
Is he Future is a Better Place?
It doesn’t really matter if the future is a better place, cause you don’t have the privilegie to choose the era of your life. If you’re super lucky, your born in a democracy, cause it offers a few more choices than the opposite. Oh yes, I’m a huge fan of democracy, but there are degrees of both democracy as well as degrees of totalitarianism. Just read it, there is no point in pronouncing it.
Digital Nomad, or Worcation?
In regards to being able to work remotely has bloomed, and I guess we’re at a point of no return after the pandemic. I remember when I lived a married life in NYC before the year of 2000… when my husband refused a portable computer by his employer since thet would mean that his boss could demand that he was working from home as well. That same, now ex-husband wouldn’t even dream of going to the office more days than is absolutely demanded. Quite a turn I’d say.
I’d say anyone working by the computer in the office is well adjusted to being able to work remotely as well. In Sweden I’d say a majority of people choose to work some parts of the week away from the office. But from another country… not that many. I think many self employed people like myself have many projects, and that the “production” for paying clients might vary during a work year. At least it does for me. Regardless, I could work pretty much all the time, with at the moment non paying projects, that could hopefully lead to more assignments in the future. My popcorn brain always has something cooking.
And the same popcorn brain sometimes have a problem focusing on projects the neccessary way to get somewhere. I myself soemtimes like to work in a café at home in either Stockholm or Malmö, even though I have offices in both towns. For the mere reason that I need to focus on a specific thing and not being disturbed by everything else that at the moment can wait.
Digital Nomad links
No, I have no financial gain for posting these, and neither have I done any background check on them. If you search for Digital Nomad online, you’ll get endless suggestions. I guess my criteria in this is weather I find what I saw relevant, or possibly useful.
Nomad list
Harvard Business Review
Go overseas
Flexjobs
Forbes
Search online, and you’ll find liks that you’ll prefer.
Digital Nomad & Being a Tourist
Whenever I’m not in my ordinary setting, or not on a paid specific assignment where I need to go to another town, I consider myself being a tourist. Meaning I’m in an exploring or relaxing enjoying mode focused on what the out of my ordinary place has to offer. It might be a glass of wine for lunch, a cute cat on the street, a bicycle ride to a neighbourhood I’m curious about, listening to locals in a language I don’t understand or only understand a few words from, the climate and weather, taking the time to go to museums and galleries, indulging in lokal as well as an international cuisine available where I’m at. There are so many things to enjoy, not enjoy 😂, see and reflect upon when you’re out of your ordinary environment.
A tourist or a traveller, what’s the difference? None to me. A nomad is more or less of an explorer depending on how long you stay and make the new place a part of your ordinary place to live. I do se these questions in some of the threads in Facebook forums, the need for a definition. I’ve also talked to foreigners in Athens claiming that others are not real nomads, while they themselves are. What’s the point? We weren’t talking about how to pay the domestic taxes, but if others had the right to claim being a digital nomad. I seriously do not give a rats ass.
Digital Nomad & the Social Setting
Some people seem to be born networkers, or are social stars. All my prejudice and a few splashes of empirical studies says Swedes aren’t the most open people. But the ones you’ll meet abroad might be… Personally I’m initially shy, and after this I can probably come across as a social bulldozer. According to myself I’m a social looner, or possibly an incureable independent, and somewhat spoiled with not compromising which amounts to that I have to go solo as a personal need, or preference.
With this blog I’m re-discovering travelling, and most of the time in a fairly active and hopefully more often sustainable way. My few flights NOT included. I like being independent, and I like doing things by myself and in my own way. As well as a human need to interact with others. How do I find people? I’m not quite sure, yet. But I started out by looking at what groups were available at Facebook. The jungle… so to speak.
I’m not a member in all the groups listed below, I’m merely showing there is a lot to look into. And possibly become a member until you’ve realised which ones are beneficial as a support/supporting, or just plain interesting as an observation.
Digital Nomad
Digital Nomads Hub
Digital Nomads Around the World
Digital Nomads Europe
Explorista -blog post about Facebook Group for Digital Nomads
These two groups I’ve joined myself
Digital Nomads Over 50
Digital Nomad Athens
Digital Nomad Scams & If it Sounds to Good to be True…
One of the annoying things with the future… endless efforts and robots and hubs of scammers. Indeed, it’s very sad. Some groups are more actively looking out for the scammers, or the pyramid schemes. None the less, the old and endlessly current if it’s sound too good to be true… it most likely is exactly that.
When I had my first try out month I saw a couple of posts per weeks with threads of “pm” in the comments. My reaction is a combination of “you poor fools” and “you assholes”. You do the maths on which one applies to whom. Needless to be said, everyone can bee fooled, but not everyone is ok with the game or profession of fooling others. Just watch out.
How Do I Find Out if Being a Digital Nomad is for me?
I go on a worcation. I have many privileges, one of them is that I have access to a lot of countries in Europe due to my Swedish EU-passport. There is a big difference in-between going away to work in another place cause you need a change of location to focus, and having a nomadic lifestyle while working. Since I fell in love with Athens when I joined my friend in Athens this February (2024) when she decided to work remotely from the apartment her family has there. Athens is vibrant, but still organised and well functioning. And… It was easy to bicycle in Athens. That’s always a deal breaker. Well… I still havn’t visited a place that’s not good for bicycling, or that at least offers some interesting exploring by bike.
Since Andis siblings with families pretty much all live in Sweden, they only use it sporadically. I had the good fortune of Andis family agreeing to rent their Athens apartment when they didn’t use it. So I decide to not only head to Athens mid April to mid May, but I’m going by train. Many reasons of course, but one of them is I’d like to prove to myself that it’s doable. As well as cause I feel guilty by flying to Athens for that week stay in February. Off I go!






