What do I like best about the digital nomad lifestyle?
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot in the world. While it has brought a lot of bad (it’s generally hard to speak in superlatives about a pandemic), its side effect has also been to slow down the world, and thus make people reflect on their lives so far. The pandemic has forced many people to switch to remote work, showing them that it is possible to work in such a system and you don’t have to have a boss over your head who has to control his employees. This has led many people to start working remotely, and such a work system suits them much better than coming to the office every day.
So why, if I am able to work effectively from my home, why not try working remotely from a place with beautiful weather and access to the ocean? And try living as digital nomad? Such a thought was born one day in my head, because I have always wanted to try remote work from warm countries. So I packed some of my things and left for Tenerife. Since then, I have also been working remotely from Madeira, and the following subsections will be about the reflections I gathered while just in the islands.
1. Meeting new people and their view of the world.
Tenerife attracts people from all corners of the world. During my travels, I managed to meet many people who think outside the box – they run their own businesses, moved to another country to find a job with better conditions or study their dream field. They also grew up in other countries, and as a result, through conversations you can learn about cultural similarities and differences.
I personally met a lot of people working remotely from Tenerife or Madeira, and I still keep in touch with several of them. These are very valuable acquaintances for me – among others, with one girl I met in Tenerife, I have planned a trip in Asia and we are soon flying together to Bali, another I helped on the creation of her project and we are already planning more.Â
2. A great variety of leisure activities.
Here you can calm down while doing yoga by the ocean or get out surfing or taking salsa classes in the water. After work, you can also go to nature or go to a business meeting for digital nomads. In addition, in Tenerife and Madeira the time is moved one hour backwards than in Poland, which gives you the opportunity to finish work earlier – you have then more time to enjoy the charms of the islands and the beautiful weather.Â

3. Getting to know a new place.
When you’re done, you can go on a hiking trail or visit the village where you’re located. In Tenerife and Madeira, the digital nomad community is very big and organized hiking tours, trips to other islands (Canary Islands) or ocean cruises are popular, providing the opportunity to visit and experience another corner of the world.

4. Friendly atmosphere that you soak up to your bones.Â
In Tenerife, as in Madeira, the weather is very conducive to the general mood – people on the street are smiling, time seems to flow more slowly and you will rarely meet a person who is in a hurry somewhere. For me it is insanely important, because I am a person who is heavily influenced by my surroundings, it is not uncommon for me to take over energy from the people around me.Â
5. Testing your own limits.
Traveling alone strengthens character. I’ve always liked to be independent, but sometimes when traveling alone it’s hard, especially when you have to move from point A to point B with a big bag without any help  in 30-degree heat, plus in Tenerife the buses are late, and sometimes they don’t come at all… it’s then a big test of patience for me and my resourcefulness, because it’s not uncommon to have to improvise in such situations. When traveling alone, often the only person you can count on is yourself. It’s a really good test to test your own limits.
6. An opportunity to escape the cold and gray days.Â
I have lived in Prague, Czech Republic, for several years. The climate there is very similar to that in Poland. I don’t like autumn weather, and winter could only exist for a week for me – just in time to go skiing. Tenerife, especially in the south, has beautiful and sunny weather all year round. This provides the body with a decent dose of vitamin D, which translates into an overall better mood.
7. Spending free time in nature
Tenerife and Madeira have no shortage of beautiful hiking trails. I also appreciate the fact that when I’m done with work I can go to the ocean and listen to the sound of it, or go surfing or practice yoga outdoors.
I hope that if you are still hesitant about whether remote work is for you, then with this post I have encouraged you to try digital nomad lifestyle 😉 However, there are two sides to every medal:Â
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