The best destinations for remote workers in 2022

Imagine replacing your home workplace with a sunny balcony or a beautiful sandy beach. For many people, whose success in performing tasks is not dependent on a specific location, these scenarios are becoming a reality. That's why KAYAK has launched its first Work from Wherever Index, which will benefit anyone who wants to travel while working or relocate their office either temporarily or for a longer period of time.

KAYAK has carefully analysed 111 countries, ranking them against six different categories: travel costs and accessibility, local prices, health and safety, remote working capabilities, social life and weather.

In addition, they also created a time zone ranking system that makes it easier for users to find countries whose time zones are aligned with their own schedule, i.e. with the time zone of the company's headquarters. The time zone-oriented ranking takes into account the key factors and categories from the Work from Wherever index, but displays them according to the country of origin of your workplace.

What are the best countries to work from in 2022?

These are the top 10 countries for digital nomads in 2022:

1. PORTUGAL

Ranked as the best country in the world for remote working, Portugal has the highest possible scores in all six categories and a high knowledge of English, which attracts many foreigners to work from there. Portugal also offers a digital nomad visa and their first digital nomad village was launched in 2021 in the Portuguese autonomous region of Madeira.

2. SPAIN

The ever-popular Spain ranked second. In addition to the high number of restaurants and cafes per capita, plenty of co-working spaces and high internet speeds, Spain also ranked highly for its positive attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community.

3. ROMANIA

Romania is ranked third with an impressive score of 92 out of a possible 100. This high ranking is due to the favourable prices when it comes to long-term apartments rentals, internet and food costs, but scores are slightly lower in the category of weather. The average temperature drops below -3 °C in winter and ranges between 22 °C and 24 °C in summer.

4. MAURITIUS

In fourth place is Mauritius, which is a great destination if you prefer warmer destinations. The average monthly temperature on this island is 24 °C and the cost of living is very low.

5. JAPAN

Just behind Mauritius is Japan, which has a high quality of social life and a high number of cultural and social centres per capita (as many as 149 cultural centres and 1,707 bars and clubs per 1,000 inhabitants). However, if you work on a European schedule, Japan may not be the right country for you.

6. MALTA

Unlike Japan, you won't have time zone problems in Malta. The 10th smallest country in the world, it ranks highest in health and safety, has good political and economic stability and a low death toll in traffic (only 4 per 100,000 inhabitants). However, Malta's lowest-ranked category is social life.

7. COSTA RICA

This beautiful country is ranked seventh. Costa Rica is rich in flora, fauna, natural attractions, warm weather and friendly people, and is also highly ranked for its welcoming attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community. The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is one of the world's seven Blue Zones - a place to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life.

8. PANAMA

If you want a warm climate, a magnificent ocean view and lots of things to do, then Panama is the right choice for you. A fast-developing country that offers good food, plenty of clubs and restaurants and a relatively low cost of living.

9. CZECH REPUBLIC

Living in the Czech Republic can be very attractive for many people because of the low prices of food and transport, and the long-term rentals that can be obtained for an average of 300-400€ per month.

10. GERMANY

Germany makes it into the top 10 most desirable countries, scoring 83 out of a possible 100 points. It is best rated in the categories of health and safety, and also ranks highly in the areas of political stability and friendliness towards the LGBTQ+ community.

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Can you guess the next one? Croatia ranked 11th out of 111 countries, ahead of Iceland, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. See the full rankings here.