The Best Locations for Seasonal Work Abroad
Working a season abroad is a common first step for young people who want to live overseas without committing to a permanent move, taking a temporary job during a busy period to help fund their travels. Seasonal work like this is usually tied to a predictable peak in demand, such as a fruit harvest or a ski season, and can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
It's not just working holidaymakers, though. Many industries around the world depend on a seasonal migrant workforce, with farms and resorts relying on workers who travel in for the season. Many are there to earn what they can and send money abroad (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to support their family.
New Zealand is a good example. Its horticulture and viticulture harvests bring in up to 20,750 overseas workers a season, mostly from Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga, under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, which has taken on up to 145,000 people since 2007¹. Working-holiday visa (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) holders add to that number, with 32,490 in the country as of early 2025², many of them taking seasonal jobs to support their stay and fund their travels.
Where you choose to go can be an important decision, though. High wages can easily be eroded by high living costs, and a cheaper destination is only worth the move if there is work available and enough to do once you clock off.
To find the locations that strike the best balance for seasonal workers, we scored 88 well-known seasonal-work destinations across 21 countries and three categories of work: ski and winter resorts, hospitality and party towns, and agriculture and fruit-picking regions. We scored every location out of 100 across five factors that we think matter most when moving abroad for temporary work:
Each measure was scored from 0 to 100, then these were averaged to give the final score.
It's not just working holidaymakers, though. Many industries around the world depend on a seasonal migrant workforce, with farms and resorts relying on workers who travel in for the season. Many are there to earn what they can and send money abroad (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) to support their family.
New Zealand is a good example. Its horticulture and viticulture harvests bring in up to 20,750 overseas workers a season, mostly from Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga, under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, which has taken on up to 145,000 people since 2007¹. Working-holiday visa (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) holders add to that number, with 32,490 in the country as of early 2025², many of them taking seasonal jobs to support their stay and fund their travels.
Where you choose to go can be an important decision, though. High wages can easily be eroded by high living costs, and a cheaper destination is only worth the move if there is work available and enough to do once you clock off.
To find the locations that strike the best balance for seasonal workers, we scored 88 well-known seasonal-work destinations across 21 countries and three categories of work: ski and winter resorts, hospitality and party towns, and agriculture and fruit-picking regions. We scored every location out of 100 across five factors that we think matter most when moving abroad for temporary work:
- Low cost of living: a daily basket of everyday items (an inexpensive meal, a beer, a coffee and milk).
- Rent affordability: how many hours of work on the local minimum wage it takes to cover a month's rent.
- Things to do: the number of attractions and landmarks per 100,000 people living there.
- Job demand: how frequently people are searching for seasonal work in each place, relative to its tourist numbers.
- Safety: Numbeo's safety index for each location or its nearest city.
Each measure was scored from 0 to 100, then these were averaged to give the final score.
Résultats clés
- Japan's Niseko ski resort is the top destination for seasonal workers with a score of 79.0 out of 100, boasting a high level of safety and comparatively low everyday living costs for those working a ski season there.
- Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo, a Dolomites ski resort, takes second and is the safest destination on the list.
- Central Otago in New Zealand is third and the best spot in the index for fruit-picking and agricultural work.
- New Zealand dominates the list, taking eight of the global top 20, more than any other country, with Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson and Dunedin all ranking high.
- The best location depends on the type of work you're after: Dunedin is the top town for hospitality and nightlife, Niseko for a ski season, and Central Otago for fruit-picking and farm work.
