Barcelona and the location independent lifestyle

A location independent professional—also referred to as a digital nomad—is someone who uses technology to work wherever they want—be it from home, your favorite coffee shop, on the beach, or even from the other side of the world. The technological evolution of the last decade has created a new breed of nomads, who uses laptops, iPhones and the possibilities of social media to create opportunities to earn an income while travelling the world. Some of them even pick up odds jobs as they go.

Now you don’t even have to choose between that stable 9 to 5 job or joining the circus. You can roam in total freedom while still keeping your place on the corporate ladder. All these new possibilities have created a small revolution of out of box thinkers trying to design a lifestyle previously reserved for retirement, the opportunity to live wherever you want.

The world is also constantly becoming smaller, and a lot of us see ourselves more as citizens of the world than belonging to a particular country.

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So why choose Barcelona?

So, if you can live wherever you want, why choose Barcelona? Too many reasons to mention, but let’s try to break it down. Here are a few valid points on why relocating to Barcelona is a good idea:

The beach

Your daydreams about living on the road probably includes a beach. Well, Barcelona got one. Downtown. But to actually work on the beach is not as charming as it might seem. It is sandy and messy, and the sun tends to fry your brain into daydreaming mode rather than focused concentration. But it is nice to have a beach nearby.

A relaxed atmosphere

Barcelona is something as odd as a metropolitan city with a relaxed atmosphere. With its population around 5 million people, it is the most populous metropolitan area on the Mediterranean coast, and one of the largest in Europe. Still it has a chill vibe, and a relaxed atmosphere, unmatched by any other big city I have visited. All metropolitan cities are exciting. London, for example, has its charm. But I have a 3-day limit on how long I can stay there before the stress gets to me. Barcelona is an entirely different story. Here I can hang out and feel grounded.

A decent football team

If you are a football enthusiast and a nomad at the same time, you have to choose your location wisely. You will quickly start rooting for the locals, putting you on an emotional rollercoaster out of your control, and out of reach for the logical mind. Barcelona won’t do that to you. La Liga, is one of the best leagues in the world, just not a very exciting one. A home game on Camp Nou is more predictable than bullfighting, and there is no risk of waking up on Monday morning with the emotional residual of a bitter loss.

Easy to meet new people

In Barcelona, it is relatively easy to meet new friends. A lot of people are moving here all the time, so there are a lot of individuals open to new friendships. Try Internations, who regularly arrange events to meet new people, and also have a community online. You can also check out bar crawl Barcelona, who arranges bar crawls. Or try to find like-minded people through your hobby. With a lot of people in the same situation as you, the possibilities are quite endless. As always, the locals might be a bit more difficult, their social situation tends to be a little more set, but start with other world citizens and work your way from there. Soon you will feel at home.

Interested in information on how to create a location independent lifestyle? Here are a few links you might want to check out: location independent, globotrecks or thenextweb.