How to join a group working & traveling the world

Do you dream of seeing the world without quitting your job? You’re not alone. Today there are jobs you can do anywhere from Zanzibar to Zurich, from Buenos Aires to Borneo. All you need is a computer and an internet connection (and your passport). International and round-the-world travel has never been more accessible to more people than it is today.

But as amazing as it sounds, becoming location independent can be tricky. Combining the stresses of your nine-to-five with the unpredictability of travel isn’t a simple undertaking, and even working from the beach can get lonely.

So it’s not surprising that over the last few years, an explosion of new companies have made it their mission to help people get out there and see new places without taking a sabbatical or giving up their jobs. All of them offer must-haves for location independent folk—reliable internet, comfortable accommodations, and perhaps most importantly for newly nomadic professionals–an opportunity to connect with travelers and locals through coliving and coworking spaces, as well as organized activities and excursions.

We love the idea of making a work/life/travel balance achievable for everyone. In fact, we’ve been part of this movement for nearly 20 years (18, to be exact). Since 2002 we’ve had digital nomads working on our team, and today our location-independent organization is 40 people strong, spread across the world.

The options we’ve gathered below are groups and companies with a mission: to make ditching your cubicle easy. They focus on simplifying logistics, connecting you with communities, fellow travelers, and locals and leaving you with no excuses: you can travel, no time-off required.

Whether you’ve been a digital nomad for years or are new to location-independent working, these companies can help provide support and structure for your journey. Read on to learn more about how they’ve reimagined the idea of “heading to the office”.

Launch: February 2016

Founded by Bruno Haid in December 2015, Roam offers comfortable digs for digital nomads. Travelers pay weekly or monthly dues, and funds can be applied to locations such as Bali, Miami, and Madrid, with locations in Buenos Aires and London coming soon.

For $500 weekly or $1800 monthly, you get a private queen- or king-sized room with a private bathroom, access to community work space, community lounge and social areas, a commercial grade kitchen for remote workers who enjoy cooking, internationally compatible electrical outlets and “battle-tested” internet in all of the above. The idea is to come in, get working, and enjoy a high standard of comfort while you’re on the road. Occasional nomads that change location infrequently might not find the service worth the cost, but for digital nomads that are on the move full-time, being able to arrive at a destination and not having to search for a good place to stay, work, and socialize can be a big advantage. Roam plans to expand their network of properties by 8 to 10 locations in 2017. See what people are saying about Roam on twitter at #roamcoliving.

Launch: Summer 2016

Another flexible choice, Digital Outposts hosts trips in 2-week, and 1- or 2-month increments in Bali (Indonesia), Ko Pha Ngan (Thailand) and Puerto Vallarta (Mexico).

There are few different pricing levels depending on how long you travel with them: longer stays equal lower rates. For 2 months or more the cost is $1695/month for the three destinations currently on offer.

Founders Ed Hsieh and Eric Dominguez wanted to create “a better way for others to explore new places and experience different cultures. We host people with jobs, research, or projects they can do remotely for at least a short period of time.” An added bonus with the Digital Outpost program is lifelong access to their alumni network.

Launch: 2014

With programs ranging from 2 weeks to 3 months in length, Hacker Paradise incentivizes staying longer by making it cheaper the longer you stay. How cheap? Stay 2-3 weeks on their Southeast Asia program and you’ll pay $600 a week. Not bad for excellent accommodations, their activities program and a dedicated workspace with high-speed internet. But stay 12 weeks and you’ll pay half as much at $300 a week,. The experience includes the opportunity to become a part of a tight-knit, intellectual community to accelerate your personal and professional growth and hang out with outside of work.

You’ll also have a private bedroom in dedicated housing near your co-working space equipped with solid Wi-Fi. Social events, day trips, talks, workshops, hack days, and BBQs round out the deal. Note that this experience is geared towards developers and technical people and you must have a project/work to sign up for the program. To see what participants are up to check out #hackerparadise on Twitter.

Launch: February 2015

A network of co-living spaces for digital nomads around the world, Nomad house has 19 locations. With nightly prices ranging from $14 to $95, there’s something for everyone. They make sure all of their houses have fast, reliable Wifi, a workspace, comfortable beds, good food available, and most, if not all, amenities are on-site. Nomad house is a very flexible option for experienced transient professionals. You’re free to come and go and bop around their network of amazing spaces at will. This is a great option if you’re ready to chart your own course.

For a shorter, guided experience, Nomad House also offers 10-day retreats. The next scheduled retreat is in Budapest, Hungary. At $550 for a 10-day retreat including all breakfasts, some dinners, some activities and a double-occupancy room, it’s a good starter option.

