Krista Elvey

I found RY through a design blog I follow, and doing something like this was something I thought I’d be able to pull off, years in the future, maybe after I fell into a lot of money. Full disclosure: When I learned they were opening applications, I cried. And then I applied. It’s been my dream to do something like this since I was a teenager.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON FOR THE YEAR?

I work full time for a Seattle-based nonprofit, and my biggest task for this past year was project managing the redesign of our organization’s website.

On a personal level, I’ve put a lot of work into learning how to improve myself and manage my time better. When you work a 9 to 5 job, you tend to do the same thing and get into a routine that makes the idea of taking on a new project impossible. This year, I focused a lot of energy on trying to understand what I actually want and demystify that thing people refer to as discipline. I worked the same number of hours remotely as I would have sitting in the Seattle office, and traveled to 23 countries. Time management matters. 

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF A REMOTE ROLE?

My job has remained exactly as it would have been if I stayed in Seattle. If anything,  my responsibilities actually increased because of a promotion I received right before I started Remote Year. So I am doing the same job I would back home, just from around the world.
 

If you’re looking to take a short-term trip to a country or two, my advice would be to stop reading this and book your ticket right now. Take your vacation. Go. Have a blast.For people contemplating long-term travel, be sure you really know why you want to. Travel is one of those things where you’ll get out of it exactly what you put into it. A lot of people travel to run away from something, but I find that when you travel, all of your problems and securities travel alongside you. It won’t always be fun, it won’t always look like Instagram photos; it’s real life, but with a nicer backdrop.

Traveling with a group is amazing, but it’s also important to go somewhere alone, even if it’s for a long weekend. Go live out your version of Eat, Pray, Love. You’ll be glad that you did.