Digital Nomad in Athens
I really wanted to try a concentrated worcation for a month to see if this is part of my future. Mind you I’m very attached to my sofa, friends and routines in both Malmö and Stockholm in Sweden. Never the less, the changes are very enriching, and are sometimes necessary to make me focus.
With my favourite bags, a small backpack Osprey Fairview 40, a CityShop Vaude bicycle bag, a not so favourite but still highly necessairy transporter bag for my bicycle… off I went. By train! Oh yes, I’m so very proud of taking on the challenge even though it’s a 2800 kilometre long ride. As well as everyone in the train travelling group Tågsemester (Trainvacation) on Facebook adviced me to take the train through Italy and then ferry across to Greece. I don’t know if it’s something wrong with me, but when lots of people are opposed to my ideas cause of the inconvenience, I get challenged. The advisors arn’t neccessarily wrong… and I learn lots.
Computer Friendly Cafés in Athens
I did find Digital Nomad Networks list of recommended cafés that I had inspected on my one week visit to Athens in February. Some were to my liking, other not. But it’s kind of the whole point in doing research, getting other peoples angle, and then pick what you like, and now I’ll add a few that I found during my month.
Other listings of computer friendly places in Athens. No… no financial kickback, just a regular pay it forward gesture. If there is anything I believe in, it’s sharing. Some of the listed below are recurring in the different links, which is impossible to avoid. In general, I’ll be very honest with that I personally don’t like to hang out in the touristy areas. There is absolutely nothing wrong with respectful travelling, but tourists brings pretty much nothing but our money. Not bad at all. But when I travel I pick a place cause I’m either curious, or have visited and liked it earlier. And I want what is there, or I want to explore what is there. Seeing herds of tourists, is’t part of my interest in exploring.
Laptop Friendly
Travel.gr
Laptop Lifestyle
Laptop Friendly Cafe
This is Athens -mind you, quite a few of these places are in the very touristy areas of Athens.
My Favourite Cafés for Working in Athens
First of all, I used my own Swedish surf plan for my work. So favourite is in relation to getting work done in a calm or inspiring environment. As well as the café having others with computers on the tables. Of course you should contribute to the café business in relation to the hours you spend there. I usually sit at the most 3 hours, and then I have what we refer to as “Fika” in Swedish, meaning coffe and a cake, and possibly a lunch if I’m sitting at the café for all three hours. Most of the time I do ca 2 hours, and then I get on my bike to go somewhere else. My ants in the pants also contributes to me needing a break with some kind of physical activity. Oh… I work in the am’s, and do other exploring in the pm’s.
One more thing… something that contributes to a places ending up on my list of favourites… cats. I adore cats. And Athens is full of cats as well as people caring for the cats. Very few times I get to pet the cats, but when I do… I’m in the Cat Crazy Lady Heaven ❤️
Cultivos Kypseli
Not only does Cultivos in Kypseli have really sweet staff, and a great back yard. It also have quite a few well kept cats roaming as well as putting on performances of dominance. I really don’t like fights, but it’s louder than physical. And it reminds me of nature and hierarchies. That can be a good thing for a swede who’s used to a rather flat work life hierarchy. No, humans are not cats, and vice versa. Still… I loved working at Cultivos Kypseli, as well as coffee and prosecco.
Cultivos Kypseli is located at Zakynhou 4, in the Kypseli area, that’s a bit of a multicultural hipster zone. Opposite of Cultivos is another local coffee bar that I never worked at since it didn’t seem like a laptop kind’s place. And all I did was work 😉, or busy discovering other areas in town. The possibilities were endless, and I DO dream of doing this every spring…


