Why Remote Working Will Soon Lead to Long Term Travel Opportunities (Even After A Pandemic)

Written by our professional Digital Nomad, David Heiling. (Yes! he lives the life!)

Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the self-employed have made the term digital nomadism quite popular since the late 1990s and make up most of the digital nomad community. That could soon change as more and more companies re-evaluate remote work opportunities and culture after more than seven months of remote logins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the UK, the pandemic has given many workers what they've wanted for years: the chance to work from home.

This change sets a fundamental difference in employment throughout the country, where nearly half of all jobs can be done from home. This expectation is a far cry from reality, as just 24 percent of the UK's workforce is currently working exclusively from home, even during a worldwide pandemic. Still, that's a 1,000 percent increase since 2012, and there is evidence to suggest that a majority of employers will allow at least a flexible part-time remote work arrangement once the world goes back to normal.

A growing trend

There was an uptick in remote work even before the pandemic struck. Recent college grads, new parents, and workers tired of office politics started to search for increased freedom, while more and more companies started to offer flexible work arrangement packages even before COVID-19.

The demand for remote work forced companies to experiment with work from home days while investing in hardware to ensure safe off-site logins. Millions of employees now have experience working remotely throughout the country, making their CV or online portfolio more appealing to individual companies.

The term digital nomad was coined in 1997 when the book "Digital Nomad" explained why technology would soon allow humans to work anywhere there was a wifi connection. Spot on.

Widespread internet service and budget airline carriers exploded how certain people were able to work.

Imagine this: Your remote copywriting, software engineering, blogging, or virtual assistant position can be done wherever you want, so long as you meet the deadlines assigned to you. The first one-way flight from London to Bali is £500 quid, and a full two-bedroom villa complete with a pool and a view of rice fields is a third of what you pay for your room in London.

Add in an adventurous soul, and you have a digital nomad. What would stop you?

Saves you and your employer money

The following might shock you.

A recent study by SmartAsset shows that the average office commuter spends £2,000 per year on fuel alone. Spend £10 a day on food, and you're down another approximately £2,000 for the year.

Do you work in a crowded city with limited parking? If you have to drive to the office, get ready to fork over another £2,000 per year - much more if you're working in London.

Maybe you live alone, or your partner also does the daily commute. That means £1,000 per year if you're having someone take care of your dog. Daycare costs vary.

But that's not all.

New clothes aren't cheap, and you have to look the part while you're at the office. Even if you buy a new outfit for £100 once every three months, that's still an extra £400 a year.

Do you like coffee? If you like ordering in from your favorite cafe or chain down the street, expect another yearly bill of £500.

Do the math, and that's about £8,000 per year of costs directly correlated to working in an office. What could you do with an extra £8,000?

Money is a major contributing factor in all aspects of life. As a remote worker, you still get the same salary. You are also saving up by eating at home, drinking coffee from the pot, not driving, and being able to spend more time with your loved ones.

But your employer is also saving a bunch of money! Companies could save up to £11,000 per employee by allowing them to work from home.

There is a lower overhead. You no longer have to pay rent and utilities. All the stocked food in the company fridge goes away, limiting food and beverage cost. No more cleaning services, and best of all: lower taxes.

Amazing locations

The popular digital nomad platform Nomad List allows wanderlusters and full-time travelers alike to filter potential destinations based on various factors, including geographical location, price, LGBTQ friendliness, weather, crime, food, Tinder activity, and much more. It connects you to other travelers in the area as well as gives you suggestions on activities.

Places like Bali, Chiang Mai, Budapest, Mexico City, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro have become hot spots because of their natural beauty, the abundance of available co-working spaces, and inclusivity. These places also have high-speed internet readily available in all areas.

With remote work, travel opportunities are limitless.

That being said, many digital nomads rely heavily on tourism visas, which don't technically allow that person to work within the country. You definitely can't be employed by a company within the country without a more specific and rigorous work visa. There are gray areas in many countries on whether or not you should make money while in the country. Many nations turn a blind eye to digital nomads because of the boost in tourism dollars they provide. Still, liability issues should be considered when allowing remote work to adventurous souls who may bolt off to some far-flung destination.

On the other side of the spectrum, some countries are taking the rise in remote work interest to lure those skilled employees to their country with official programs and extended stay opportunities.

Take Estonia, for example. Already known for its e-residency program that allows digital nomads and aspiring small business owners to open up a virtual business in Estonia, the country has now created a Digital Nomad Visa that will enable visitors to work in the country for up to 12 months, simply by filling out the €100 application fee. The catch? You must earn €3,500 per month to be accepted. It's an option for those not wanting a drastic change of lifestyle while still experiencing a different culture for a year.

In Barbados, applications are now being accepted for the Welcome Stamp, allowing digital nomads to stay on the island for a full year and come and go as they please with no restrictions. The stamp provides access to the local school system and skirts around its income tax requirements.

All you need to do is prove you make €50,000 per year and pay the €2,000 application fee.

Bermuda also launched its Work From Bermuda program last month, allowing those accepted to stay for a year income tax-free. The application fee? Only €263.

The hurdles

Traditionally, the biggest hurdle for digital nomads to find a place to hunker down for an extended period has been access to reliable internet. You may work remotely, but you still need to have good enough internet wherever in the world you may be to log in to a video conference or team call. Luckily for the nomads, wifi accessibility has been widening exponentially throughout the past two decades.

But there are still other issues.

Aside from getting visas, employees often need to be synced with their teammates or clients, making the difference in time zones tricky. If a company in London employs you, but you're in Bali, get ready to take that noon meeting at 9 p.m.

Security is also tricky, making using a virtual private network (or VPN) essential for all employers.

If your job title includes high-security clearance and access to sensitive materials, likely, you won't be traveling out of the country. For the other 80 percent of workers, you're still in luck.

Making the tourism industry go boom once again

Countries around the world rely heavily on tourism from first-world countries to inject life into their economies.

COVID-19 will end. It's just a matter of time before the world becomes reminiscent of what it was pre-pandemic, even if there are some slight adjustments.

Countries will open their doors, and humans will travel.

The main difference? Remote work opportunities have expanded worldwide, and more people than ever before have experience working away from the office.

Workers with salaries that resemble typical wages in the UK will have the opportunities to work and live in a foreign and beautiful place while saving up money that would typically be used for petrol, rent, and other essentials.

The time is now. Get ready for the boom!

Written by our very own and talented Digital Nomad, David Heiling.