If you’ve never lived abroad before and are considering trying the work-from-anywhere lifestyle, a digital nomad village could be the answer. Digital nomad villages are communities built around the needs of remote workers. They typically have excellent coworking spaces with fast internet and a support team that helps you find long-term housing.
They’re a great place for new remote workers to get their feet wet—yet they’re also attracting seasoned digital nomads looking to connect with like-minded travelers. These villages have become thriving communities of remote workers who not only work together but also explore together during their time off. Often, these villages make it easier for incoming transplants to integrate with the local community through events, volunteering opportunities, and skill-sharing workshops.
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With new villages popping up all over the world, here are the top ones to consider visiting this year.
Digital Nomads Madeira
The Portuguese island of Madeira is home to the world’s first digital nomad village. Launched in February 2021, Digital Nomads Madeira was created in partnership with local government authorities after Gonçalo Hall, then a nomad and remote work consultant, pitched the idea as a way to replace lost tourism revenue.
The village began in the beautiful seaside town of Ponta do Sol, where a free coworking space was set up. Community members can join the village for free online. You’ll have access to the Slack community and a local host who will help you find housing and ease you into the community. Weekly events like yoga or sunset parties are open to both nomads and locals, making it easier to get to know one another. Several skill-sharing workshops also give remote workers the chance to connect deeper with the local community.
Beatriz Geraldes, a graphic designer from Portugal, used Madeira as the starting point for her digital nomad journey. Geraldes and a friend traveled to the island in 2021, at a time when lockdown restrictions continued on the mainland. In Madeira, they found a community of remote workers from all over Europe. That’s when she came to the realization, “Oh, I can do this life. I can work. I can travel.”
“Madeira was an amazing experience,” Geraldes says. “ There's something about working at your desk, and during breaks, you can connect with people who are not your colleagues.”
Cabo Verde Remote Working Program
After his success in Madeira, Hall went on to replicate the project in Cabo Verde. Hall again worked with the local authorities to ensure high-quality internet, long-term accommodation, and coworking spaces were available before inviting nomads to the island. Now, the island nation off northwestern Africa now offers a six-month visa for those who want to settle into the warm weather for longer.
Both the Cabo Verde Remote Working Program and Madeira project are now a part of NomadX, a company founded by Hall to start similar communities in other places around the world. He most recently brought the project to Pipa on the northeastern coast of Brazil. You can also find NomadX villages in Lisbon and Caparica, a coastal neighborhood 20 minutes away.
Noma Collective
Noma hosts remote working experiences around the world in increments of three to four weeks. It’s modeled like a retreat, where remote workers pay a set price and are given accommodation, meals, and access to coworking spaces. Digital nomads live and work in the same space for the duration of the experience, which helps foster a sense of community among the members.
The experience comes with family dinners at least twice a week, group talks, excursions, yoga classes, parties, game nights, and more. Prices range from $2,150 for three weeks in Belize to $2,450 for 25 days — including a festival — in Kenya. Noma will also bring its nomad village to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bocas Del Toro, Panama; Bali, Indonesia; and Antigua, Guatemala this year.
Paul Martins, who’s been traveling for the better part of the last eight years, joined Noma in Panama. He says it was easier to focus on work when everyone around you was being productive, almost like an accountability system. “The value is in the community. You bond. You grow together. You learn so much together,” he says. “Every weekend, there was at least one thing organized, where we jumped on a boat and went snorkeling, or we hiked to a waterfall, or we did a family dinner. It was cool. We bonded really, really fast.”
Boundless
Boundless is behind various family-oriented digital nomad communities around the world. The company has established a presence in Sintra, Portugal; Syros, Greece; Tuscany, Italy; and Bali, Indonesia. These are communities composed of private homes, coworking spaces, and their own school system to make it easier for families to dip their toes in the digital nomad lifestyle together.
You can choose between a few different packages, such as a six-week experience with accommodation, school tuition (which includes meals and field trips), utilities, laundry and cleaning services, access to a coworking hub, and community events.
Nomad City
Nomad City is an established remote work community in Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands located off northwestern Africa. The community connects you to co-living accommodations, private coworking spaces, and a network of nomads to socialize with.
The community is concentrated at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of Gran Canaria, which boasts warm weather year-round. There is a wide range of nomad-friendly coffee shops and coworking spaces there, with most private coworking spaces charging around 150 euros per month.
With 236 kilometers of coastline, this is a great destination for remote workers who enjoy outdoor activities like surfing, beach volleyball, and other water sports.
Trento Remote
Trento Remote is a new program dedicated to bringing digital nomads to the heart of the Italian Alps in northern Italy. For 299 Euros a month, remote workers are offered a spot in a coworking space, as well as support finding a house and securing visas. You’ll also be invited to group activities such as hikes, cooking classes, skiing, and more. Italian lessons will also be available.
Trento Remote has partnered with a short-stay apartment company called Komodo, which offers modern, fully-furnished units for nomads. However, you can also find housing via Airbnb and other accommodation platforms. The program is currently accepting reservations for a period between April 1 and June 31.
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