Five years ago, remote working was rare. Managers outside the tech industry often frowned on it. But in the last couple of years, the forward thinkers who embraced remote working were proved right. More and more professions are finding ways to work remotely, sometimes very remotely. With video meeting technology and shared documents stored in the cloud, some of us can do our jobs better away from the office. The question is how far away. It’s now possible to work remotely in a different country from your official workplace, and indeed it’s possible to travel from country to country while continuing to clock into the same job. Once a fringe option for freelance professionals, working remotely as a digital nomad is now an option for more and more people. And affordable international shipping means you can create a lovely home wherever you go.
Ireland’s housing crisis has made living in our cities expensive. We’re no strangers to people leaving these shores for opportunities, but now we have vastly more options. Instead of making a one-way move and searching for work elsewhere, it is entirely possible to keep your job here and live somewhere with a much lower cost of living. Earning Irish wages while paying much lower rent and seeing the world is a very appealing option, especially when you can easily video chat with your loved ones at home and use affordable international shipping to bring some home comforts with you.
Where Are Digital Nomads Going in 2023?
The only real limits on where you can go are the technical infrastructure of the destination and the visa requirements. The easiest locations for Irish professionals working remotely are within the European Union.
Bulgaria and Romania head many lists of the cheapest places to live in the EU. Neither use the euro yet. According to EuroStat, both had lower electricity rates than Ireland in 2022 and used more renewable energy. EuroStat also rated Bulgaria and Romania as having the lowest cost of living (based on household expenditure) in the EU. (Ireland’s was highest.) These countries might be too close to the conflict in Ukraine for many, however.
Portugal also has much lower electricity rates than Ireland, and significantly more renewable energy. Their cost of living is ranked at 14th highest of the 27 countries and below the EU average. It’s a fairly short flight from Ireland, and continental Europe is accessible by road and rail. Malta, being an island, is geographically more isolated but enjoys a fantastic climate and one of the lowest household expenditures in the EU. Electricity prices there were half of what consumers in Ireland paid last year.
It’s easy and affordable to ship your belongings within the European Union with an experienced international shipping company such as Spratt Personal Shipping. Of course, we can also ship your belongings much further afield to Asia, Africa or South America. If you’d like to hear more about how our affordable international shipping services can help you work remotely and enjoy adventures in a new location, we’re always happy to answer your questions.
