Remote YearReviews of remoteyear.com

This was my fourth one month trip with RY. I’m by far at the older end of the age continuum (late 60’s), but I still enjoy the people. I think it’s the like-mindedness in our curiosity and sense of adventure that creates the bond. I don’t do all the late night socializing nor the more extreme activities, but there is plenty to enjoy together. Cape Town and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to be able to spend a month!

If you’re considering a month in Lisbon, do not waste your money by giving it to Remote Year. RY’s advertising on their site is misleading. They claim that they provide “centrally located” or “hotel-style” accommodations. I guess heavy emphasis on the “or” because what my roommates and I received were maybe hostel style accommodations. When you look at the pictures in the “accommodations” section of the Lisbon tab, it’s truly misleading and so far from what my roommates and I received. The quality of living quarters provided was little better than a college dormitory. Our hot water kept going in-and-out, mostly out. It took about 10 days for it to finally get resolved but not without a fair share of cold showers. I had to shower at the gym. —The outlets in my bedroom and the shared bathroom were mostly non-functioning. —The stairwell light kept malfunctioning —The stove-top and oven in our kitchen was basically a hot plate. And for a dormitory, and I mean dormitory(!), for four people who cook their meals, this was a problem. Our oven was very outdated and took forever to get warm, let alone hot. —The workspace felt far. Even people who were located half our distance from the workspace felt that the workspace felt far. —Some people called the workspace a place where all fun goes to die (although the rooftop is quite nice) —The group activities were fine. I did the olive oil experience + Evora which gets my one star. —The participants of RY did a far better job in organizing activities For $3200, please don’t spend it with RY in Lisbon, you can have a great remote experience on your own or just roll the dice with another company. You get only $150 credit for any experiences which goes quickly! Basically, it gets you maybe 1 1/2 experiences unless you sign up for the Azores trip which is an additional $700. Airfare not included or nor any type of transportation to and from the airport. Lisbon is a FANTASTIC city with a strong digital nomad / remote working culture. It’s very easy to meet people through a workspace, meetups app, and even in a restaurant or bar. There are expat gatherings all the time, and the Portuguese people are so friendly and wonderful that it was easy to make connections wherever I went. I know that I didn’t travel to another country to just spend it in my apartment, but for $3200, I was expecting something so much more than a dysfunctional dorm room. Going home was not a place of rest or relaxation—just frustration. And let’s face it, travel can be tiring, so when we go back to our accommodations, we just want to be able to kick back, relax and get some good sleep (btw, these beds were the worst. .) This is a gamble I lost. However, I know that some other RYers received accommodations very different and nicer than mine which makes the situation all the more frustrating. I’ll end with this: A friend visiting from Germany and I were hanging out at another RY apartment one evening, and after we left, she told me that the disparity between my apartment and the one we were just at was shocking and a grave injustice on the company’s part. *And, by the way, the RY apartment that was called into comparison(?): even those people didn’t think their apartment reflected the price they paid for the program.

It's always about the people, and our community and program leaders were wonderful. It's my second time doing Remote Year and it's absolutely the brand I will continue to go back to until I've exhausted all locations! (So add more, please!!)

The accommodation was not up to standard, internet didn’t work, no dryer in the house, made my life very inconvenient to say the least, with the amount they are charging you can get way better accommodations within the same area. The manager and landlord was rude and not helpful. I did not have a great experience overall.

I am giving this program two stars for the two lovely people I met and the overall concept of the program. I want to preface this review by saying I am a 37-year-old female who is not interested in the "party" lifestyle. If you are younger and looking for study abroad 2.0 this will be a BLAST and I highly recommend it! The program promised a safety team, multiple excursions, assistance when needed and optional extra tasks. On top of the $3200 I spent ( I got a private apartment), I had to pay extra for activities. I found the exact same activities on trip advisor and other sites for a lot cheaper. My apartment was far away from the rest of the group so the whole "community" thing I paid for required a lot of extra effort. I had issues in my apartment that took over a week to resolve. I had to BEG to get it fixed. To compensate they tried their best by giving me more money for remote year activities. The staff members were beyond lovely, except for the one that was supposed to be our city guide. She put in 0% effort. The rest of the staff were incredible and sweet but I could sense that they were overworked and undertrained. They were switching systems during my time and that was confusing too. It is not their fault. They have a lot of smoothing out to do. The age gap difference left some people wanting to party and others wanting to chill. I got roped into forced activities through some roulette thing and it was reminiscent of my terrible sorority days. Overall, the stars are for the lovely people (people who attended and the staff members) & the amazing concept of getting together a community to travel. I am not saying don't go because for some who need that community and are too scared to go alone it may be worth a try. I would recommend the 1 month to see if it is a good fit for you and then make your own decision from there. Happy Travels Everyone!

My relationship with Remote Year started before the pandemic - I was signed up for a yearlong program leaving August 2020. Once the pandemic hit and the world changed, I was nervous they wouldn’t survive and, if they did, what would they look like in this new normal. In October 2021, I was able to begin that journey but still nervous about traveling in a pandemic. A year later, I have zero regrets and plenty of gratitude to the Remote Year staff that weathered a great deal of uncertainty. While I had moments of frustration and dissatisfaction at certain points throughout the year, the journey was worth it and one of the best years of my life. Travel is a unique privilege and there are many ways to fulfill a sense of wanderlust. If you are seeking a transactional travel experience, then joining a Remote Year program is probably not what you are looking for - you can travel on a smaller budget. What Remote Year provides is an opportunity to experience the world with a community of like minded individuals, curated by city locals that are extremely generous, funny, and passionate. Is it flawless? No. Is there room for improvement? Sure. However, given all of the unknowns of travel, the journey can be truly transformative, if you allow it. Finally, our year wouldn’t have been the same without our RY Community Leader, Eddie Bob Jones. He constantly went above and beyond to cultivate a culture amongst our group that made the year even more memorable than I could have ever imagined. He encouraged and curated many memorable side trips that were highlights of the year. Most importantly, his patience, leadership, and thoughtfulness was always authentic and intentional. Thinking about traveling the world for 1 full year is a crazy concept before you begin and even after its over. The only way to prepare yourself is to bring a spirit of wonder, flexibility, and willingness to have your personal worldview challenged. The many tireless human beings behind the scenes at Remote Year do their best to take a ball of unpredictable group and geo-political dynamics and spin it into something meaningful and unique. The result for me was a wealth of memories and friendships that I'll cherish for a lifetime.

This was my first time traveling out of the country and as a solo female traveler. If you’re thinking about traveling and work remotely, I highly recommend remote year. I spent a month in Valencia Spain, opted for a private apartment and it was perfection! It was nice to know that someone was available if needed, which put my mind at ease. It was also fun to meet so many people from around the world traveling with RY. I’m already planning my next trip with them. If you have any doubts, just do it! You’ll be happy you did and you’ll have an amazing once of a lifetime experience.

I didn't know what to expect during my time in New Orleans, but it turned out to be an experience I'll never forget. The city was so full of musical charm, great food, and beautiful architecture. The community that I enjoyed being a part of was very inclusive and diverse. We all got along well, and it made travelling so much more exciting. The leaders Giral, Sarah, and Juan were truly invested in making sure I enjoyed my time and were responsive to my requests. Thank you to Remote Year!