Programming
What can I expect from the monthly programming options while on Remote Year?
Remotes have access to recurring monthly events that are meant for your community to connect, grow, give back, and celebrate. We call this The Cycle, and these events will serve as an opportunity for your collective community to spend time together, and learn about yourself and the world around you. You can count on at least one event per month that fits into each of the four categories—Connect, Grow, Give Back, Celebrate, with examples below.
- Connect in a new way with your tribe or local community with a networking event, Jefferson dinner, or story slam.
- Grow personally and professionally through a workshop or talk from one of your fellow Remotes or a local entrepreneur.
- Give Back by volunteering with a Remote Year partner organization, hosting a community fundraiser event, or donating your skills to a Positive Impact project.
- Celebrate your month with a community gathering to say farewell to the city you’ve called home.
Each month, Remotes will also sign up for unique, local experiences called Tracks™ , which are explained in more detail in the next question. There is the additional option to buy “Global Experiences” to add to your schedule, which are also immersive local experiences that aren’t a part of Tracks, but events that our local teams recommend or set up for Remotes.
What are the volunteer or positive impact opportunities in which Remote Year engages?
Remote Year partners with different organizations across the globe, addressing local needs through sustainable and long-term partnerships. Remotes strive to share their time and talent to make a Positive Impact on the communities we call home.
Check out the Positive Impact page on our website to explore the impact we’ve already had as a Remote Nation. Join the #positive-impact channel or city specific channels #pi-[city-name] on Remote Nation Slack to keep in touch with these efforts and to find ways to contribute. Additionally, read more here on the Remote Year Positive Impact global strategy, along with successful examples and stories.
We are partnering with Cool Earth to give our Nation a simple and impactful way to offset the negative environmental impacts that come with long-term travel.
By mitigating carbon emissions generated by travel, Remote Year will be actively enhancing the lives of rainforest communities, people on the front line of climate change and those living in some of the most remote places in the world. Each of the Remote Year’s communities has a unique opportunity over the course of a program to commit to protecting acres of rainforest and locking carbon in the ground.
What local experiences does Remote Year arrange?
Track Events are curated, authentic local experiences designed specifically for you and chosen by you. Remote Year Experience Managers and City Teams design each city's Track Event(s) to immerse you in the unique aspects of each of your home countries and cultures throughout the year. Typically, the cadence of Tracks Weekend is a day-long weekend event on the second weekend of the month.
See a few examples of Track Events we’ve offered in the past below!
- Lisbon—Understand why fishermen communities have always had a relevant role in Portuguese culture with a boat ride, local lunch, bike tour and authentic conversations with fishermen in a town across the Tagus River.
- Chiang Mai—Trek to a Karen hill tribe village hidden deep in the jungle and reward yourself with a delicious lunch, rare conversation with the Karen villagers, and cap it off with a bamboo rafting adventure.
- Lima—Get on the road and roll down south to visit an award-winning vineyard where a local Peruvian expert will teach you the process of making a killer pisco sour, the quintessential drink of Lima!
How and when do I sign up for Remote Year Experiences?
The Remote Year Marketplace is your one-stop-shop for all things programming—Local Experiences, Tracks, Positive Impact, Community Events, Side Trips and more. You will receive Marketplace access about one month before your program's Arrival Day.
You’ll submit your preferred Track Event the week before you transition to a new city. Your Program Leader will provide your community with a link for the Remote Year Marketplace, which allows you to choose the events that best fit your personal interests, goals, and schedule.
What type of professional development is part of the Remote Year programming?
Remote Year is a platform for professional exposure. Many of our Remotes tell us that working alongside community members from many walks of life and industries, and in workplaces around the globe, has exposed them to new perspectives, ways of thinking, and possibilities that have driven new paths in both their professional and personal lives.
Currently, Remote Year does not offer any formal professional development curriculum. We focus on building platforms for opportunity and connections across our diverse Nation network, empowering each Remote to self direct their personal and professional development. Here’s some past examples and ongoing opportunities:
- The Knowledge Drop—Biweekly webinar series where an expert from the Nation drops knowledge on everything from how to network in the digital age, to the stock market, to how to write a book. See our archives here!
- Nation Houses—Three day weekend, in-person events that bring together Remotes from across communities to connect and learn on topics like leadership or creativity.
- Leadership Opportunities—Step up and lead your community’s Positive Impact efforts, speak at a local networking event, or lead a group at StartUp Weekend. Nation Leaders are responsible for some of the Nation’s most impressive initiatives, like Yugen Build.
- Nation + Community Tribes—Entrepreneurship, creatives, managers—there are many tribes within the Nation. Some are digital events, while some are in-person meetings within communities. We’ll connect you to others with your shared pursuits, and then you make the magic happen.
- Remote Year Spanish Curriculum—Join the Remote Year Spanish Curriculum during your Latin America journey to improve your Spanish language skills with two small group classes per week.
How can I continue my Remote Year experience after my program ends?
Though your Remote Year program has an end date marked on the calendar, you’ll forever be a member of the Remote Nation family. Remotes who have completed at least four months on a Remote Year program become a Citizen (alumni). This means you can stay connected to the Remote Nation in all the ways that feel familiar, but also enjoy the flexibility of weaving Citizenship into your post-Remote Year lifestyle, whether you are still traveling long-term or looking for shorter commitments. Get a sneak peek into Citizen life!