In the past 3 years, Fuerteventura has definitely been put on the Digital Nomads map. Let’s see what makes this wild island a good destination for remote working.
Canary Islands have always been popular with digital nomads, thanks to all-year round mild temperatures, spectacular beaches and a relatively low cost of life. Fuerteventura came under the digital nomad radar a bit later, being wilder and less developed in terms of structures in comparison to Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Nowadays, especially the North of the island is vibrant with co-working and co-living spaces, digital nomad-friendly bars, and a growing community of remote workers. Let’s explore what makes Fuerteventura a prime choice for digital nomads.
When you leave the comfort of your house and city to go around the world, you immediately realize how important it is to have a community around you. Fuerteventura, and especially the North, has got a growing community of digital nomads, and this is reflected in growing options for working remotely, such as wi-fi friendly cafes, and coworking spaces.
Coworking spaces are digital nomad hot spots, and a great place to meet other people. They offer a great networking opportunity as well. You will find many of them in Corralejo (such as Coco Surfhouse), and excellent options also in Lajares (i.e. Surfescape) and in El Cotillo (i.e. CoCoworking). They can offer fiber wi-fi, common and individual desks, video-call boots, as well as networking events and social gatherings, which will enrich your experience as a digital nomad in Fuerteventura.
If you prefer to work from home, you still have the possibility to join the community online: the Corralejo Remote Work Community has reached over 3000 participants and every day you will find events, info, and social gatherings for all tastes. There are similar groups on Facebook (Fuerteventura Digital Nomads and Expats, with over 9k members) and whatsapp as well: an on-going conversation that will satisfy all sorts of interests and social life needs.
Cost of living is going up everywhere but Fuerteventura is still competitive in terms of prices for food, housing and activities. If you’re willing to share you’ll find more than decent accommodation, particularly in the hot spot of the digital nomad movida: Corralejo. You can also consider co-living spaces, such as Coco Surfhouse, where you can find accommodation, surf-classes and co-working space in a one-stop solution 🙂
As for the rest, eating out is not necessarily expensive, this means you have the choice: you still have the possibility to have a beer for less than 2€, a coffee for less than 1.5€ and a whole meal for less than 10-12€ if you choose the right places, and there are many. Have a look at our post on where to have breakfast in Fuerteventura to start your search!
As a digital nomad, having access to good WiFi and broadband is fundamental. Fuerteventura in the past 3 years has done a huge step forward with broadband availability. In general, you’ll need at least 4mps internet speed to take conference calls or upload documents, and you will find that pretty much everywhere on the island. The vast majority of places offer Internet connection, apartments as well as coworking spaces. You can also consider buying a local SIM card and working with a 4G hotspot: it will be cheap and fast enough if you don’t need to upload very large files on a daily basis. The 4G network is widely available on the island and you would be unlucky to find a place where you get a bad signal. However, as a rule of thumb, always ask for internet connection specifics before choosing a place to stay.
The weather can go a long way in influencing your life away from home. Well, welcome to paradise. Fuerteventura’s subtropical climate means that temperatures are mild and stable throughout the year within the range 18 – 24 °C. Beware: it is not Thailand, you will still need your hoodie and long pants most evenings (including during summer). But that’s all. You can say goodbye to winter jackets and boots, and maybe welcome in your wardrobe a good hat and a k-way. Wind is the essence of the island, but you’ll get used to it and you will probably end up missing it when it won’t be there. Sun is another constant, with low-to-mid 20s temperatures even in winter as the rule rather than the exception. I mean, where else in Europe can you sunbathe and have a bath in the sea in February?
To European Digital Nomads, Fuerteventura can be South-East Asia without visa and time zone worries. The island is part of the Western European Time Zone (UTC+00:00) and is just one hour behind the majority of Europe (just like the UK and Portugal). That’s perfect for working: if you work office hours you will start at 8 but hey, you will finish one hour earlier! And since the sun never goes down before 18 here, you still have time to have a nice drink watching the sunset after work. How nice is that?
As for Visa, as a European you can come here with just your ID since the island is an outermost region of the European Union, being under the jurisdiction of Spain. If you’re coming from outside the EU, you can follow the same rules you would follow for Spain.
Work is not the only thing in your life (or at least it shouldn’t be) and Fuerteventura offers a lot of free time activities. Of course surfing is at the top of the list (you can read our post about surfing for beginners here), as well as other water sports (i.e. windsurfing), but it’s not only about that. You will find a wonderful wild island to explore in your free time, incredible scenery, breath-taking beaches, natural pools, caves, canyons, traditional villages, and almost unexplored trekking trails. Public transport is not the best option to get to the most recondite corners of the island, but it still offers a good and rather cheap way to start with. By public transport, you can get to Corralejo dunes, El Cotillo, Lobos Island, the volcano in Lajares, the South (including the stunning Cofete beach). Furthermore, you can easily rent a car at a reasonable price (Cicar has an office in Corralejo itself), explore the island from North to South, and find new places to explore everyday. Nightlife? We’re not in Ibiza, but you still have plenty of choice to have a party night, especially in Corralejo. And the digital nomad community is always organizing social gatherings and events, you won’t be left with nothing to do.
So, the answer is YES, Fuerteventura is a Digital Nomad paradise, or at least it can be. As usual, it mostly depends on what you make of it, but without doubts you have all the right ingredients here. What are you waiting for?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
No comments yet