As more people embrace flexible working environments and set their sights on their next ‘workcation’ (that is, a vacation that blends leisure and remote work), travel booking platform Cheapflights has revealed that Portugal tops the list for working remotely.
Cheapflights’ ‘Work from Wherever Index‘ closely analysed 111 countries and ranked each against 22 factors across six categories – travel costs and accessibility, local prices, health and safety, remote working capabilities, social life and weather – to reveal the best countries that are easiest to work from while enjoying a new country.
Where did South Africa rank?
South Africa ranked 61st on the global index and takes fifth place among countries in the Middle East and African regions. The country ranked highly in the categories of price, travel and social life, which is an indicator of locals’ proficiency in English, the abundance of activities and places to visit, and culture. Worldwide, we have overtaken such destinations as South Korea and Canada.
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Mauritius, which came fourth, tops the ranking for the Middle East and Africa. Not surprising since the island nation offers great weather, low crime rates and a fairly low cost of living in addition to a remote work visa (also called a digital nomad visa). These visas are travel authorisations for on-the-go workers and are often relatively easy to obtain. They allow travellers to work independently and remotely during their stay in a country.
Already, Mauritius has proven extremely popular with South Africans and just recently announced that its borders are once again open to Saffas for travel. Lagging much further behind Mauritius are the Seychelles and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which both offer one-year remote work visas and plenty of co-working spaces.
Before planning your journey, be sure to check the latest travel restrictions and entry requirements of individual countries around the world.
Picture: Pexels
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