Then → Now · 2026
A lifestyle that needed "guts" and grey-zone tourist visas in 2018 is now served by dedicated nomad visas in dozens of countries.
What it said (2018) ↓
Travel is the main benefit. Pick cities by coworking, transport, community, hobbies, weather, festivals and day trips.
"Cowork 7/24 are soon introducing a pass which will be valid across several different coworking spaces."
What happened (2026) ↓
Nomadism went mainstream: about 18.5M US digital nomads in 2025, according to MBO Partners material (the page originally cited is no longer online).
Formal nomad visas now exist in about 60 to 70+ countries depending on definition, including Spain (which covers Las Palmas and Barcelona). Citizen Remote, Freaking Nomads
Verdict · Held up: 8 / 10 · Full 2026 update
Still valid The lifestyle advice holds; the prices and the pass teaser are dated.
- Remote workers should pick cities for their coworking, transport, community, weather and festivals, making travel the main benefit.Still valid holds
Original post · 23 March 2018
The Benefits Of Working Remotely: the Worldwide Worker
Working remotely is great for one main reason: you may travel the world. Ask most people how they’d like to live their best life, and you can guarantee one or more answers will involve travel in some form. So how can you incorporate more travel into your digital nomad life, and ultimately reap the benefits of being a ‘digital nomad’, or worldwide remote worker? Well, first of all, make a list of where you’d like to travel. You might already have a bucket list, or just a general idea of some places you might like to travel. But it’s time to do your research! Ask yourself the following questions:- Does the city have coworking spaces?
- How easy is it to travel around?
- Are there adequate opportunities for connecting with other nomads?
- Can you pick up your regular hobbies there?
- What’s the weather like?
- Are there any local festivities and celebrations happening at the time of travel?
- What kinds of day trips could you do from the city?
Coworking
Because coworking spaces are a relatively new trend, you might find lots just about to open in your chosen destination. Therefore it’s always best to do your research on social media too. When you work remotely, a great benefit is to have an office in several different countries! In fact, Cowork 7/24 are soon introducing a pass which will be valid across several different coworking spaces, allowing you to benefit from lots of coworking spaces around the world! Isn't it great that Everywhere's your Office?Travel
When you’re location independent, the possibilities for travel are endless! You could get a super-cheap flight from the UK to Gran Canaria (prices from just 20 EUR), where you’ll find the nomad hotspot of Las Palmas, or a cheap train ride in Lisbon where you can chill on the beach of Estoril, for under 5 EUR. Book your travel in plenty of time, and if you don’t mind travelling at an off-peak time, you’ll usually be able to get a great deal. There is many cities where digital nomads just love. These digital nomadic cities, like Chiang Mai, Bali, Bansko or Budapest will also just make it super easy for you to connect with like-minded, or like-lifestyle people.Connecting
The world has shrunk in size over the last fifty years; it’s now easier than ever to connect with people all over the world. One of the most amazing benefit as a remotely working professional is to meet with people from different countries and cultures and find out new information. It’s a great way to find out global trends: What’s the cryptocurrency scene like in Japan? How many vegan restaurants are in Berlin? Do they have coworking spots in Italy? When you meet others who share the same values and passion for life as you do, it’s a truly enlightening and fulfilling experience.Hobbies
Want to do yoga on the beach near Lisbon? Fancy a hike in Nepal? Or fancy surfing in Cornwall? Whatever your hobby, the great thing about working remotely is that you can design your work life around your hobbies! Perhaps there’s a really cool cooking course in Bali you’d like to try, or a weekend meditation course in Spain. Whatever your tastes, you can usually find something that takes your fancy, by browsing online meetups or looking at social media events.Weather
The weather has to truly be one of the best benefits of working remotely. When you work remotely, you can chase the sun, wherever it is! Fancy some sun in January? Try the Canary Islands. Or perhaps you want to experience a White Christmas? Try Poland in December. You can literally take your pick of climates, as long as you are working in a timezone that suits your line of work, or are just ready to stay awake until 4 am to take a call from a client in US!Local festivities
Whether it’s the colourful street decorations of Nyepi in Ubud during March, the lively Carnaval in Las Palmas in February, or the tomato-throwing food fight festival in Spain in August - there’s lots of events that you’re never going to catch anywhere else. Attending cultural and traditional festivities is a beautiful way to see how locals all over the world celebrate certain values, and by participating in them you’ll get a true slice of life as a resident.Day Trips
Fancy a day trip to Phi Phi? A nice long stroll around the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona? A coffee and a croissant to people-watch in Paris? Whatever your touristic pastimes are, you can indulge them fully when you’re a remote worker. Since you’ll usually have weekends off, you can use the time to go exploring and get to know a country or a city in more depth. When you work remotely, worldwide, your weekends don’t have to be spent doing the same thing. You can enjoy the variety of activities a given place has to offer. What’s more, when you work in a city for a longer period, you’re more likely to get insider tips about where to go and when. Ultimately, working location-independent, be it a digital nomad, or just working remotely certainly takes guts, and it’s not for the fainthearted. You need to be flexible, adaptable, healthy and confident to start over in a new country or city. You must build new personal skills and capabilities to stay competitive in this new world. But for those who dare to dream and who take the leap, life can be full of beautiful surprises and exciting adventures.2026 update
What happened after this was written
Claims then:
- Travel is the main benefit. Pick cities by coworking, transport, community, hobbies, weather, festivals and day trips.
- "Cowork 7/24 are soon introducing a pass which will be valid across several different coworking spaces."
- Prices: "super-cheap flight from the UK to Gran Canaria (prices from just 20 EUR)"; train from Lisbon to Estoril "for under 5 EUR".
- Nomad hubs: Las Palmas, Chiang Mai, Bali, Bansko, Budapest.
- It "takes guts"; you must build new skills to stay competitive.
What happened since:
- Nomadism went mainstream: about 18.5M US digital nomads in 2025, according to MBO Partners material (the page originally cited is no longer online). The +153% rise versus 2019 appears only in third-party summaries and could not be confirmed from the primary source.
- Formal nomad visas now exist in about 60 to 70+ countries depending on definition, including Spain (which covers Las Palmas and Barcelona). Citizen Remote, Freaking Nomads
- Whether the Cowork7/24 multi-space pass launched: unverified. Multi-space passes did become standard elsewhere, but I did not source that this session.
- Current €20 UK–Gran Canaria fares and the Lisbon–Estoril fare: unverified.
Prediction scorecard: (no testable forecasts beyond the company's own pass, which is unverified)
Verdict: Still valid (evergreen). The lifestyle advice holds; the prices and the pass teaser are dated.
Headline finding: A lifestyle that needed "guts" and grey-zone tourist visas in 2018 is now served by dedicated nomad visas in dozens of countries.
Re-verified 3 November 2026: 1 claims confirmed, 1 corrected, 1 hedged, 0 removed.
Researched 30 September 2026 and re-verified against the sources on 3 November 2026. Sources are linked in each point. Items marked "unverified" could not be established and are not guessed.