In 2022, 43-year-old Sophia Husbands spent almost three months living and working in the nomadic Awid Aman community in Tenerife (awidaman-nomadcommunity.com). She also went on shorter digital nomad stints in the United States and Germany. “I realized that I didn’t need to be in the UK all the time. I can do my job from anywhere,” says Sophia, career coach and IT trainer from Windsor. “It’s fun adjusting to a new environment and meeting new people, and the pace of life is so much more laid back. Just be sure to plan ahead and have some contingency money.
Unsurprisingly, the UK weather plays a big part in the decision. After realizing she couldn’t face another British winter, Suzanne Noble, 61, booked an Airbnb in Gran Canaria, a popular destination for digital nomads due to its mild year-round climate, its relatively low cost of living and being in the same time zone as the UK.
“There’s a huge network of nomads here who I’ve met through various Slack and WhatsApp channels,” says Suzanne, a British-American who runs the Startup School for Seniors, an online business course, and is currently in her second winter. on the island. “It’s true that we are in the minority, but I’m seeing a lot more people over 40 this year than I saw last time. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”
As Spain prepares to introduce a new digital nomad visa, allowing Brits and other non-EU citizens to live and work in the country for up to a year (bypassing the 90-day Schengen rule introduced since Brexit), the governments of Spain and the Canary Islands hope to attract more remote workers, start-ups and investment.
And it’s not the only option – 49 other countries have introduced similar visas, including Mauritius, Barbados, Portugal and Greece.
Entrepreneur Nacho Rodríguez created Repeople (repeople.co) in his native Gran Canaria in 2014, offering cohabitation and work centers in the capital Las Palmas and in Puerto de las Nieves, a pretty fishing village in the northwest. The company now has nine facilities across the island, with more on the way.
“Before the pandemic, the average age was around 30, but we’re seeing an increasing number of people over 40,” says Rodríguez, who hosts about 800 digital nomads a year, each staying for about a month. . He predicts the new visa will continue the trend and open the door to new temporary residents, not just those staying for a month or two.
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