KAYAK launches first Work from Wherever Index to digital nomads

Portugal comes out on top for ‘workations’ based on analysis of 22 factors

Metasearch site KAYAK has identified the best countries to work remotely from in 2022.

The firm’s first ‘Work from Wherever Index’ was inspired by the Workation trend seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KAYAK closely analysed 111 countries and ranked each against 22 factors across six categories: travel costs and accessibility; local prices; health & safety; remote working capabilities; social life; and weather.

The top 10 best countries for combining productive working conditions and opportunities for travel adventures according to KAYAK are:

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. Romania
4. Mauritius
5. Japan
6. Malta
7. Costa Rica
8. Panama
9. Czech Republic
10. Germany

Portugal scored high across the board in all categories, including weather, abundance of places for going out, low-crime rates, and relatively low cost of living.

The country also offers a digital nomad visa, and many locals have a high English proficiency that attracts expats.

Spain came in second place, largely due to its high quantity of restaurants and cafes per capita, paired with fast internet speed, plenty of co-working spaces and remote visas for freelancers.

It also has a buzzing nightlife and is very LGBTQ+ friendly. Romania rounds up the top third place, because it offers very attractive prices when it comes to long-term apartment rentals and local food.

The Work from Wherever Index also features a new time zone ranking to help users quickly and easily find out the time differences for their trip.

The time zone-focused rankings takes key factors and categories from the Work from Wherever Index into account but displays them according to the work country of origin.

The countries that have time zones closest to someone’s own work time zone will be featured higher up on the list of country destinations.

The tool also provides information on the latest travel restrictions and local vaccination rates per country.

Laure Bornet, general manager KAYAK EMEA, said: “At KAYAK we’re embracing the opportunity for people to work from almost anywhere in the world, and we expect it to be a rising trend amongst travellers in 2022 and beyond.

“That’s why we wanted to create a tool that helps travellers easily find destinations that cater to this new hybrid way of working, identifying the countries that offer great working conditions while also boasting with amazing things to see and do in your down time.”