Remote Profile: Nick Gamble — Remote Year

Back in June of 2015, I was doing a solo hike along the Seven Hanging Valleys in the Algarve region of Portugal. The sheer beauty of the cliffs, caves and rocks, combined with my freedom to explore them exactly as I wanted, made it clear it was time to do something I had talked about for years: quit my job, travel the world, build my ideas. I began adjusting my spending and saving, started planning and ideating more and in December took the first step. It wasn’t long after, while researching for my journey around the world that I discovered Remote Year. The opportunity to do what I was already planning as part of a group of like-minded individuals, led by a company on the forefront of a movement was something I just couldn’t pass up.
 

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON FOR THE YEAR?

Any one of the myriad of ideas I encounter that I feel will teach me something, be enjoyable to work on and, admittedly yes, has potential to be a commercial success. My main focus among those ideas is Refory, a site determined to decide the world’s favorite everything. But already this year has also seen me develop an iOS app to find your friends in crowded areas, a website to review public bathrooms and another to find out how narcissistic of a writer you are.
 

WHERE HAVE YOU LIVED/TRAVELED TO PREVIOUSLY?

I was raised right outside New York City, studied in Washington DC, worked a majority of my career in Chicago and most recently spent two years in Paris…c’est magique! When we land in Bogota next month, I’ll have travelled to every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, which I plan to get to from South America after my [remote] year is finished.

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF A REMOTE ROLE?

Self-employed software engineer is basically synonymous with remote role.

When I was young, my dad beat me over my big head with Socrates’ belief that “true knowledge exists in knowing you know nothing”. Each time I travel to a new destination, I realize there is so much I don’t know about it’s people, geography and history. While I learn a lot about the destination in my time there, I ultimately leave having more questions than when I arrived. My passion for travel is a passion for knowledge, in most the traditional and Socratic way possible.
 

WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE?

Like many people, I have a long list of things I want to spend more time each day doing, whether it’s reading, writing, sketching or learning a new language. And like many people, I rarely make time for them. So recently, I adopted a new approach to my day wherein I devote 1+ hour(s) of what would be my “normal” work hours to any one of the things on my list. I have yet to use up all my mental energy for the day and there aren’t yet happy hour temptations to derail me. It’s been a huge success! Outside of that time, you’ll find me hacking away at one my current projects, exploring a new part of town by foot or bike and ultimately giving in to the happy hour temptations.

HOW DO YOU THINK TRAVELLING WILL AFFECT YOUR CURRENT WORK?