The world's top 20 locations for seasonal work
| Location | Category | Overall score (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| Ski / Winter | 79.0 |
| Ski / Winter | 73.1 |
| Agriculture | 68.0 |
| Ski / Winter | 66.6 |
| Hospitality / Party | 66.3 |
| Ski / Winter | 64.1 |
| Agriculture | 63.8 |
| Ski / Winter | 63.6 |
| Hospitality / Party | 63.2 |
| Ski / Winter | 62.5 |
| Ski / Winter | 62.0 |
| Hospitality / Party | 61.4 |
| Ski / Winter | 60.9 |
| Hospitality / Party | 60.8 |
| Agriculture | 59.9 |
| Hospitality / Party | 59.2 |
| Hospitality / Party | 59.0 |
| Hospitality / Party | 58.8 |
| Ski / Winter | 58.3 |
| =20. Malaga, Spain | Hospitality / Party | 58.0 |
| =20. Wellington, New Zealand | Hospitality / Party | 58.0 |
1. Niseko, Japan (79.0)
Set on the northern island of Hokkaido, Niseko is one of Japan's best-known ski resorts, famous for its deep, light powder snow. Its four linked villages, Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri, draw a thoroughly international crowd, and with so many English speakers around it's an easy first season for hospitality, ski-school or lift work. It's also one of the safest destinations in the whole study (safety index 92.9 out of 100). Everyday costs across Hokkaido are relatively low, but Niseko is fairly remote, and ski resorts tend to charge a premium so check local prices before you commit. Hokkaido has more going for it than the slopes, too, having been voted Japan's most beautiful prefecture (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) in a separate Remitly study.
2. Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (73.1)
Set among the peaks of the Dolomites, Cortina is one of Italy's (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) oldest and most fashionable mountain resorts and long a favourite of the Milanese. Co-hosting a major international winter sports event in early 2026 has put it back in the spotlight, which may explain why it has the strongest job demand relative to visitor numbers of any ski resort we looked at. It's also the safest destination in the whole study (safety index 94.1). It's pricier for everyday items, though, and it takes around 81 hours of work to cover an average one-bedroom rent in the city. That said, seasonal roles often come with cheaper options, whether that's accommodation included or subsidised as part of the job, sharing with other workers, or living a bit further out.
3. Central Otago, New Zealand (68.0)
Central Otago is New Zealand's stone-fruit and pinot noir country, a dry region around Cromwell and Alexandra surrounded by mountains, where cherry and apricot picking draws workers every summer. It's the best destination for farm work according to our analysis, with the strongest seasonal job demand of any New Zealand region in the top 10 and a high safety score (81.9). Rent is also on the pricier side but it’s worth bearing in mind that accommodation is often included or subsidised as part of seasonal orchard work, so it's worth checking local job listings for the detail. For those who decide to move abroad to work in New Zealand, consider using Remitly to send money to India (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), or other popular countries like the Philippines (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) or Fiji (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).
4. Queenstown, New Zealand (66.6)
Perched on Lake Wakatipu beneath the Remarkables, Queenstown (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) is New Zealand's adventure capital, a town built around skiing, bungee, jet boats and a constant stream of international visitors. All that tourism keeps hospitality and lift work going well beyond winter. It scores well on safety (81.9) and has plenty to do on days off (3,700 attractions per 100,000). The catch is rent, which is among the least affordable in the study. Renting solo can be a stretch, but many ski resorts and alpine employers offer heavily subsidised or arranged staff accommodation for seasonal workers, and renting a room in a shared house is common too. Availability varies and spaces fill quickly, so it's worth sorting a place before you arrive.
5. Dunedin, New Zealand (66.3)
Dunedin is a compact South Island city whose name is the old Gaelic word for Edinburgh (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), a nod to the Scottish settlers who founded it. A big student population from the University of Otago gives it a lively, affordable bar and music scene for much of the year. Right on the doorstep is the wildlife-rich Otago Peninsula, home to the world's only mainland royal albatross colony, along with penguins and fur seals. It's the top location in the study for seasonal hospitality jobs, it's safe (safety index 72.1), and the cost of living overall is reasonable.
6. Wanaka, New Zealand (64.1)
An hour from Queenstown and far more low-key, Wanaka is a lakeside town that swaps the crowds for easy access to Mount Aspiring National Park and the Cardrona and Treble Cone ski fields. It suits people who want the Southern Alps without the party atmosphere. It's very safe (safety index 83.3), with a similarly low cost of living to Dunedin, but with a much more affordable rent than its neighbour, about 69 hours a month against Queenstown's 106.
