Japan needs no introduction. Although winter is not the most popular season to visit Japan (except for skiing), the country is breaking records for tourism with every passing month thanks to a very weak yen.

Chiang Mai has been in the top 5 digital nomad hotspots for probably over a decade at this point. And when even a backpacker’s budget permits small luxuries like a daily mango and a weekly massage, why wouldn’t it be? The best time of year to visit is between October and January, before the annual burning season that make the town much less appealing in February and March.

Serbia is a unique country in Europe, in part because of its preference for a semi-neutral geopolitical stance and distrust of joining the EU. Lately it has seen a large influx of newcomers due to the war in Ukraine. It has been off the radar for tourism for a long time, but that is slowly changing.

Romania is not among the top vacation destinations for many visitors to Europe, but it is severely underrated. It is so large in size compared to other countries in the Balkans that it effectively guarantees beautiful nature somewhere in the country. And conveniently for nature-lovers, the Carpathian mountains stretch throughout nearly the entire country. While the harsh communist rule in the 1980’s still leaves its mark on the country in a wide variety of ways, the country has been improving quickly in recent years thanks to money flowing in from the EU. On the other hand, a large number of younger Romanians have fled to richer EU countries for higher paid jobs.