Why digital nomads should visit Romania
I’ve been meaning to write about Romania for a while now, but it seems much easier to talk about new places. You get there, you explore and have a certain mood and vibe of the place. Then the writing comes naturally. However, when it comes to Romania, it’s my home country; I’ve been living here most of my life and it’s a bit harder to filter only the things that are interesting to you, but I am sure I can create a relevant list of reasons why I think Romania should be on your list. And it should if you are into understanding new cultures, visiting new places and having fun, while traveling and working.
Internet
Nine out of 15 cities with the fastest broadband internet in the world are in Romania. This is one of the most important aspects for me when traveling and thus, one of the things I miss most about Romania. It’s a fact not that well-known, so some digital nomads are surprised when they arrive here and manage to get more work done than in other places. Another piece of good news is that a lot of pubs and cafés provide free Wi-Fi.
Cost of living
Of course it depends on the country you are coming from and the sources of your income, but it’s cheaper than many European countries. For example, you can rent a one-bedroom apartment in Bucharest even for 200–300 euros (if you stay for a few months) up to an average of 1000 euros, according to Airbnb. A monthly bus plan is 11 euros and for metro you pay around 13 euros/month, while a cab fare can’t be more than 10 euros wherever you go inside the city. A beer in a pub is 2 euros and you can find a great meal with less than 5.
City life + mountains + seaside
In a word, “variety”. No matter which one you prefer, you will find it in Romania.
If you get to Romania during the summer, you will see how people are busy in the city during the week, and in weekends many go to the seaside or to the mountains to relax or have fun. For example, from Bucharest it takes around 2 hours to get to the mountains and about 3 to walk on the beach of Mamaia or Vama Veche.
Friendly people
Sure, don’t expect only smiley faces, but usually people like to help and give tips. There’s a tradition where when you have a guest, you need to cook for them and make them feel welcomed. Not everyone does it anymore (I don’t, because I don’t like to cook :D), but you’ll still feel like home in most cases.
The rise of coworking
Mostly in Bucharest, you’ll find coworking spaces and they seem to keep on multiplying. The good part is that even if you don’t choose to work there, you can stop at a café, where you’ll probably find other freelancers and entrepreneurs working.
Cheap flights
When you fly from Milan, Barcelona, Brussels or London, you get cheap flights, usually under 100 euros and sometimes even around 20 for one-way tickets. Otopeni, Bucharest’s airport, is the one that provides most of the good deals. From there, just grab a cab or a bus and get to Bucharest. Spend some time there, or just get on a train or another bus and travel through the country. There’s always the option of renting a car right from the airport and exploring the sides as you want. Be careful though, the Bucharest traffic can seem pretty crowded at times.
Do you speak English?
Though the official language is Romanian, in the past 20 years, most of the kids started learning English in second grade or even in kindergarten. Which means that most young people do speak the language, so you won’t have problems when interacting with locals. Others speak Spanish and French. All you need to do is ask. Keep in mind that in the countryside things are a bit different, but you’ll always find a nice person willing to help. Worst-case scenario, contact me and I’ll do my best to provide a solution. :)
In case you need one more reason or you’re not sure where to go first, you can join me and 12 other digital nomads in a coworking camp in Transylvania or maybe even in Vama Veche.
Do you have other reasons to visit Romania? Would love to hear from you.
Read more about remote work, the digital nomad lifestyle and location independence on ontoremote.com