Papagalos Ble
I wouldn’t refer to this café as a digital nomad friendly place, but I was very comfortable sitting here for 2 hours in the morning before the place filled up. Well… I very often hung out here in the afternoons or evenings without a computer. This is such a nice place. Very HBTQ, and loads of adorable cat’s running in and out of the cafe, as well as climbing in the trees above ones head.
Papagalos Ble means the Blue Parrot and is located at Leonida 31 by Avdi Square in the Kerameikos area. Avdi Square is filled with other cafés and restaurants. And the Karameikos area is a hot spot for street art if you’re into the more mischievous kind’a grafitti street art.


Kick in Kypseli
The most lap top friendly place of all the places I hung out at is KICK. It’s co-operating sibling kitchen Flake is located in opposite corners at Sporadon in Kypseli. On thursdays there’s a farmers market right outside of KICK and Flake, and it’s quite cosy to hear the market sound as a backdrop. The lunches cooked at Flake and served both in KICK and Flake are absolutely delicious, it’s actually some of the best meals I’ve had, and very reasonably priced as well. But don’t be late, cause it has happened more than once that they run out before I get to it.
KICK is located at Sporadon 26, and Flake is located at Sporadon 24. Flake seems to only have day time hours, but KICK is open until 9pm’ish.


Bel Rey Bar in Koukaki
If anything, absolutely purrfect. They have a lady cat that’s adopted by the people living and working on the block. Fed by the staff at Bel Rey Bar, and tended to by the neighbours as well as us adoring tourists/visitors. The rumor says she’s deaf. True? I don’t know. I’d like to put her in my pocket and take off. No, I would never, neither would I force myself onto an animal I don’t know how to handle. With force I mean, I would never lift a cat that I don’t know. I sat next to her with plenty of space inbetween for quite a few times until she once jumped into my lap all by herself. It didn’t matter that I had a working position like a cheese doodle for an hour until she was done and left. Leaving… so much hair behind.
On top of this the location is quite nice on a corner with plenty of 100% non ergonomic café tables, as well as proper seating inside. It’s kind of a restaurant, and I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect Digital Nomad café, but if you’re into a young vibrant Athens crowd, and stay away from their rush hours (food) it’s a nice place to do an hour or two at.
Bel Rey Bar is located at Falirou 88 in Koukaki. If you click on their menue you’ll see it in english.
ps. The clipped ear of the cat means that is has been neutered. This is done to many non domesticated and free roaming cat’s in Greece. And it’s an extension of being cared for ❤️ even though you don’t “belong” to anyone.





Minu in Psyrri
I’m torn… Minu is super easthetic. But it’s almost toooo perfect. It becomes a bit sterile for my liking. The staff gives good service, and I’ve had some delicious drinks there. The drink Hubba Bubba which is a mix of Aperol, fresh grapefruit, Ginger ale and some soda water is my favourite. Their avocado & eggs is the ideal insta dish, but not as tasty as it looks. Still, it was very inspirational, and I will for sure serve my friends something looking like it for brunch. Still, I’d recommend anyone going for sure, the environment is amazing!!
Minu is located at Sarri 50 in the area of Psyrri, which in itself is super touristy. Minu is just off the beaten track in Psyrri though. It’s such a shame their own web isn’t in both greek and english, cause it looks so nice, but a menu is available, enjoy!




Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Is NOT a laptop cafe, but a huge building including a very study friendly atmosphere. I really like the place, but it’s too quiet for me to get some real work done. It’s so weird that silence strangles my work performance. However, one should still investigate this place if you’re into working in public spaces. Of course you can also find more lively within fairly tight limits spaces at the cultural center.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is located at Leof. Andrea Siggrou 364 in the Faliro area that is it’s own municipality outside of the core of Athens. The center is pretty much by the ocean and the highway. It’s so very sad that all of Athens ocean line is accompanied by a discomforting high way. Starvros Niarchos Cultural center is much more that a place for work, or indulging other culture, it’s surrounded by a park, and you can also rent bicycles and enjoy a very large pond. Seasonal activities vary within the vicinities. Here’s a map of the area.
