Travel + Remote Work Briefing — November 3, 2026

Two very different lists landed today, and both are mostly about perception. One ranks the cities travellers feel safest in. The other tracks travellers waiting to see what an election brings. For anyone picking a base or a route for the next few months, the lesson is the same: use the headline as a filter, then check the details that actually affect a long stay.

Is the 2027 safest-cities ranking a good guide to picking a nomad base?

It is a useful starting filter, not a decision. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection ranked Montreal first among the world's safest cities for travellers in 2027, ahead of Zürich and Amsterdam, according to Euronews Travel. Montreal scored 82.18, Zürich 81.03 and Amsterdam 80.81. Tokyo is fourth, and Reykjavik, first in the 2026 index, fell to fifth at 78.90. The rest of the top 15 are Oslo, Singapore, Venice, Sydney, Honolulu, Dublin, Copenhagen, Barcelona, San Francisco and Paris. Nine of the 15 are in Europe.

The method matters. The insurer started with 38 cities popular with US travellers. More than 1,500 people rated the ones they had visited, and those ratings were combined with safety indices from Numbeo and The Economist plus GeoSure Global city ratings. The ratings reflect conditions when the survey ran in August 2026, not today. "Safe" also varies: Montreal's main drawback, the article says, is traffic and roadworks rather than crime.

Why it matters for remote workers and nomads: A ranking built on short-stay perceptions says nothing about monthly costs, whether you can legally stay and work, or internet reliability. Use it to screen out places where safety genuinely worries you. Then check the visa question in our digital nomad visa tracker and budget with our cheapest places to work remotely guide. And remember the US-traveller lens: cities outside the 38-city pool were never in the running.

Will the US midterm elections change travel plans for remote workers and nomads?

Not immediately. Travel Tomorrow reported on Nov. 3 that holiday plans such as Thanksgiving and Christmas are largely set before the vote, and that any midterm effect on travel will probably be felt more over the long term. The backdrop is soft. International visits to the US fell from about 72 million to 68 million across 2025, with tourist spending down $8 billion. Overseas visits excluding Mexico and Canada were down 5.7 percent year over year through September 2026, with Western European visitors down 8.7 percent. A Smarty survey cited in the piece found 26 percent of Americans delaying travel.

The clearer short-term effect is hesitation abroad. Skift reported that some leisure travellers are holding off on Gulf bookings until after the election. UAE hotel occupancy fell to 67.6 percent in September from 79.9 percent a year earlier, per CoStar, and nine foreign airlines, including KLM and Singapore Airlines, have suspended Dubai service into 2027. Skift also cites security concerns and high airfares alongside the election wait.

Why it matters for remote workers and nomads: Neither source predicts a rule change for foreign visitors, and we are not predicting one either. The practical risk is routes, not rules. The Dubai example shows that airline suspensions can matter more than hotel prices. If your base depends on one carrier or hub, confirm the route is still running before you pay for non-refundable stays. Lower occupancy can give long-stay guests room to negotiate, though neither source says rates are falling. Our cheap flights guide covers pricing routes while schedules shift.

What to watch

• Post-election commentary on the stalled VISIT USA Act, which Travel Tomorrow says would send $160 million to Brand USA.
• Whether Gulf bookings recover after election week or stay soft for the rest of the peak season.
• Next year's safest-cities index, to see whether Montreal and Zürich hold the top spots.