapathy, Co-founder of Pickyourtrail

Related grey-areas

Every solution might have problems here and there. During the pandemic situation, travellers from countries having a high number of cases face issues in terms of their stay. This is a boon and a bane. It is a boon because they get to stay for longer periods of time away from the affected resident country. It is a bane because they might not be allowed to enter the visiting country multiple times because of the passport they hold. Of course, the plan of the worker’s visa and its guidelines is not concrete. But these are certain grey areas which definitely need to be worked around.

On the other hand, there is another group that prefers hopping from country to country instead of staying on in a single country. Travelling across different countries as a digital nomad will fulfil their wanderlust as well. A worker’s visa might not give that flexibility and people will have to stay on in the same place. Considering that they are tourists, the property charges and taxes that are levied upon them will prove to be higher. If it is generalized with the native population as well, it might cause resentment.

Also read: Confessions of a digital nomad – Is the nomad lifestyle for you?

The way forward

Many countries like Estonia, Georgia, Barbados and some Eastern European countries have opened up to digital nomads. Southeast Asian hotspots like Bali and Thailand are also popular hubs for remote working. As a digital nomad, you will end up living the life of a local rather than a tourist. There is no better way to experience a country than this right? Hopefully, the worker’s visa guidelines take into consideration all of these aspects and open up to digital nomads real soon.

With the COVID-19 pandemic having brought everything to a halt, every single person is waiting to have a break. By break, I mean to get out of their homes! Although you might not know when all of this is going to end, with the appropriate safety measures, you can still satisfy the wanderlust in you. You can look forward to some great staycation deals of Pickyourtrail for a completely safe vacation. So go out there, the world is waiting for you!