The United Arab Emirates ranks 3rd in the Middle East and Africa region

As more people embrace flexible working environments and set their sights on their next ‘workation’ (AKA, a vacation that blends leisure and remote working), KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, reveals the best countries in the world to work remotely from, with Portugal topping the list. The United Arab Emirates landed in the 3rd place in the Middle East and Africa ranking and in the top 50 globally.

KAYAK’s first Work from Wherever Index is the ultimate source for those looking to set up a new office away from home temporarily or for a longer period of time. To develop the index, KAYAK closely analysed 111 countries and ranked each against 22 factors across six categories: travel costs and accessibility; local prices; health & safety; remote working capabilities; social life; and weather. Ultimately, the index reveals countries that are easiest to work from while having a lot of fun in your off hours.

The UAE took an impressive 3rd spot in the Middle East and Africa region and 41st worldwide, outrunning countries like France, New Zealand and the US. The UAE performs well in the ‘Remote work infrastructure’ category as it has one of the highest number of co-working spaces per 100,000 population in the world. It also offers a digital nomad visa for those who are looking to stay here longer. As many expats live and work in this country, English is commonly used for communication in all household and business areas of life, which helps adaptation and socialisation process to run more smoothly.

Portugal was ranked the all-round best country to work remotely from worldwide, scoring high across the board in all categories, including great weather, high abundance of places for going out, low-crime rates, and relatively low cost of living. Portugal also offers a digital nomad visa, and many locals have a high English proficiency, which is something that attracts many expats.

Travellers from the UAE can find the best ‘workation’ for their team’s time zone thanks to KAYAK’s new feature

In addition to the Work from Wherever Index, KAYAK features a new time zone ranking to help users quickly and easily find out the time differences for their trip - ideal for those looking to swerve 2am conference calls whilst working abroad. The time zone-focused rankings take key factors and categories from the Work from Wherever Index into account but display them according to your work country of origin - so the countries that have time zones closest to your own work time zone will be featured higher up on the list of country destinations. The tool also provides information on the latest travel restrictions and local vaccination rates per country.

Before planning your journey, be sure to check the latest travel restrictions in your destination. KAYAK’s travel restrictions map provides real time updates on COVID-19 restrictions and entry requirements of individual countries around the world.

All sources have been accessed and data retrieved between 1 September – 20 October 2021. The numbers collected are based on the latest available data. For full details on the Travel and Work Index methodology.