A lot of nurses do not realize there are career paths that allow us to work from wherever we want. Having a portable nursing career like Nursing Informatics comes with the advantage of being able to work from anywhere. Informatics Nurses work on teams supporting computer systems, which is very remote-worker friendly. We do not have to take vacation days to travel (unless we do not want to be bothered). That is what inspired me to put together this list of my top work-from-anywhere locations for nurses.

Nowadays there are tons of people working from home. A number of companies really do not care where you do your work as long as it gets done. Some want a heads up for any work outside the U.S. since it can impact security protocols. However, a heads up is not the same as a restriction. I know Informatics Nurses who worked while traveling in Mexico, renting a house in Antigua, and visiting family in Ireland.

The main things you need are a stable internet connection and a laptop. It also helps to find a quiet place to work and take calls. This is much easier to find now that there are so many remote workers. Other than that, you really do not need the usual things nurses need for work – no uniform, no clogs, no compression hose, no ID badge.

With that being said, here are my top five favorite places to travel and work remotely.

Puerto Rico

What I love about Puerto Rico is being in the Caribbean, but still in the U.S. For companies that want that heads up about international travel, Puerto Rico does not count. Because it is part of the U.S., no passport or visa is required. It is a four-hour plane ride from New York, and lot of people there are bilingual in English and Spanish.

Puerto Rico has tons of beautiful beaches, as well as natural places to explore like the bio-luminescent bays. When you need a break from the winter, the continuously warm weather is so welcoming.

There is also excellent WiFi at a number of places you might stay. When I was last there, the hotel business center in San Juan had anything I could need to work effectively. I also could bring my laptop down to the beach to work if I wanted to (I did not, I think beaches are for relaxing).

Washington, D.C.

I live outside of New York City, but have a lot of family in the Washington, D.C. area. Whether I am visiting family, or just taking a break from my home city in a different city, Washington, D.C. is a great remote-work destination.

For one thing, there are a variety of places to work remotely – from coffee shops to historic libraries, universities to parks. It is a very easy place to find a good WiFi connection and a quiet spot for a call. There are so many people who live there and are remote-workers that you can blend right in.

Another thing is Washington, D.C. is a fascinating city with a lot to do. You could easily spend several days going around museums and walking around the mall, while also finding places to get some work done if you wanted to.

A cabin in the woods

During the pandemic, my husband and I rented a cabin in the woods to take a break from our condo. Our view of nature went from pigeons and our neighbor’s oak tree, to massive pines and sprawling ponds. Our dog – who had never been out of a city – tried to sniff the entire woods behind the cabin.

The cabin had WiFi and an excellent view out over the trees. I set up a little office in front of a massive bay window, which is where I attended meetings, checked email, and did the work I would usually do from home.

The beauty of the cabin in the woods as a remote-work location is you feel like you are at home, but in a much more beautiful location. I was able to leave my laptop and notebook in my makeshift home office, and use the other rooms of the house for vacation.

Seattle

Similar to Washington, D.C., Seattle has an excellent mix of places for remote-workers. Obviously they have coffee shops, but they also have museums and many beautiful natural places to visit. We spent a lot of time hiking around huge trees, canoeing in deep blue lakes, and huddled around beach bonfires.

I was last there a few years ago visiting family. The one issue I ran into is my family lives so far north of Seattle that my cellphone kept thinking we were in Canada. I actually switched cell plans while there to make sure I did not get international charges (and the new plan was actually cheaper than my old one).

Reykjavik, Iceland

There are so many beautiful things about Iceland, I will not name them all. But one beautiful thing is it is not as far as you might think from the east coast of the U.S. The flight there is five hours and forty-five minutes, compared to a five hour and fifteen minute flight from New York to California. Its timezone is four hours ahead of New York, so it is doable to take work calls at a reasonable hour.

My experience is the hotel WiFi was excellent, as was the WiFi at a number of places in downtown Reykjavik. Where you might run into issues is if you want to travel to all of the impressive natural wonders there, you will not have WiFi. However, given the time difference, you could conceivable get some sight-seeing in before your work day starts, and stay around Reykjavik once you have to work.

Places Where Remote Work is Harder Than You Think

If I am going to list places where I was able to work comfortably, I thought I should also mention some that are harder to work from than you might think. Here are a few:

A cruise ship

Even with the internet package, there is something just kind of crappy about working on a cruise ship. For one thing, my experience is the internet is slower than you expect it to be, and calls get distorted. But even with better technology, cruises are just not meant for working.

Maybe it because everyone is having fun around you. No matter where you try to hide, you can hear the ‘Fun Director’ announcing the next activity. So, no, I do not recommend cruise ships.

Hawaii (unless you are from the west coast)

Being from the New York-area, Hawaii is just such big time difference from the east coast that working from there is a big challenge. As I right this at 3:45pm east coast time, it is only 9:45am in Hawaii. I have gotten through most of my day, while people there are just starting theirs.

Now, if you live in California, this is a different story since Hawaii is only a three-hour time difference for you. But if you are from anyplace further east than Colorado, the time difference in Hawaii can be brutal for trying to keep working hours.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague also has a time difference challenge since it is six hours ahead of the east coast (if you live in Hawaii, it is a whole half-day ahead). But time difference is just one factor in why I would not work remotely from Prague.

The other factor is it is a beautiful, amazingly preserved medieval city. That is what makes it charming, but also what makes finding reliable WiFi challenging. There are plenty of lovely quiet places to work, but connectivity could be a challenge. I think it is a city best enjoyed for vacation.

Key Takeaways:

Believe it or not, there are nurses who have careers that allow us to work remotely from wherever we want. The only things we need are a WiFi connection and a laptop. If this list was not long enough for you, here are 32 locations that are great for remote workers.

I have tried this out in a number of locations, and some are better than others. But, regardless of where I was, I was always grateful to be there. I continue be grateful for a career that gives me the freedom to choose where I want to be.

If you are thinking of taking the leap into the work-from-anywhere world of Nursing Informatics, make sure to take a look at From Bedside Nurse to Informatics Nurse: A How-To Guide. It takes nurses step-by-step from bedside care to the flexible, well-paid world of Nursing Informatics without going back to school.

You will get a straight-forward walk through of what Nursing Informatics is and why nurses should consider careers in health technology. This guide includes easy-to-digest explanations of technology topics, Nursing Informatics tools and methods, and how to get hands-on experience. Finally, it covers how to get hired for Nursing Informatics roles and what mistakes to avoid that even master’s program graduates do not know.

Cheers to your work-from-anywhere career!