Canadian city ranks among the safest in the world for female digital nomads

The pandemic-rooted digital nomad trend shows no signs of slowing, and now Saskatoon has been revealed as one of the world’s safest cities for women working remotely. It was the only North American destination to make the top 10 in a survey compiled by the German-based vacation firm Holidu . Its researchers examined 200 global cities that issue digital nomad visas for six months or more and ranked them based on a range of factors.

These include the friendliness of local residents, how safe women feel walking alone, the ratio of female to male digital nomads and whether legislation is in place to curb sexual harassment in the workplace. Saskatchewan’s largest city, Saskatoon ranked ninth in Holidu’s chart, scoring “great” for its friendliness but only 69.10 out of 100 for how comfortable women felt walking on their own.



The company said searches for digital nomad visas have continued to rise, reaching a record high at the beginning of this year. “But when it comes to deciding where to work remotely, not all digital nomads have the freedom to be able to pick a destination solely based on sunshine, nightlife or culture,” it said. “For female travellers, personal safety is a huge factor.

Women have to consider things like local attitudes toward females and whether it’s safe to walk home alone after dark while travelling — and even more so when relocating somewhere.” The Taiwan capital of Taipei took the top spot in the index “by a landslide” after launching its new digital nomad visa at the beginning of the year. “Reports about Taiwan’s capital city highlight that public transportation is reliable and convenient, including late at night, and that it is not uncommon for women to be out alone in the evenings,” the report noted.

Rounding out the top 10 were Chiang Rai, Thailand; Montevideo, Uruguay; Venice, Italy; Penang, Malaysia; Valencia, Spain; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Porto, Portugal; Saskatoon; and Ubud, Indonesia..