Several stories spread on social media pages before the Corona pandemic of what is known as digital nomads, who are a group of people who work freely in remote work such as programming, design and writing.

Because of the pandemic, many institutions have moved to divert their office work to remote work as much as possible, in an attempt to impose distancing and ways to prevent the virus, and Portugal and specifically Madeira took a new step towards preparing this island for digital nomads and remote workers.

Madeira Island is described as the Pearl of the Atlantic for its magical geological wonders (Pixabay)

Madeira

With an area of ​​43.4 square kilometers, this island is considered one of the small volcanic islands. It is described as the Pearl of the Atlantic due to its charming geological wonders. It enjoys a sunny climate and a warm climate throughout the year. It is a distinguished travel destination where it has won several travel-related awards during the past years. Tourism elements of sea views, mountains, trees and forests with good internet speed everywhere on the island.

It is also famous for being the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese national team player and former Real Madrid club, who recently chose it as the seat of his isolation from the Corona virus in his palace there, which is estimated at 7 million euros.

Madeira covers narrow irrigation canals dug in the fifteenth century and was used over time to disperse water and agriculture, and parallel hiking paths that allow the enjoyment of scenic views, and Madeira is known for a common tradition of skiing with shoes and custom wooden carts across the mountain slopes. Mountain climbing island.

The nature of the sunny weather allows swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, where the average annual temperature is 21 degrees Celsius, and Portugal ranks among the list of the safest countries in the world, and Madeira is one of the regions with the lowest crime rate, and despite the presence of forests in it, there is no dangerous animal, which allows walking Safely anywhere.

Amidst nature

The island begins to receive digital nomads on the first of February of this year, and provides them with a free work space with an integrated office. It also provides free internet in the John de Passos Cultural Center in the center of the village from 8 in the morning until 10 in the evening, and even outside the center provides The island has exceptional internet speed in all restaurants, hotels and accommodations, at reasonable prices.

The project can host 100 digital nomads at once, provided that they commit to staying on the island for at least one month, and a maximum of 6 months in the first pilot phase, which will be considered for development in next July.

It offers a series of preventive measures from the epidemic, starting with tests for infection with the Coronavirus upon entry, to extreme spacing and open-air work spaces to reduce the risks of its spread on the island, and it provides hosting in local homes at nominal prices or hotel accommodations for medium stays, and the government is looking to equip more rural areas with the same Facilities if the project is successful.

An integrated digital society

Remote workers and digital nomads need to establish a strong business relationship network to expand the volume of their business and attract more customers, and the founders of the initiative have devised a strategy to achieve the greatest benefit from this community, among which is the appointment of a local leader whose mission is to enhance communication between remote workers together and even with the local community, and provide The necessary support should the digital nomads wish to merge or partner with a resident of Madeira at the time.

The nature of Madeira is distinguished from residing in East Asia or Latin America in that it is a region between continents, and allows business owners with companies in different capitals to manage their time without being affected by exaggerated timing differences, compared to their presence in Asia and Latin America, an obstacle that many digital nomads encounter in the fields of Programming, media and design when having frequent meetings with clients from different countries.

visa

Madeira is located in the Schengen area, and the Portuguese embassy provides facilities for travelers to the island in the event that the residence and two tickets for departure and return have been booked and provide proof of financial ability to cover the period of stay and proof of the regularity of self-employment for several months, and the visa costs about 80 euros, and is valid for 90 days within 6 months In addition, the applicant must present a health insurance document to cover medical emergencies during the stay period, which is a visa that is not valid for extension but must leave the island and apply again.

Two villages in Bulgaria and Germany are also referred to as digital nomad villages, but Madeira, Portugal, is the first village with government support to officially open its doors to digital nomads and remote workers.

Portugal is trying to expand into more rural areas to increase the numbers of digital nomads and increase the length of their stay, as the Covid-19 epidemic has provided the opportunity for many companies and institutions to transform many of their basic jobs full-time but remotely, which creates a new environment of work and an opportunity to work. The office is surrounded by beautiful nature.