Months into the pandemic, Jess Romano moved from California to Croatia, becoming the third person to receive that country’s "digital nomad” visa when it launched in 2021. "When I worked in the office, my time off — and more important — the flexibility around where, when and how I could work was limited,” she said. "Now I can spend months or years at a time living and exploring new places while working full-time.”

Now, as coronavirus cases have fallen and working patterns are being reestablished, many companies are acknowledging the seismic shifts in the workplace and giving their employees increased flexibility about where they work in both the long and short term.

Kayak, the travel search engine, embraced remote work early in the pandemic, letting its staff set up anywhere the company has a legal entity, which includes 25 countries around the world, and counting. "If we have a legal entity somewhere, we can make payroll, pay taxes, and offer health care. They would just need the appropriate visa to work there,” said Steve Hafner, a co-founder and CEO.