Launch: 2015

Remote Year is probably the most popular and trusted brand in the digital nomad space thus far. If you’re looking for a complete solution for hanging your hat (and charging your laptop), why not spend a full year on the road with them? Join a cohort of 75, hailing from across the globe, to work, travel, and explore 12 hand-picked destinations. Spending one month in each location, Remote Year connects you with local cultures and business ecosystems, forming lifelong, borderless, personal and professional relationships along the way. With a total cost of $27,000 (about $74 a day) for a full year’s travel, including flights, accommodations and co-working space, activities and events, it’s not a bad deal.

Founder Sam Pessin notes that “openness” is key for this experience, which when all’s said and done “can be as challenging as it is exciting.” And Remote Year’s first year was a challenging learning experience, as documented in Atlas Obscura. But over 60% of folks stuck with the program the entire year, which is a huge success for a first go-around. Get more insight into how participants feel about their remote year experiences on twitter at #remoteyear

We’ve worked closely with Remote Year and we can definitively say they truly care about providing travelers with an amazing work-abroad experience. The group dynamic and full year commitment give Remote Year folks a purpose built group and infrastructure. Founder Sam Pessin explains, “We work really hard to offer an incredible year-long international experience, but at the end of the day, what makes it really special are the people that travel with us. Each community has an incredibly deep and unique bond with each other, with their staff, and with the local communities they visit.”

Disclosure: Our colleagues at Bootsnall’s partner Airtreks provide flight support for Remote Year

Launch: June 2016

If you’re seeking a bit more structure for your work/travel but aren’t sure about a full year commitment, The Remote Experience could be the right choice for you. It’s a 4-month program that brings together 30 remote professionals to work, live, and play in 4 countries. The Remote Experience world tour lasts twelve months and is divided into 3 different 4-month segments: the Europe Trip, the Asia Trip, and the Latin America Trip. Not sure you’re up for a four-month commitment? They also offer a month-to-month package.

One of the program’s main goals is integration into local culture for their travelers. Founder Michelle Lawson shares, “Our participants live in apartments dispersed across town, where the locals are neighbors and fellow expats are not. Each day our participants wake up and navigate the city as a local would: head to their favorite cafe for a coffee, head to the market for breakfast veggies, take a morning run, and then head to the office to work.” The Remote Experience takes care of the research, organization, and booking of your private bedroom, desk space, flights, travel tickets, local guide, and travel insurance starting at $10,000 per 4-month experience, divided into a $3,000 down payment and a monthly payment of $1,750. When we talked to Michelle she was getting ready for a weekend rafting trip with the group in Croatia–we’re jealous! Check out the Remote Experience Facebook page for participant’s blog posts, and evaluations of the experience.

Launch: July 2016

Taking off in July of 2016, Terminal 3 offers you the opportunity to travel and work remotely for three or six months. With an upfront fee of $2,000 for a three-month sojourn or $3,000 for six months plus $1,750 monthly , the program includes travel between destinations, a single or double-occupancy room, local SIM card with data, and a coworking space with wifi.

The price also includes workshops, talks, and mastermind groups, weekly language and yoga classes, community impact days, twice weekly get together meals and local partners in every destination to help you integrate into the community.

If you hear the siren song of the ocean, this just might be your ultimate Digital Nomad dream. CoBoat plans to launch August 2016 and will spend a year sailing. They’re still taking applications. Fast and reliable internet, all meals and non-alcoholic beverages, all port fees and charges, and shared accommodation in double or triple cabins are included starting at €980 per week. For a closer look at the CoBoat experience, you can tour the facilities in this youtube video.

This service will start accepting applications August 1st 2016 for a first-run 6-month remote working trip from March to August 2017 wherein participants will spend 1 month each in 6 Central and South American cities for total program fees of $14,500.

For $4,999 participants get two-weeks of training, excursions, networking events, workshops, and even help with the search for remote work. Everything’s designed to help participants figure out the best way to live a digital nomad lifestyle. The program has just started processing its first round of applications for its inaugural run in Fall 2016.

Have you participated in a co-working, co-living situation as a Digital Nomad? Or have you completed a program like one of those listed above? Are you aware of any other great resources that we’ve missed for location-independent workers? Share your thoughts and your experience with us in the comments!

For more on the Digital Nomad lifestyle and Round-the-World Travel check out the links below:

Why Travel RTW?

Chiang Mai for Digital Nomads

12 of the Best Jobs that Combine Work and Travel

How to Make Money While Traveling

The Realities of a Location Independent Life

Photo Credits: Shutterstock.com, Mooshny / Shutterstock.com, LOFTFLOW / Shutterstock.com, RossHelen / Shutterstock.com, Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com, Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko /