Revealed - the best places in the world to work remotely

Working from home gives employees autonomy over where they choose to work. Those lucky enough to work from home five days a week may choose to change their scenery and do this overseas.

The Savills Executive Nomad Index breaks down the best worldwide destinations to work remotely.

By ranking 15 destinations for long-term remote workers in line with the criteria, the research was conducted.

Top travel destinations while working

Portugal was labelled as the top destination, Miami came in second place, and Dubai came in third. The Algarve region in southern Portugal, Barbados in the Caribbean, and the Spanish City Barcelona, on the Mediterranean Coast, also made the top 10.

The Economist Intelligence Unit 2021 also ranks Barcelona in fifth place for ‘urban quality,’ and Miami ranks fourth. 

Destinations that provide a digital nomad visa programme or allow free movement of people for living or work were selected.

Other areas of importance include good internet connection and travel connections. Individuals and families looking to travel also emphasised the importance of lifestyle, wellness, and health abroad.

Mohammad Butt, Barcelona office director, Lucas Fox commented: “As the workplace has evolved post-Covid-19 to a new, more flexible hybrid-model, professionals are turning to what were previously holiday-homes markets into year-round ones.

“The modern executive nomad, a distant cousin of the freelance creative working from far flung parts of the world, now own an apartment in Barcelona, attends Zoom calls from an airy home offices, and hops on a flight back to London, for team meetings and training. Over the last 12 months, we have seen a 41% rise in professionals from London and the South East, buying properties in Barcelona.

“Tech executives and entrepreneurs are also drawn by Barcelona’s burgeoning status as a tech hub. 22@ is a neighbourhood built where innovation, creativity, design and technology have replaced the old factories as the economic driving force. There are than 1,500 companies linked to the media, IT, energy, design and scientific research. Poblenou’s industrial land was the setting for Barcelona’s industrialisation and these days it is home to a knowledge cluster.

“Real estate costs are low and there is a strong local talent pool. Companies are moving their headquarters to Barcelona including Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft specialising in the application of artificial intelligence technologies, and PepsiCo, which has installed its global digital centre in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, with a planned investment of 70 million euros. The area is becoming more and more international.