Some quick background, I’m not a digital nomad. My home/work life is pretty typical besides working from home. I have a mortgage, family and a dog so packing up and working in a different country each week is unrealistic for us.
As the winter chill has fully settled in the UK, bringing with it gloomy skies, rain-soaked days, and an overall sense of seasonal depression, I found myself yearning for a change of scenery (permitting it’s sun soaked scenery, obviously). The usual routine of battling the cold, wet weather whilst working alone during the winter months was miserable to say the least.
This January I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks working abroad in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote with my wife and (almost) 2 year old son. My parents were out here for just short of a month and offered accommodation so the only thing we had to worry about was flights which Ryan Air were offering out for around £15 per-person each way. No brainer.
Flexible working hours
I am fortunate enough to work at a company that allows completely flexible working hours, meaning whilst I’m out here I can start my day early and finish whilst the sun is still out. Having a toddler has conditioned me to early mornings and disrupting sleep patterns, the unbearable smell of shit, and being driven crazy so getting up early? No problem.
Co-working space (Area0)
To work in an environment that didn’t involve in me getting toys thrown at my head, I had to find somewhere nearby. Conveniently less than a 5 minute walk from where we are staying there’s a place called Area0 which had availability for the duration of my stay. It had coffee, water, fast wifi oh and a sea view. What else do you need?
The space was welcoming, productive, well kitted out with quality desks, monitors and chairs. Every day working here was at least 6 other people in the space so I didn’t feel like I was working alone. It’s the type of space I wish existed near my own home to be honest.
I’d definitely recommend them to anyone working in the area, you can find them here.
Accommodation
Our accommodation was situated at the top of a bastard of a hill at a place called Lagos Verde Apartments which is a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport. Plenty of space, a balcony facing the sea, nice pool area and a bar that serves beer because that’s all that British people need when abroad.
Puerto del Carmen
Since we were situated in the “Old Town” of Puerto del Carmen it required a 20 minute walk to the beach where this photo was taken, or a 10 minute walk to the harbour which is filled with bars and restaurants. We were here during the month of January to even though it wasn’t completely overcrowded with tourists it wasn’t completely empty either. Getting tables at restaurants, or sun loungers around the pool was never an issue and the heat during our stay remained a comfortable 23-25 degrees celsius. Anything above that and I’m at risk of my face melting off.
Yah, I realise that I’m pretty fortunate that I’m able to do this. Not many people have a fully remote (and flexible) job never mind the ability (or opportunity) to take off for a week or two and work in another country.
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