- Nelson, New Zealand (63.8)
At the sunny (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) top of the South Island, Nelson is a relaxed, arts-minded town and the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, with apples, hops and a growing wine scene keeping the orchards and vineyards busy with seasonal workers. Rent costs about 62 hours a month on minimum wage. Demand for jobs relative to visitor numbers (3.53) is high, so make sure you have a job lined up before you turn up.
8. St Anton, Austria (63.6)
St Anton, in Austria's Arlberg, is a paradise for serious skiers with an equally serious après-ski reputation, so a winter here tends to mean long days and lively nights. That combination fuels a big winter hospitality workforce. It has one of the highest ratios of job demand to its number of visitors and scores well on safety (75.6). It's certainly more expensive to live here, but for many it’s worth it to work a season in the Tyrolean Alps.
9. Corfu (Kavos), Greece (63.2)
Kavos, on Corfu's southern tip, is a summer-only party strip built for young holidaymakers, with many beach bars and late nights from May to September. The work is bar, club and rep hospitality, packed into a short, intense season. The economics stack up for seasonal workers, with a low cost of living, a vast number of things to do (4,309 per 100,000 residents) and a solid safety score (78.6). Corfu is also perfectly situated to explore Greece (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) once the work is done with fast ferries leaving for other islands regularly.
10. Val d'Isère, France (62.5)
High in the French Alps and linked to neighbouring Tignes, Val d'Isère sits high enough to have some of the most reliable snow in Europe and one of the longest seasons, which is why it draws a large chalet-and-hospitality workforce each winter. It has the highest density of things to do in the ski category (4,938 per 100,000 residents), affordable rent (61 hours of work to afford it) and a decent demand for jobs. What holds it back is its safety score of just 37.3, which is the lowest of any location in the top 10.
The world's top 10 locations for ski and winter resort work
| Rank | Location | Overall score (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niseko, Japan | 79.0 |
| 2 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | 73.1 |
| 3 | Queenstown, New Zealand | 66.6 |
| 4 | Wanaka, New Zealand | 64.1 |
| 5 | St Anton, Austria | 63.6 |
| 6 | Val d'Isère, France | 62.5 |
| 7 | Zermatt, Switzerland | 62.0 |
| 8 | Courchevel, France | 60.9 |
| 9 | Whistler, Canada | 58.3 |
| 10 | Banff, Canada | 55.8 |
Japan's Niseko (overall score of 79.0) leads the category with high levels of safety and low everyday living costs, with Italy's Cortina (73.1) close behind as the safest resort in the study. New Zealand holds two of the top four through Queenstown (66.6) and Wanaka (64.1). The French Alps are often synonymous with working a ski season in Europe and do feature, with Val d'Isère sixth and Courchevel eighth, but both score lower on safety than the resorts above them, which is what separates them from the resorts at the top. Canadian (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) favourites Whistler and Banff round out the top 10.
Cost is a big factor when it comes to ski resorts, since many do charge premium prices on the slopes. For example, Zermatt makes the top 10 on its overall balance, but its daily living costs are the highest of any resort in the list and close to four times Niseko's. It sits in southwest Switzerland, which also topped our Immigration Index 2026 (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) as the best country in the world for immigrants to move to, so the wider quality of life may offset the prices for those planning a longer stay.
For those considering working a ski season in New Zealand (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), the timing is also worth noting. Of course, winter here runs through the middle of the year, which makes resorts like Queenstown and Wanaka an option for anyone wanting to work back-to-back seasons across both hemispheres.
Cost is a big factor when it comes to ski resorts, since many do charge premium prices on the slopes. For example, Zermatt makes the top 10 on its overall balance, but its daily living costs are the highest of any resort in the list and close to four times Niseko's. It sits in southwest Switzerland, which also topped our Immigration Index 2026 (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) as the best country in the world for immigrants to move to, so the wider quality of life may offset the prices for those planning a longer stay.
For those considering working a ski season in New Zealand (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), the timing is also worth noting. Of course, winter here runs through the middle of the year, which makes resorts like Queenstown and Wanaka an option for anyone wanting to work back-to-back seasons across both hemispheres.
