LAC – LIVING ABROAD COMMUNITY e.V.
Accommodation
Home around the world.
Finding a place to live for the moment.
How to find a accommodation
A temporary home entirely according to your ideas.
As a digital nomad, you are free to choose where you live and how long you want to stay there. You decide individually which standards you need to live by. This can be a 5-star luxury hotel or a simple vacation cottage on the beach. Of course, your budget also plays a role. However, you should not have to spend more than half of your monthly income on accommodation. Otherwise it could quickly become tight. -However, the search for a suitable accommodation over and over again brings many nomads to their limits. With every change of location, the tedious research starts all over again.
What should I look for when booking accommodation?
As a digital nomad, you have different needs than a vacationer. You probably spend much more time in your accommodation than other travelers. A certain comfort and feel-good factor should therefore not be missing.
To be able to work well, an internet connection is indispensable. As a rule, this can be found in almost every accommodation. If not, you should at least be able to use a co-working space in the immediate vicinity.
Furniture comes second on the list of priorities. You can certainly work for a few hours on a comfortable sofa. But it’s not a long-term solution. A hammock on the beach sounds nice, but it’s not really an option you should seriously consider. The longer you are on the road, the more you realize how important a good workplace is. Meanwhile, there are also providers who have adapted to digital nomads and even offer ergonomic furniture in the accommodations.
If you stay longer than a few days in one place, everyday things become more important. So you don’t have to go to a restaurant or a snack bar every day, your accommodation needs a kitchen or at least cooking facilities. Be aware, however, that you will not necessarily find all the utensils in it. Usually only basic equipment is available.
As a nomad you live out of a suitcase. This of course limits the amount of clothes you have. Accordingly, you will have to wash your clothes more often. You can use a laundromat on site. To save time and money, a washing machine in the accommodation is a huge advantage. Many portals allow you to specify certain criteria such as washing machine or kitchen directly in the search.
Other criteria are the distance to the nearest supermarket, transport connections or the range of leisure activities. Everything plays a role so that you feel comfortable and somehow at home in your new place of residence.
So make sure that life in your temporary home is as pleasant as possible.
The most important criteria for finding accommodation:
Location
The location of the accommodation plays a big role. Do you want to live centrally or directly at the beach? How do you get from your accommodation to the nearest supermarket or gym? Take a look at the location of your preferred accommodation before booking and then decide if it is suitable.
Budget
Your monthly income also determines your budget for accommodation. It is one of the most important criteria for choosing accommodation.
Type of accommodation
Hotel, cottage or private room. There are several options that you can use on your travels. You have to combine budget and demands.
Equipment
As a digital nomad, you are always dependent on Wi-Fi. Therefore, make sure that there is an Internet connection in the accommodation, so that you can also work without restrictions. If you want to be able to cook and do laundry yourself, then you can take this into account directly in your search.
Cancellation
Do you book your trips well in advance to take advantage of early booking discounts? Then cancellation options are worth a close look too. Plans can change fast — a client shifts a deadline, a project gets extended — and suddenly the booked place and dates no longer fit your work situation.
Tips & Recommendations
1
Ask for a discount
It is worth contacting the landlord. Introduce yourself briefly in a personal message and politely ask for a discount.
2
Washing machine
If you are staying longer than a week, a washing machine is very helpful. It is less complicated and cheaper than laundromats.
3
Workplace
Make sure there is a decent desk and proper chairs in the accommodation. Working on the sofa is not pleasant in the long run.
4
Mobility
You need to shop, go to surf spots and explore the area. But how? Always plan for costs and options for mobility when choosing a location.
Where is the best place to book my accommodation?
Learn how you can save budget.
You can either book your accommodation in advance or when you are already there. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Many digital nomads like to book well in advance. This way you benefit from early booking discounts and can invest the saved budget in other things. In addition, you can take your time to look for the next visa or research information about the area. You can also contact the landlord directly before booking to get further advantages. In a personal mail you introduce yourself briefly and ask politely for a discount, for example. Don’t worry, you have nothing to lose.
