Whether you’re a remote worker looking to change your home base or a family of digital nomads wanting to take the plunge and move abroad, uprooting your whole life can still be a little nerve-wracking. The good news is, if you’re looking to move to Greece, there are programs that will allow you to test out daily life there for a bit before committing to the move.
Experience life in Greece for a month, or a few months, with some of the programs below, each tailored to a different kind of digital nomad.
Boundless Life
If you’re a digital nomad with a family, Boundless Life is the perfect choice. Not only will you all get a taste of life on a Greek island, but your kids will also receive a one-of-a-kind immersive education. The community offers both summer camps, which last about a month, and segments of a full school year, each lasting about two and a half months.
In Greece, Boundless Life is set up on the stunning, rejuvenating, yet still lively island of Syros. The island is known as the Lady of the Cyclades. Its main town, Ermoupoli, is the capital of the island chain, and offers a nice variety of entertainment, cultural attractions and diversions for both you and the kids.
On to the classes: Boundless Life is based on the Finnish system of education. Classes focus on a combination of academics and experiential learning, while they also get to learn and practice overall wellbeing. Students are even challenged to take on real-world problems and offer solutions via Quests.
As for the adults, Boundless Life offers a coworking hub in each of its destinations, including Syros, and furnished homes specifically tailored to families and kids. It’s a great way to dip your toe into Greek island life before deciding to move once and for all.
Noma Collective
For remote workers traveling solo or with a partner, Noma Collective offers experiences all around the world. One of their most popular editions takes place in Greece’s capital city: Athens.
So what does Noma do?
A group of anywhere between ten to seventeen remote workers and digital nomads are set up with an apartment, a workspace and a local guide. Workspaces vary based on the accommodation each year. The 2027 Noma Athens edition offers a worktable in each studio and a shared outdoor patio all program members can use when the sun’s out. Which, in Athens, is very often.
Take your first steps into Athenian life by going out in the city with your new friends. Noma also does a great job of offering optional activities almost every day of the program – led by their local guide – that allow you to experience the city’s history, culture, food, nature and even nightlife while bonding with your fellow remote workers.
You will also have an on-site community manager working for Noma who can answer all your questions, help you find your way around and address any issues you may have. It’s a pretty great introduction to what your life in Athens will look like, with most of what you’d need to find on your own – accommodation, workspaces, activities – already sorted out for you.
Check out the Noma Collective Athens Edition if you’re interested. Your payment for the program covers accommodation, workspaces, most planned activities, Wi-Fi access, airport transfers and a fully loaded eSIM with data.
Volunteer for an animal shelter and get free lodging
Digital nomads who are also animal lovers may definitely want to consider one of the latest programs popping up throughout Greece. Especially because it allows you total control of your free time, and much more independence. Animal shelters in Greece are offering free lodging to visitors who agree to help care for the animals either part of full-time.
Most of the shelters are located on islands or smaller towns in Greece; so these opportunities are usually best for those who prefer quiet living rather than life in a big city.
Some recent examples include one of the shelters that started it all, Syros Cats, offers you free lodging, brunch and all utilities covered if you agree to volunteer around six hours a day for five days a week. Volunteers with animal care or vet experience are prioritized, but any cat lover is more than welcome to apply.
As already discussed in this article, Syros offers a great balance of small town, island life with enough diversions to keep you entertained.
If you want to wade further into wild island nature, you can check out Workaway, a small animal welfare center and vet clinic on Amorgos instead. The center only expects volunteers to help care for the animals three hours a day, five days per week. In exchange, volunteers learn how to properly care for injured and abused animals, and spend time walking, feeding and otherwise caring for the dogs and cats at the center. There are also horses, mules, and donkeys being cared for in this Amorgos clinic, but volunteers are only expected to interact with the dogs and cats.
The minimum expected stay is three weeks, but longer is always better. In exchange for their help, the volunteers get a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom to use.
These are just a couple of the available animal shelter programs to check out, but you can find many more online.
(Author’s note: Noma Collective and Boundless Life take care of any potential visa issue. If you decide to do an animal shelter program, make sure you’re operating within the bounds of any visa you’re on in Greece.)
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Read more about Greece here in Dispatches’ archives.
See more from Joanna here.
Joanna Kalafatis
Joanna Kalafatis is a Greek-American travel writer and actress who has lived in Greece, the U.S., and the UK, and currently resides in Athens, Greece. She wrote "Best of Greece" for Moon Travel Guides and has a travel blog at LosetheMap.com; her work has also appeared in Time Out New York, Business Insider, and Matador Network. Joanna has traveled to over 50 countries and plans to visit every destination in the world.
