Location, location, location! Choosing where to stay in a new city is SO important. It can make or break your experience. The best place for you to stay depends on your budget, travel style and your itinerary. There’s a way to figure out the best neighborhood to stay – no matter where you are.

7x Key Signs Of A Good Neighborhood

We’ve traveled since we were kids but since 2018, we’ve taken our travels full-time with no home base. We search for the best neighborhoods nearly every month as digital nomads. Here are the 7 key criteria before committing to an area:

• Close to public transport.
• Easy access to coworking space.
• Safe enough to walk around (at night too).
• Plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy.
• Fits well within the budget.
• Specialty coffee shop within 10 minutes (this might be a personal criteria but important nonetheless).
• Good reviews across online platforms.

If a stay can tick all of these criteria, it’s usually a solid neighborhood – no matter where you are.

Hotels vs Airbnb vs Hostels – Which One?

Each type of stay depends on your travel style and budget. For instance, a hostel works best for budget backpackers only looking for a place to sleep for the night. But it doesn’t always work for a full time digital nomad on the road…indefinitely. Here’s how we choose:

• Hotels: Perfect for short stays, layovers or vacation style travel.
• Airbnbs: Perfect for long-term travelers like slowmads staying for a month, minimum.
• Hostels: Perfect for short stays on a lower budget.

Our choice for booking platforms:

Short stays: Booking.com
Long-term stays: Airbnb and/or Flatio
Free stays: Trusted Housesitters and/or MindMyHouse

Our Favorite Neighborhoods Around The World

I use my spare time to research the best neighborhoods in our next destinations. We write about where to stay in each city to make it easier for you to find the best spots:

🇨🇴 Medellin, Colombia: Where To Stay
🇬🇷 Athens, Greece: Where To Stay
🇲🇽 Merida, Mexico: Where To Stay
🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal: Where To Stay

I spend hours reading reviews and checking reddit forums to get a feel for the area before we decide where to stay. Then we choose the best area based on affordability, location, proximity to all the fun (restaurants, cafes) and coworking spaces. After experiencing the area ourselves, we get to share it all with you. These guides help narrow your choice!