Where to be a Digital Nomad in Europe

As flights operate at half capacity and airports find themselves eerily empty, the days of leisure travel may be over. No longer can those with wanderlust or thrill seekers just book a cheap flight to the Caribbean or stay for a week at a Mallorca hotel. At least not for Americans in today’s COVID world with international travel banned for the time being.

The days of simply purchasing an airline ticket and traveling to wherever your heart desires are over. Some of us may be wondering: will we ever be able to travel overseas again?

Well, let’s rephrase that question into two parts. One: will we ever be able to travel for fun again? Probably not anytime soon. But will we be able to temporarily relocate to another country while working for a company back home? Absolutely!

Tourist visas may be history but have you ever heard of the digital nomads? Continue reading to learn how this unique group of modern-day entrepreneurs manage to travel the world while supporting themselves simply with a reliable WiFi connection and a functional computer. Oh, and in the process, digital nomads can rent cars from Kemwel for some quality exploration in between assignments and meeting deadlines!

What is a digital nomad

A digital nomad is a person who works purely digital, meaning they can perform their job duties from essentially any part of the world. Oftentimes these are people who work as software developers, writers, journalists, online teachers. Anything online, really. These folks tend to work in places like coffee shops, library, co-working offices or even their vehicles whether that be an RV motorhome rental in Spain or multi-passenger van rental in Croatia with lots of storage space for a portable home office!

Keeping this in mind, there are various types of visas available throughout the European Union for long-term stays, whether or not you're a freelancer. The following three countries, though, present some of the lowest barriers of entry catered to digital nomads hoping to stay for an extended period of time while working for a foreign company. The primary stipulation is that visa holders must have a working contract with an external company that will be supporting you through your stay.

In other words; as long as you have a valid passport and a steady income from a remote job, then you could very well hop on the digital nomad bandwagon! Each of these three countries have their own rules and stipulations but are some the biggest pioneers in the digital nomad revolution.

Digital nomad in Croatia

The most recent country in the EU to introduce the digital nomad visa is Croatia. Still in the early preliminary stages and expected to be fully implemented in 2021, this program will strive to attract foreigners wanting to make the Adriatic Sea, Zagreb or Split the backdrop to their home office. This effort was also initiated by the Foreigners Act that has already gained approval from Parliament. Tourism represents 20 percent of Croatia’s GDP, so this will be an effective means to allure visitors.

Digital nomad in Spain

Officially known as the non-lucrative or self-employment visa, becoming a digital nomad is pretty straightforward in Spain. As long as you are earning at least €2,151.36 a month (~US$2,530.75) from a foreign company, then you could be a digital nomad anywhere from Madrid to Barcelona for up to one year. Then it will just be a matter of renewing until you decide to apply for permanent residency.

Digital nomad in Estonia

As of August 1, Estonia is the first country to officially have a digital nomad visa. This certainly makes sense considering that Estonia is one of the most technological countries in the world. Citizens have a digital pin number that they use to do everything from file taxes to vote in elections. Estonia even has an e-residency program that enables people to run digital business under EU policies from anywhere in the world! The income threshold is a bit higher in places like Tallinn with the monthly minimum being €3,504 to be eligible. All of this resulted from when the Estonian government amended the Alien Act in June to include digital nomads.

Car rentals for digital nomads

What do car rentals and digital nomads have in common? The freedom to move about freely and never be tied down to any one vehicle or location! Those who work remotely can rent cars through the Kemwel search engine while working remotely in Europe!