Working While Travelling: The Digital Nomad Checks I Had to Learn

November 2026

One of the lovely things about travelling for an extended period is that you start to imagine all sorts of possibilities. Could I do a bit of work online while I’m away? Could I earn enough to cover a few extra nights somewhere? All I really need is my laptop and decent internet, surely?

Well, not quite. I’ve been looking into it, and I’ve discovered something worth sharing: a job being advertised as remote doesn’t necessarily mean you’re allowed to do it from any country you fancy.

There’s a lot more to it than finding a café with good Wi-Fi.

Travel notebook, passport, map and pen laid out for planning a trip.

Do these checks before you leave home

If you’re planning to earn money while travelling, check every country on your itinerary before you book your trip or accept the work. The rules in the UK won’t necessarily be the rules in Cyprus, Greece or anywhere else. Even neighbouring countries can treat remote work differently. A visa or residence permission for one country doesn’t automatically cover paid work in the next.

Make a simple country-by-country list with your intended dates, passport nationality, the exact work you’d do, who pays you, and whether you’ll be working for clients or an employer in that country or overseas. Then check the official immigration or consular guidance for each destination. Find out whether you need a work visa, a digital nomad permit or some other permission, and whether you must apply before travelling. Don’t assume that because you’ve entered as a tourist you can start working remotely.

Before departure, also check the tax and insurance position, any employer or client restrictions, and whether you’ll need documentation to prove the arrangement. Keep copies of any permissions and check again if your dates, destinations or type of work change. Immigration permission, tax residency and employer approval are three different questions, and one doesn’t automatically settle the others.

Why I started asking questions

While I’ve been travelling, I had an opportunity to help some people with an online project connected to Greece. I genuinely wanted to help. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was trying to work out what it would mean legally and practically while I was travelling from country to country. The work would be online, but that didn’t automatically settle questions about where I was allowed to do it, how it would be invoiced, or whether any local obligations might apply.

I spent time researching it because I didn’t want to land myself, or anyone else, in trouble. In the end I decided not to take the work on. I suggested finding someone based in Greece who could handle it properly instead.

I hated having to say no. But there’s a difference between wanting to help and being certain you can take on a paid job under the conditions of your visit. In my situation, I couldn’t get enough clarity to be comfortable doing it.

Remote work and digital nomad work are not the same as having permission to work

The words remote, freelance and digital nomad sound wonderfully flexible. But they’re descriptions of how you work, not immigration permissions.

An employer might be happy for you to work from another country, but the authorities in that country have their own rules. They may also distinguish between keeping up with an overseas job during a visit, taking on a new paid contract, working for local clients, and staying somewhere mainly to work.

That means the country you’re physically in matters, as well as where the company or client is based. Having an Australian business registration, or getting paid into an Australian bank account, doesn’t by itself answer the question.

Two examples that surprised me

The UK: The official visitor rules permit some activities connected to overseas employment to be done remotely while you’re in Britain, but only when that remote work isn’t the main purpose of the visit. They don’t give visitors a general right to take a UK job or run a business there. So even within one country, the type and purpose of the work make a difference. You can read the official UK permitted activities and Standard Visitor guidance.

Cyprus: Cyprus has a specific Digital Nomad Visa scheme for qualifying people from outside the EU and EEA who work remotely for overseas employers or clients. As of my November 2026 check, the published conditions included a stable monthly net income of at least €3,500 and a residence permit for an initial year. It’s a proper application with eligibility rules, not automatic permission just because you’re visiting the island.

And then there’s Europe more broadly. The Schengen 90-days-in-180 rule is about how long you may stay under the short-stay rules. It doesn’t, by itself, settle whether you can carry out paid work. Different European countries can have different work and residence arrangements. The European Commission’s short-stay calculator helps with days, while its immigration guidance explains why you need to check the particular country.

The work checks I’d make before accepting an online job abroad

1. What exactly is the job? Is it occasional activity for an overseas employer, a regular paid role, freelance work, work for someone in the country I’m visiting, or a service to local customers? The details matter.
2. Am I allowed to do that work where I physically am? Check the immigration authority of that country, not just a travel forum or a job advert. If the answer isn’t clear, ask the authority or a qualified adviser before starting.
3. Will the client or employer approve the location? Ask whether the contract allows international working and whether the employer has any payroll, insurance, security or other restrictions.
4. What happens with tax and invoicing? Find out which country or countries may tax the income, whether business registration or social contributions are required, and what records to keep. Check professional advice when more than one country is involved.
5. Can I handle the work securely? Think about client privacy, access to confidential information, safe internet connections and whether the work involves personal records. A café’s free Wi-Fi isn’t the whole plan.
6. Does my insurance cover working? Travel insurance designed for holidays may have different rules from cover for paid work. Read the policy rather than assuming.
7. Can I actually deliver the work? Time zones, unreliable connections, long travel days and unexpected changes all count. There’s no point promising someone a job you can’t properly manage.

And what about Australian tax?

Another trap is assuming that leaving Australia means you’ve automatically stopped being an Australian tax resident. That’s not how it works. The Australian Taxation Office considers your circumstances, and Australian tax residents generally need to declare worldwide income, subject to the applicable rules and exemptions.

If you’re Australian and considering working as you travel, start with the ATO’s tax residency explanation, and get advice suited to your situation if you’re being paid across borders.

So, would I work while travelling?

Possibly, if I found something genuinely suitable and could establish that it was allowed. I haven’t ruled it out. But I’m not prepared to jump into a job simply because it says ‘work from anywhere’ on the advertisement.

This trip is about travelling, exploring new places and enjoying life. If I do take on paid work along the way, I’d rather get the boring checks out of the way first than find myself sorting out a mess from the other side of Europe.

And sometimes, as I discovered with that online project, the right answer is to say, ‘I’d love to help, but I can’t take this on.’ Not the answer I wanted to give, but the sensible one.

Where to check the rules yourself

I checked official guidance rather than relying on social media advice. These are useful starting points, but they’re not a substitute for checking your own nationality, residence status, destination, type of work and tax situation:

Information checked 4 November 2026. Immigration and tax rules can change. This is my experience and general information, not personal legal, immigration or tax advice.