Jacqueline Jensen: My experience with Hacker Paradise and Remote Year

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Read about Jacqueline’s experience with Hacker Paradise and Remote Year.

Groups that bring together digital nomads, like Remote Year and Hacker Paradise, are very interesting to me. As a solo traveler, my first thought was that these groups would provide a new experience for someone like me. I like the idea of having experienced both types of travel and being able to point to what I like best about each.

Having a group there when I want them there comes in handy. There are many times someone in the group finds an interesting experience in the city – like a foodie tour, a scenic hike, or an amazing restaurant – and I know I wouldn’t have found it on my own. It’s also nice to have accommodations and a co-working space (with fast wifi!) set up and ready to go. I underestimated how much time I was spending on logistics each and every time I traveled until I didn’t have to worry about them anymore on group trips. I save a lot of time navigating a city when I’m with a group.

On Hacker Paradise

One of my favorite digital nomad experience so far has been working alongside other remote workers through the Hacker Paradise program for a month in March 2016 in Bali. Each week, the Hacker Paradise crew breaks out for the Reciprocity Ring activity. The idea is to ask the group for help in either your personal life or professional work. We each put out a need or request to the group, and the groups helps the individual make connections, offer introductions, offer new ideas or other things to help the individual achieve that goal.

I had traveled and worked solo quite a bit, and wanted to do it with a group to see what it was like. I greatly enjoyed getting to know the other group members and did activities I had never thought to do in Bali when I was traveling solo. My favorite activity was a sunrise hike on an active volcano!

Celebrating my birthday with Remote Year

My birthday fell 4 days into our Remote Year year-long journey, and I celebrated my birthday with my Remote Year cohort in our first stop here in Prague. As other digital nomads know, being away from friends, family, and co-workers on your birthday can be hard. Knowing this, the Remote Year organizers planned a surprise that was really special and unforgettable. It involved opera, a traditional Czech dessert, and 75 new friends (watch the video here).

Traveling solo has its perks, too. I feel less obligation to please other people when I am alone in a city. I am also able to make decisions on a dime easily without talking it through with anyone else. If I am bored with a city, I just book a flight the next morning to the next city. That freedom is really fun! I’d encourage those who are all-in on groups or all-in on solo travel to try the other side to see what they think!

Follow Jacqueline on her Remote Year journey at Twitter, Instagram and Website.

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