I’ve said it before – many people dream of being a true Digital Nomad: working from beaches, taking a meeting, and relaxing poolside while writing up a email.
But the reality is there are few jobs that allow for true flexibility post pandemic. Add in those of us who have other things that keep us rooted (ie: kids, spouses) and the life of a digital nomad feels unattainable.
And – that’s true. However, I have been using my company’s “work from anywhere” policy to it’s full advantage. We are allowed up to four weeks where our in-office policy is lifted. Most people use it to avoid December in the office. I did that – but decided to do it full out in Spain. For me, the key is to use Europe’s time zone to my advantage. I can explore by day, and work in the evening (keeping my normal CST hours) and I go for just one week.
It’s a way to get a taste of digital nomad life – while also only being away from home, kids, and responsibilities for a week. For me, it was a win/win. I chose Italy for my first foray into this plan and this time I returned for a third visit to Spain.
Day 1: Travel and Work
I started my travel on a Monday night, flying overnight to Madrid so I could land around 9am. I like to do as much of my travel as I can on the first day since we know that even if you get nice seats, an overnight flight will always suck our energy. I prefer to be out of it on a train instead of trying to explore a city so I kept right on going from Madrid to Sevilla.
It’s an easy transition but there are logistics involved (plane to bus to train) but I did make it in time check in at the Catalonia Santa Justa. This was a good spot as it was very close to the train station and my room had this view.
I’d seen Sevilla before so I knew exactly where I wanted to go when I had a break in my day around 10pm. Spain always comes alive at night and I felt at ease walking the short distance to the Setas that night to see the lights.
It had been raining but was mild and I took a minute to breath before heading back for a few more emails and then bed.
Day 2: Seville and travel to Jerez de la Frontera
Since I’d studied/lived in Spain twice before I had already seen a good portion of the country. I knew I wanted to spend my time somewhere new so I decided to stay in a lesser talked about town of Jerez de la Frontera. On the southwest side of the country, it’s right near Cadiz and is small but still easy to get around to other places.
I took the morning to grab breakfast at Chia and wander Sevilla, mainly spending my time revisiting old haunts (I had stayed there and studied Spanish for two weeks back in 2012). It was fun to wander around and see all the decorations they had up for Christmas as well, since I was there in early December.
By midday though I was back to get my bags and on the train down to Jerez. Upon arrival, I was immediately thrown into Spanish culture as I walked from the train through town to the main pedestrian street at 2pm because it was a total ghost town.
Jerez takes the siesta seriously which is something I neglected to think about when it came to my working schedule, but more on that later. I did stop and grab a few snacks for dinner and got to work.
I stayed in an apartment right on the main pedestrian walk and I really liked this spot. Perfectly located.
Day 3: Alcazar and Exploring Jerez de la Frontera
I decided to start off my day at the Alcazar in Jerez de la Frontera since there was a risk of rain later. I hadn’t originally planned to visit, since the one in Sevilla was certainly more impressive, but after looking more into it I saw it was quite impressive and I’m glad I took the time.
I did a lot of walking and exploring Jerez – grabbing a tapas lunch at Tabanco San Pedro, which was delightful.. The city is not touristy at all, which was what I hoped to find, though it did make the hope for shopping for souvenirs a little difficult. While there were a few cute areas, there wasn’t a lot by way of small boutiques. It’s a much more practical sort of place that really comes alive at night.
This entire region is knowing for its sherry so I decided to fit in a last minute tour at Bodegas Lustau. Easily one of the things I hate the most about traveling alone is booking a tour only to find that I’m the only one on it and unfortunately this happened for this tour.
The woman still did a great job but I had to be far more engaged than I usually am and, since I don’t usually check a bag, I had to awkwardly slink away at the end with no gift shop purchases. That being said, it was a lovely tour and space and I do recommend the experience. They also distribute to the United States which was fun to then find what I had tried when I got back home.
Back to the apartment for work and eventually popped out for “dinner” of gelato at Margarita La Fresca. This gelato was bomb and close to my apartment. It became my go-to work break item.
Day 4: Clocks, Horses, and Constitutions
Early to rise for some breakfast and wandering in a different direction in Jerez. I found myself near a clock museum, the Museo Palacio del Tiempo, and decided to wander in. In a surprise to no one, I was there not long after opening and was the only patron. It quickly got awkward as there was apparently a power issue and there were no light in the space.
The woman said I could come back later but I knew that wouldn’t be an option with my schedule. I refused to let her refund me (she seemed to bereft) so she offered to let me wander the space in the low light until the electricity was fixed. It was actually a really cool experience that way and I did explore long enough for the lights to come back and in all their glory.
This is honestly one of my favorite museums ever. Not only having it entirely private, but it was so whimsical to hear all the clocks chiming each quarter of an hour. Highly recommend popping in.
One of the biggest draws to Jerez de la Frontera is the horse school, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. It’s considered a must see with the dancing horses and while the crowds were quite low when I went (which I attribute to the time of the year) I did find the show really enjoyable. There’s a (very) small museum that wasn’t really worth the extra payment, imo, but seeing the horses do their thing at this classic establishment really did feel special.
This was Friday, Dec 6th and this started a full weekend of celebration in Jerez that I had been completely ignorant of. This is their Día de la Constitución, and it felt like Independence Day and New Years Day in the way their festivities popped off. The city was absolutely buzzing so I took my “lunch break” at 10 and went down to the nearby, and iconic, Gato Azul.
