Remote Year: A Chance to Travel and Work

Written by Calvin Bowers
Author

If the pandemic has shown people anything, it is that many want to enjoy a better work and life balance and embrace the benefits of remote working in their lives. One of the potential benefits of permanent remote working vs hybrid working is the ability to travel more and to work from anywhere that you have a fast and stable internet connection. This has opened up a whole world of possibilities for a lifestyle that had seemed out of reach for many people. Some people still want to return to the office and there are jobs that encourage this as well. 

What is a Remote Year?

This is an idea that has been pioneered by a company called Remote Year and taken up by various other companies as well. The concept is simple: travel to multiple different cities around the globe and spend a month or more in each place, with a group of like-minded professionals who are in a similar situation. 

The programme organisers tend to put in place the infrastructure of your stay, so for the cost of your trip they will provide a high quality apartment for the group to live and local phone sims, as well as access to a first-rate co-working space so that you can be at your most productive during the working day.

When choosing which locations to visit, it is important to bear in mind the difference in time between your home country and the places that you will be visiting. 

This is essential, if you are required to work in a synchronous way with your colleagues, for example 9-5, UK time. It is also entirely possible to work asynchronously, which means that you can answer any emails etc during the hours you are working, even if those are not the same hours as your colleagues. 

This would be a very flexible form of working and is not necessarily supported by all employers who offer remote work, so it is worth checking out first.  

What are the Benefits of Remote Year Travel?

There are numerous benefits of taking part in official remote year trips like this where the group of travellers is drawn from around the world. You will have the opportunity to meet people from many different walks of life and be exposed to new points of view which you may not have encountered before. 

You will likely learn how to cook new types of food and develop a taste for things that you never had the opportunity to try before. Some people have even met the loves of their lives and ended up married after going on these trips. 

Visit New Places and Get to Know Them 

Staying in a city for a month or longer will give you a much greater chance to explore and get to know it than you would normally get on holiday. The extended nature of these trips gives a unique opportunity to feel more like a local than a tourist. 

You don’t need to go for the entire year and some months there will be multiple trips taking place to different cities around the world, so you can choose which of these suits you best. It does mean that you can have the opportunity to dip your toe in the water of international travel and you may end up visiting cities that had never been on your radar previously. 

Safety in Numbers

Many people are intimidated by the idea of travelling to far-flung places and this is what holds them back from exploring more of the world. They maybe don’t have friends who can afford to take the time off their work to join them on their escapades or maybe their friends already have families and are unable to accompany them. 

The beauty of this kind of programme is that it puts people together who are all remote workers and who can therefore live this lifestyle in a way that is just not possible for people working in non remote jobs. It is likely that you would take the flight to your first destination on your own but you would be met at the airport and taken to the accommodation to meet the rest of your group. You are then able to safely explore a new city together as well as taking part in the organised activities that come as part of the package. 

New Skills and Opportunities

You will also be surrounded by people in all manner of different occupations with transferable skills that you can learn from, while sharing those that you have. It is true what they say about travel broadening the mind and this is a truly unique way of approaching this, as you will have a ready-made group of friends to spend time with and get to know. 

Although a remote year is tailored toward people who already have jobs that lend themselves to remote working, it is possible that you may meet people who see potential in you and offer you an opportunity for career advancement beyond where you are currently in your life. This is by no means guaranteed but it is something that can happen when you network with your group.

It Looks Good on Your CV

Believe it or not, as well as all of the other benefits that you can derive from a remote year, it also looks good on your CV. It is something that stands out and marks you out as having done something out of the ordinary in your life. It marks you out as someone who isn’t afraid to take a chance and to embrace innovation, and this can be a trait that is welcomed by many employers.

Interested in Finding a Remote Job?

If reading this has tempted you to look for a remote job, there are more than ever before out there. If you are looking to change your career in this way, you can take a look at our job board to try to find one that is suitable for you or even look for a remote working apprenticeship

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