Blog — Remote Year
Mobile Engineer
San Francisco, CA, USA
What are you working on for the year?
My job this year is with a company named Razer. Previously known for their excellence in gaming hardware, they have decided to branch in the wearable sphere. My role is to develop the iOS companion app for their fitness wearable named the Nabu. Our small team is working to build an app that shows users their daily steps, distance traveled, active minutes, and even sleep patterns.
Why did you decide to come on Remote Year?
I came on Remote Year for the experience and the ability to get out of the San Francisco bubble. I have always valued travel and the freedom that comes with it. Therefore, when an opportunity like Remote Year came along, I just had to know more. At first, it seems to crazy to be true. I went ahead and applied anyway. Next thing you know, I’m sitting here in Europe asking myself why I didn’t do something like this much sooner. Who knows where I will be after this, but I’m sure glad that I’m here now.
How did you find yourself in a remote role?
I knew early on that I would need to find a company that would support a year’s worth of remote work. As a software engineer, I naively thought that would be easy. I went through numerous interviews, many of which were promising. In the end, I had the decision to get freelance work or join the company that my friend David had been talking about for months. Luckily for me, Razer recognized that our world is changing and that remote work is becoming easier and easier. I joined the team two days before I set off for Prague. Since then, it has been an amazing journey working for the team.
Describe your perfect day
I think the perfect day is one where I wake up not knowing what will happen that day. It is the antithesis to the day where I wake up knowing every little detail of what should happen. It doesn’t necessarily matter what happens, as long as there are places to explore and experiences to be had.
What is the dish you cook most often?
When I have a grill, it usually involved a combination of slow-marinated meat, savory grilled vegetables, and rosemary potatoes. Otherwise, I find myself cooking Italian food quite a bit.
What do you have a knack for?
I would have to say remembering directions to and from places. Once I have taken a route one time, I easily remember it.
Who is the most interesting person you have met while traveling?
Hmm, I think this is a difficult question. Most people are interesting in their own way. I think the time I got to have lunch with the Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist John Mather was pretty cool.
Any advice or tips for others looking to bring travel into their lives?
Stay minimal in your life. The more possessions you own, the harder it is to just get up and go. I’d love to own no more than what’s in my backpack one day. I think that would be pretty ideal.
What is your favorite spot on the globe for food/people/culture/music/etc?
As of now, I still think it is San Francisco. Out of all of the cities I’ve visited, it continues to amaze me.
What recent innovation are you most excited about?
I’m only supposed to pick one, but I have to give some major props to what Elon Musk is doing with battery technology.
What is the best saying/quote you know?
“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.
– Neil deGrasse Tyson”
It is crazy that we are already a week in to our time in Croatia. This place feels like paradise. Every morning the sun is shining bright and hot, making frequent dips in the salty ocean requisite. After working and swimming, we end each day with breath-taking sunsets while eating fresh caught fish along the coast.
As the week got started, Hannah welcomed Nitin back from the states with a big hug.
We had our town hall overlooking a beautiful view of the sea.
And then people got to work in our new workspace.
Throughout the week, Remotes tried out different water activities.
A group coordinated instructions to get their scuba certifications so that they are ready to go for Malaysia and Thailand.
Stephen cruised around on a wake board.
Caryn and Nissa watched Stephen from the comfort of the boat.
Remotes explored town to find scenic spots to get some work done.
Hannah zippin’ around town on her scooter.
Terrell took a conference call from the comfort of a raft.
Trevor rockin’ in his pink hat with a group at lunch.
Throughout the week, a lot of Remotes cooked dinner and hosted friends in their new accommodations.
Everything at this pot luck started with an ‘S’ – spaghetti, salad, salami, some grapes…
The old Andel crew (people that lived in the Andel building in Prague) had a group dinner.
And one potluck turned into a barbershop as Chris cut the other Chris’ hair.
Hannah led a group of Remotes on a hike on Lopud island.
Some risk-taking Remotes headed to Hvar to go sky-diving. They came back in one piece.
April and Sarah channeled their inner pirates with some tropical birds.
Sam and Chris had a relaxing Sunday on the beach.
We ended the week with a sunset kayak tour.
Fresh fish and drinks along the coast watching the sunset was the best way to end our first week in paradise.
