Remote Year Alternatives

by Cory · Published December 14, 2015 · Updated September 19, 2024

Newly Updated for February 2017

Remote Year 2015 Itinerary Map

Having traveled for about a month out of every year, I’ve usually set up shop in a hostel or internet cafe to work remotely for Jazz. Somehow, while traveling, I stumbled on Remote Year – a one-year long program where you travel with other remote workers for a year all across the globe. In this post, we’ll take a look at my application experience, Remote Year alternatives, and how to find other Digital Nomads.

This definitely had my interest. So, I immediately sent in my application (around December 15, 2014).

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From there it was a waiting game to see if I would move onto the second round. I received a congratulatory letter welcoming me to round two of the application process on January 14, 2015, right before I left for Cairo, Egypt. Below is more information on Remote Year’s application timeline.

Upcoming schedule of events:
– January: Application Part 2 reviews
– January-February: Interview invitations
– February: Interviews
– February-March: Acceptance notifications & deposits*
– June 1: Remote Year begins!

However, when I decided to check out the 2nd round questions, I noticed that there was a $50.00, non-refundable application fee to cover administrative expenses.

Part 2 of the application is the final step of the application process and requires a $50 USD application fee to cover administrative costs of the application process and to ensure all applicants are serious about the program. This fee is non-refundable.

This was where I fell off the wagon and decided not to pursue Remote Year any further.

Looking more at the costs of Remote Year, there is a $3,000 deposit to secure a spot in the program, as well as $2,000 that is due at the beginning of each month. So, you or your company would foot a $27,000 bill for participating in this program.

I figured for the sake of you all, I could quickly cover some Remote Year alternatives that I’ve found.

Alternatives to Remote Year

Hacker Paradise Website Screenshot

Now that I’ve told you a little about Remote Year, I should touch upon what some Remote Year alternatives are.

You could spend a good bit of time planning your own trip around the world with a Round-The-World (RTW) Airplane Ticket. Most major airlines alliances offer a flat rate for an RTW ticket, but it is usually more expensive than booking on your own with budget airlines.

There are several co-working vacations/retreats that you can take, but most of them only last a month. Some of the more popular ones are –

Cowork the World (All over the world – Price not disclosed on website – Starts January 5, 2016)
Hacker Paradise (Various locations – Price depends on location – from $300-$850 per week – Two to Twelve-week duration)
The Blue House (Now Defunct – Taghazout, Morocco – 600 Euros for 10 days)
Pangea 196 (Various Location – 4, 8, or 12-month programs – $1,950 per month)
Remote Trotters (Appears Defunct – All over the world – $2,000 per month + $2,000 deposit – Starts March 6, 2016)
Remote Way (Various Regions – ~$2,500 per month dependent on the region – I don’t like how the larger down payment results in a higher total cost…)
Startup Retreats (Now Defunct – Price Varies on Location – Several Locations Available)
Terminal 3 (Various locations – Month to Month, 6-month, or Yearly – $2,395 per month or $1,950/month for 6-months + $1,450 fee)
Unfixed Points (Various Locations – 3-months in length – $2,666 per month)
Venture With Impact (Peru/Colombia – 1, 2, or 3-month programs that focus on volunteering more than Remote Work – $900 to $1,000 per month)
Wanderboss (Three Locations – 2 months in each location – $3,000 downpayment + $2,000 per month)
We Roam (Various Locations – 3, 6, or 12-month programs – $2,000 per month)
Work from Curacao (Now Defunct – Curacao – $2,295 per month – only 1 month per year)
Work To Roam (Now Defunct – Had a pilot program in Belize in Summer of 2016 – Couldn’t find costs)
YonderWork (Various locations – 2 months per country – Anywhere from $1,400 to $2,600 per month depending on location.)

Looking for an atypical remote work environment? It’s expensive, but, Co-boat has you covered.

If you’re looking for some more, Top Alternatives has a handful more recommendations.

Finding Other Digital Nomads

If you’ve planned your trips by yourself without the help of Remote Year, finding a place to work, meet others, and more is important.

Some resources that are out there for nomads have been provided primarily by Levels.io –

Hashtag Nomad ($65 one-time fee) – Allows you to chat with other nomads in specific country/city channels on Slack
Nomad List – Super helpful for planning where to work next by filtering on a wide variety of criteria
Nomad Forum – Similar to Hashtag Nomad, but allows for threaded conversation that focused on a variety of topics like Gear, Location, and others.
Nomad Trips – Connect with other nomads and see where other nomads have traveled or are traveling to

Don’t just limit yourself to the services above, but check in with companies that allow their workers to be remote.

Check out remote work websites to network with companies that might have office spaces abroad to use for a few days.