London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

Work from home in Greece or Barbados? The Fight for Covid’s Digital Nomads

Work from home in Greece or Barbados? The Fight for Covid’s Digital Nomads

Like birds migrating south for the winter, a new species is packing up for the great trek: Work-from-homers looking for a sunny beach idyll with a good Wi-Fi connection.
“Digital nomads,” once a label applied to iPhone-toting millennials traveling the globe, are now an entire aspirational white-collar class to themselves. Working from home is one level of privilege, but being able to do so while escaping coronavirus lockdowns is another one entirely. One British engineer captured it perfectly from a rented windmill conversion in Portugal saying, “I forgot there was a pandemic.”

Countries of a sunny disposition, from tax havens to tourist traps, are competing hard to attract this new workforce aristocracy. For the princely sum of $2,000, you too can buy a Barbados “Welcome Stamp” to work remotely for a year on an island deemed a tax haven by the European Union. The Cayman Islands’ version, for people earning at least $100,000 a year, requires an upfront deposit of $1,469 in return for a two-year remote-work visa.

Even Greece is getting in on the act, targeting potential expats by talking up its track record fighting Covid-19, its climate and its tax incentives for workers who want to move there full-time. While similar to other European countries’ post-Brexit push to attract talent from abroad, Athens is especially keen to tap into the aspiration of work-from-the-beach. A top economic adviser waxed lyrical about the new utopia of remote work in comments to Bloomberg: “Technology means we can now choose where we live and work.”

The reality, though, is that the dream of the digital wanderer will soon hit some uncomfortable truths.

First of all, being an “Anywhere,” rather than a “Somewhere,” as David Goodhart termed the tribes of today’s populist times, is getting harder. Immigration restrictions were rising even before the pandemic, as seen in the Brexit backlash against free movement in the U.K. With the virus, we’re seeing travel bans extended in places like China. Nomads will find it tough to keep hopping back and forth between destinations with different health priorities, especially in a more epidemically conscious world.

Second, given the scale of the coronavirus-driven recession, which has blown a massive hole in government finances, those privileged enough to be able to duck out of the rat race will be in the firing line of tax authorities.

Bankers who fled New York City for the Hamptons earlier this year became a punching bag for politicians supporting a wealth tax, while those who escaped the City of London for destinations like St. Tropez were told to come back or face a change to their residency status. The U.K.’s tax authority has warned that any claim of “extraordinary circumstances” in terms of physical location would need to be justified and couldn’t exceed 60 days.


The current mood resembles the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, when countries competed to attract deep-pocketed investors but also sought to close tax loopholes and force foreign jurisdictions to divulge more information. This time around, citizens will be even more fired up than before about tax justice. Sophie Lemaitre of the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre points out that the money lost from tax evasion exceeds national health budgets. Some countries have blocked firms registered in tax havens from tapping bailout funds.

Everything will be in the firing line — the cushy “golden passport” programs, aggressive international tax planning by tech companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. and the digital nomads themselves. A recent proposal to tax remote workers to pay to rebuild the economy speaks to that frustration. While indiscriminately squeezing work-from-homers who are trying to make ends meet is unfair and would encounter resistance, turning the screw on tech companies and international tax evasion is popular and would make the nomadic life harder. As big government gets bigger, post-Covid Leviathans will be in no mood to let free riders take advantage of internet and mobile infrastructure without giving back.

Digital nomads certainly look fortunate right now, but societies scarred by Covid-19 will want them to lay down roots eventually. If you see such a wanderer on your travels, it would be wise to wait and see what their return journey is like before following.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
×