As more people embrace flexible working environments and set their sights on their next ‘workation’ (AKA, a vacation that blends leisure and remote working), KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, reveals the best countries in the world to work remotely from, with Portugal topping the list.
Thailand landed in an impressive 4th place in the Asia-Pacific ranking and 16th globally.
KAYAK’s first Work from Wherever Index is the ultimate source for those looking to set up a new office away from home temporarily or for a longer period of time. To develop the index, 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. Ultimately, the index reveals the countries that are easiest to work from while having a lot of fun in your off hours.
The top 10 best countries worldwide and in Asia-Pacific for combining productive working conditions and opportunities for travel adventures according to KAYAK are:
Thailand took an impressive 4th spot in the Asia-Pacific region and 16th worldwide, outrunning countries like Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia or Singapore.
Thailand performs well in categories such as ‘Travel’ and ‘Local prices’ as it has one of the lowest hotel and car rental prices in the world, affordable long- and short-term apartment rates and low cost of eating out. The country has high scores in the ‘Remote work infrastructure’ category as it has decent Internet speed and offers digital nomad visas for those who are looking to stay here longer.
Portugal was ranked the all-round best country to work remotely from worldwide, scoring high across the board in all categories, including great weather, high abundance of places for going out, low-crime rates, and relatively low cost of living. Portugal also offers a digital nomad visa, and many locals have a high English proficiency, which is something that attracts many expats.
Travellers from Thailand can find the best ‘workation’ for their team’s time zone thanks to KAYAK’s new feature
In addition to the Work from Wherever Index, KAYAK features a new time zone ranking to help users quickly and easily find out the time differences for their trip – ideal for those looking to swerve 2am conference calls whilst working abroad. The time zone-focused rankings take key factors and categories from the Work from Wherever Index into account but displays them according to your work country of origin – so the countries that have time zones closest to your 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.
Before planning your journey, be sure to check the latest travel restrictions in your destination. KAYAK’s travel restrictions map provides real time updates on COVID-19 restrictions and entry requirements of individual countries around the world.
All sources have been accessed and data retrieved between 1 September – 20 October 2021. The numbers collected are based on the latest available data.