Product & QA Specialist, Doxie Mobile Scanners (http://www.getdoxie.com/)
Taichung, Taiwan
What are you working on for the year?
As usual, I’m learning more about the world and the people in it. There is always more out there!
For my day job, I’m working with the company behind Doxie Mobile Scanners to develop new products and make our existing ones even better for our customers. I like to think of myself as a problem-solver of sorts. My day consists of a mixture of project management, product testing, technical writing, customer support, and meme-posting in the company chat room.
I’m also doing a personal scrapbooking project on the side to keep the creative juices flowing.
Why did you decide to come on Remote Year?
I had started to consider a remote working lifestyle during summer of 2014. I wanted to see more of the world, but I also didn’t want to do it alone. When my coworker told me about Remote Year, it seemed too good to be true. The program had the community piece that was missing from my plans, so I had no more excuses. I set aside the pros and cons list I had made about Remote Year, and I decided to follow Jim Carrey’s advice not to “choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality.”
How did you find yourself in a remote role?
After I committed to Remote Year, I quit my previous job as a technical consultant in search of a remote role. Quitting without having a new job in hand was one of the most difficult but freeing decisions I’d ever made. I was very upfront in my interview process about my upcoming travels, and I decided to join the team at Doxie, who has been very open and supportive of my adventures.
Describe your perfect day
My perfect day would involve creating music or art, learning something new, and being with good company. It would be a day that is not planned, and it would be perfect because the present is more important than anything else.
Where/when did you catch the travel bug?
I’m not sure if I caught the bug as much as having the bug as a companion of my childhood. My family had the privilege to travel around as I grew up, and I also decided to move to a completely new country by myself when I was 18. I think being an international will always be a part of my identity.
What is your favorite spot on the globe for food/people/culture/music/etc?
Taiwan! I mean, I’m definitely biased, but it’s relatively cheap, the food is delicious, the people are friendly. What is there not to love?
What is one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t currently?
Empathy. It’s one of the most important life skills.
Last week we made a final lap through Ljubljana and said our goodbyes before packing up our lives to move to our third home of our journey – Cavtat, Croatia.
Chris got some work done on Monday from outside a coffee shop in Venice on his trip with Fabio.
We did a community breakfast and Sarah brought her Australian home-town favorite, Vegemite. She made Vegemite toast with butter for people to try. While some people said it was okay, most thought it was too strong and salty.
On Thursday night we did our going away party at a cool venue with a cloud on the ceiling.
Once people finished eating, a game of Twister broke out.
On Friday, we played baseball against a Slovenian team of baseball enthusiasts hosted by Scoutee, a iphone dongle for measuring ball speed.
We had drinks at Vander on the rooftop overlooking Ljubljana for our last night.
Just before we left, people left their final mark on the city.
Stephen added his old pair of shoes to the power line.
Britanny and Marc helped round up people’s fans to donate to a local hospital.
Fernanda added a lock to the lock bridge.
We got up early on Saturday morning to head to our new home in Croatia.
Hannah rounded up all of our passports to get checked at the border.
Driving through Croatia, you need to pass into and out of Bosnia. Bosnia has a 10 km stretch of land that extends through Croatia to the coast. While driving across that stretch, we stopped for a break and were greeted with this amazing sunset view.
We finally got to Cavtat, a village just outside of the city of Dubrovnik. Our new home.
Our new workspace, a converted meeting room in the beautiful Hotel Croatia.
Remote David P. helping the IT staff configure the network settings.
Group potluck dinner at one of the Remote apartments’ patio.
Sunday sun sets are the best way to be welcomed to a new home.
What are you working on for the year?
I am a consultant working on a number of internal strategy projects at Microsoft. The majority of my work involves tracking developments in the technology industry and specifically with Microsoft competitors and determining potential impacts to Microsoft’s business.
Why did you decide to come on Remote Year?
I always desired to work abroad and Remote Year eases that transition and provides many other added benefits. The program allows me to live on 3 continents and become a part of a diverse, innovative and warm community of fellow RY travelers, whilst continuing my career and the work that I love.
How did you find yourself in a remote role?
