This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 18th Aug 2022.

Guest Contributor: Meet Stella Gonzalez Alfonso, who is based in Colombia, working remotely as a Researcher & Content Marketer for the RoRemote freelance team and with her brand Stella Venturosa. Slovenia holds a special place in her heart, and she was delighted to speak to other Slovenia fans with this inspirational blog article.

Can you imagine yourself travelling to a country that is SUPER accessible to explore and also BIG on opportunities for those who combine remote work and travel? A country like that exists and it's called Slovenia! 

Located in the heart of Europe, Slovenia has it all: mountains, lakes, caves, and festivals and welcomes everyone with OPEN ARMS to experience their great sense of COMMUNITY!

It’s not only my view, I know of three other admirers who have travelled while working remotely in Slovenia. Hopefully, reading about our experiences will convince you to do the same.

They all have positive experiences with Slovenia and their BIG highlight was their sense of community. Why? When you are a remote worker and digital nomad, you want to explore the country and truly experience its culture. Slovene people have shown my friends why Slovenia should be your next remote work and travel destination. Continue reading and make sure you take notes. 

1. Connect and network before arriving at the destination

Stella (pictured here at Velika Planina) and Pawel arrived in Slovenia for a similar reason, the University of Ljubljana. Their circumstances are unique as both were received by a like-minded academic community that promotes collaboration. Stella was a European Master in Tourism Management (EMTM) student who had her 2020 Spring semester at this university. While Pawel was there for his husband, who was invited as a lecturer to this university. 

Pawel Adrjan elaborates: “My husband knew the people at the university who invited him and that he would be interacting with. We were very lucky: it was a fantastic group of colleagues. They welcomed us to their homes. They told us stories about the country and its culture and showed us around. They were very proud of their country. So, we felt very welcomed”. 

Additionally, Slovenia is a country that welcomes gay couples and supports gay marriage and same-sex couple adoption. 

Similarly, Stella already had a Slovene roommate, who was the EMTM student representative. Living together before arriving in the country gave her a grasp of Slovene culture, how the language sounds, and what to expect. Additionally, Stella was a couch surfer with over 15+couchsurfing experiences, she arrived in the country with contacts of local new friends, who showed her the city and surroundings. 

2. Be open, be curious, and show your interest in the local culture

Pawel and his husband Javi (pictured here at Predjamski Castle in Slovenia) did something that helped them, even more, to interact and produce smiles. Before arriving, they took some Slovene classes and continued them with a Slovene tutor during their 1-month stay.

These classes were the highlight of their Slovene experience as they bombarded their tutor with questions about Slovenia’s culture, people, and language. 

As Pawel recommends, “Having a language teacher means you can learn a lot about the culture and the bits of the culture that you're interested in. Some people might be interested in history, others might be interested in music”.

Check this link to find Slovene language tutors! Maybe, you can be lucky enough as Pawel to learn the lyrics of a Slovene Eurovision song. Curious about the song? Keep reading until the end. 

Barbara Jovanovic, a digital nomad and Head of Content at SafetyWing - a company providing insurance for Digital Nomads and Remote Teams - has also explored Slovenia for several months over the last two years. While she has stayed in the capital city, she prefers spending most of her time exploring Slovenia's pristine nature and local culture. As she describes it,

"We just enjoyed observing the everyday life and routine of villagers. We particularly enjoy finding small, local family-owned restaurants with traditional dishes. We usually take whatever the staff recommends, and we've never been disappointed. In the fall, during mushroom season, most restaurants serve delicious traditional mushroom soup, it's amazing!"  

3. Take your agenda and organise wisely your travel plans in Slovenia

The internet speed, workspace environment, accommodation, and surrounding community are common things that remote working travellers and digital nomads look for. Research and read the many blogs that can give you this information before arriving like Nomad List. Also, remember you are there to work and travel, so ensure you organise and plan effectively! 

Remember you are TRAVELLING while WORKING. Both are important and can be competing priorities. Check out each recommendation to better plan your time in Slovenia:

• “Study hard, play harder” - Stella’s experience

During her time in Slovenia, she was a Master’s student during the morning and an Online English Teacher during the afternoons. Both were big responsibilities for “Teacher Stella” as her friends called her, but nothing could beat her excitement for planning weekend day trips! During the nights, you could find Stella doing homework or planning her next weekend escape.

Check out Stella’s experience enjoying the Traditional Kurentovanje Carnival in Ptuj. If you want to see this carnival, you can take a train from Ljubljana and get lost in the beautiful streets of Ptuj. 

• Schedule your new workspace for more productivity - Pawel’s experience

For Pawel and his husband dividing their Airbnb workspace wasn’t a problem as both had their own desks. Their key recommendation as a remote working couple is to communicate in advance and try to coordinate the schedule so the timing doesn’t affect their work responsibilities. For instance, if both had conference calls, Pawel could use the apartment as his husband was offered a workspace at the university. Likewise, Coworker and Coworkingspaces.me can help you find accessible coworking spaces in the capital and top cities of Slovenia. 

Coworking spaces can also be great places to meet like-minded communities and practice your few Slovene words!

• Get out of the capital and connect with the Slovenian nature

Barbara was someone like many people who started her journey in Ljubljana, the capital city. She soon discovered with her boyfriend that Slovenia had more to offer remote workers. She shares their story, 

“After spending a few peaceful weeks in one of the villages near the Triglav National Park last year, we decided to find accommodation in a more remote setting for a month this year. We were on top of a hill of a small village that was only 30mins away from Ljubljana, so we had easy access to the city while enjoying our house in nature”.

This couple loves Slovenia so much as a destination for remote workers that they even persuaded the wider SafetyWing team to hold a team gathering there last year with great success (pictured above).

A final note: A well-kept gem, graced with unspoilt nature and a rich culture, Slovenia surprises even the most seasoned traveller. From transparent waters and historical castles, to modern cities and landscapes, Slovenia has it all!

Although a specific digital nomad visa doesn’t exist yet, Slovenia offers a range of different permits for people who wish to spend time working in the country. A welcoming country, Slovenia must definitely be on your nomading list!

*Still curious about the Eurovision song? Check it out here!

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 18th Aug 2022.