A very interesting article by lonely planet crossed our desk this week for anyone who working remotely is not temporary. The island nation of Barbados in the Caribbean announced that they have created a new 12-month visa targeted directly at digital nomads.

Barbados as seen from the International Space Station

“We came up with a concept and it is being refined now as ‘12-Month Barbados Welcome Stamp’. This will allow people from the United States, Europe, and Latin America to come and do their jobs digitally for a couple of months and then go back home if they feel they can work better in a more relaxed atmosphere such as next to a beach,” Prime Minister Mottley said in an interview last week.

We thought this was one of the best ideas we’ve heard in a long while. We felt this needed to be investigated further. A quick survey of the real estate market says that you can get a basic 1-2 bedroom apartment for around 1,200-1,400 a month. You’d find those prices better than many larger cities in the United States.

The cost of living in Barbados is about the same as it is in Tampa, Florida, and 38% cheaper than New York according to Expatistan. We also figured that it would be important to check out the internet speeds or at least the advertised rates.  We found that Flow one of the internet services on the island offers Super-Fast Broadband Plans at speeds of up to 1000Mbps and that puts those speed on the same footing as many of the major carriers in the United States.

The island is just reopening to the touring public this July and all travelers arriving into Barbados are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result and must wear a face mask at the airport. If you are traveling from a high-risk place like Florida or the United States in general you must take your test within 72 hours before departure, while visitors from low-risk countries can take it a week before traveling.