Alicante
I was cold. It was a summer day in London, but it was dreary. Grey skies, rain bearing down, cloudy, and cold. I hate the cold. I could never get used to being cold in Summer. I had suffered this kind of weather for the last decade or so and I had had enough. I needed warmth, needed to feel the sun on my skin. Needed to be able to walk out into the sunshine and sit on the grass. I couldn’t get that in London.
I needed to get away from London, so I did what all modern travellers do. I opened Google Maps…
Where can I go where it would be warm even in winter?
I wanted to be able to walk out into the Sun wearing a T-shirt if possible.
I needed to get as south as possible but stay in Europe for the proximity to London and other European cities. Southern Spain seemed to be the logical choice. Zooming into that region I found a couple of interesting cities along the coast. Yes! The coast would be good. I love the Sea and Sand. With names like ‘Costa Blanca’ & ‘Costa Brava’ they all sounded so exotic.
Malaga, Valencia and Alicante were some of the cities that beckoned me in this region.
The next step was to see what these places actually looked like, so onto YouTube to search for videos to get a feel for them. Malaga looked great! Valencia was cool and modernistic, but then, I found a video of a family walking along the beach in Alicante on New Year’s Day, wearing T-Shirts! Yes that’s it! This was exactly the place I wanted to be. I could actually walk onto a beautiful beach in the middle of winter wearing a T-shirt! This is where I needed to go.
A few weeks later, with two suitcases in tow, I was on a plane headed for beautiful Alicante. A year on and I can’t believe what an awesome undiscovered gem Alicante is.
This article is to highlight some of the reasons I think Alicante is one of the best places for digital nomads, who want the sun, sand, sea, year round awesome weather, and very good transport connections within Spain and into Europe and the U.K.
Let’s start with my top 10 reasons why I think Alicante could be the top place for Digital Nomads in Europe:
1. Sun & great weather all year around
Alicante has 330 days of sunshine. With mild winters, warm spring and autumn, and hot summers, it always feels great in the sun, a feeling that keeps you cheerful all year around. Even at its coldest, Alicante is sunny.
2. Sea & Sand
The mediternnaean sea and long beaches give you the freedom to swim, sunbathe, walk, run or take part in the many activities along the beach. Whether it’s beach volleyball or yoga, surfing or calisthenics, everyone is doing something and more than happy for newcomers to join.
3. Small city and low cost of living
Alicante is a small city compared to some of the other larger cities in Spain. The population is not large & overwhelming. Coming from a large city like London, this was a pleasant change. The rents & utilities are low. Lower than cities like Malaga & Valencia. You can still get a small beer for a Euro or two and get some tapas (snacks) with it as well.
4. International Airport
The airport in Alicante connects you with most cities in and around Europe, and if you need flights further away, Madrid with its large international airport is just a short 2 hour connection away.
5. Superfast local travel within Spain
A superfast train line connects Alicante with all the major cities. The ticket cost is low and the service efficient. This train line connects you with most parts of the country, and for those not serviced there is a network of buses and even community travel platforms like ‘Bla Bla car’.
6. Fresh local produce and a vast array of seafood
I never knew there were 8 varieties of tomatoes until I visited the Mercado (central market) here. The produce you can find there include many fresh fruits and vegetables that don’t look like the factory produced ones found in UK supermarkets with little or no taste.
7. Outdoor living & world class Sporting facilities
Alicantinas like to live outdoors. You can sip a coffee or have a cold beer at one of the numerous outdoor terraces. Children play in parks until late, surrounded by friends and families that socialise and gossip. If sport is your thing, you could play at one of the hundreds of excellent facilities. Tennis, Paddle Tennis, Football, Golf…you can find almost any sport you desire.
8. You don’t need a car
The city is small which makes it perfect for walking around. You can get almost anywhere walking. Alternatively, you can cycle on the excellent cycling paths snaking around the city. I prefer to use my trusted electric scooter to get me around. With its 25km range I can get almost anywhere to the neighbouring Playa San Juan and El Campello and back. Of course if you don’t prefer to walk you can use the excellent tram and bus service. Using the transport card, you can take the bus or tram and get anywhere for just 85 cents! A far cry from the expensive Tube costs of London.
9. Friendly locals, large expat community, & many professionals
Something about the weather, sun and sea makes the locals super friendly. I had visited Barcelona, Valencia and some of the other larger cities and the people were very different there. You also have a huge expat community made up of Brits, Germans, Dutch and other European communities. They meet regularly and making friends has never been easier. There are also a large number of digital nomads and professionals here, which makes it easy for you to collaborate, share projects and learn from each other. Check out my Meetup group ‘Alicante Language Exchange’ for a taste of what is out there.
10. Infrastructure and amenities of modern Europe
Finally, Alicante is still in Europe which guarantees you a level of infrastructure and amenities one would be used to. Whether it is medical, internet, banking or social services, it beats the facilities at any of the developing countries.
So to summarise, Alicante is an undiscovered gem in the med, which has all the pleasures of a mediterranean sea town, but at the same time is cosmopolitan and well connected without losing its old city charm.
So to end this. I think moving to Alicante has been one of the best decisions of my life, and I wish I had done it sooner. When will you be coming?
