March 10

13 comments

Why Andalusia is a great workation destination for digital nomads

By Johannes Völkner

March 10, 2015


I believe that Andalucia has the potential to become a major digital nomad hub over the next few years. While the region is still lacking in coworking spaces (which is slowly changing) there are so many other reasons why you should make your way down here as well.

Panorama of Cadiz, Spain

Amazing cities and small towns

Sevilla, Malaga, Granada, Cadiz are all very unique and special places to visit and live in. Add to that the abundance of beautiful towns like Tarifa and you’ll definitely find a place you’ll want to stay for months.

Super easy and inexpensive to reach

Getting to Andalusia is super easy and cheap. Most budget airlines fly to the region from anywhere in Europe. Look for flights to Malaga, Sevilla or Jerez de la Frontera and you’ll most certainly find one way tickets from anywhere in Europe between 30 – 100 €.

Not just package tourism

Southern Spain has a reputation for being full of package tourism. While this might apply to many cities along the Mediterranean coast, it can easily be avoided. Spend more time in the cities and along the Atlantic coast, which still has some undiscovered beach towns that are more popular with local tourists and backpackers.

Aerial view of Alhambra Palace in Granada

Beaches and mountains

Andalusia has much more to offer than just beaches. In fact you can even go skiing in the Sierra Nevada (near Granada) from December until the End of April. This diversity and the fantastic climate makes Andalusia one of the best regions to live in Europe.

Any climate you want

Do you prefer the sea breeze of the Atlantic Ocean in cities like Cadiz, the warmer weather on the Mediterranean coast or the cooler mountainous region of Granada? You can pick literally any climate you want almost all year round, except in winter months from December to March when it gets a bit more chilly around the whole region.

Cheapest rental cars in the World

A great way to explore Andalusia is to do it by car. And the good thing is that getting a rental car is super affordable. If you rent in low season you can easily get your own car for less than 5 € a day. This probably makes it the cheapest place in the world to rent a car. I recommend doyouspain.com to compare the prices.

Kite surfing in Tarifa, southern Spain

Adventures at your doorstep

Do you want to go for a climb, surf or kitesurfing session after work? Or simply enjoy a run along the beach promenade? It’s all possible in Andalusia. All you need to do is pick the right place to live in the region and you can stay healthy and active without having to go to the gym.

Super affordable

Southern Spain can be extremely cheap if you avoid the peak season months of July and August. If you avoid peak season it’s easy to find great two bedroom apartments on the beach for around 600 € a month. You’ll probably find the best deals in Granada, which is known for it’s great value for money and could become the European version Chiang Mai once more digital nomads discover it (Check the guide for more info on Granada).

Excellent infrastructure

Southern Spain receives millions of tourists each year, which means that the infrastructure in place is perfect for all of your work needs. While good coworking spaces are still missing, you really don’t need to worry about the speed of your internet connection.

Windy bay of Tarifa, Spain

Homebase potential for European nomads

One of the main reasons I went to Southern Spain was not just because I wanted to go on a workation, but actually because I was thinking about making it my homebase and living there most of the year. I was convinced pretty quickly and know many digital nomads who are thinking about doing the same. It’s not only super affordable and easy to reach but also offers such a variety of places to live that it’s easy to spend at least a few months of the year in the region (without all the visa issues if you’re European).

Simply a great place to test if working and travelling is for you

Starting to work and travel can be a big step and I believe that visiting Andalusia can be a great and exciting way for Europeans to start. You can see if you like the lifestyle without having to fly all the way to South East Asia where you’ll have to deal with timezones and a less developed infrastructure.

Which parts of Andalucia do you like most and why? Would be great to hear your opinion in comments!

 

 

Johannes Völkner

About the author

Founder of WebWorkTravel magazine

  • Since I learned Spanish 3 weeks in Granada in 2012, I also love the place, having come back some times during studying in Madrid (which, for a capital, makes actually a quite nice nomad spot as well in my eyes. For a even cheaper inland experience in Spain head to Extremadura – especially Merida is quite nice,

    • Hey Christoph, Granada is indeed fantastic. I haven’t been to Merida yet but will look into it. Thanks for your advice.

  • Totally agree Johannes! Cool to connect on here as well as you FB group btw, like your site! Andalusia, mainly the southern coast, is pretty much home base. Met my wife and lived there for 4 years. Definitely is an up-and-coming destination for digital nomads. Great weather, affordable (especially rent) and even though it isn’t on the radar of many nomads, there are quite a few expats there, mostly due to Gibraltar and the online gaming firms.

    I’m currently in Malta. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I also see it as an up-and-coming destination.

    • Why don’t you work at home? I always search for apartments with wifi, although that can be a bit difficult in that area. Also depends on the kind of work you do, I could not work in a place with noise :)

      • I’m just one of those people who gets all squirrely staying in the house too long! I have an easier time focusing when I’m out at a cafe – even if there is a lot of background noise. Also, we have 2 small children, so if one of us is home with the kids, the other person can go out and work “in peace” :) (But honestly, even without kids, I feel all claustrophobic staying at home!)

  • 100% agree! We spent 3 months in Andalucia last year (the max amount of time allowed for Americans in Schengen without visa) and did not want to leave. It was the perfect combination of affordable living, fantastic food, fast and cheap trains, one of the best internet connections (only in Sofia, Bulgaria we got better one), sherry (in Jerez) and wines everywhere (where else you can buy a bottle of excellent red wine for 0.99Euro?), the most laid-back and friendliest locals who were very patient with our so-called Spanish (mostly, it was more of a sign language).

    Since you are a surfer, I understand why your favorite place was Tarifa. I liked it a lot, but for non-surfers like me there are other great cities and towns in Andalucia. We lived in Jerez and absolutely loved it. We also discovered El Puerto de Santa Maria, a tiny town near Cadiz, which was not touristy at all. For our next stay in Andalucia, we actually can not decide between these two.

    • Glad to hear you enjoyed Andalusia! I totally agree that there are many other great places besides Tarifa (especially for the non surfers). Will definitely try to take a look at El Puerto as well when I get back to to Andalusia in a few days. Sounds like a very interesting place! Enjoy your travels ;-)

  • I didn’t know that Spain was so up and coming for nomads but after you told me about it at DNX in October and then also hearing a podcast and reading a few posts (including yours here), I finally booked my flight! Very excited to see what it’s it like working from Spain as I am planning to check a few places from Barcelona down to Tarifa. I would love to join the workation too but I will just miss it as I fly over from Thailand but hopefully see you in Tarifa a little later on :-)

    • Shame you can’t make it for the workation. Think you’re really gonna like the area though!! Let me know when you get to Tarifa Carolin. I’ll give you a tour, if I’m still around at that time ;-).

  • I agree this region of Europe is totally awesome, has mountains, beaches and fab weather. I recommend the Costa Tropical nr Granada as an alternative to Costa Del Hell (Sol)

  • I’ve been working from Almeria for the last 4 years, the wether is great all year round, the people are friendly and the cost of living is reasonable. I’m now looking to move around Spain a bit more. I have travelled to many places in Spain but not actually lived and worked anywhere else.

  • Hi there, I am a soon to be a software developer and it is my dream to become a digital nomad, an independent software developer and work online from anywhere. I have heaps of questions and the most important one would be the following. How does anyone start being geographically independent? Can anybody give some tips to follow? I am currently in Australia and Spain is where I want to live. And die. I would be very grateful for any kind of help. Kind regards, Joey

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