The 10 best things about being a digital nomad in Estonia in 2023
If you’re seriously considering a year as a digital nomad, whether that’s to explore the world, setup a virtual business, or both, I strongly urge you to put Estonia at the top of your list for all the reasons I mention below – however don’t be surprised if you don’t want to return back to your country of origin at the end of it!
Secondly, I make no apologies for being so enthusiastic about the place, I’ve travelled in over 60 countries across the world and feel like I’ve found somewhere that is truly remarkable for many good reasons that people aren’t yet aware of!
1. The start-up culture
There is a real drive to build great things here in the country, you can feel it everywhere, particularly in Tallinn. The hunger to build is palpable and I love being surrounded by it, it spurs me on to aim high and be part of its cool story. It has the highest number of unicorns per capita in Europe, a huge achievement when you understand the country only regained independence in the early nineties and adopted digital technologies waaaaaaaay before anyone else say their value!
2. The huge abundance of nature around you to explore
Over 50% of Estonia's land area is covered by forests, and Estonians respect them immensely and follow the ‘leave no trace’ philosophy. The State Forest Management agency, Riigimets (aka RMK), does a wonderful job of maintaining the wild spaces and has a range of easy-to-find camp site locations throughout the country, so I can throw my tent to a bike (motorised or pedal-driven) and find somewhere fun at short notice. This balance is what I value amongst the highest in Estonia.
3. The highly advanced digital infrastructure
Almost everything in Estonia is digitised, saving time, effort, and stress – one of the biggest factors for setting myself up with e-residency in the country. I can run a lean organisation and pass those savings onto my customers, making me more competitive in the long term and able to scale quicker in the short term.
Thanks to the digitised signatures alone, the average adult saves one working week every year – which may not sound like much, but if you’re self-employed, or run a start-up, this operating speed is hugely valuable to you!
4. The ease of travel
Travel in Estonia is super easy, with an abundance of trams, trains, buses, and taxis. The taxi company ‘Bolt’ was founded here and have built a great operating model whereby you can rent their vehicles by the hour if needed, thereby reducing traffic in the city, and the burden of owning a car with all the administration and maintenance they bring with them.
Furthermore, students and permanent residents registered in Tallinn can use the public transport for free around the city.
5. The beautiful summers
Summers in Estonia are in the comfortable low thirties, meaning it doesn’t get uncomfortably hot, yet you can easily sunbathe and spend hours outside.
In addition to having over 1500 lakes, the World Health Organisation also ranks the air in Estonia as some of the cleanest in the world, meaning you can get to nature quickly, and enjoy it without worrying about your health when you’re here.
6. The festive winters
I love it when winters really feel like winter, and not an amalgamation of spring and autumn so Estonia is great for me. Drinking a hot Glögi (hot red wine, like gluhwein) in a snowy winter Christmas market is like a dream come true. Throw in some ‘fatbiking’ in the snow, a hot sauna, and maybe some cross-country skiing and I’m in my element. In the coming months, I’ll be doing more nights in the tent to keep my inner Marine satisfied that I’ve not become too comfortable as I reach my fourth decade!
7. The education system
The education system is free for Estonians, meaning the workforce is incredibly well educated and capable. It’s a good reminder to keep me innovating and developing myself when you’re surrounded by some real high performing people. Research says 1 in 5 Estonians has a master’s degree, and Estonian teenagers ‘rank 1st in reading, science, and mathematics in Europe’.
8. The focus on wellness and sustainability
Saunas, wild swimming, hiking, bikepacking, and bog hikes are a key part of life in Estonia, and I’m a big fan of all of them!
There is an abundance of lakes (over 1500 of them as mentioned earlier), bikepacking routes (the Eurovelo 11 route passes through Estonia), that I’m slowly exploring and documenting for other digital nomads on As Seen in Estonia website
9. The proximity to Scandinavia and the Arctic circle
Being in Tallinn means that Helsinki and Finland is only a 2-hour car ferry ride across the Baltic Sea, and with it – the Artic circle and Scandinavian peninsula.
I’ve never been to the arctic circle, so I plan to visit it in 2023 by taking a train excursion through Finland, and exploring more of this beautiful part of Europe!
10. The rapid adoption of new technologies
Walking around Tallinn, you can see driverless vehicles on the streets (the first country in Europe to have them!), automated food delivery robots (with built-in heater to keep the food hot) – it feels like you’re living in a movie some days. It’s a great reminder to focus on the future and not let myself become too comfortable (especially with the pace of AI and machine learning – Chat GPT being a valid reminder of this!).
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