The world's top 10 locations for hospitality and party work
| Rank | Location | Overall score (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dunedin, New Zealand | 66.3 |
| 2 | Corfu (Kavos), Greece | 63.2 |
| 3 | Crete (Malia), Greece | 61.4 |
| 4 | Rotorua, New Zealand | 60.8 |
| 5 | Benidorm, Spain | 59.2 |
| 6 | Rhodes (Faliraki), Greece | 59.0 |
| 7 | Albufeira / Algarve, Portugal | 58.8 |
| 8= | Malaga, Spain | 58.0 |
| 8= | Wellington, New Zealand | 58.0 |
| 10 | Tenerife, Spain | 56.6 |
New Zealand (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) takes three of the hospitality top 10, led by Dunedin (66.3), with Rotorua fourth (60.8) and Wellington tied for eighth. Dunedin's mix of a student-driven nightlife, a reasonable cost of living and a safety index of 72.1 puts it top of the category. Rotorua also has one of the lowest costs of living in the group.
The rest of the list is a tour of the European summer party hotspots. Greece (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) performs strongly, with Corfu's Kavos (63.2), Crete's Malia (61.4) and Rhodes' Faliraki (59.0) all making the list. Crete's Malia has a particularly high number of things to do for its size with over 17,000 attractions and landmarks per 100,000 residents.
Spain and Portugal fill most of the remaining places thanks to their low everyday costs. Malaga also records the strongest demand for seasonal jobs in the group, a sign of how many seasonal workers the city attracts around the peak summer season.
The rest of the list is a tour of the European summer party hotspots. Greece (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) performs strongly, with Corfu's Kavos (63.2), Crete's Malia (61.4) and Rhodes' Faliraki (59.0) all making the list. Crete's Malia has a particularly high number of things to do for its size with over 17,000 attractions and landmarks per 100,000 residents.
Spain and Portugal fill most of the remaining places thanks to their low everyday costs. Malaga also records the strongest demand for seasonal jobs in the group, a sign of how many seasonal workers the city attracts around the peak summer season.
The world's top 10 locations for agriculture and fruit-picking work
| Rank | Location | Overall score (/100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Otago, New Zealand | 68.0 |
| 2 | Nelson, New Zealand | 63.8 |
| 3 | Motueka, New Zealand | 59.9 |
| 4 | Bundaberg, Australia | 56.4 |
| 5 | Kerikeri, New Zealand | 54.9 |
| 6 | Oamaru, New Zealand | 54.4 |
| 7= | Mildura, Australia | 53.4 |
| 7= | Palmerston North, New Zealand | 53.4 |
| 9 | Barossa Valley, Australia | 53.2 |
| 10 | Margaret River, Australia | 51.9 |
Agriculture is the most Kiwi-heavy category of the three, with New Zealand claiming six of the ten. If it’s fruit picking in New Zealand you’re after, then Central Otago leads with the highest job demand in the group, followed by the top-of-the-South duo of Nelson and Motueka. The spread covers most of the country's growing regions, from Northland citrus to Nelson apples and Central Otago stone fruit.
Kerikeri sits fifth and has the most affordable rent in the study, with a month's rent for a one-bedroom apartment covered by just 30 hours of work - less than a standard working week. As with orchard work elsewhere, board is often part of the package, so be sure to double check listings.
Australia (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) takes the other four places, so between them, the two countries make up the entire top 10. That's no surprise as both run big, export-focused fruit and wine industries and are among the world's most popular working-holiday destinations, where a stint of picking work is a well-worn part of the backpacker trail.
Australian destinations scoring highly include: Bundaberg (56.4) in Queensland's fruit-and-vegetable belt, the Murray River citrus and grape town of Mildura (53.4), and two of the country's best-known wine regions in the Barossa Valley (53.2) and Margaret River (51.9).
Agricultural towns score well on cost but are often lighter on things to do, so the work is the main reason you go and any savings are the reward, which many use for onward travels.
Kerikeri sits fifth and has the most affordable rent in the study, with a month's rent for a one-bedroom apartment covered by just 30 hours of work - less than a standard working week. As with orchard work elsewhere, board is often part of the package, so be sure to double check listings.
Australia (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) takes the other four places, so between them, the two countries make up the entire top 10. That's no surprise as both run big, export-focused fruit and wine industries and are among the world's most popular working-holiday destinations, where a stint of picking work is a well-worn part of the backpacker trail.
Australian destinations scoring highly include: Bundaberg (56.4) in Queensland's fruit-and-vegetable belt, the Murray River citrus and grape town of Mildura (53.4), and two of the country's best-known wine regions in the Barossa Valley (53.2) and Margaret River (51.9).
Agricultural towns score well on cost but are often lighter on things to do, so the work is the main reason you go and any savings are the reward, which many use for onward travels.
Conclusion
There's no single best place for seasonal work. It comes down to what you want to get out of it and what kind of work you are willing to do. Niseko in Japan leads for a ski season, the Greek islands, Spain and New Zealand's towns popular with tourists for a sociable summer and agricultural work for saving some cash.
What is clear is that New Zealand is a great destination to consider for seasonal work across all categories. Whichever way you might be transferring money, whether that's savings heading home or funds to get set up, Remitly (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) makes moving it across borders straightforward while you're away.
What is clear is that New Zealand is a great destination to consider for seasonal work across all categories. Whichever way you might be transferring money, whether that's savings heading home or funds to get set up, Remitly (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) makes moving it across borders straightforward while you're away.
Methodology and sources
We scored 88 destinations across 21 countries and three categories: ski and winter resorts, hospitality and party towns, and agriculture regions. Destinations were chosen through desk research to cover a broad, recognisable spread of seasonal-work hotspots across the three categories, rather than an exhaustive list. Each was scored on five metrics, indexed on a 0 to 100 scale and averaged to give a final score out of 100:
Sources:
Where a specific location wasn't listed in a dataset, such as cost of living figures, we used the nearest town or city that was, and minimum wage is also taken at the most local level available. All data is accurate as of July 2026.
Citations:
- Cost of living: a daily basket of an inexpensive meal, a 0.5L draught beer, a cappuccino and a litre of milk.
- Rent affordability: hours of work on the local minimum wage needed to cover a month's rent.
- Things to do: sights, landmarks and attractions per 100,000 people.
- Job demand: monthly Google searches for seasonal-work terms over the past year, per 100,000 tourists.
- Safety: Numbeo's safety index.
Sources:
- Cost of living, rent and safety (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
- Activities/Things to do (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
- Population (used for per-capita figures): Worldometers (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) and World Population Review (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
- Job-demand search volumes (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) (e.g."fruit picking jobs central otago"), run in the local language where relevant.
- Tourism figures (used in job demand): national parks, regional tourist boards, national statistics offices and airport data.
- Minimum wage (used in rent affordability): government labour departments and official statistics agencies, plus desk research.
Where a specific location wasn't listed in a dataset, such as cost of living figures, we used the nearest town or city that was, and minimum wage is also taken at the most local level available. All data is accurate as of July 2026.
Citations:
Sans frontières : le blog officiel de Remitly
Moving to Japan from New Zealand: Your Complete Guide
En savoir plus (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Living in Japan: A Guide for New Zealanders
En savoir plus (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
Moving to France from New Zealand: Everything You Need to Know
En savoir plus (s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)Cette publication est fournie à titre d’information générale uniquement et n’a pas vocation à couvrir tous les aspects des sujets qui y sont abordés. Elle ne saurait se substituer aux conseils d’un spécialiste ou d’un professionnel compétent. Le contenu de cette publication ne constitue en aucun cas un conseil juridique, fiscal ou professionnel émanant de Remitly ou de l’une de ses sociétés affiliées, et ne doit pas être considéré comme tel. Bien que nous nous efforcions de maintenir nos publications à jour et exactes, nous ne pouvons affirmer, garantir ou certifier de quelque manière que ce soit que leur contenu est exact, complet ou actuel.