Digital nomads tend to make full use of their passports for the adventure of a lifetime, all while getting paid for it.
Not a bad gig, right? But some travelers choose to stay closer to home and there’s nothing wrong with that approach either.
While it is a bit more challenging to find super affordable places make your base in the States, the bottom line is there are some incredible destinations to visit both short and long term.
One of those places is tucked away in an East Coast state that is too often overlooked, especially its biggest city.
While one might think Philly, Boston, or New York City would be high on remote workers’ radars, it’s the lovely city of Portland, Maine that was named the top U.S. destination for digital nomads.
Is Portland Really A Draw For Digital Nomads?
If you hear “Portland”, chances are you think of Oregon over Maine.
While that Portland is often considered the ‘Austin of the West’, this Portland has been thrilling East Coasters for years as a lesser-known getaway.
Just an hour or so from Boston, Portland is an easy road trip or quick flight away from many major cities and has become trendier over the years as the city’s charm has slowly been revealed more and more.
Digital nomads typically seek safe, welcoming, affordable, and captivating destinations to keep busy once their laptops are shut off.
So, does Portland meet the mark? To some yes, and others, no.
Portland has its own unique charm with timeless red-brick lined downtown streets, but is certainly no dreamy European destination with $500 apartments.
That being said, this historic, pretty city does have a lot to offer all types of travelers, including digital nomads.
Life Is Good Here
While the official nickname for Portland is the “City of Roses”, the tourism board formerly launched a campaign, ‘”Portland, Maine. Yes. Life’s good here.”
Isn’t that all digital nomads are really seeking? Quality of life can sometimes be disguised by finding the cheapest city, the most beautiful beach, and safety assurances, etc.
What it should all really boil down to is your own personal level of happiness.
Digital nomads or not, many people’s pursuit of happiness ends in Portland as the city has grown tremendously and become a tourist destination.
The city is widely considered safe, fun, and gorgeous, with a great quality of life. Although, affordability is the big question mark for digital nomads.
Making Portland Your Base
How often do we travel to a new destination and find ourselves thinking, “I could move here.”?
We’ve all had those lightbulb moments, but pulling the trigger on such plans can be a daunting task.
Digital nomads embrace the challenge and thrive on making new places their temporary home before packing up and doing it all over again.
Portland has its challenges for the ‘average Joe or Jane’ digital nomad since many living this lifestyle aren’t exactly striking it rich.
According to Apartments.com, the average rent in Portland is $1,638 per month, which can be an instant deterrent for many remote workers looking for a new location to call home.
Monthly Airbnbs can be even more. High rents aside, Portland checks off the boxes in basically every other category digital nomads could wish for and has become easier to reach with more airlines taking notice of the city’s prominence.
Life In Portland
Sometimes it’s hard to pass us California or Florida as your next U.S. beach getaway, but there are so many other states with nice beaches – Maine being one of them.
Portland is fun for boat tours and indulging in copious amounts of seafood, specifically lobster. But hey, don’t sleep on the potato donuts, either.
Digital nomads will never go hungry here, but more importantly, Portland makes for a great base, given its location.
So close to beautiful beaches and other popular East Coast cities, it’s a great balance of avoiding the hustle and bustle of city life while also having everything you need at your fingertips.
As far as work goes, Portland is very trendy and lined with new cafes to use as your office or ample centrally located co-working spaces.
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