The Best European Locations For Remote Working and Surfing
Winter is drawing in. And there has never been a better time for remote working. Here are some of Europe's best options for maxing the work/surf balance.
Remote work has never been more accessible than it is right now. COVID didn’t have many positives, but bosses realising that employees can be more productive and happy working from home, or anywhere in the world, was one outcome that surfers can get on board with.
Now boring factors like Wi-Fi speed, the cost of living, transport and the number of co-working spaces are important, but we've indexed this list by accessibility to fun waves and clean beaches. Want to work remotely and surf ya brains out? The following destinations are the best bet.
Cadiz, and the Coast of Light, Spain
Cadiz is midway up the Costa de la Luz, the only section of southern Spain that faces the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of Europe’s great historic cities, and its rich cultural heritage cake is iced with stunning beaches and a not-too-hectic vibrancy. Add a reliable internet connection and affordable cost of living, and you can see why it has attracted an expanding community of remote workers and co-working spaces.
Wave-wise, the city beaches are great for learning, while within a 45-minute drive south, there are several quality breaks that light up in the larger south-west and west swells. La Yerbabuena is the standout right-hand point of the whole Costa de la Luz, while the small town of El Palmar is considered the surf hub of Andalusia. We’d recommend an extended stay at The Sea Retreat, great accomm with a short distance to the empty beachies, and the perfect bolt hole to escape the darkest months while still earning the moola.
Cork, Ireland
Most of Ireland’s surf focus centres on the west coast towns of Bundoran, Lahinch, Easkey, and Dingle. While these have incredible waves, the small size of the towns and their rural remoteness can make working and social life difficult. Cork, however, is a small city, with great nightlife and a vibrant work ethic. There are plenty of co-working spaces to choose from, or you can work from one of the city’s many coffee shops.
The higher costs of Ireland do weigh against it, but the pubs, music scene, and pints of Guinness will be enough to compensate. There’s also plenty of beautiful countryside nearby and some great, though fickle, waves to be found around the coastal hubs and passionate surf communities of Inchydoney, Owenahincha Beach and Garretstown.
Maderia, Portugal
Seeking a truly unique life change with plenty of sun? Or perhaps you fancy riding some of the best big waves in the world? Or maybe fast wifi speeds are what floats your boat. Madeira, or more specifically, the main island and its capital, Funchal, offers all these, and plenty more. The islands are snooker-table green and are peppered with stunning volcanic mountains, high cliffs, waterfalls, and pebbly beaches. The Jurassic Park feel, and its location deep in the middle of the Atlantic, mean this is a place that shouldn’t be able to provide any solid connection to the real world.
Yet recent infrastructure upgrades and newly built hybrid 'workation' facilities that combine housing and workspace (€850 per month for a two-bedroom apartment) have seen Madeira become an affordable alternative for digital nomads and foreign remote workers. And then there are the waves; the mix of world-class reef and pointbreaks reels off in warm, crystal-clear waters, often with only a handful of surfers. You’ll need a car and some courage, but the rewards are incredible. Our friends at Faja Lodges are a good place to start to book your workcation winter of waves.
Canary Islands
Endless sun, excellent connectivity (both in terms of flight connections and broadband speeds), and beautiful beaches with incredible waves have positioned the Canary Islands as one of the world’s best destinations for remote working and surfing, at any time of year. The biggest decision is not whether to move there for six months, but which island to choose.
Santa Cruz, the vibrant capital of Tenerife, has quick access to waves nearby on the north coast and is a 45-minute drive away from the southern coast’s sunnier tourist strips and winter waves. Lanzarote has a claim to having the chain’s best waves, though the population hubs of the touristy Playa Blanca or the smaller surf town of La Santa are less set up for remote working. Our choice would be Fuerteventura’s capital, Corralejo, which sits on the edge of the island’s famed north shore wave zone and offers plenty of co-living and co-working spaces to connect with the large community of remote workers, who do more surfing than working.
Lagos, Portugal
Lisbon and its nearby surf hubs, Ericeira and Peniche, have long been held as the perfect “digital nomad” locations. However, their popularity has come with unwanted side effects. There’s been a huge uptick in accommodation costs, with locals especially grappling with the steep prices and lack of rental availability. Further afield, though, other options exist.
Lagos offers a smaller-scaled version of the capital’s vibrancy, and the same access to beautiful beaches, a reliable internet connection and a supportive community for those who work and live on the move. For surfers, its Algarve location sees it protected from big Atlantic swells and storms, offering great waves in winter, but also within reach of Portugal’s west coast when the waves are smaller. There is cheap out of season rents, loads of surf camps, sun is a given, the lifestyle incredible, the food excellent and the walled, old town has real charm. The main issue is actually doing any work at all.