If you want to stay longer spontaneously, advance bookings are usually impractical. Often the accommodations are rented directly afterwards and you have to look for something new.
An alternative would be to book accommodation only for the first few days and then look for accommodation on the spot. You can either directly ask locals or other digital nomads for tips. Also in local newspapers or cafes, apartments or rooms are often offered. If you search locally, you also have more room to negotiate the costs. Especially for long-term stays, this will be noticeable in your wallet.
short-term
Most digital nomads go with this option. For the first few days or weeks, they rent a room or a small apartment. The advantage is that you’re always free to look for something new — whether it’s because you don’t like the place or because you’ve found a cheaper alternative elsewhere. That gives you a lot of flexibility.
The downside is that short-term rentals almost always cost more. So it’s worth trying to negotiate with the landlord. Even when you book through one of the big platforms, you can usually still reach out directly and ask for a discount.
Another problem might come up if you end up loving where you’re staying and decide, spontaneously, that you want to stay longer. Chances are you won’t be able to — the landlord might have already promised the place to the next tenant, so you’re forced to find a new place to stay instead. That means the stressful search starts all over again. It’s a real drawback, and one that frustrates a lot of digital nomads.
long-term
Owners who rent to digital nomads often think that their guests will only stay for a short period of time. This is also true for many remote workers. However, there are also those who fall in love with a very specific place, keep coming back and stay for many months. For this group, there are significantly more offers on the market. The question of why is almost self-answering. Landlords have more security and constant income with long-term guests. For you as a tenant, a permanent place to stay also means a kind of home feeling and security. It helps you make friends and build a social environment.
A big disadvantage are the longer notice periods. Moving to a new place at short notice is not so easy with a long-term rental. If you have rented your apartment for a whole year, then you also have to pay for the entire rental period. Only a few owners are willing to terminate the contract prematurely. Especially not without a new tenant.
coliving spaces
Coliving basically describes a shared apartment. Usually, the residents have a common interest and often a similar professional environment. The facilities are managed by professional hosts.
Almost all major cities offer coliving. In hotspots for digital nomads such as Lisbon, Chiang Mai or Berlin, these types of facilities are mushrooming. They are even being designed to meet the demands of nomads.
Coliving spaces are also offered in conjunction with coworking spaces. It’s best to find out in advance what options you have at your next destination.
van life
Van life is for people who want to be completely independent. You travel from place to place in your van, with everything you need to live packed inside. Admittedly, this isn’t a permanent solution if you’re traveling the world as a digital nomad — but it’s a nice change of pace now and then. It’s especially worth considering if you’re after a bit of a vacation feeling in between work and travel.
Until a few years ago, you had no choice but to buy a van. Now, depending on the destination, rental options are available too. These vans typically come fully equipped with everything you need for daily life, so you don’t have to buy a vehicle outright — and you can save your budget for other things.
Hostel
Hostels are generally a good option if you are looking for cheap accommodation for the first few days after arrival. Another advantage is that most hostels have a very good, central location. So you can do your errands faster without having to walk long distances.
However, you won’t have much privacy and peace in a hostel. You share your room with many others and have no place to retreat. If you have high-value equipment with you, you will probably have to store it separately for security reasons.
Most Welcoming Destinations for Digital Nomads
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is dynamic and exciting. The city should not be missing on any bucket list. Many digital nomads are drawn to the German metropolis at least once. The active street art scene impresses many travelers.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon has quickly become one of Europe’s favorite hubs for digital nomads, and it’s easy to see why. The city combines old-world charm with a modern, laid-back lifestyle that’s hard to resist. A large international community, plenty of co-working spaces, and a relatively low cost of living (by Western European standards) make it easy to feel at home in no time.
LIVING ABROAD COMMUNITY e.V.
- The LAC is an association that looks after the interests of people living abroad temporarily as well as during short-term and long-term stays for personal or professional reasons and provides them with information and services.
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