Google reviews aren’t the best but honestly the tapas were great, the sherry divine, and the people watching an incredible ten out of ten.
Day 5: Day Trip to Puerto de Santa Maria
I originally had thought I would go to Arcos on this Saturday day trip but the bus schedule was a bit rough so I instead opted for a trip to the closer and highly regarded Puerto de Santa Maria. My first stop was at La Cabana for breakfast. They were packed but I got a spot outside since it was a bit chilly and enjoyed a coffee.
This is a lovely little town to wander through. Still not heavily touristed but I did find my way to an excellent churros con chocolate at La Ponderosa. I had yet to stop for churros on this trip to Spain which was honestly, a travesty. This did make up for it.
The walk down to the water was not a short one, but it was a beautiful day, even if the beach itself wasn’t one that felt good for strolling on. I kept to the sidewalks (as did pretty much everyone else).
Coming back to Jerez, I ran into an absolute wall of Spaniards completely balling out for their holiday. I literally had no idea it was such a huge deal and, on top of that, Jerez was apparently the place for the celebrations. My entire street was completely shut down and I had to detour to get to my apartment since the pedestrian walk was covered in a massive stage.
It looked like a ton of fun and I did end up going back out to wander the streets, not only to feel the vibe, but also because I was determined to do one more sherry tasting, this time at Fundador. This is a very well known brand but I had been unaware they made one called “Harvey” and it felt obligatory to participate.
I wasn’t sure if they would be running tours, given the holiday, but it ended up being the opposite as there was a massive tour happening but I was the only English speaker. I had, of course, been practicing my Spanish up until that point but the one hour tour entirely in Spanish, followed by a group tasting where the table seemed absolutely tickled that they had a solo-traveler from Chicago, definitely made me dredge up some old language skills.
I ultimately walked back through the streets, realizing my only chance for food would be one of the street carts that came out of nowhere as all the restaurants were closed and bars that served tapas were packed.
I ultimately stopped at a cart for a cone of fries but I had to draw the line at the palest hot dogs I’ve ever seen. There are some foods you just don’t buy outside your home country and for me, that’s a hot dog. It was there that I witnessed a group purchase the hot dogs and proceed to put mayo on them. It was an absolute travesty.
Day 6: Cadiz
Despite how late the partying went the night before, when I went down early to catch a train to Cadiz, the streets were absolutely immaculate. I literally have no idea how they could have possibly been cleaned, but they were. Magicians, I swear.
When I arrived in Cadiz I went to a free walking tour which are always a nice way to get a quick lay of the land of the city. This one was, unfortunately, a little boring as it was very ingrained it telling us the full history of the city (and like – there are roman walls. There is a lot of history). I also managed to arrive at the same time as a cruise ship which is never ideal.
Still, it was lovely to walk through all the streets of Cadiz. Much more touristy with lots of shopping, restaurants, and displays. Given the time of the year, there was a fun Christmas market set up in front of the cathedral.
I managed to do just about all my souvenir shopping in Cadiz. This city gives much more Andalucian vibes and the weather was gorgeous. It was a lot of fun to see everyone out with their families, walking along the waterfront or sitting out at cafes.
My train to Jerez was late and I immediately knew by the rest of the patrons heading in that I was due for another massive party in Jerez, and I was right. Everything was shut down again so I grabbed some mini donuts from a pop up and took them home to people watch on my last night in Jerez.
Day 7: Back to Madrid
Monday again so I needed to start early to make sure I could get everything done before my work day. I hopped the early train back to Madrid and checked in at Sleep’n Atocha. Great location to the train, which I needed, but definitely not ideal for working as this was the smallest room ever.
They did have a rooftop so I was able to work from there instead of the cramped room, but it was definitely also a hang out spot so it was a bit awkward as I worked late into the evening. Still fun, though.
Earlier when I first arrived in Madrid, I dropped my bags and then wandered Madrid. Like Sevilla, I had been the Madrid a number of times before. The streets were absolutely packed for the holiday and, I assume, Christmas shopping. It was fun to navigate the crowds as I walked closer and closer to Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. I wanted to see what kind of decorations they had and I wasn’t disappointed – especially since there was a huge market up in the plaza.
Ended up getting my last dinner at Oven Mozzarella which was a little silly but just around the corner and everywhere else (including 100 Montaditos which was going to be nostalgic) was absolutely packed. It ended up being quite good though and I did a quick little walk around Retiro to see some lights before heading back to work.
Day 8: Travel Home
So – all in all – I managed to do all of this travel and still only took one out of office day (Tuesday) to fly back. This was my second time doing this work from anywhere cadence and I’m absolutely hooked. As a solo traveler, coming back for the evening around 3pm really isn’t much of a hardship as dinners and activities in the evening solo are often way harder to do – and are a bit more awkward. It’s easy to get up early, see everything, and be back in time for meetings.
I will admit that, while Spain will always hold a special spot in my heart, I don’t necessarily recommend it for this kind of travel. Perhaps it would work if you stayed in bigger cities, or, even better, the north of Spain where siesta culture doesn’t have quite as much of a stranglehold. I deeply underestimated how difficult it would be to get a robust lunch between 1-3pm which is usually what I do so I can just work through the evening and not have to worry about popping out to get dinner. That, coupled with the festivities, and I do feel like my food game was off this trip as I had to opt for convenience multiple times.
Still – Jerez and this Cadiz region was a whole vibe and felt very European. I only saw a couple of American tourists the whole time I was there and really enjoyed watching the Spaniards celebrate.
The Roaming Reader 