My team understands the personal and professional development opportunities available to me as a Remote Year participant. Plus, Microsoft is very focused on developing technologies to enable remote work and collaboration. These tools, like Skype, Office, and our cloud services, have enabled me to be productive from anywhere on the globe.
Describe your perfect day
A perfect day for me is experiencing something new, surrounded by family or friends (preferably outdoors!).
What is the dish you cook most often?
My go-to easy, yummy dish is a combination of tomatoes, feta, onions, chickpeas, and corn with lemon, olive oil, and salt. In general, I make a lot of fish, lots of veggie & chicken stir-fries, and then of course pasta with some variation of spicy sauce. I also make a bomb Apple-berry crumble.
Any advice or tips for others looking to bring travel into their lives?
There is always going to be a reason or excuse not to go, but life is short and there are too many fascinating and magical places to experience, so stop delaying and instead indulge!
My advice is to first allow yourself to daydream about visiting an exotic destination you read an interesting story about or saw an epic Instagram photo of. Maybe somewhere with family history, or just some place you’ve heard has great food, sports, or art. Closing your eyes and placing a finger on a world map works too! Get lost in the imagination phase of trip planning.
Next, all it takes is a bit of research and a commitment to one aspect – a flight, a plan to meet up with someone, a place to stay – the rest will follow. I’ve found that many of the best travel experiences are when you aren’t sure exactly what you are getting yourself into.
Ultimately you will never regret incorporating travel into your life. It makes you more tolerant and accepting, it expands your palate (for food among other things), it invigorates and gets your creative juices flowing, and, when the trip is over, it makes you appreciate returning home.
What recent innovation are you most excited about?
I’m really psyched about the innovative thinking being done in cities, applying technology to solve urban problems. Public organizations and private companies are collaborating to innovate on socioeconomic, public health and environmental problems – working to make growing city communities function more efficiently.
Crazy genius ideas such as freeways that convert energy generated by moving cars into electricity, public parks with free workout equipment, or old phone booths converted into WiFi hot spots — those are innovations that excite me and make me hopeful for the future.
What is the best saying/quote you know?
Playing in the rain is worth catching a cold.
We’ve now been in Ljubljana for long enough to drop the formalities. Now that Loobs feels like home, it’s time to start getting ready for our next stop, Croatia.
It was a crazy week with getting through the heatwave while getting work done. Temperatures hit over 100 degrees F, which is the hottest it has ever been in Ljubljana. Once we made it through in one piece Remotes explored far and wide over the weekend!
We started the week with a town hall meeting.
Then everybody got to work.
Together with Poligon, we hosted a Start-up Meet-up for Remote Year to meet with a wide range of Slovenian startups! Each gave a short presentation of their concept/product and then we had breakout time to ask questions, share ideas, and eat together.
List of Startups that presented
1. visionect: https://www.visionect.com2. zemanta: http://www.zemanta.com3. kobeiagi kilims: http://kobeiagikilims.com4. pod črto: http://podcrto.si/about/5. jollydeck: http://www.jollydeck.com6. travelstarter: https://www.travelstarter.com7. hekovnik: http://www.hekovnik.si8. crowdfunding.si: http://www.crowdfunding.si/alpha/en/9. scoutee: http://scoutee.co
10. popupdom: http://www.popupdom.si
What are you working on for the year?
I’m continuing my work with real estate investment platform Fundrise. We’ve built an online marketplace where anyone can invest in real estate around the US in an effort to displace a very broken and unfair Wall Street system. I head up all of our marketing efforts, which means I manage press outreach, customer acquisition and engagement, and generally look for new ways to get the word out about what we’re doing!
Why did you decide to come on Remote Year?
I was tired of playing it safe. I’m the type of person that usually does things by the book and I realized that life is much more interesting and fulfilling when you take risks. I didn’t want to wake up in 10 years and never have left DC or a desk. Remote Year was the perfect solution – a way to see the world without having to give up my work at Fundrise. And, now that I’m here, I’m starting to view Remote Year as a sort of surrogate grad school. In 7 weeks I’ve met 75 talented, interesting, genuine people, learned several new skills that directly relate to my work at Fundrise, and seen countries that I never imagined I would see. Pretty amazing.
How did you find yourself in a remote role?
I knew that I wanted to continue my work at Fundrise so I put together a plan that outlined every component of my job and how I would make it work (if not improve it) remotely. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that emphasizes individual learning and growth so the team agreed to let me give it a shot. The scariest part of the whole process was working up the courage to ask.
Describe your perfect day
Some combination of reading, eating Dominos, swimming, and spending time with close friends and family.
What is the dish you cook most often?
I make an incredible salami sandwich and have received many accolades for it.
What do you have a knack for?
Tripping.
What’s the most fortuitous or lucky experience you’ve had while traveling?
I recently ran into a friend from college who I hadn’t seen in years in the middle of a pool at a Hungarian bath house.
Where/when did you catch the travel bug?
My grandparents started an incredible tradition of taking every one of their grandchildren on a trip when they turned 16. I was lucky enough to go to Japan on my trip, which really opened my eyes to a totally different culture and how fun and interesting traveling can be.
What book should everyone read?
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
What film should everyone see?
The Shawshank Redemption
What is the best saying/quote you know?
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde
What is one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t currently?
Personal finance!
Week three in Slovenia was incredible! The heat wave continued as people’s professional collaboration heated up.
Britanny and Hannah led a session on Pro Pods, a new initiative we kicked off this week. The idea is that people get put into groups of 3 – 4 people to meet once a week and discuss their professional goals. The hope is that, over time, these people will know each other’s goals and keep each other honest about working to accomplish them.
While Pro Pods get started, we also surveyed the group to find out what skills everybody had and what skills everybody wanted to learn. We are now organizing sessions for people with skills others want to learn to teach other Remotes. These are called Twerk-shops and there will be about two per week.
One recent success story of this emphasis on professional is from Katelyn, Kimmoy and Fernanda. They all wanted to find more opportunities to help brands tell their story through travel-based content, so they put their heads together to get it done. They have been pitching all kinds of companies on working together to create content to tell stories and finally landed their first client this week, the Slovenian government. Their project is to travel around Slovenia and document their findings to create buzz for Slovenian tourism. Their campaign lives on the social networks and you can find out more with the hashtag #ifeelsLOVEnia
Kimmoy: Keeping Up With Kimmoy Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Fernanda: Pratserie Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Katelyn: The Remote Nomad Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Fernanda working on her new project.
We hosted Mladen Dakic for a lunch and learn. Mladen is chief strategy officer of COINVEST, a platform used to connect startups and investors in South-East Europe.
Throughout the week, Remotes found some fun places to get work done.
Anuja and Geeti hosted the second Food For Thought event in a local Slovenian home. They teamed up with April to show locals how Creole’s cook with a huge meal featuring authentic gumbo.
The ladies did a ladies night of Acro-Yoga, which is acrobatics combined with yoga.
A small group went mountain biking on Wednesday. It was much harder than any of them expected and many came back with bruises all over, but they looked really cool doing it.
Fabio led the group in a meditation called the ‘Love Meditation’, which included breathing, singing, dancing and hugging.
Stacey and Kevin organized a side trip for people to visit Zagreb in Croatia. Since they got there on a work day, they checked out ZIP, a local incubator, to get some work done and connect with the local tech scene.
Meanwhile back in Ljubljana, we had a Salsa class.
This weekend was the annual Pivo (beer) and Burger Fest in Ljubljana.
A group of Remotes did a pot-luck dinner together and made authentic indian food.
The group of Remotes that went to Zagreb headed to Plitvice Lakes National Park. From Wikipedia:
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia.[2] In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register.[3]
The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north-south road connection, which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with the Adriatic coastal region.
The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres (73,350 acres). About 90% of this area is part of Lika-Senj County, while the remaining 10% is part of Karlovac County.
Each year, more than 1.1 million visitors are recorded.[1] Entrance is subject to variable charges, up to 180 kuna or around $32USD per adult in peak season.[4] Strict regulations apply.
Nicki did a solo trip through Italy.
Group massage to relax once they got back to Zagreb.
In Ljubljana, a group went to the pool to cool off from the heat wave.
Kayaking crew from Zagreb.
On Sunday, Hannah led us to Lake Bled, one of the most recommended activities in Slovenia.
What are you working on for the year?
I’m writing exclusive content about trends, lifestyle, entrepreneurship and travelling around the world for Social Media, Brazilian Magazines and my own blog www.pratserie.com.
