🧑‍💻 Why Spain's digital nomad visa isn't THAT great

Hey, remote work fam! This is Remote Insider your favorite spot to get up to speed on what's going on in the world of remote work and digital nomadism. In this email, we talk about...

• remote work is changing the way apartments are being designed

• Spain’s new digital nomad visa is here & we’re not that stoked about it

• how to become a digital nomad according to Harvard

• how one guy built a side hustle selling fake soccer merch

Before we jump into that, here’s a super ninja cheat code for never forgetting a site password EVER again…

💡Tips & Tricks

Never forget your password while 10Xing its strength

Hackers are increasingly targeting remote companies, so having a strong password has never been more important. But usually, a strong password also means having to reset it every couple of weeks when you surely forget said password.

Luckily there is an easy way to ensure you never forget your password without using the same one for all sites while 10Xing the strength of your password.

Sound too good to be true? I’m not lying to you… here’s the secret:

Instead of creating a password, create a cipher!

A cipher is a way to code or decode a message, and it makes creating and remembering strong passwords really easy.

For example, your cipher could be:

1. Name of the site

2. Keyboard key above the actual key

3. Followed by your dog’s name and your birthday.

So, following this cipher if your dog’s name was Frank and your birthday was 10/01/95 your Facebook password would be:

Rqd3g99iFrank100195

The beauty of this technique is that every website password will be different and all you have to remember is your cipher:

“key above the actual key, Frank, birthday”

🏠 Remote Work is Changing The Way New Apartments Are Designed

Remote work is here to stay, and property developers have taken note and are now designing apartments with WFH in mind.

New apartment buildings are being developed with coworking in mind, creating a community space where residents can gather to get work done without leaving their buildings. Jessica Hester, CEO of Verdant Studios said that they are even considering the way units will look in video calls:

“Three years ago, we would’ve never thought about what the background looks like on a Zoom call. Those are things we’re thinking about as we place that kind of space in a residential environment.”

Other companies, like Ori Living, are taking a different approach by developing robotic furniture that allows people to reorganize the layout of their home with the click of a button, switching from bedroom mode to office mode in seconds.

🇪🇸 Spain’s New Digital Nomad Visa is Finally Here… And We’re Not So Sure About It!

After nearly a year of hype, Spain’s new digital nomad visa is finally open for application!

In order to apply for the visa program you need to meet the following requirements:

• be a non-EU citizen

• have worked for a non-Spanish company (that has been around for longer than 1 year) for at least 3 months

• prove you can do your job remotely

• have a college diploma or been in the workforce for at least 3 years

• have health insurance & no criminal record

• earn at least 200% of the Spanish minimal wage which works out to a monthly salary of $1,355 per month

Those who qualify for the program will be granted the ability to live and work in the country for a maximum of 5 years with full access to the rest of the EU.

While the visa program will likely be successful in attracting remote workers, it seems a bit… odd… with several of the requirements being overkill such as the age of your company, the need for a college diploma, or how “being in the workforce for at least 3 years” will be evaluated.

It will be interesting to see how Spain fairs with their nomad visa relative to their Iberian competitor Portugal which also recently launched a dedicated nomad visa.

🚨Word on The Web is…

🧑‍💻 Coworking 2.0: What coworking spaces will look like in the future

🇲🇽 This company is making it easier for foreigners to buy property in Mexico

🏛️ How to become a digital nomad according to Harvard

🤖 3 ChatGPT Chrome extensions that will make you more productive

😍 Shockingly remote work is actually creating more “office” romances

🇦🇪 Getting a remote work visa for the UAE just got easier

👾 GitHub makes remote work permanent and cuts 10% of workforce

🚐 RVs Biggest Trend: Remote Work Friendly or Bust

The 2023 Tampa RV SuperShow just took place last week and one of the biggest trends for new RV models was their focus on making more remote work-friendly layouts. 

Thor Industries, a family of RV-focused companies that includes Airstream, have even teamed up with SpaceX’s Starlink to provide high-speed, low-latency internet even while in motion in some of their RV brands.

📆 Upcoming Events:

February 13-17: Convite [📍 Ponta do Sol, Portugal] - digital nomad conference exploring the movement’s impact on Macaronesia

April 25-26: Running Remote [📍 Lisbon, Portugal] - Largest remote work conference in the world for enterprises and SMEs

May 24-28: Vivel [📍 Multiple Locations, Turkey] - networking meets music at this one-of-a-kind conference for location-independent professionals

June 16-19: Camp Indie [📍 Kent, Connecticut] - adult summer camp & conference for digital nomads & those living an unconventional life

June 25-July 2: Bansko Nomad Fest [📍 Bansko, Bulgaria] - for digital nomads, freelancers, and founders in the mountains of Bulgaria

⚽️ This Guy is Making Thousands $$$ Selling Sports Merch For a Fake Soccer Team, And It’s Kind of Awesome

During the pandemic, Ken started posting about his (fake) journey to becoming a professional soccer player for his personal entertainment but it quickly turned into a side hustle generating thousands of dollars.

⭐️ This Week’s WFA Jobs:

I've teamed up with THE remote job coach Jordan Carroll to provide you with handpicked work-from-anywhere jobs right here in this newsletter:

⭐ Blockchain Engineer @ Polygon Technology

⭐ Backend Engineer @ Gitlab

⭐ React Developer @ Dapps

Want help finding the right remote job for you? Join the Remote Collective and get introductions to dozens of remote companies looking to hire people like you!

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That's it from us this week, hope you have an amazing day!