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Barcelona, Toronto, and Beijing are some of the best cities to work remotely while traveling, study finds

Barcelona
A beach in Barcelona, Spain.
Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

  • Employees are capitalizing on remote work so they can see the world while still working 9-to-5. 
  • Some cities are easier for "work from anywhere" employees than others, a study from IWG has found. 
  • The analysis found that Barcelona and Toronto were the best cities for employees working abroad.
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From "hush trips" to "workcations," many employees have been capitalizing on new flexible-working policies to see the world without giving up their monthly paycheck.

However, not all remote working destinations are made equal, a study from flexible working company IWG has found.

"Workcations," which IWG defines as employees who work from destinations abroad to prolong vacations, have exploded in popularity since the pandemic. Barcelona, Toronto, and Beijing were ranked some of the best cities for people who are embracing the "work from anywhere" lifestyle.

The analysis ranked 25 cities on nine categories, including availability of workspaces, broadband speed, climate, culture, accommodation, food and drink, and transport. The cities were given a score out of 10 for each category. The study drew on research based on 1,009 hybrid working office workers from August 2022 by market research firm Mortar.

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Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of IWG, said: "For an increasing number of workers, hybrid working offers the opportunity to work wherever we will be the most productive."

"That can be anywhere in the world, provided there's a high-quality internet connection available," he added.

Barcelona was ranked as a hub for digital nomads, scoring highly for its transport system and relatively low cost of living. The city was ranked seven out of 10 for its broadband speed, but only scored three out of 10 for the availability of flexible workspaces.

Toronto was ranked higher for available workspaces, scoring seven out of 10, but came below the Spanish city for transport and accommodation costs, as well as the city's climate, the analysis found.

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Here are the top 10 cities for "workcations," as determined by the study.

  1. Barcelona, Spain

  2. Toronto, Canada

  3. Beijing, China

  4. Milan, Italy

  5. New York, US

  6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  7. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  8. Paris, France

  9. Jakarta, Indonesia

  10. Lisbon, Portugal

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