I also started a new project with Remotes Kimmoy Matthews and Katelyn Smith – the Trio Travel Marketing Experience.
Why did you decide to come on Remote Year?
I used to work for advertising, catalogues and magazines as a Fashion Stylist. The role is very interesting but I always prefered travelling the world to research lifestyle and fashion trends.
I joined Remote Year aiming a big career change, so I can do what I love, exploring my storytelling and image editing skills.
How did you find yourself in a remote role?
It’s something completely new for me! I was used to be out on the streets and studios everyday, performing my work In Person. Now I balance my time between wandering around to perform my research and sitting in front a computer to edit the information Remotely. I’m learning in process how to make my living while experiencing this unique experience.
Describe your perfect day
Having a nice breakfast. Doing some exercise. Listening lively music while preparing to go out. Wandering a bit, observing the styles on the street, taking pictures, interviewing people, chatting, writing, researching, editing… Hanging out with some colleagues.
The best part of my Perfect Day is that it could happen anywhere in the world!
What is the dish you cook most often?
I love to buy fresh ingredients and cook right after it. My friends always ask me to prepare Moqueca (brazilian fish stew) and Caipirinha.
What do you have a knack for?
I’ve an eye for trends and a unique point of view to showcase my ideas. But I think my “talent”, so to speak, is to be spontaneous, unafraid of taking risks, being ridiculous or awkward.
What’s the most fortuitous or lucky experience you’ve had while traveling?
A couple of years ago, I went to Asia for the first time (this was my dream for a long time), then I saw myself like a celebrity in a small city I visited… everybody wanted to take a picture with me. I asked why and they said: because you are a tourist!
Where/when did you catch the travel bug?
This I think is in my DNA. Since I was a kid my parents could only put me into sleep by pretending we were on a plane. My grandparents did their first round-the-world the year I was born and they used to visit a different county each year. Then, while my cousins waited for the presents they’d bring us, I was more interested on the stories they’d tell.
Who is the most interesting person you have met while traveling?
I met a brazilian guy at my hostel’s lobby the day I’ve arrived in Helsinki. He showed me the city like an insider because he had some friends living there. We walked together everyday, day and night, and only by the end of the week we’ve added ourselves on Facebook. Then, we noticed we had a lot of friends in common… Actually, we had worked before on the same photoshoot (he was the assistant photographer) but we never REALLY talked to each other!
Any advice or tips for others looking to bring travel into their lives?
Just leave behind as much as possible preconceived ideas about people and places to find out what really happens there.
What book should everyone read?
I love books, from cooking books to dictionaries, I have no restrictions. My favorites change with time and life stages. I always recommend the book “Paixões” de Rosa Montero. Even people who are not that into reading can’t refrain loving it!
What film should everyone see?
I graduated on Cinema, love many movies so much I can’t choose only one. So I suggest “La Familie Bélier” which most recently got my support for the Ceasar Prize – the French oscars Don’t expect something “artsy”, it’s just a captivating movie with lovely french songs that keeps playing on my mind.
What is your favorite spot on the globe for food/people/culture/music/etc?
The first that comes to my mind is Italy but I’m always curious about Japan.
What recent innovation are you most excited about?
I’m quite low-techie… sometimes I think “there’s too much smoke for so little fire”. I hope to learn about the best innovations this year.
If you could have lunch with one person (dead or alive), who would it be? Why?
First that comes to my mind is Jamie Oliver (lol) But, seriously, I would appreciate having a meal prepared by him in one of the exotic places he’s been cooking. I’ve decided my trip to Scandinavia last year after watching one of his TV shows.
What about your current work inspires you?
It’s all about inspiration. I’m willing to inspire viewers with the images and stories I’ll be living this year.
What do you believe that nobody else believes?
That Styling is not some superficial job. We have to study people’s culture, habits, behaviours… to create an image that tells it all in as organic way.
What has been your biggest success so far?
When 4 magazine covers I styled were running for a major award on Brazilian press – and they all won as an exceptional achievement.
What is the best saying/quote you know?
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon
(and this year I feel like updating it: “Life is what happens when you’re busy following Google Maps”)
What is one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t currently?
Respect – that comes naturally if you learn how to put yourself in other person’s shoes.