5 Reasons Why Colombia is Perfect for Remote Work
By: Perri Michelle
Tags: Remote Work, Travel, Coworking, Colombia, Digital Nomads

There is an endless list of reasons why I love Colombia, but to save busy professionals a lot of time, I’ve narrowed down the 5 best reasons why Colombia is perfect for remote workers and digital nomads.

1. Culture of Collaboration & Comunidad

The culture of Colombia lies at the heart of the Colombian identity. It is vibrant and loud and proudly celebrated by its people. It encourages diversity and unity, which can be seen in the plethora of different musical genres native to Colombia. But instead of dividing the country, this variety actually unites people to collaborate and share their differences in a way that turns strangers into friends. Even in large cities, a sense of community is obvious in each of the public plazas which act as local meeting points for daily interactions. Just stop by one of these plazas and ask for some recommendations or directions, and you’ll see the outpouring of comunidad surrounding you. This community and its inherent collaboration are the perfect catalysts to promote collaboration and connection among coworkers.

2. Rapidly Growing Remote Work Community

Medellin is quickly becoming the remote work capital of Latin America, with a gigantic and rapidly growing community of expats and remote workers. It’s easy to find state-of-the-art coworking spaces all over the city, many of which have coliving options on site or nearby. There are also tons of events happening around the city to promote connection and collaboration, including a free language exchange every Tuesday that ends with a massive party attended by hundreds of locals and travelers each week. Needless to say, Colombians are excited about the new wave of tourism that coworking is bringing to Colombia. And in this land of creativity and collaboration, Colombians have already become networking experts, never missing an opportunity to make a new connection and support their newfound friends. So it’s no surprise that remote work has taken a strong hold in this place where the culture and people are already so perfectly suited to this lifestyle. So when coworkers arrive in Colombia, all they must do to connect with a collaborative and welcoming community is embrace the local ways and join in the fun.

3. Atmosphere of Transformation

It is no secret that Colombia has undergone an incredible transformation in the past two decades. Through unwavering hope and perseverance, the Colombian people have overcome the cartel control that brought them tragedy, and have restored their society to peace and prosperity. In less than 20 years, Colombia experienced a drastic turnaround, improving security, growing the economy, expanding education and focusing on innovation. Multiple cities even won prestigious international awards with Medellin named “Most Innovative City.” This shouldn’t be surprising, as Medellin was the capital of cartel activity, and therefore also the epicenter of this country’s massive makeover. The government built schools, public libraries and parks in poor neighborhoods and developed an inventive new transportation system that combined cable car lines and mountainside escalators to connect hilltop communities to the city center. But whether you’re in Medellin, or any city in Colombia, the spirit of transformation is most apparent in its people. The common phrase “Siempre Adelante” can be heard often, as the locals share their optimism and determination to look towards the future. In this stimulating atmosphere of growth and change, coworkers can feel inspired by the Colombians, and motivated to make their own personal or professional transformation.

4. Entrepreneurial Ambition

Sometimes it feels like everyone in Colombia is an innovative entrepreneur, from the many vendors pushing carts around the city, selling fresh juice, or empanadas, or delicious ceviches, to the local artisans, musicians, and even barbershops set up each day along the sidewalk of a busy plaza. But in fact, most Colombians really do aspire to become entrepreneurs, because their government has even encouraged it. The World Economic Forum considers Colombia a world leader in entrepreneurship because it possesses a combination of practices ideal for entrepreneurs that are rarely found all in one country. This is partially thanks to government support, which began in the 90’s when policy was shifted towards supporting small and medium-sized businesses. During this time, legislation was passed that created a regional and national network to promote entrepreneurial development and a national initiative to expand science, technology and innovation. These measures were extremely successful in promoting not only entrepreneurship, but high-impact entrepreneurs who are found to frequently innovate and create high numbers of jobs. In this environment, it is no surprise that coworkers and business owners from around the world are welcomed with open arms into a society at the forefront of entrepreneurial ingenuity and creativity.

5. The Happiest Country in the World

Colombia has been named the world’s happiest country twice in the last 6 years on Gallup’s annual poll, and consistently ranks at the top of the happiness charts. When questioned about their level of happiness, polls showed that Colombians not only felt the happiest in the world, but that they nearly doubled the global average. The list of reasons why Colombia has become such a happy place could go on forever, but I think two important factors are the previously-mentioned focus on community and spirit of transformation. Some other possible reasons are the incredible weather, the love of music and dance, the excitement of soccer games, the beautiful diversity of the land, a focus on health and beauty, and most importantly, the constant celebration of life. Colombians believe that life is meant to be enjoyed, which can easily be seen in the unbelievable number of national holidays, festivals and carnival celebrations regularly occurring across the country. And while everyone could use a little more happiness, coworkers are one specific group who seem to actually measure their personal happiness as they experiment with new lifestyles and destinations. This constant “pursuit of happiness” might be especially prevalent in American minds, but everyone in the world could benefit from the Colombian point of view, where rather than pursuing happiness, they simply enjoy having already found it.

Bonus #6 — Work to Wander Community Support!

As a special bonus, we can’t forget to mention the incredible support coworkers can now find in Colombia with the Work to Wander Community. We chose Medellin as our home-base and the location for our first coliving accommodation because of all the reasons mentioned above. When you combine all those reasons with the support provided by Work to Wander, it’s easy to see why Colombia would be a fantastic first stop on your remote work journey. With our community of Freedom Finders, you can now colive and cowork in Colombia with other like-minded professionals, and take advantage of all the support we offer for working travelers, including a flexible schedule of activities, excursions and events to help you connect with both the culture and local community. We’ll help you find the best events and prices, with a long list of discounts just for Freedom Finders. Combined with all the powerful vibes from the Colombian culture and people, Work to Wander offers an incredible experience of personal and professional growth for coworkers in Colombia. But it doesn’t end there! By helping remote workers connect, and guiding them into a new lifestyle, we promote exploration and connection that will surely serve travelers well no matter where in the world they travel to next!

Sound interesting? Check us out at worktowander.com