Remote Year is a company that essentially handles all of the logistics for people who want to travel full-time. It’s sort of like study abroad, but for working professionals. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing the world while you work, this is for you!

How does it work?

Once you are accepted into a program, you pay a deposit to guarantee your spot. You’ll then pay a monthly fee to Remote Year, which covers the cost of the program. Your monthly fee includes:

• Furnished accommodations – you are guaranteed a private bedroom, but may share a house or apartment with other remotes.
• 24/7 access to a workspace – high speed internet, private call rooms, and often free coffee are included
• Monthly events – each month you have a whole calendar of events available for you to maximize your time in the city. Some of these are optional events that have an additional cost, but there are several that are included in your fees:
  • City welcome / language class – each time you arrive in a new city, the city team will be there to welcome you, give you some basic information about the city, and teach you a few essential phrases in the local language.
  • Tracks weekend – one weekend per month you have the option to participate in a free day trip. There’s typically two options for you to chose from, and they are typically an all day event.
  • Connect / grow events – RY staff also plan monthly events that are meant to connect the community or help you grow. These might be knowledge drops from other remotes about topics they are experts in, or they might be personal growth workshops or community bonding opportunities.
  • Farewell party – each month we gather as a group to bid farewell to the city. This can be anything from a community dinner to a pool party, but RY typically foots the bill for this.
• All of your travel costs from the starting city to the ending city – you are responsible for getting yourself to the first city, and home from the last city, but all of the travel between that is covered by RY. They plan the logistics to get the entire group from one city to the next, including purchasing your airplane tickets, checking you in for your flight, and arranging transportation to and from the airport.
• RY support staff – you’ll travel with a Program Leader, who acts as your main point of contact for the duration of the program and is responsible for your community as a whole. You’ll also have a city team in each city you live in – they will handle any issues with your apartments or the workspace, and act as resources to help you navigate the city – whether that’s keeping you in the loop about things happening around town, helping you find food from home, or helping you figure out how to get a new phone when you lose yours. I can’t overstate how important this team is – I had no idea when I left just what a selling point this really is. When you’re in a city where everything is unknown to you, having a resource to ask about cultural norms, the best tourist activities, and the best local restaurants is priceless. These people will often become your friends by the end of the month – definitely get to know them!
• Community – Most importantly, and most intangibly, you also get access to an amazing community. Both the group you travel with for the year (whom RY affectionately refers to as your tramily – aka travel family) and the RY community as a whole.

What about work?

Remote Year does not provide jobs – you are not employed by Remote Year while on the program, and they do not provide assistance in job searching or finding remote work.

Most people who participate either already have a fully remote job, or they get their current employer to agree to let them work remotely for a year to participate in Remote Year.

Remote Year will, however, provide assistance in convincing your employer to let you participate. They also provide a number of things to ensure you are productive while participating in the program. These include: 24/7 access to a workspace with high speed internet, backup hotspots in case the internet goes out or you need wifi on the go, a spare laptop and cellphone in each city (in case something happens to yours you can still work until you’re able to get a new one).

How do I find out more information?

You can find out more information here. Submitting a request for information will put you in contact with a program consultant, who can answer any questions you have, and using my link will earn you $200 of the program if you decide to participate. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions as well 🙂